In June of 1988, I created the beginning of the Morgan’s Mercenaries/Morgan
Trayhern saga series. Back then, no one had done three books in a row and I
was the first to do this with Harlequin/Silhouette. Now over 50+ strong, I
have set my sights on creating a second one. This is the Jackson Hole,
Wyoming saga-series. It is about Wild West, stories about cowboys and the
hardy men of this region. I refer to the second saga in short hand as JHW.
I often get questions from readers about "How do you create a saga?" It’s not
easy. There’s a tremendous amount of thought and planning that goes into it.
The first prerequisite is to have a backdrop large enough to put a whole cast of
characters on. Secondly, there has to be a focal point that readers want to
read. In Morgan’s Mercenaries, these were about men and women who were
on the edge of danger as they fought and loved. In JHW it involves a
fascinating town set beneath the shadow of the mighty Teton Mountains of western
Wyoming. And forty miles north of Jackson Hole is our most well known park,
Yellowstone.
I spent many years in Jackson Hole area. It’s a personal favorite of mine. And
that helped me understand not only the area, but the French-Indian trapper
history that created this town, but the hardy souls who duked it out with winter
eight months of the year. Wyoming isn’t for sissies. It’s a rugged, harsh
landscape. And winter is challenging to say the least. If you can picture snow
falling from September through early June, you get the idea. How many of us
could handle being indoors for that long? Granted, you can ski, ect., but
beyond that, freezing cold and snow is just that. The elements that has created
this historical fur trapper town is nothing short of harsh.
I would go at least once a year, and sometimes twice at year, to Jackson Hole.
It’s a photographer’s paradise if one wants rugged mountain beauty, wild animals
that are not afraid of humans and the land of moose and grizzly bears. As an
amateur photographer, that is what drew me to this area in the first place. I
found out that "hole" was an old fur trapper slang for valley. And indeed,
Jackson Hole sits in a high mountain valley. We spent a lot of time outside of
the town and on the many trails of the Teton National park, hoping to run into
elk, grizzly and moose. We weren’t disappointed. Not only that, the herd of
buffalo that makes its home in the park is an extra treat. These behemoths
aren’t the least bit afraid of a human. They’re huge animals and getting to
photograph them up close and personal is still a thrill for me.
If one didn’t visit JH more than once, you wouldn’t realize that it’s the "Palm
Springs" of the West. Harrison Ford, Indiana Jones, lives there, for instance.
And there’s other Hollywood people who frequent JH as well. Further, there’s
serious mining and oil interests in Wyoming. JH is an exciting place because
the rich and famous live in it. The middle class can’t live there because land
and houses are so expensive. The deputies who work for the Teton County
Sheriff’s Department must live fifty miles south in a less rich area known as
Star Valley. And that’s fifty miles one way to go to work every day. Think
about that. JH is where the powerful, rich and influential rub elbows with one
another.
There are cattle ranches in the valley. And many dude ranches as well. The
mighty Snake River winds down through it offering raft riding. The area is a
hunter and fisherman’s paradise. Many ranches double up with dude ranching in
the spring and summer. During the fall, they roll over and become a hunting
focal point for those who want a trophy elk. Because the winter is so long and
harsh, the cattle ranches must send their herd south in the Fall. The growing
season is only 2.5 months long. You need ninety days or three months to grow
alfalfa or grass hay for the cattle. And it can’t be done. As a result,
cattle ranching is a very expensive proposition which is why most of the ranches
in the valley make money in dudes and hunters/fisherman to keep their cattle and
ranch in the black.
With this kind of backdrop, I felt JH was a big enough canvas to be able to
write about the people who live in this fascinating, little known area. The
cowboys are real. So are the Hollywood stars. The rich oil barons. The mining
interests are many and have made many wealthy owners. With this fascinating
recipe of different interests and realities, I feel the saga-series of JHW has a
long life of possibilities to enthrall readers and writer alike.
The first
book of this new series was SHADOWS FROM THE PAST, HQN,
Dec 2009. This was Kamaria Trayhern’s book. I will be doing crossover books
from the first saga into the second one with other Trayhern children’s stories.
The second book, DEADLY
IDENTITY, HQN, Dec 2010, is about Sheriff Deputy Cade
Garner. His family has been in Jackson Hole for over a hundred years. Growing
up a cowboy, Cade found his calling in law enforcement for Teton County. He
still lives on the ranch and helps his parents when he’s off duty. When a
mysterious woman suddenly drops into his life, everything changes.
