When Jane Porter, my publisher at Tule Publishing asked me to switch settings and write sweet, small-town romance in Marietta, Montana, I have to confess, I was more than a little apprehensive. Right off, leaving safe, familiar River’s Edge, where “everybody knew my name…” was a little sad, although I’m not sure I’m done with RE forever. Also, it was daunting to come to a setting that was already created, and by amazing writers who are way more experienced in the ways of the West and cowboys than me. Frankly, I’d never been to the West before and I knew nothing about cowboys. Oh, I’d spent lots of time in California and I’d been Oregon, but those were family and vineyard vacations. I was intrigued with the whole idea of moving to Montana, though, and joining authors I love in Marietta.
The first order of business was to read—I was already a Marietta fan, so I knew some about that little fictional town in Crawford County, Montana. With the help of my amazing editor, Sinclair Jayne, and all the great online information available at Tule, I began to know the town even better. But it occurred to me that if I was going to write more than one book in Montana, maybe I’d better go see it for myself.
I called my friend and fellow Tule author, Carol Light, and said, “Hey, wanna go to Montana?” Carol was an immediate, “You bet, when do we leave?” We picked Big Sky country because it was not too far from Bozeman (neither is Marietta), and the VRBOs there were out-of-season, so fairly reasonable. To be honest, Big Sky, the town, is a winter playground for snow skiers and snow boarders, but all around the area are ranches and not far away is Virginia City and Ennis and other towns that reeked of cowboys and Western life.
In late July, I left my local airport at 8:30 a.m.; Carol left her local airport 10:15 a.m. and we met up in the Denver Airport. Then we flew together to Bozeman–one of the cutest airports I’ve ever seen! There are bears and moose everywhere and some crazy huge bird hanging from the ceiling! The whole airport was mountain stone and cedar beams–really pretty and lodge-y (If that’s not a word, it should be). We also saw the coolest ad for a fishing outfitters that felt like the universe was telling me that moving from River’s Edge to Montana is a capital idea! Take a look!
There are 64 mountain ranges in Montana and our condo was nestled right in the middle of the Madison Range at an altitude of 7000 feet. Lone Mountain was visible from Big Sky as well as several other mountain ranges, including the Gallatin Range and the Absaroka Range, which are part of Marietta lore.
We spent two days of our week at Yellowstone National Park, which is just overwhelming and spectacular! Carol used the term “moonscape of boiling mud and geysers” to describe the Fountain Paint Pot thermal field and Old Faithful. I can’t think of a better way to say it. It was awe-inspiring and this little Midwestern gal couldn’t stop saying, “Wow!” What a spectacular experience that national park was!
When we drove west to Virginia City the first thing I noticed was that the landscape was so very different from Big Sky. In Big Sky, it’s all huge mountains and pines. As we headed west, the terrain changed to rolling hills and pastures and wheat and hayfields. Junipers dotted the landscape and there were lots of ranches and fences and sagebrush. I absorbed it all–even-saw a ranch that reminded me of what I imagined Del Foster’s ranch to be–and oh, the cows and horses! Virginia City and Ennis were real Old West towns and just steeped in history!
I think the most important thing that we discovered there is how big the world is–Big Sky indeed! The mountains overwhelmed us every time we went outside even though we were only halfway up. We loved tramping to Ousel Falls, so I would have a picture in my head (and on my phone) of what I imagined Juniper Falls to look like. I absorbed Montana and imagined the little town of Marietta in each place we visited. We saw enough cattle ranches and guest dude ranches that I can add some authenticity to my Juniper Falls Ranch stories. The Big Sky area wasn’t as cowboy-centric as I imagined it would be, but the vibe was definitely Western.
All in all, this move to Marietta is going to be a fun journey. I can’t wait to share my cowboy/Western romances with you! Hope y’all will come along with me to Marietta and Juniper Falls Ranch!
All My Best,
Question: Have you ever had to change course and do something entirely different? How’d it go?
Nan Reinhardt is a USA Today bestselling author of sweet, small-town romantic fiction for Tule Publishing. Her day job is working as a freelance copyeditor and proofreader, however, writing is Nan’s first and most enduring passion. She can’t remember a time in her life when she wasn’t writing—she wrote her first romance novel at the age of ten and is still writing, but now from the viewpoint of a wiser, slightly rumpled, woman in her prime. Nan lives in the Midwest with her husband of 52 years, where they split their time between a house in the city and a cottage on a lake.
I have, and it went well.
Thanks for sharing your trip and experience.
So glad for you, Denise! Hugs!
Good morning Nan! What a trip! How exciting to see new places to write about! About the only thing I can think of was the move from my hometown 50 miles south. Hehehe…not far, but a whole new environment. New home, new job, and new location. My husband received a new job in Gainesville,FL after 22 years working in a small town line work construction company. It was an adjustment, but was an exciting time too. Now we have lived here longer than where we were first married. Time flies!
Many blessings to you Nan on this new writing adventure!
Thanks, Tracy! A move is always an adventure and even 50 miles is a big difference from what you knew as home. Glad it’s working well for you! And yup, time does indeed fly…sigh…
I loved Montana and Wyoming when we were there. I glad you got to experience it, too.
Oh, I wish we’d gotten to Wyoming, too, Janice. Next time! Thanks for stopping by!
Hey Nan!
You get to count Wyoming in your states visited tally because most of Yellowstone is in Wyoming although you entered from Montana. If and when you get back, try to drive straight east to Cody Wyoming because there is a lot to see there. The Buffalo Bill Center has a museum complex that has to be considered world class.
