Episode 199: Faith, Fiction, and 150 Books: Tracie Peterson on Writing Christian Historical Romance That Heals

About This Episode

Faith, Fiction, and 150 Books: Tracie Peterson on Writing Christian Historical Romance That Heals

What happens when an author turns deeply personal pain into powerful fiction? For bestselling Christian historical romance writer Tracie Peterson, the answer is 150 published books — and counting.

On this episode of the LiteraryScape podcast, host Melissa LaShure sat down with Tracie to talk about her Hope of Cheyenne series, her writing process, and the courageous decision to tackle topics like suicide, revenge, and spiritual doubt in her stories.

Whether you’re a longtime fan or discovering Tracie’s work for the first time, this conversation is full of insight, heart, and hope.

How Tracie Peterson Found Her Calling in Christian Historical Fiction

Tracie didn’t set out to become one of the most prolific voices in Christian fiction. She simply wanted to read the kinds of books she couldn’t find on shelves.

Growing up, there wasn’t much of a Christian fiction market. Grace Livingston Hill and Katherine Marshall’s Christy were among the few options. Then Janette Oke arrived and changed everything.

“I realized that was what I wanted to read — but also what I wanted to write,” Tracie explains.

Her big break came through a two-in-one flip book from Barbour Publishing. She sent them a letter pitching historical Christian fiction, and an editor called back. What followed was a publishing deal — and a career that would eventually produce 150 books.

“Had Barbour not come out, I don’t know where God would have taken it,” she reflects.

The Hope of Cheyenne Series: Bold Themes Done With Biblical Care

The LiteraryScape book club recently finished the Hope of Cheyenne series and walked away moved. The stories weave together romance and real-life struggles — including suicide, revenge, spiritual abandonment, and placing trust in money over God.

For many readers, these aren’t distant fictional problems. They’re deeply familiar ones.

Tracie approached each theme with careful biblical grounding. She studied scripture, consulted Christian counselors and pastors, and made sure every difficult topic pointed readers back toward grace.

Why Tracie Wrote About Suicide

The first book in the series, A Constant Love, tackles one of the heaviest subjects in Christian fiction: suicide.

The decision was personal. Tracie had experienced a family member’s death by suicide. Those around her were asking a painful question: do people who end their lives go to heaven?

“I kept coming back to Romans 8:38–39,” she shares. “Nothing can separate us from the love of God — height nor depth, no other creatures, demons, nothing.”

That scripture became the anchor. And the response from readers has been profound. Many have written to Tracie saying the story helped them process their own grief.

Host Melissa LaShure shared that she’d recently lost a close friend to suicide. Reading the book was difficult — but ultimately healing. “I love the way you addressed it,” she told Tracie. “It gave me hope.”

Revenge, Forgiveness, and the Faith Complications We All Know

The third book, A Moment to Love, centers on a young man who watches his father murdered and spends years consumed by the desire for revenge.

It’s an extreme version of something most people understand. “We all have little areas where we think, I wish this person would pay for what they did,” Tracie says. “That attitude undermines our Christian walk because we’re looking to other things — or ourselves — to resolve our problems instead of taking it back to God.”

A Plotter’s Process: How Tracie Writes a Book a Month (Almost)

Tracie aims to write a chapter a day. She’s a committed plotter, building out a detailed chapter-by-chapter synopsis before she writes a single word of the actual manuscript.

“I joke that I’m writing a very abbreviated version of the book,” she says. “But having that synopsis has saved my bacon more than once.”

The detailed outline goes to her publisher early. That means structural issues — pacing, character arcs, plot holes — get identified before they become expensive rewrites. The result? Very few major revisions.

Each morning, Tracie reviews the previous day’s work before moving forward. Her Bible is always on her desk.

The Art of the Hook: How Tracie Opens Every Book

One thing LiteraryScape readers loved was the stunning openings in each Hope of Cheyenne book. Every story kicks off with something unexpected and unforgettable.

For Designed with Love, Tracie opens with a wedding — interrupted by a desperate woman who opens fire on the ceremony.

For A Moment to Love, readers witness a young boy watching his father die at the hands of Pinkerton enemies.

“Authors are always told: make it worse,” Tracie explains. “If you can’t open with something that grabs the reader’s attention, you’ve got a problem.”

Rosie: The Character Who Stole Hearts

Among the most beloved figures in the series is Rosie — a character born without oxygen who lives without filters. She says exactly what she means, exactly when she means it.

Rosie is based on someone real in Tracie’s life. Her unguarded observations often carry unexpected spiritual weight.

“She says a lot of things that I sometimes just stand in awe of,” Tracie admits. “And I know they’re from the Lord.”

For readers, Rosie embodies the childlike faith scripture calls us to. She’s a reminder that wisdom doesn’t always come packaged the way we expect.

Dr. Carrie: The Full Circle Ending

The series concludes with a character who first appeared as a two-year-old in the Heart of Cheyenne series. Dr. Carrie grows up to pursue medicine — and a specialized interest in the brain — at a time when women were discouraged from both.

Her story is inspired by the real case of Phineas Gage, the 19th-century railway worker who survived a tamping iron through his skull.

“I love to come full circle,” Tracie says. “Starting with this little two-year-old and ending with her as a young woman fighting for what she believes in — it just felt right.”

What’s Coming Next From Tracie Peterson

Tracie’s newest series, Minnesota Legacy, launches with Faithful of Heart. It’s a generational story set in Minneapolis, following a family driven by compassion for the underprivileged, orphans, and widows.

After that, she’s deep in research for a series set in a coal mining community in Roslyn, Washington.

“You don’t generally think coal mines in Washington state,” she laughs. “But they had a huge one, and it’s been so interesting to dig into.”

Tracie Peterson’s Heart for Ministry Through Story

After 150 books, Tracie’s driving purpose hasn’t shifted: she wants to point people to Jesus.

“I wanted to reach people who might not otherwise pick up a Bible or a Christian living book,” she explains. “Over the years, that’s exactly what God has done with these stories.”

Every book is designed to present the gospel message, offer biblical application for real struggles, and leave readers with genuine hope.

If you’re looking for fiction that meets you in the hard places and walks you toward light, the Hope of Cheyenne series is exactly that.

Listen to the full conversation above, and visit Tracie’s website to explore all of her books.

Explore Tracie Peterson’s Books