Episode 195: Sara R. Turnquist Returns: The Convenient Risk Series, Historical Fiction, and a Brand-New Book on the Way

About This Episide

If you love historical romance rooted in faith, rich community, and deeply human characters, the Convenient Risk series by Sara R. Turnquist belongs at the top of your reading list. In Episode 195 of the LiteraryScape Podcast, host Melissa LaShure sat down with Sara for a wonderful conversation about eight-book series, the infamous sheriff, real-life historical figures woven into fiction, and the exciting new release arriving in early May.

A Series That Grew Beyond the Plan: The Convenient Risk World

Sara never intended to write eight books. Every title in the Convenient Risk series started as a standalone story. But characters have a way of making their own demands.

After the first book, a ranch hand named Cutie kept nudging Sara until she told his story. That became Book 2. Then the other ranch hands wanted in. A Christmas novella followed. Before long, the series had expanded to eight novels, a Ranch Hands collection bundling Books 1, 3, 4, and 5, and a separate short story collection featuring Cook and Uncle Owen — one tale for every month of the year.

The fictional town of Wharton City, set just southeast of Tucson near the historic Camp Grant, became its own living, breathing world.

Samuel’s Story: The Final Chapter of Convenient Risk — Coming Early May

The most exciting news from this episode? Book 9 is almost here. Since writing Book 3 or 4, Sara had been dreaming about closing the series with the story of the little boy introduced in the very first book — now all grown up. Samuel’s story has been through developmental edits, is currently in line edits, and is set to release in early May.

Readers who have followed this series from the beginning know Samuel as a recurring presence throughout the books. Giving him his own chapter feels like the perfect send-off for the Wharton City community — though Sara is quick to note she thought Love in Cripple Creek would end that series, too. Now, the hero’s sister Anya is whispering that she needs a story. So, never say never.

The Sheriff Everyone Loves to Hate — And Why He Works

One of the most compelling — and occasionally infuriating — recurring figures in the series is the town sheriff. Melissa and the LiteraryScape book club could not resist asking Sara about him.

He is not a simple villain. At his core, the sheriff wants justice and peace, which makes him effective at his job. The problem is that his definition of justice has been shaped by a complicated relationship with his father — and in A Convenient Escape, readers discover that his home life is equally strained. His wife’s alcoholism adds a layer of pain that reframes his harder edges.

In A Less Convenient Path, the sheriff’s conflict with Marianna is not simply a product of racial prejudice. He sees her as a disruption to the peace he is trying to maintain. Sara chose to explore that nuance deliberately rather than reduce him to a period-accurate cliché.

He is a complicated character, Sara acknowledged. But complexity is precisely what makes him so memorable.

Historical Figures Woven Into Fiction: Billy the Kid, Geronimo & the OK Corral

One hallmark of Sara’s writing is her ability to weave real historical events and figures into her fictional world without overpowering her own characters’ stories.

In the first Convenient Risk novel, a young Billy the Kid (then known as Kid Antrim) makes an appearance, fitting naturally into the Arizona territory setting Sara had already chosen. Later books bring in Geronimo and the tensions surrounding Native American reservations during that era — including the Tohono O’odham people, many of whom crossed into Mexico to avoid forced relocation.

One of the ranch hands and Brandon’s sister are in Tombstone the day of the famous shootout at the O.K. Corral. They encounter Wyatt Earp — but only in passing. The actual gunfight happens off-screen. The characters are sheltering in an alley, listening to shots.

Sara describes her approach as trying not to breathe too much life into real people on the page. Historical figures anchor the world; they do not hijack it.

Deep Characters Who Feel Like Real People

What keeps readers coming back to this series is the emotional authenticity of Sara’s characters. Each one carries something recognizable.

Slim’s struggle with self-doubt as a writer resonates with anyone who has ever questioned whether they are good enough. In An Inconvenient Acquaintance, the heroine Ada navigates a love triangle — and the LiteraryScape book club turned it into a red-flag, green-flag game that sparked a rich conversation about what we pay attention to (or overlook) when we are falling for someone.

The heroine in A Less Convenient Arrangement faces a double burden: caring for a mother in cognitive decline while being shunned by a town that blames her for her father’s embezzlement. Her hero is not the rugged ranch hand type. He is a dandy, a bit too fond of his upper-class comfort for dusty Wharton City. But when it counts, he shows up. Sara makes the case that inner strength — the kind a partner can lean into — matters more than any outward display of toughness.

What Sara Hopes Readers Take Away

The Convenient Risk series is ultimately about community and perseverance. The Miller Ranch is a gathering place for people who need belonging. Characters take in strays. They support one another through valleys that are sometimes darker than the shadow of death itself.

Sara’s hope is simple: that readers finish each book knowing they can make it through more than they think — and that walking through trials alongside God, and alongside the people around you, changes you for the better.

What’s Coming Next: The Railway Romance Series

Even as Samuel’s story wraps up the Convenient Risk world, Sara is already deep into the third book of her Railway Romance series. Book 1 traveled between Chicago and Memphis. Book 2 took readers to the Grand Canyon’s El Tovar Hotel, home to the famous Harvey House, where the heroine worked as a Harvey Girl.

Book 3 follows Emma, the heroine’s friend from Book 2, out to California. Emma’s aunt — childless, married to a horse rancher, and owner of a sprawling hacienda — has invited her to come as a companion, with the unspoken possibility of becoming an heir. Emma’s father is pushing her toward that future. Meanwhile, a man she had been exchanging letters with has gone mysteriously silent.

Woven into Emma’s story is her aunt’s ministry to Chinese immigrant laborers who followed the railroad west — workers who provided skilled, lower-cost labor and lived in camps that shadowed the tracks. Sara describes this thread with genuine warmth: Emma falls in love with the act of giving to people in serious need.

How to Connect with Sara R. Turnquist

Sara loves hearing from readers. She answers every non-spam email she receives. Visit her website to explore all her books, purchase paperbacks and audiobooks directly, and sign up for her newsletter — where she regularly gives back to the reading community through giveaways.

And do not miss this: the first book in the Convenient Risk series is currently free in ebook format on every major platform, including Amazon, Kobo, and Sara’s own website. There is no better time to start.

Visit Sara R. Turnquist’s website: saraturnquist.com