Hello! I’m Tanya Agler, and this is my first guest blog post on Petticoats & Pistols. It’s an honor to be here and thank you so much for the opportunity to sit back and spend some time with you.
Growing up, my love for stories with a Western setting began by listening to my grandmother talk about visiting the nickelodeon whenever her favorite cowboy, Tom Mix, starred in the movies. Grandma Jinx would watch him on the silver screen and then go home and recreate those scenes in her backyard. Not only was my grandmother a huge fan of cowboy movies, so was my father, who loved John Ford movies. Dad always made it a point to watch The Searchers with John Wayne and Natalie Wood whenever it was on television, and he’d treat me to an afternoon at the movies whenever a new Clint Eastwood film was released. I spent many summer vacations reading historical pioneer romances with stoic cowboys and strong heroines. The stories captivated me with their Western settings and interesting plots.
So, I was thrilled when I found out I had a chance to write a Western romance for Harlequin Heartwarming. There’s something about the West with its independent spirit and wide-open vistas that calls out for stories to be written about it. No sooner than I started the proposal than the idea for the town of Violet Ridge was born. While I spent time fashioning stories around the three rodeo friends who became a family and the cornerstone of the Rodeo Stars of Violet Ridge series, I also researched small towns in Colorado and fashioned a backstory for Violet Ridge. Soon, the town’s history came alive to me with pioneer settler Linus Irwin naming the town after his beloved wife Tilly’s favorite flower: violets. Linus and Tilly were energetic visionaries who built a town around a small ranching community and purchased land for what would become the Double I Ranch. In my mind, this young couple struggled against the elements and prospered. Soon after Linus and Tilly founded Violet Ridge, the Sullivans, a family of dreamers and schemers, settled nearby and staked a claim for the Silver Horseshoe Ranch, which has now been in their family for generations. Through the years, the Irwin and Sullivan families have been neighbors as their descendants continued their legacy of ranching. The Double I Ranch is the setting for my latest book, Her Temporary Cowgirl, in which rancher Elizabeth Irwin wants to build bunkhouses for female employees and introduce a new breed of cattle to the ranch while preparing for her father’s wedding to a world-famous bluegrass singer. Linus and Tilly would be proud knowing their love of the land continues in Elizabeth.
Recently, my love for all things Western has come full circle when my family traveled to Colorado for vacation. We visited state parks, hiked to red rock formations and waterfalls, and explored various areas. Someday I hope to return there and vacation at a dude ranch like the fictional Lazy River Dude Ranch owned by the Virtue family in my upcoming series revolving around four siblings, whose grandparents own and operate the facility.
I’ve never visited out West except for Vegas and California, so I don’t really have a favorite western town. But I did get to ride a stagecoach at Knott’s Berry Farm, and that was pretty cool. My kids loved it. I’ve only had the “Old West” experience at several amusement parks, and I know they’re far from the reality of life back then.
denise
Hi, Denise! This is Tanya. I’ve been fortunate to go to Knott’s Berry Farm, once as a child and once more recently when we visited California. I love it there! I hope you have a great day.
Denise…I live in California and we always say we have to drive east to get to the west but of course Reno is further west than Los Angeles. I drive northeast to Montana to hit what I like to see of the West. 🙂
Hi, Rachel! Thanks for the insight about driving out West. I’m always on the lookout for new insights like this! Have a great day! Tanya
If you didn’t visit western Colorado on your first trip out here, I sure hope you do on a return visit. Some of the most beautiful vistas in the world are here.
I hope I get to visit Colorado again. It is truly beautiful and I enjoyed every minute! Hope you have a great day!
Hello and welcome Tanya! As far west I have been is San Diego, CA. Not really western. LOL I would love to see the west! Hopefully, one day. Like you, I grew up watching many westerns and still love them! I just wished they made more old western movies like they use to. My grandmother read Harlequin books in the 70’s. I was too young for them at the time and told her I didn’t like that mushy stuff! I was 12 at the time. She laughed and told me to go look at My Uncle Dallas’s western paperbacks. I was hooked and read all of Louis LaMour’s! Especially the Sacketts! And not long after, the Sacketts came to life on TV! Loved it!
Your books sound delightful! Best of wishes!
Hi, Tracy! I enjoyed visiting San Diego a few years back, and I once lived in Riverside, California. It’s beautiful there. I love it when there are good book adaptations into movies or TV series! Hope you have a great day! Tanya
I’ve been to so many that I have a hard time choosing my favorite Western town, but today, I’d probably say Cody, Wyoming. I loved its small-town atmosphere and authenticity. I close second might be Deadwood, SD, because it’s the most recent one I’ve visited, and I’ve done a lot of research on early Deadwood.
Hi, Janice! I love hearing about author research and those both sound like they would be wonderful places to visit! I hope you have a great day!
I visited Deadwood and loved it. I would like to visit some more. My love for the west started with Louis L’Amour
Hi, Debby! That’s the second mention of Deadwood! It sounds like it would be a wonderful place to visit. And I love that Louis L’Amour inspired so many people. I hope you have a great day!
I had an aunt who lived in Colorado Springs,Colorado. It is a beautiful area. She took me to Cripple Creek, Colorado, it was a cute town to explore.
Hi, Danielle! My family stopped in Colorado Springs on our visit, and that area is such a wonder! An absolutely beautiful drive and so many beautiful hikes. Cripple Creek sounds like fun, and family memories are always special! I hope you have a great day.
Jerome Arizona. Use to be an mining town. I saw it 30 years ago.
Hi! I’d love to visit Arizona. I was a chaperone on my twins’ field trip to two gold mines near where we live, and it was so much fun to visit the underground mine. Hope you have a great day!
I don’t think I have a favorite.
Hi, Bridgette! Thanks for stopping by! So often my favorite something changes by the day and sometimes when there are so many great choices, it is hard to pick one. I hope you have a great day!
We have visited many western towns like Lead, Deadwood and many more. The one which most readily comes to mind is Oatman, AZ. It is truly old west, even with burros wondering the streets and begging for carrots. The main street is dirt. They mined gold around the area. We drove down from Kingman and passed one such mine on our way to Oatman. We visited the mine, and it was very interesting. On a couple of our trips we visited Wall, SD where the town has/had a Wall drug store. Now the one store has expanded into many little shops. It takes a long time to peruse the entire area. Needless to say, we have always enjoyed the area, especially Rapid City, SD. They have some fabulous Black Hills Gold jewelry. We toured a store where they made it and sold it. Each evening, they took up the lattice work (which had openings in it) where the goldsmiths created the jewelry, and swept up/vacuumed up the gold which accumulated during the day’s work so nothing got lost or stolen. I can imagine how much money they could have lost.
Hi, Judy! Wow! That sounds fascinating. Oatman, Arizona, sounds like my kind of destination. I love exploring areas like that. Thank you for sharing! I hope you have a great day!
I think my favorite fictional western town would be Dodge City, where Gun Smoke was filmed.
Hi, Connie! I remember watching game shows like the black and white Password when Amanda Blake would be a guest star. It was always fun seeing the actors from Gunsmoke and The Big Valley (I’m a huge Barbara Stanwyck fan). Dodge City is a great choice! Hope you have a wonderful day!
I don’t have a specific city but I visited Texas about 21 years ago this summer. I remember not realizing just how huge Texas was until we had to drive across it. Thanks for the chance to win a book prize.
Hi, Vickie! I’ve visited San Antonio, but I was fortunate in that I flew there. I’d love to visit more places in Texas. My brother-in-law is from Texas, and he loves talking about the vastness of the state. I hope you have a great day!
@Vickie J. I know what you mean about Texas, the first time my husband and I drove to his hometown in Louisiana we went across southern Texas and stayed overnight in three different cities, El Paso, Kerrville and Houston. I enjoyed seeing it and El Paso is really a great city.
