Where can you set your Western Historical Romance? The quick
and most logical answer is that it can be set in any state west of the
Mississippi River. But…and this is a big But,
your book may or may not start in the west, but it does end up there. Since I
am familiar with my own work, I will show examples of this from my published
books.
The mail-order-bride book is an example of the life of the
heroine beginning in the east and her accepting the hand of a man located in
the west. In DRINA’S CHOICE, Drina Hamilton lives with an abusive father on his
run-down farm in Georgia. She knows she needs to get away from him. To do so,
she accepts the proposal of Aaron Wilcox, a rancher in Arizona. After her trek
west, the rest of the story takes place in Arizona.
Another type book is when the entire family moves west for
another reason such as wanting to start a new life, hoping to strike gold or
any other reason you can come up with. In OPAL’S FAITH, Opal Barnett’s father
lost his job because he tried to report his unscrupulous banking boss. It isn’t
long until the family has lost everything they have in Memphis, Tennessee. Though
he knows nothing about ranching, father inherits his brother’s ranch in Arizona.
Feeling he has no other choice, he moves his wife and four daughters there.
With the help of Jace Renwick, a wondering cowboy with his own agenda, the
family survives.
The third is when an easterner goes west for an unusual
reason. In XENIA’S RENEGADE, Xenia Poindexter and he sister are lured from
their home in Virginia by a vicious lie that their uncle is in trouble. They go
to Arizona to help. On the way, Xenia’s sister rescues an orphaned baby who
happens to be a half-breed. Faced with prejudice they are forced to accept help
from two cousins, Ty and Wilt Eldridge, who also happen to be half Indian. These
men are accepted in the area because they happen to be the richest ranchers in
the area.
Some books begin in the west and stay in the west. AMELIA’S
MARRIAGE, the first in the Settler’s Ridge series, is an example of this.
Amelia Donahue was born and raised on the huge Double D ranch in Wyoming. She
is kind of a rebel and her father thinks the only way he can settle her down is
to force her to marry his foreman, a horrible man who has the elder Donahue
fooled. Amelia goes into town and hires Jed Wainwright, a bounty hunter, to
marry her for six months so she won’t have to marry her father’s foreman.
Occasionally you will come across a book that takes place in
different places. BELINDA’S YANKEE, is one of these. Shortly after Belinda
Babcock sees her father murdered and their home in Alabama burned by Yankee
troops, she finds Victor McKay, a wounded Union Yankee officer. She nurses him
back to health. In turn he helps her get to her relatives in Louisiana. He goes
home to New York to resume his life and finds his life there is not what he
expects it to be. He decides to find Belinda again, but she and her relatives
have moved to Colorado. The book concludes in Colorado.
Once in a while you’ll find a western book set in the east.
HANNAH’S WISHES is an example. Most of the book takes place in Savannah, GA.
Hannah Hamilton, confined to a wheelchair because of a birth defect, has been
raised by an aunt that has her own sinister reasons for letting the girl live
with her. Because her sister in Arizona is concerned she sends western
detective, Jarrett MacMichael to Savannah to check on Hannah. In the last
chapter, Hannah does move to Arizona to be near her sister.
Then there is the different western such as paranormal or
time-travel, etc. RENA’S COWBOY (a
time-travel) is an example. Rena Dumont, a present day, widowed, Atlanta, GA
police officer. Caught in a cave-in in the west, when she comes to she finds
herself on the ranch of Jake Haywood in the year 1876 and has to cope with
living in a different century.
As you can see, you can use the setting of your novel to
your advantage. You are the author and you have the power to set it anywhere
you want to. But there are a couple of things you must remember. First be sure
to know the state you’re using in your novel. If you don’t live there or have
never traveled there in person, make sure to research it. Most states and
cities have great websites. They also have lots of information in historical
writings and photos. There is no excuse to set you novel in North Dakota if you
have the action located near the Grand Canyon, an Arizona location. And if you
mention the Rio Grande River, be sure you’re using Texas as a setting, not
Kansas.
Agnes Alexander
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