She invites readers
back to nineteenth-century Wyoming as she continues her Wyoming Sunrise series. Highlighting strong western women in
unconventional careers, join Connealy
as she brings the American West to life in this rousing conclusion to the series,
Marshaling Her Heart.
About the Story: Can they risk giving in to
the attraction between them while their lives are on the line?
Becky Pruitt has always
prided herself on knowing everything that’s happening on her successful ranch,
so when
Becky’s ranch foreman, Nate Paxton, confesses he’s a former US Marshal
investigating the notorious Deadeye Gang, she’s taken by surprise. With the outlaws
on the loose, Nate believes that Becky’s ranch might be the best spot for a
group of Marshals to use as a base and hideout.
The timing couldn’t be
more crucial for the growing town of Pine Valley, and Becky feels a commitment
to help. But after escaping the grasp of her harsh father, she’s never liked
giving up control—of her life or her ranch. Again and again, Nate’s proven himself
to her and she soon realizes that if there’s anyone she can trust with her
ranch—and her heart—it might be him. But the Deadeye Gang won’t go quietly, and
as danger draws ever nearer, Becky and Nate find both their hearts and their
lives in peril.
Welcome back to my blog, Mary. This novel takes place in nineteenth-century
Wyoming. What else can you tell us about the historical context that influenced
the creation of the story? The historical backdrop
includes the women’s suffrage movement, as well as Wyoming’s unique role in
being the first state to grant women the right to vote. The novel’s main focus,
however, is Becky—a strong, unflinching woman who
is challenged with running her own ranch while her tyrant of a father does all
he can to frustrate her efforts.
The male protagonist, Nate, is a former US Marshal. Can you tell
readers more about this profession and the role the Marshals played in the
American West? The US Marshals are an integral part of the
story because they have the authority to cross state boundaries in pursuit of a
criminal. And because the bad guys are wanted men who would likely know local
law enforcement, the Marshals coming in from the outside have the advantage of anonymity.
Nate, a former Marshal, is known by the other Marshals, who arrive to apprehend
the gang of outlaws that have been wreaking havoc in the territory.
What research was required to write about the Marshals? The US Marshals reminded me of the Texas Rangers, who were a state
police force at a time when most law enforcement was local. So now we’re beyond
local, beyond state. Bring in the Marshals, who are federal officers. One odd
tidbit I learned about the Marshals was that they were the ones tasked with
delivering reward money—the “price on a man’s head” listed on his wanted
poster. The Marshals were also involved with transporting prisoners.
What’s the most interesting thing you discovered while researching
for this book or the series as a whole? I mainly
researched women’s suffrage. The laws were so strange back then. If a woman
earned any money, that money became her husband’s immediately upon her receiving
it. If she tried to keep it herself, her husband could accuse her of theft. Likewise,
if a woman inherited money, it went straight to her husband. Suffrage was about
so much more than voting. The historical fact I really latched onto was that when
a man and woman were married, they were considered one person, and that person
was the husband. Essentially the married woman was “civilly dead.” Another interesting
thing, at the last minute, in an effort to stop the governor from signing the
suffrage bill, opponents of it said, “We’re including voting rights for black
women and Indian women.” As if that would be too much for the governor to
stand. All the governor did was say, “Sounds good. Let them vote,” and he
signed it.
What other themes are explored in the novel? I tried to portray how much Mariah wished her mother could be with
her as she was expecting her baby, how much she grieved for her father and
brother, who’d been killed. By contrast, here Becky was, my heroine, with a
living father who acted so awful toward her to the point she had no
relationship with him. So family without love isn’t worth much.
What do you enjoy about writing historical romance? Is there anything
you find challenging about this genre? I love
everything about it. The research is just a pure love affair for me. I can research
forever! I have to control myself or I’d never get the book written. One
challenge I find is in remembering to set the scene, to describe the surroundings,
land, clothing, and horses simply because it’s such a universally understood
genre. John Wayne, right? What more do you need to know? Well, a reader needs
to know a little more than usual clothes, usual horses. So I try to remember to
bring the setting to life, even though most people might already know just what
to expect.
What do you hope readers will take away from this story? Friendship can get you through. If you don’t have a family, or not
one you can depend on, you should try to create one. And when the going gets
tough, it’s also nice to have a really good dog as a companion.
Can you share what
you’re working on next? Marshaling Her Heart is book three in
this series. Next comes the series A
Western Light. Book one is Chasing the Horizon, which is my first
attempt at setting a story on a wagon train. It was challenging, for I had to
learn all about wagon trains. But I’ve done a lot of research and I hope I got everything
right.
I’ll be eager to
feature that series on this blog, too. How can readers connect with you?
Find me online
at:
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Thank you, Mary, for
sharing Marshaling
Her Heart with
my blog readers and me. You know I’ve loved every book you’ve had published.
Readers, here’s a
link to the book.
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