What are some of the reasons you enjoy using Texas as the setting for some of your novels?

I spent my early childhood in a small town in Texas, and though my family left there when I was seven, the land of Spanish live oak trees and bluebonnets was firmly etched in my memory. There are so many wonderful things about Texas that I wanted to share with readers—everything from its turbulent history to the beauty of the Hill Country.

A Stolen Heart is set in 1880. What are your favorite things about this time period?

It’s not the bustles women wore! I have no idea who thought they were attractive or comfortable, but neither one is true. (I know, because I created a bustle-back gown to wear for book signings for my Westward Winds trilogy. Fastening a seatbelt when you’re wearing a bustle is no easy task. In fact, just sitting isn’t particularly easy.)

What I like about the second half of the nineteenth century is that it was a time of major change in America. We had westward expansion, the Civil War and its aftermath, the growing temperance and suffragette movements—all of which can be used to create a fascinating backdrop for historical romances.

What kind of research do you do to write a novel set in a different time and place?

For me, research involves two things: a lot of reading—mostly reference books from the library—and travel to the location. I begin with history books, getting a feel for what was happening in my chosen location in the year I want to use for the story, then expand to diaries of people who were alive then, if I can find them. That’s not always possible, but when they’re available, those first-person accounts provide little details that make books come alive.

I know some authors will disagree, but I consider actually going to the location essential. There’s only so much you can learn from the internet, but if you’re there in person, you can exercise all of your senses. At least for me, it’s important to see the trees and shrubs that are growing there, to touch leaves and bark, and to feel and smell the air. Those are the kinds of details that readers have told me they enjoy about my books, so it’s been well worth the trips. Plus, I enjoy traveling.

Is there a lesson or message you hope readers gain from reading A Stolen Heart?

The common theme to my books is the healing power of love, and that’s what readers will find in A Stolen Heart. Both Lydia and Travis have been hurt and despair of ever finding happiness, but their love for each other and—even more importantly—God’s love for them bring them the happily-ever-after romance readers crave. I hope that the troubles my characters endure and the way they resolve them will resonate with readers and will reinforce their belief in God’s mercy and the healing he alone can provide.

A Stolen Heart is book 1 of the Cimarron Creek Trilogy. What can we expect to see in books 2 and 3?

The story continues! There are so many interesting characters in Cimarron Creek, not to mention some strangers who’re coming to town, that I couldn’t write just one book. Catherine, a secondary character in A Stolen Heart, becomes the heroine of A Borrowed Dream, while Austin Goddard, a handsome rancher with more than his share of secrets, brings love and danger to town. All three books are tied together by a decades-old mystery that’s introduced in A Stolen Heart.

It was so much fun getting to know the residents of Cimarron Creek. I hope readers enjoy the town and its inhabitants as much as I do.