Hi, Rachel! I love thinking about road trips that I took with my husband before we had children. I remember driving to Florida with him and we have all sorts of inside jokes from those trips. And it sounds like driving through Texas and being able to see different city is a great way to travel.
My favorite western town is where I grew up in Wyoming. Even though we lived 5 miles outside of town on our Family farm, I went to grade school in the small town of Hillsdale. My dad always said it was the Capitol of Wyoming.
Hi, Barbara! I’d love to visit Wyoming someday. Family hometowns are special places, and it sounds like a beautiful area. Thanks for sharing that memory! I hope you have a wonderful day!
My first husband was stationed near San Antonio, but after getting married we were only there about 2 months then he was stationed in Michigan. I’ve never been anywhere else in the west. I love western settings and grew up on westerns movies.
Hi! I enjoyed visiting San Antonio and loved visiting the Alamo and the Riverwalk. Western settings are so rich and layered and I love reading them as well as writing about them. There are so many great Western movies! Hope you have a great day!
How fun to be a guest blogger here!
I like to go to eastern Montana to visit the Missouri and Yellowstone Rivers Confluence area. I fell in love with it the first time I saw it from an Amtrak window and to my mind, that entire area looks ‘Western’. As soon as I got back from the train trip, I booked a flight to Great Falls to be able to easily rent a car and explore Montana and into North Dakota. I try to go up there at least once a year now. I encourage people to take an Amtrak trip through the areas they might enjoy seeing, it’s a relaxing way to see the country and I especially like seeing New Mexico that way, a gorgeous state.
My favorite tourist areas in Montana are the town of Fort Benton and Fort Union which were fur trading posts. I try to go a little south to stay at the Kempton Hotel in Terry, Montana for a night or two, I like older historic properties.
Hi, Rachel! I knew someone who always mentioned the advantages of train travel, and she was the first one who made me aware that was still a way to travel. I’d love to take a long train ride someday. It sounds like you’ve had some grand adventures, and it sounds like a great way to explore the country. My husband and I often talk about a great trip out West once our twins have finished high school. Montana is definitely a dream vacation, and I love hearing about new-to-me towns to explore. Thanks! I hope you have a great day!
I loved Estes Park, Colorado by the Rocky Mountains. We happened to be there when they had their Elk Festival going on. It was a wonderful experience watching the Native American dancers. Then we visited Deadwood, South Dakota, and viewed it from Mount Mariah cemetery where Wild Bill Hickock and Calamity Jane are buried. We visit Colorado whenever we can, and our next trip is to Durango. I love your books.
Hi, Julie! Thank you for sharing a wonderful memory of a special festival. Watching Native American dancers is definitely something that would be unforgettable and a wonderful experience. Deadwood, SD, is very popular today, and I hope to make more trips out West after my twins graduate high school.
And thank you so much for the kind comment about enjoying my books!
Have a great day! Tanya
I live out West… my favorite things are the mountains, the beautiful sunsets, the saguaros and the wildlife.
Hi, Colleen! I remember living in Riverside, California, and the adjustments I had to make after moving to Florida. Those are all wonderful parts of the West, and I’m glad you get to enjoy each on a regular basis! They all sound wonderful! Have a great day!
no fav
Thanks for stopping by! Some days my responses are different about a favorite before I realize that they’re all my favorites! I hope you have a great weekend!
We love Colorado. We lived in Colorado Springs from 1982 to 1985 while my husband worked aqt Cheyenne Mountain. It was a nice sized town at the time. We have been back since, but it has grown too big. The town I enjoy the most is Durango. It has a nice atmosphere, is not far from Mesa Verde, and you can catch the Durango to Silverton Railroad there. We haven’t been back in yearsand I hope it has maintained its charm.
Hi, Patricia! It’s always nice when my family visits a town that either my husband or I visited in our childhood and we find it retains its charm. It’s wonderful then to share that experience with our children. Durango sounds like a wonderful vacation spot. Thanks for sharing! I hope you have a wonderful weekend.
Tucson, AZ…old town…
I have never been out west so I don’t have a favorite town. I will say I love reading books about the west though.