Article and Interview by Elise Cooper
Outlaw Lake and Lonesome Ridge by Maisey Yates continue the story of the Rustler Mountain series. Yates is at it again with her stories involving love, family dynamics, and personal growth. Her characters are strong and relatable rugged cowboys and cowgirls. These modern westerns take readers on a wild ride through Oregon where the feuds between family descendants of outlaws and lawmen are still very much alive.
Outlaw Lake has Carson Wilder and Perry Bramble as best friends forever, starting with their painful childhoods. As far as romance, Carson always knew he wasn’t good enough for her. And by the time they were grown, their bond was too important to risk messing up. Now, Carson is grieving the death of his wife. And like always, Perry is his rock. He can’t imagine life without her. But she stuns Carson with a decision: She’s moving to a neighboring city to expand her florist business—and to find love and start a family. Perry’s decision is based on her desire for Carson because she always feels that he never feels the same way about her, or does he?
Lonesome Ridge has Jesse Jane Hitchcock the star of her parents Wild West Show. But she wants more and decides to challenge the current mayor Danielle LeFevre: mean girl, all-around awful person, and Flynn’s not-so-beloved half-sister. She decides to have Flynn pretend to be in a relationship with her and to become the first man. