By Guest Author, Peggy L. Henderson
Thank you so much for inviting me to blog at Smart Girls Read Romance, and talk about
what has inspired me to write the Yellowstone
Romance Series.
Up until four years ago, I
was a ravenous romance reader, not a writer. Historical romances are my
favorite, especially those set in the American west. While there are plenty of
cowboy romances to choose from, I had a hard time finding romances set in the
mountains and the wilderness, during a time when fur trappers and mountain men
roamed the Rocky Mountains.
One of my favorite places on
earth is the Yellowstone and Grand Teton area of Wyoming and Montana, and my
husband and I camp there every summer. It is my once-a-year, two-week escape
from the hustle and bustle of city life.
During the summer of 2009, my
husband had another commitment to take a group of boy scouts on a backpacking
trip into the California High Sierras, so my Yellowstone trip that year wasn’t
going to happen. Or was it? On a whim, I asked my good friend and boss at work
if she would want to go on a girls-only camping trip with me to Yellowstone for
a week. She had limited camping experience, and I had never gone without my
husband. This trip would be a life-changer for me, in more ways than one.
YELLOWSTONE HEART SONG, my debut novel, was born on a lone stretch of
Interstate 5, heading home from that camping trip in 2009. Driving through the
Utah desert on the 1000 mile journey home, my mind had a lot of time to wander
and reflect on the trip.
I had never thought about
writing a book, and when the original concept for the story popped into my mind,
it came as a complete surprise to me. I didn’t think much of it over the
months, but it always stuck with me in the back of my mind. I kept searching
for books, hoping to find something that had been published that was similar to
what I had in my head, so I could read it. No luck.
The following year, on
another trip to Wonderland, I took greater notice of all the places in the park
that were part of that story in my head. The day after arriving home, I sat
down to write. The story just wouldn’t let me go. I told no one what I was
doing. The thought of letting anyone else see what I wrote was laughable. Another
year later, 2011, I had a finished story. (Well, a story anyways) Now what? I
checked around the internet. I wanted someone to read it, just to get some
feedback, but never did I have publishing in mind. I found some RWA contests,
and entered one. To my great surprise, I finaled! How shocking was that? My
harshest judge said, “find a critique partner.” So I
searched the internet again. And I struck gold when Carol Spradling answered my
query. She tore through my manuscript with a loaded red pen and fine tooth
comb.
Months later, she asked me
when I would pursue publishing. What?!?! I basically ignored her. She wanted to
know what I would write next. Huh??? Okay, I thought. I love Yellowstone, I
can’t think of anything else to write, and I loved the interaction with Carol,
so why not write a sequel? That’s how YELLOWSTONE REDEMPTION was born. I
flew through that book, and had a first draft done in six weeks.
After that, I was gung ho to
write another. YELLOWSTONE AWAKENING was a few chapters from completion before
Carol put the brakes on me, and told me I needed to get something published. My
husband suggested I self-publish. So, that’s what I ended up pursuing, and I
published YELLOWSTONE HEART SONG on January 2nd, 2012. The
reader response has been overwhelming, to say the least.
The series, which had started
as a stand-alone story that wouldn’t leave my mind, turned into a fictional
journey through Yellowstone’s history, and weaving factual events into the
books. YELLOWSTONE REDEMPTION contains a scene that was inspired by
John Colter’s legendary escape from the Blackfoot Indians. YELLOWSTONE AWAKENING is
a fictional account (with true facts and names sprinkled in) of the creation of
the nation’s first national park, and YELLOWSTONE DAWN deals with some of
the problems the park encountered in its infancy. The final book in the series,
YELLOWSTONE DECEPTION, deals with a more current issue the park has faced, and I
wrote that book due to overwhelming reader demand for a couple of minor
characters from YELLOWSTONE HEART SONG to get their story.
I never in my wildest dreams
expected readers to contact me and tell me how much they enjoyed learning about
Yellowstone through my books. Many emails I receive are from people who have
never been to Yellowstone, and now want to go visit, or the email I received
from a reader who was planning a “quick trip to see Old Faithful,” but now
wanted to see so much more. I ended up writing up an itinerary for her.
The following message is one
of my favorites:
“I
read YELLOWSTONE HEART SONG and YELLOWSTONE DECEPTION and I am
impressed with how well you know the history and the ecology of that area. Most
people don't even think about what the park looked like in the 1800's before
they killed off the predators and stopped the fires from burning. I didn't even
really think about it until I worked with a vegetation specialist who said the
veg in the park was a joke and not how it was supposed to be at all. Good job
on knowing your stuff! I hope you realize that most people who live in this
area don't even know as much about it as you do.”
The
Yellowstone Romance Series
For Aimee Donovan, it started out as
an unbelievable journey into the past. Little did she know that her time travel
would shape the destiny of the place we know today as Yellowstone.
The Yellowstone Romance Series is an
enticing mixture of adventure, love, and danger through the generations as we
meet the Osborne and Russell families.
From
the dawn of the rugged and untamed wilderness of Yellowstone to the majestic
national park we know today, we feel the passion, heartache, and excitement on
every page.
YELLOWSTONE HEART SONG Excerpt
For the better
part of the morning, Daniel led her through the forest, showing her how to read
different tracks, other signs to look out for that an animal had been in the
area, where to look for edible roots and plants, and how to watch the skies for
changes in the weather. Along with the berries, she filled her backpack with
mint, wild onions, licorice, and various other roots and plants.
She had
listened attentively as she tried to absorb everything Daniel told her. Some
things she already knew, others were completely new to her. The subtle animal
signs he picked up on astounded her. Silently, he had pointed out a black bear
sow and her twin cubs in the distance, a moose in the thickets that she would
have completely overlooked, and countless other smaller animals. He knew which
critter made every track they came upon. He read the forest for information as
someone in her time would read a newspaper. It was most refreshing to get a
glimpse of this wilderness that she loved so much in her time from this man who
carved out a living here.
Aimee savored
the beauty of her surroundings. Aspen trees grew in abundance. Beaver lodges
could be seen all along the streams, and countless otters played in the waters.
With the coming of the fur trappers to these mountains within a decade of this
time, the beaver would be trapped to near extinction. Wolves would be hunted
until none remained, and without this predator, the elk would take over,
causing the destruction of the aspen from overgrazing. This was a Yellowstone
unfamiliar to her, but it was as nature had intended before the encroachment of
man.
 |
Peggy L. Henderson, author,
with lower falls in background |
Peggy L Henderson is a laboratory
technologist by night, and writes during the day. She has been happily married
to her high school sweetheart for many years. Along with her husband and two
sons, she makes her home in Southern California. They dream of moving to Montana
some day.
Find her and her books (and audiobooks) at the following links!
We
had intended to get back several times. In 2013, we had reservations at
Old Faithful Inn-- the time they shut the government down, which meant
all the national forests and parks. 
For me,
Yellowstone is one of those special places with so much to see or take
in, from big things to little ones, that a lifetime wouldn't let a
person know it all. Most of it is not reached by roads. In this trip, with only five days, we went to those that are. We spent time in places that simply are and that let someone just be.
Yellowstone
has the pretty, innocent kind of beauty, but there is also the savage
beauty, where life changes in a heartbeat. As a super volcano, it could
erupt and destroy all that is there and a lot of the United States.
With that kind of energy, it's not surprising that photographers,
artists, writers, and those of a creative mindset are drawn to spend
time there, to try to know it, and maybe let its energy permeate them.
It's what I always want when there.
