Journey West: Winnie Griggs Interviews the Authors Behind Love Inspired's Spring Series

Hi, Winnie Griggs here, back with more on what’s new and intriguing on the Inspirational Romance front. Harlequin’s Love Inspired Historical line has a new three-book series out this spring, and I asked the three authors involved, Linda Ford, Renee Ryan and Lacy Williams, a little bit about how their experience went in participating in the project.

Here’s how they responded:

What did you enjoy most about working on this project?

Linda: I’ve always had a fascination with wagon train travel. In a way it’s a tight knit community on the move. Finding actual journals of the Oregon Trail to read made it so real.

Renee: I absolutely adored learning more about the Oregon Trail, not only the mechanics of the actual crossing, but also the internal fortitude it took to embark on such a journey. The men and women who set out from the safety of all they knew, with only a distant hope for a better life, were truly amazing. I walked away from the entire experience with a stronger desire to take risks in my own life.

Lacy: As a kid, I loved playing the Oregon Trail computer game (random side-note: they now have an app—yes, I played it. It’s research!). I loved Janette Oke’s wagon train book and have always had a favorite place in my heart for these kind of books. When I was invited to participate in the collection, I couldn’t say no! I am a research fanatic, so like Linda and Renee, reading more about the lives of real people making the journey was a pleasure.

What are you excited for readers to see in these books?

Linda: What I’d really like the reader to grasp is what an undertaking this was…people heading into the unknown with no road maps, no roads and no way of getting help. They truly lived by their courage and wits.

Renee: I hope the readers will come away with a similar awe for the pioneers who embarked on this treacherous journey. These were not weak people. They faced great hardships and were stronger on the other side. I hope I made the people come to life in a way that is inspiring and heartwarming.

Lacy: I’m excited for readers to see the sibling relationships play out between Ben, Emma and Rachel. I definitely wouldn’t have wanted to do something like the journey west alone, so I think that family relationship is so important!

What it was like working together?

Linda: This series was easier than some to work together on because we didn’t have to create a town. The ‘community’ was very self-contained.

Renee: I truly enjoyed getting to know Linda and Lacy better. I feel as though I have two new friends after this project. I’d always admired both women’s work, now I admire them as individuals. Lacy: A lot of fun! Picking each others’ brains for details and sharing early drafts of the books was a blast.

And finally, give us a little teaser about each of the books.

WAGON TRAIN REUNION by Linda Ford (April):

The past keeps them apart. The present forces them together. Can they find happiness in the future?

WAGON TRAIN SWEETHEART by Lacy Williams (May):

Outsider Nathan Reed isn’t surprised to face false accusations. He is surprised when Emma Hewitt stands beside him—and stays.

WAGON TRAIN PROPOSAL by Renee Ryan (June):

Rachel Hewitt couldn’t possibly accept a marriage of convenience, not even for the sake of three adorable little girls who desperately want a new mother. Widower Sheriff Tristan McCullough doesn’t want emotional entanglements, but Rachel might just be his unexpected second chance at happiness…if he’ll risk his wary heart again.

Read more below about the Journey West series, where romance and adventure awaits three siblings on the Oregon Trail.

WAGON TRAIN REUNION by Linda Ford

WAGON TRAIN SWEETHEART by Lacy Williams

WAGON TRAIN PROPOSAL by Renee Ryan

Winnie Griggs grew up in south Louisiana in an undeveloped area her friends thought of as the back of beyond. She and her two younger siblings spent many an hour exploring the overgrown land around her home, cutting jungle trails, building forts and frontier camps, and looking for pirate ships on the nearby bayou. Once she ‘grew up' she found other outlets for dealing with all those wonderful, adventurous imaginary friends by filling notebooks with their stories.

Eventually she found her own Prince Charming, a rancher whose white steed takes the form of a tractor and whose kingdom is situated in a small rural community that she loves to call home, and together they've built their own storybook happily–ever–after that includes four now grown children, two of whom are twins.

Now a multi–published, award winning author, Winnie feels blessed to be able to share her stories with readers through her writings for Love Inspired Historical books.