Your latest book is a great read and in addition to the copy I was lucky to receive from you, I bought one for my kindle too. 🙂
That is true, Rachel, I forgot that we drove into Wyoming when we drove through Yellowstone. YAY! I’d love to see the Buffalo Bill Museum…I’ll add that to my bucket list. Delighted you enjoyed Forever Cowboy and merci x 1000 for buying the eBook as well! Hugs!
What an amazing trip, Nan! Montana is on my bucket list. I got close a couple years ago with a trip to South Dakota where we drove through Wyoming, but I’d love to make it all the way to Montana some day. There is something so immersive about visiting a place you are writing about. I know your books are going to be even better because of your visit. Welcome to the West. 🙂
Thank you, Karen! It is amazing how much more I feel the setting for having been right there. Whenever I go down to Madison, Indiana, I get my River’s Edge vibe all charged up. I think I might have to go back to Montana more often now!
I would like to visit Montana. I have been nearby but not there.
You’d never regret a trip to Montana, Debra. Next time I go, I’m going to try to see Flathead lake and the Tetons! Thanks for stopping by!
Nan, we’re so happy to have your horse in our corral. You’re going to be the perfect fit. I love your blog post. Your humor really shines. I envy your trip to Montana. I’ve always wanted to go. I’ve changed courses several times but the latest attempt was writing a women’s fiction story after fifty some odd western romances. It has not been a success thus far. But I’m not sorry I wrote it. I listen to the voices in my head and mine said I needed to write that. I pray people eventually discovers it. Big hugs, filly sister.
Thank you, Linda. The welcome here has been just grand! I recommend Montana–it was a fabulous trip. It’s hard to make a change, isn’t it? But sometimes, the writing heart wants what the writing heart wants, so you have to do it. What’s the title of your women’s fiction book? I love WF!
I want to travel out west sometime, in the meantime, I’ll enjoy books set out there!
We’ve sure got plenty of those here at P&P, Trudy! I hope you do get out West at some point–totally worth the trip.
It looks beautiful!
Hi, Bridgette–it was gorgeous and breathtaking!
Love your first blog with us as a filly, Nan! And I’m so jealous about your trip to Montana. I would love to go there. I’ve made it as far as Cheyenne and Laramie in Wyoming as well as to Sedona and Phoenix in Arizona, but that’s as far west as I got. I think Virginia City would be awesome to see. Wasn’t it Bonanza that was featured there?
Yes, I believe it was Bonanza, Pam. And it looks just like an Old West town. Cool thing is between the shops and bars and restaurants, they have little individual shop museums of all the kinds of places they had there in the 19th century. It was just fascinating. I’d totally recommend a few days in Montana–you’d love it!
Whoops! I was wrong…it was filmed mostly on a Hollywood back lot with some location stuff filmed in Nevada and Lake Tahoe. However, the city they went to was Virginia City–just not sure if it was supposed to be Montana or Nevada…I need to do some more research!
I have always wanted to go to Montana. I grew up in Wyoming on our small family farm. The pictures are so beautiful.
You were so close–well, I guess more miles than I can imagine, but I hope you get to go to Montana one day. Wyoming looks beautiful, too, though!
The biggest change I have faced is moving from the foothills of the Adirondacks and lots of rain and snow to East-Central Washington State with its 6-8 inch annual rainfall when I married my cowboy. It was a huge adjustment to have NO trees at the top of the hills. I also had to learn how to irrigate my lawn and garden. You mentioned Ennis which I am familiar with. One of my husband’s best friends, an Army buddy, ran the meat plant there for many years.
That would be a climate adjustment for sure, Alice! But worth it, I’m sure, to be with your cowboy! Ennis was a fun little town…neat little shops and restaurants.
I did. I changed my plans of going to college upon graduation and was married instead. It turned out ok, I had a child two years later, got divorced, and several years later went to college and found a job teaching.
Sounds like lots of changes for you, Karijean, but I’m glad it all worked out well. The world needs good teachers!
My life is full of changing courses with all my medical issues. Sometimes works out and sometimes not so much.
I know what you mean, Carrie–my whole world was shook when I was diagnosed with HFrEF (heart failure with reduced ejection fraction). It made me look at things very differently…
Life is full of changing courses I think. We traveled from Alabama to Alaska with friends and there were a lot of changes along the way. Love Montana, Wyoming and Yellowstone, and of course Canada and Alaska. Trip of a lifetime. We have been fortunate enough to go to Yellowstone several different times and it is always amazing, as are all of God’s creations.
What a trip! Yes, doesn’t the country change as you travel north? I hope to get back to see more of Yellowstone and Montana. I’ve never been to Alaska, but it sounds like a wonderful trip!
Flexibility has always been the way we operated, pretty much out of necessity. My husband was in the Air Force for 24 years and a change in plans was a way of life. We have continued on that way since. We were headed across the Mid-West many years ago on our way to a conference. Tired of the endless miles of corn fields (we have been that way numerous times), I told my husband to take the next exit, turn right and drive, We ended up in Canada a day or so later and continued West. That area is their “bread basket” with just miles of grain fields, pretty much like Kansas. But we saw new places and when heading back south, we found the wonderful Redlin Art Center. A lovely 3 story brick building near Watertown, SD, sitting atop a hill surrounded by a 30-acre Conservation Park. It was built by artist Terry Redlin and showcases his wonderful paintings. His paintings were used for covers of sport and outdoor magazines. We found many other things on this trip before getting to Omaha, Nebraska. Most changes in plans have resulted in unexpected experiences (like setting up a popup tent during a hurricane at 2am in a campground where no one spoke English) we won’t soon forget. Most were good, and even if not so good, I am glad we had them.
What a cool way to travel! When Liz and I do our writing retreats, we take the backroads and try to stop when we see something that looks interesting. Ummmm…a tent in a hurricane. Yikes!