Writing Winter Stories

Until last year when I wrote The Calling Birds, I'd somehow missed writing a story set in a cold and snowy winter setting...which is odd because I grew up in a location with very cold and snowy winters (northern Alberta, Canada). And even though I now live in a place with a mild climate that almost never gets snow (Victoria, Canada), I know cold and snow.

Winter is lodged deep inside me—in my childhood and adult memories. 

So this year it was interesting to return to the snowy location of Noelle, Colorado while writing my new December release, Robyn: A Christmas Bride (click here if you missed that book reveal last week).

What is it about winter and the events it brings? It's arrival often hits like a jarring surprise, then there is the slow lead up to Christmas, then quickly the New Year arrives, followed by the long wait for spring...

Seasons (and the transitions within them) have moods. Winter creates complications, but it can also bring people together.  

I decided to do a search of the words "winter" and "snow" in both of my winter stories and found the following...

From The Calling Birds (Birdie Bell and Jack Peregrine's story)...

WINTER: used 5 times
SNOW (or its variations: snowy, snowstorm, snow flurry, snowbank, snowpack): used 45 times 

Despite a grueling journey up a mountain in a snowstorm—that had only been possible in wagons specially fitted with sleigh runners, Birdie’s possessions had arrived safely in Noelle. As had she and the eleven other brides under Mrs. Walters’ care.
~~~
Jack limped out of the Golden Nugget Saloon and half-ran, half-hopped down the street. He gritted his teeth against the jarring of his stump against his wooden leg and the pull of the deepening drifts slowing him down. He squinted through the pelting snow. He couldn’t see a solitary person. Where was Gus?
~~~
Her gaze clung to Jack as she crossed the threshold of Peregrines' Post and Freight. Despite leaving the chill outside, she shivered as she leaned toward the heat radiating from him. “Winter is an old friend, so the cold doesn’t bother me all that much especially since I made this coat.”
~~~
Her mother’s words rose from her memories along with a dusting of snow disturbed by her strides. Sewing while upset often results in unwelcome creations.
~~~
As soon as the general store opened, she must claim her snowshoes. She’d traded the curtains for them, and she needed them more than ever now. The snow would be deep where she’d be going.

From Robyn: A Christmas Bride (Robyn Llewellyn and Max Peregrine's story)...

WINTER: used 3 times
SNOW (or its variations: snowy, snowsquall, snowdrifts, snowflake ): used 17 times 

Driven by a fickle wind, Max's world spun faster than the snow outside the window. Robyn couldn’t be gone. Not in such a storm. Not when he needed her, when they all needed her. She was the thread that held everything together. 

~~~
A second bang of the door and flurry of chill winter air heralded the arrival of another diner. In the doorway stood a tall fair-haired man with a red beard. Not bright red but still red. A warm shade of cinnamon that had become her favorite. Robyn's heart skipped a beat. Max had come to Noelle.

~~~ 

Only the daft, the desperate, or the devil traveled the wilderness after dusk. In a big city with many streets, she’d never failed to find at least one that led home. While here in Noelle, surrounded by so much snow… Her shivers returned. “It’s getting late.”
~~~
Max stared at the blindingly white but beautiful snowy vista around them. “Until now, I never gave anything but hauling freight my focus
~~~

Her mind scrambled for a different topic. A small one. Which wasn’t difficult. Every subject felt like a tiny snowflake under the cloud of what Max would tell her. And what she must tell him. 

~ * ~ 

From the wordcounts above, it shows I used the word "snow" a lot more in The Calling Birds. But that story started in a snowstorm on Christmas Eve. A snowstorm that was agreed upon by the 12 authors who wrote the The 12 Days of Christmas Mail-Order Brides series. The Calling Birds is a standalone read but also the Fourth Day in the shared world of Noelle, Colorado, which was great fun to help create...especially in the snow 😊

~ * ~ 

Fall in love with a new Old West... where the men are steadfast & the women are adventurous. 

You'll find Wild West scouts, spies, cardsharps, wilderness guides, and trick-riding superstars in my stories. Those are my heroines. Wait till you meet my heroes! My love for historical romance adventures with grit and passion came from watching Western movies while growing up on a cattle farm in northern Canada. I've been nominated for over 20 awards and won the RWA® Golden Heart® & the Laramie® but my best reward is hearing from readers who have enjoyed my stories.

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