The third book, DEADLY SILENCE HQN, July, 2011, brings Casey
Cantrell-Trayhern, the youngest child of Alyssa and Clay Trayhern. This is
another of the crossover novels from Morgan’s Mercenaries. I have the children
of Alyssa/Clay and Noah/Kit Trayhern to write about yet. The JHWM saga
gives me a platform to tell some of their stories. Casey is a newly minted
forest ranger who is assigned to the Grand Tetons National Park. She doesn’t
expect to get roped into helping a father who has a mute eight year old
daughter. Matt Sinclaire, a lieutenant in the Jackson Hole fire department has
lost his wife in an arson fire. Only his eight year old daughter, Megan,
survives. But the trauma has made her mute and for the last two years, she has
not talked. When Casey comes into their lives, the little girl is drawn
powerfully to her. Can Casey help the child release the trauma from the past so
she’ll speak once more? Matt finds himself helplessly falling in love with
Casey. But the arsonist who murdered his wife and nearly took his child from
him is still on the loose. He has a vendetta against Matt Sinclaire and he
intends to finish the job.
LONER (working title), HQN, Dec 2011, looks at a bitter and iconic cattle
rancher, Slade Maddox, who has a run-in with Dr. Jordana Lawton. Both have
pasts that have deeply wounded them. Slade has a real dislike for East Coast
women. His first wife, from New York City, burned him. She ran off with an
East coast Broadway director and left him high and dry. When Dr. Lawton asks
him for help in retraining her mustang, Slade is powerfully drawn to her. When
he finds out she’s from New York City, the fire works begin. Worse, Slade’s
younger brother, Tom, comes home from Wall Street. There is an explosion
between the brothers that threatens not only the survival of the family ranch,
but Slade’s growing love for Jordana.
I’m having a
lot of fun creating a town full of characters! The hub of Jackson
Hole is Quilter’s Haven, run by Gwen Garner, the mother of Cade Garner, the
deputy sheriff. If anyone wants to know what’s REALLY going on in JH, all they
have to do is drop by the quilting shop and talk to Gwen. She’s not a town
gossip. Instead, she’s a motherly type that everyone comes to and they unload
their problems to her sympathetic ears. There are people from the wrong side of
the tracks, a senator who feels he’s above the law, the wife of the senator who
struggles to help her younger sister get a foothold on life, and so many more.
Because JH is a jewel to international power types, it draws an interesting
bunch of characters, to boot. Anyone with money wants to be seen and
acknowledged here in this little known community. And for the rich and famous,
they like the fact JH isn’t on everyone’s media list. It’s one of the last
enclaves where they can be left alone and not stalked by paparazzi.
If you want
to catch up with the foundational JHW saga, pick up a copy of
SHADOWS FROM THE PAST.
Oh, and Iris Mason (secondary character in SHADOWS) shows up in
DEADLY SILENCE. If you fall in love with the feisty eighty
year old matriarch of the Elkhorn Ranch, you’ll get to see what happens to her
in this forthcoming book! The people you meet in one novel will be continued in
the next. It’s nice to be able to tell their stories as we watch their lives
unfold with each book. Onward!
14 comments posted.
Thank you for mapping out family ties and the plot connections between these Morgan’s Mercenaries/Morgan Trayhern saga series this makes it much easier to pick them up and read.
(Susan Lathen 1:22am June 7, 2010)
I love series books. When I "bond" with a character, I don't want to let go at the end of a book. I like it when the characters pop into other books. Your new saga sounds great.
(Robin McKay 3:29pm June 7, 2010)
I like feisty sassy women, they make everyday life quite an occasion with spunk. Thanks for taking us through your travelog on settings that have possiblities and vistas of imagination.
(Alyson Widen 3:52pm June 7, 2010)
I enjoy the series books. I keep all the books & will reread all of them fr. start to finish. Looking forward to the new series.
(Pat Wilson 5:12pm June 7, 2010)
Thank you for giving us a behind the scene look at your newest saga. I enjoy seeing the core family grow and develop and I love how the stories are intertwined. Thank you for giving us a behind the scene look at your latest saga. I enjoy seeing the core family grow and develop and I love how the stories are intertwined.
(Rosemary Krejsa 5:54pm June 7, 2010)
Your Saga's sound good and i like it when the auther takes the time to map out how all familes all work together.
(Vickie Hightower 7:47pm June 7, 2010)
It was so nice of you to give us some background of the area for your next series, along with the history lesson. Some of the information I wasn't aware of. It'll be nice to read the saga, and watch how the characters unfold and grow with the start of each new book. It not only makes it exciting, but it gives you something to look forward to. That's something I've
always liked about sagas.
(Peggy Roberson 9:20pm June 7, 2010)
I have most of MMs, but I haven't read many because I like reading them in order and am still having problems with that. I've looked up the order on your site, but after a few minutes, I become completely confused trying to sort out the order. Do you have a list, numbered from 1 to the last, of only the MMs? It would be much appreciated. I love getting absorbed in such a world. So kudos on the new Saga.
(Sigrun Schulz 9:22pm June 7, 2010)
I love series books! It's great to be able to continue following favorite characters. It is always like saying goodbye to good friends when they are only contained in one book!
(Brenda Rupp 9:42pm June 7, 2010)
i was there for the firstof MORGANS adventure and will still be a part of the family
(Brenda Hook 3:38am August 20, 2010)