A young widow nursing the wounds of her past…
A cowboy with demons of his own…
Though
grateful for the blessing of her daughter, Carissa Lowe has accepted
that widowhood is her lot in life. Bound by fear and mistrust, she feels
incapable of opening her heart again.
Tyler Atherton
has never forgotten Carissa. When he discovers she’s living with her
sister on a nearby ranch, his life becomes intertwined with the lovely
widow’s. And Carissa’s daughter, Gloria, seems determined to wrap
herself around his little finger. But while Tyler longs to provide a
home and future for Carissa, he is haunted by an obligation he feels
unable to fulfill.
Challenged by mounting hardships,
can Carissa and Tyler preserve their fledgling love in a land as
unforgiving and vibrant as the people who call it home?
Interview with Author Tracie Peterson
First
of all, Taming the Wind is the third book in the Land of the Lone Star
Series. How did this series come to be? What inspired you to write this
series?
As I was researching Texas, I came across
information that dealt with the diversity of attitudes during and just
after the Civil War. Texas was like a country unto itself and there
were people who supported both sides of the war. Then there were a
great many people who were just strong, staunch supporters of Texas.
The history fascinated me and the series idea was born.
When
you approached the first book in the Land of the Lone Star series, did
you already have in mind what you wanted to happen to the characters in
book three?
Yes. I plotted out the entire series (in
brief) before ever starting book one. I knew that I wanted to show the
prospective of the Confederate supporters, the Union supporters and the
Texas supporters. I knew too that I wanted to include romance, intrigue
and Spiritual conflict. As I better understood the research for the
area, the plot and characters came alive.
What was the hardest part of writing this third book?
As with any series, you want each book to stand alone and be strongly
focused on its own issues, while incorporating the overall feel and
sense of the series. That would probably be the issue that I work
hardest on when coming to book 3 in a series. I want the reader to be
able to pick up book 3 and read it and love it without needing book 1
and 2. However, I'd like them to love it enough that they would want to
go back and read books 1 and 2 if they hadn't already done so.
Which character is the easiest for you to write? The hardest?
Of the main characters in TAMING THE WIND I think Carissa was easiest
to write. As a woman I could understand her fierce protective love of
her child, as well as her apprehensive feelings about allowing herself
to love again. Tyler was probably hardest because of his sense of
vendetta and the desire to have revenge. That's not my nature so I had
to really think about that and discuss that issue with people who had
struggled in those areas. Not that I haven't had my times when I wanted
someone to "get what was coming to them", but being a person who wants
mercy and so tries to give it, I needed to really get to the heart of
someone who lives with an on-going desire for revenge.
You
have written MANY novels, do you ever struggle with coming up with new
and different characters? Are the characters in the Lone Star series
similar to any of your past characters?
All of my
books have strong focal female characters who are flawed and need to
grow in their spiritual walk. Some are weaker in certain areas than
others, some are godly women and others aren't, however with all of
the characters I try to give them the heart and attitude of the people
from that time period, while pulling out the issues that I know will hit
home with the readers. There's truly nothing new under the sun, so I
find many of the issues faced in the 1800's are the same ones we deal
with today - loneliness, jealousy, envy, anger, forgiving, trusting,
loving, etc.
Many of our readers would love to know- what's next for you? Will this be the last book in the series?
Well, I'm currently working on a 3 book indepedent series set in
various locations in Minnesota. These books will each stand alone and
none of the characters will carry over to the next book. The only thing
they will have in common is Minnesota in the late 1800's. As for is
this the last book in the Land of the Lonestar series - yes and no. It
is the last book for this series, however, a connecting series is up and
coming for 2014. This series will pull a few characters from the Land
of the Lonestar series as well as the Striking a Match series. I
decided to do this because so many readers kept asking for more on
certain characters and I thought it would be fun to combine the two.
Why should my readers pick up this book- quick- give me 3 reasons!
It epitomizes my three E philosophy. It's entertaining. It's educational. It's encouraging.
And now for some fun:
Chocolate or Vanilla? Chocolate
Downton Abbey or Pride and Prejudice? Pride and Prejudice
Beach trip or Skiing Vacation? Skiing Vacation where I sit in the lodge in front of the fireplace and read
Summer or Winter?
Winter
Salty or Sweet? Sweet
Tracie Peterson is the award-winning author of over eighty novels, both
historical and contemporary. Her avid research resonates in her stories,
as seen in her bestselling Heirs of Montana and Alaskan Quest series.
Tracie and her family make their home in Montana. Visit Tracie's Web
site at www.traciepeterson.com and her blog at www.writespassage.blogspot.com
Check out the rest of the Taming the Wind tour HERE!
Celebrate with Tracie by entering to win a Kindle Fire!
See what people are saying about Taming the Wind.
One winner will receive:
- A Brand New Kindle Fire with Wi-Fi
- Five copies of Live to Give by Austin Gutwein
Hurry, the giveaway ends on 9/25/12. Just click one of the icons below to enter. The winner will be announced at Tracie’s ”Taming the Wind” Author Chat Party on 9/26! Connect with Tracie, get a sneak peek of her next book, try your hand at a trivia contest, and chat with readers just like yourself. There will also be gift certificates, books and a Book Club Prize Pack to be won (10 copies for your book club or small group)!
So grab your copy of Taming the Wind and join Tracie on the evening of the September 26th for a chance to connect with Tracie and make some new friends. (If you haven’t read the book – don’t let that stop you from coming!)
DON’T MISS A MOMENT OF THE FUN,
RSVP TODAY. TELL YOUR FRIENDS VIA
FACEBOOK or
TWITTER AND INCREASE YOUR CHANCES OF WINNING. HOPE TO SEE YOU ON THE 26TH!
