Frontier Hearts Trilogy - How It All Began
March 1, 2026
Hey Everyone!
As promised, this month marks the beginning of a deeper dive into the Frontier Hearts Trilogy, now that the first two books are out in the world.
Believe it or not, the original spark came from my husband, John. He suggested it might be interesting to write a western romance with an LGBTQ theme. My first reaction? Absolutely not. I couldn’t picture myself writing historical fiction. I’ve never considered myself a history buff. But within a day, something shifted.
I started turning the idea over in my mind, imagining characters, conflicts, and possibilities. Suddenly, I had scenes forming and emotional arcs taking shape. I realized that while I might not be a historian, I could research as I wrote. I could ground the story in historical authenticity while still telling the kind of character-driven narrative I love.
Once I got past the mental hurdle, I was all in. What excited me most wasn’t just the western setting, it was the opportunity to explore resilience, quiet strength, chosen family, and enduring love against a rugged and unforgiving backdrop. Those themes have always mattered deeply to me, and the frontier felt like the perfect testing ground for them. Then something unexpected happened.
As I drafted the manuscript, the ideas kept expanding. Plot threads deepened. Characters grew more complex. Subplots emerged that refused to be ignored. Before long, I realized I had far too much story for a single novel. I’ve never been a fan of unnecessarily long books, so the solution became clear: this wasn’t one story. It was three.
I didn’t want an open-ended, ongoing series with no destination in sight. From early on, I committed to telling this story within the boundaries of a trilogy. That structure gave me creative freedom and discipline. It kept me focused on an intentional arc, with a clear beginning, middle, and end.
Most writers will tell you they avoid setting limits so they don’t constrain the story’s potential. And generally, I agree. But in this case, those boundaries were exactly what I needed. Now that I’m deep into drafting the final book, I can confidently say that approach worked perfectly for me.
Perhaps the greatest surprise, though, has been the characters themselves. Several of them evolved in ways I never originally planned. They surprised me and challenged me. And in doing so, they changed how I think about character development altogether.
In many ways, writing this trilogy has taught me more about creativity than I expected. While I gave myself structural boundaries, I left the door wide open creatively—and that balance turned out to be the right choice.
My hope is that readers experience the Frontier Hearts Trilogy not only as a sweeping historical western, but as a story of love, survival, chosen family, and quiet defiance in a time when authenticity came at a cost.
In the months ahead, we’ll go book by book, exploring the behind-the-scenes decisions, the emotional turning points, and the moments that shaped Silver Creek and its people.
As always, thank you for following along on this journey.
Until next time—take care, and be happy.
— Chris
