Love Western Romances

Tracy Garrett

As a descendant of the Hatfield clan – of the Hatfield and McCoy feud fame - history is a huge part of who Tracy Garrett is. She even has two circuit-riding preachers in her lineage. With her passion for history and her love of romance, writing historical romance was a natural for her. She loves a “happily ever after!” Though she now lives in Missouri, Texas holds a special place in her heart. When she moved there with her new husband more than a quarter century ago, Tracy fell in love with the vast state and its amazing history. From cowboys to gold mines, mountains to the Gulf of Mexico, Texas has it all, and she’s thrilled to be able to share a little of it in her stories. This month Touched by Love, her second book, will be released by Kensington.

Tracy's Web Site

What was the first Western historical novel you remember reading?

Elizabeth Lowell’s Only Love. It’s the fourth book in the series, so of course I had to read the other three. I love that series! I read them in the mid to late 1990s, then went looking for other western romance writers and discovered Lorraine Heath, Linda Lael Miller, Jodi Thomas, Joan Johnston, and many others.

What were the reasons you chose to write western historical romances?

I have always loved history. I used to badger my grandparents into telling stories of their parents and grandparents, of growing up on the family farms, and the history they’d witnessed in their lives. Also, my favorite movies are the old westerns, where the good guy always wins. Add to that my love of a happy ending, and writing western historical romance was almost inevitable.

What part of the writing process do you enjoy most when you write—the research? creating the characters? developing the plot? providing the historical context?

That is a toss-up between the research and creating the characters. Getting to know the characters is such fun, but I can get lost for hours while researching a historical detail for a story. More than once I’ve gone looking for a specific bit of information, read something I found interesting, and went off on a tangent for several hours, only to realize I never found what I was looking for to begin with.

Tell us about, your latest book. Touched by Love.

I truly love this story. My husband and I took a short vacation to the King Ranch in south Texas. The landscape and the amazing history of the ranch were the inspiration for Touched by Love. I set the story in 1847, when the state was still young and wild, and only the strongest survived. Here’s the back cover blurb to give you an idea of the story:

TOUCHED BY LOVE
A TEXAS PROMISE…

Jaret Walker is a loner, a gun for hire with a heart of ice. He’s never had anyone to call his own, and he likes it that way. But when a promise made to a friend leads him on a ride through the desert and to remote Two Roses Ranch where he meets Isabel Bennett, the woman he’s supposed to protect, all he can think of is making her his. She’s the kind of woman a rough-riding cowboy like him can never have. But her hot gaze tempts him like no other woman has before...

A SCORCHING DESIRE…

The moment Isabel Bennett lays eyes on Jaret Walker, she remembers the dreams she’s denied for so long. She’s sworn never to marry. It’s the only way to protect her ranch. But when Walker rides into her life, she decides to let herself taste what she’s giving up—a passion that burns through her with each kiss—and a desire that won’t be denied...

If you were to choose two actors to play Jaret and Isabel, who would they be and why?

This is hard – I don’t normally think in terms of actors when I create my characters. Tim Oliphant and Molly Parker have the looks I envisioned for Jaret & Isabel. Or maybe Alex MacArthur and Catherine Zeta-Jones… I’m open for suggestions. Oliphant and Parker were both in the HBO series “Deadwood”, and the characters they created in the show reminded me a lot of Jaret and Isabel.

Though western historical romances are on the rise (yay!), you were signed when it was still difficult to get a publisher’s attention. Can you describe your journey to getting published?

I started writing in the genre more than a decade ago, when no one wanted to look at a western, let alone a western historical. But I’m proof that perseverance pays off. I entered contests, pitched my stories to editors and agents at local and national conferences, and sent more query letters and partials than I can remember. Finally, I was at the right conference, meeting with the right editor at the right time. A very good story is essential—but a healthy dose of luck doesn’t hurt.

Both your books take place in Texas and you lived there for a number of years. What is it about Texas, in particular, that you find so compelling as a setting for your Westerns.

Texas has everything! History that goes back farther than that of the U.S., influences from Mexico, Spain, France, and other countries, citizens that are brave and tough, and a certain mystique that draws in readers. Whether they’re cowboys, ranchers, law men, outlaws—there’s just something about a Texan.

Can you tell us a little about your fascinating family history, of being part of the Hatfield clan—like how the feud started and how it ended and if you’ve ever thought of doing a book centered on the feud?

Legend says the feud began over a pig. In truth, there’d been bad blood between the families long before that. They fought on opposite sides of the Civil War, had constant arguments over land, livestock and politics—even who could marry whom. The murder of a Hatfield by three McCoys, and the subsequent reprisal killings of those McCoys by the Hatfields, started the fighting in earnest. Though I’m removed from the Hatfield clan by several generations (my great grandmother was a Hatfield), the stories are a part of our family lore. The best part of the story? My husband is a descendant of the McCoys.