Historical Romance Q&A: Tracie Peterson (Designed With Love)
Tracie Peterson is the bestselling author of more than one hundred novels, both historical and contemporary, with more than six million copies sold. She has won the ACFW Lifetime Achievement Award and the Romantic Times Career Achievement Award. Her avid research resonates in her many bestselling series. Tracie and her family make their home in Montana.
Tracie talks about her characters and the fascinating history behind the town of Cheyenne, Wyoming.
FF: Please provide a brief summary of Designed with Love.
Twenty-eight-year-old Emma Johnson is set to marry Tommy Benton. Emma just wants to have a lifetime of fun and avoid anything that threatens to stymie her wild living. But the vows are barely finalized when a strange woman steps forward and kills Tommy and wounds Emma. Tommy’s “anything goes” mentality and cheating ways have caught up with him.
Emma’s family wants to take the newly widowed young woman back to her family ranch in Wyoming, but the Benton family wants to keep her with them. Emma’s inherited a lot of stock in the family railroad, as well as family money, and the Benton brothers want it back. To ensure the future, they convince the oldest brother, Colton, that he needs to go to Cheyenne and woo Emma . . . and marry her. Colton needs little convincing; he’s been in love with Emma since Tommy first brought her home to the family. But theirs is no easy romance, and obstacles create problems at every turn.
FF: Designed with Love is the second book in The Hope of Cheyenne series. You also wrote a previous series, The Heart of Cheyenne, based in this Western town. What drew you to this location, and how are the two series different?
Cheyenne, Wyoming, is a fascinating town with tons of interesting history. The first series is set in the 1867–69 time period and deals with Cheyenne’s creation and the Territory of Wyoming. The second series is set 1888–1890 and continues with some of the characters or their family members from the first series and picks up twenty years later as the Territory looks forward to statehood. It was a lot of fun to research.
FF: Your protagonist, Emma Johnson, was widowed on her wedding day. What inspired you to explore the dynamics associated with her loss?
Emma is a character who spurned her Christian upbringing. She was convinced that being a Christian meant you could never have fun, and she wanted a lifetime of fun. But when faced with death and tragedy, Emma’s eyes are opened to the crumbling foundation she’s built her life upon. She suddenly sees the way she’s wasted her life and relationships and knows that the only way to mend the past is to change. I think so many of us go through things like that. Maybe not to the extreme that Emma faces, but rather than wallowing in regret, I wanted to show a character who seeks forgiveness and a new start. After the death of her husband, Emma, begins contemplating deeper priorities in her life.
FF: Can you please tell us more about her transformation?
Again, Emma sees the futility of a life without God. She regrets her past and the way she disappointed her family, but she comes to realize that with God, it’s never too late to change. It isn’t simple, and it’s certainly not easy, but with the help of those who love her and her newly found faith, Emma finds hope for the future and joy for the present.
FF: Emma decides to move to Cheyenne with her sister-in-law. Her brother- in-law, Colton Johnson travels with them. But, the relationship between Emma and Colton is complicated by family expectations and financial interests. What made you want to explore these particular relationship obstacles?
Changes make some people very uncomfortable, especially when they believe their well-being might be somehow disturbed. Colton’s brothers only care about their power and money. Emma’s control over part of their family inheritance is more than they want to contend with. As such, their attitudes and demands create all sorts of conflicts for the relationship between Emma and Colton. And conflict is always exciting in romance.
FF: The theme of forgiveness runs throughout the novel. Why was this particular aspect important toinclude in Emma and Colton’s story?
Forgiveness is always focused on in my stories. It’s a topic near and dear to me. Emma has done a lot in her past that she now regrets, and she desperately needs forgiveness from God as well as others. She also needs to forgive herself and stop listening to the voices of condemnation that seem to echo in her head. Colton, too, has regrets, and because of his own upbringing, he’s dealt with others in a cold and aloof manner. Forgiving those who’ve wronged them and those they’ve wronged is very necessary before they can move forward.
FF: Faith plays a significant role in both Emma and Colton’s character development. Can you talk about how their spiritual journeys intersect with their growing feelings for each other?
The past is where their faith was rooted. Specifically in the faith of their mothers, women who have long been gone from their lives. They share this bond, as well as their doubts about God. But as they come to realize there truly is a God who loves them and cares about their needs, a God who never left them even when they walked away, Emma and Colton can put aside the past and move forward. It’s a necessary reconciliation with the Father of all that makes possible their ability to love again.
FF: What role does Emma’s sister-in-law play in helping both main characters grow throughout the story?
Rosie is a character based on some folks in my life. Rosie was given up on from birth when the doctor delivered her more dead than alive. Having suffered a lack of oxygen, the doctors felt that Rosie would never be able to do or learn much. But Rosie surprised them all. Rosie’s childlike innocence and willingness to keep trying even when everyone else said “It can’t be done!” was an encouragement to the characters. They could see that with God, all things truly were possible.
FF: Your books often feature strong historical details. What fascinating pieces of research about 1800s Cheyenne shaped this story?
The way Cheyenne truly becomes a crossroads in the American west is fascinating, but one thing that jumped out at me was the fact that people came from far and wide to buy ice from a company in Cheyenne. The trains were dependent on this for shipping food, as well, and Cheyenne was able to manufacture and keep ice for a good part of the country.
FF: You’ve written over one hundred novels. How do you keep finding fresh ways to tell stories that resonate with readers?
I pray a lot about my books and read nonfiction to keep getting ideas for areas and events. I’ve traveled quite a bit, too, and continue to keep my eyes open for new ideas. God has been so faithful in this area, and I know He’ll provide exactly what I need at the right time
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Designed With Love
The Hope of Cheyenne #2
Tracie Peterson
Publisher: Bethany House Publishers
Genre: Romance, Historical
Release Date: July 1, 2025
Available Formats: Paperback, Hardcover, Audiobook, eBook
ISBN-10: 0764241117
ISBN-13: 978-0764241116
Book Summary:
After being widowed on her wedding day, Emma Johnson moves to Cheyenne with her sister-in-law to start over. When her deceased husband’s brother travels with her to help her get established, she finds herself drawn to him. But is he only after his brother’s inheritance, or does he truly care for her in return?
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