Tracie Peterson opens an exciting new series set in the beautiful Willamette Valley with her newest release, Secrets of My Heart. Get a peek into the story behind the story and Tracie’s own favorite reads in the interview below. Welcome to the Index, Tracie!
 Oregon , Boardinghouses/Inns , 1870s , 1865-1880 (US Reconstruction) , government agent, Hospitality Services, Lawyer , Disguised/Dual Identity, Widowed , Friends to Lovers, Mystery, Suspense , Racial Discrimination, Secrets , Peterson-Tracie |
Nancy Pritchard finds herself a widow with a world of problems when her deceased husband’s schemes start to come to light. As she searches through the pieces of her loveless marriage, Nancy realizes there is a lot that she didn’t know about this man. Seth Carpenter is a childhood friend of Nancy’s who has recently returned to Portland. He’s delighted to see her again, and as a lawyer, he is able to help her sort through the legal aspects of her husband’s death. But there’s more to him than meets the eye, and his job will take him into a darker side of Nancy’s life–a side she didn’t even know existed. As they search for the truth behind her husband’s death, their attraction to each other creates complications, and the threat to Nancy increases. Can Seth be honest with her about who he really is and why he’s come to Portland? And can Nancy bear another betrayal? |
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Other books in this series:
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Questions about Tracie’s Story
What inspired this story?
I was at a museum in Oregon City and came across a lot of interesting information about the corruption and problems between the white settlers and native people. I learned that many racist laws – such as it being illegal for blacks to live in Oregon—weren’t completely wiped off the books until the 21st century. As I dug in I found so many fascinating tidbits of history that I knew there was a story I wanted to tell.
Did you stumble upon anything in your research for this book that made you squirm?
It’s hard to read and see how ugly people were in regard to folks with a different color of skin or culture than their own. The attitude of whites in this time period was that blacks and native peoples were too simple to be able to learn—too stupid to be able to function as equals—too bias to change their ways, when all of those things could be said of the whites pointing their fingers. The forced changes put upon the Native Americans that robbed them of their language, culture and heritage was shameful, and yet at the same time some people instigating those changes did have the Native American’s best interests at heart. It was definitely a difficult history.
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Questions about Tracie’s Reading
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What Christian Historical Novel taught you something about the craft of writing because it was so well done? Tell us a bit about what it taught you. Bodie Thoene’s the Zion Covenant and Zion Chronicles really opened my eyes to blending accurate historical detail and storytelling. I loved her sub-plotting and characters and I believe those two series really gave birth to my desire to write Christian historical series fiction. |
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What was the last Christian Historical Novel you read, and what was your favorite thing about it? The last historical I read was Kimberley Woodhouse’s Express Bride. I very much enjoyed the development of her characters and spiritual arc. Lately I’ve been reading a few contemporaries, namely the Sensible Shoes series by Sharon Garlough Brown. |
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What’s your favorite Christian Historical novella or short story? Calvin Miller wrote a series of novellas and my favorite one was titled Snow. |
Be sure to keep an eye out for Tracie’s upcoming giveaways by checking her Facebook Page.
Today, Tracie is giving away three hardcover copies of Secrets of My Heart (USA Only). Enter the Rafflecopter below!
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