Romance writer Allie Pleiter was honored to complete
the Bridegroom Brothers series with her novel,
The Lawman’s Oklahoma Sweetheart (Love Inspired Historical). Set
during the Oklahoma Land Rush, it’s the story of an unlikely pair forced
together by a gang of dangerous outlaws.
CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT THE SETTING OF THIS NOVEL? AND HOW DID IT CONTRIBUTE TO AN INTERESTING STORY?
It would
be hard to find a more epic and dramatic event in U.S. history than the
Oklahoma Land Rush. The dash for Oklahoma’s fertile farmlands embodied the
very heart of the American Dream. I loved exploring not only the American
participation in that dream, but the immigrants who sought their futures on the
expanding frontier as well.
Where did
you get the original inspiration for this book? Love Inspired launches several
“continuity series” each year, and I’ve been privileged to be part of
two more before this Bridegroom Brothers series. It’s a fascinating
exercise in story-crafting. I, along with two other authors, am given the
basic bones of a story that spans three books—one for each author. It’s up to
me to flush out the story with my own unique touch, to mesh my story with those
of the other authors, and in this case I also had to deliver a satisfying wrap
up to the series. These series are reader favorites–not only for the full
series, but for the individual stories that stand on their own as great books.
WHAT KIND OF RESEARCH DID YOU CONDUCT WHILE WRITING IT?
Like all
historical authors, I do a lot of digging around in the era and location where
my story is set. I read several first-person accounts of the Land Rush as well
as government documents, and historical accounts. There are lots of
compelling photos of these events as well. I also had great fun
researching the Danish culture that is Katrine’s heritage, especially the fairy
tales.
DID YOU FIND THIS PROJECT PARTICULARLY CHALLENGING IN ANY WAY?
It’s
always a challenge to balance the necessary danger for a story with a villain
as nasty as Samuel McGraw. I needed just enough darkness to drive Clint and
Katrine together, but not so much that you lost the extraordinary hope and
optimism that drove people to carve out new futures on the frontier. That
was my major challenge, along with ensuring that my story gave the full series
the finale it deserved.
WHAT DO YOU THINK READERS WILL ENJOY THE MOST ABOUT THIS NOVEL?
Even
though Clint Thornton is a dark and brooding guy, he has such a soft spot for
Katrine and her dreams of a perfect life. He’s convinced himself happiness will
always elude him, and I think readers will love to watch his walls come
down. Also, some of my favorite heroines are those women who discover they
are stronger than they knew, and Katrine is one of those.
WHAT ARE THE INGREDIENTS FOR A FANTASTIC HISTORICAL NOVEL?
I think the
best historical novels have lush, engaging details that pull the reader to
another time and place. It’s an escape of sorts, a transportation to a
time with some element missing from our own. Still, every historical novel
needs to have a timeless, identifiable core that lets us fall in love with the
character and wish we could meet them. I write both historical and
contemporary novels, and I’m especially fond of the scale and scope history can
give. That’s a pretty funny concept when you realize history was my least
favorite subject in school!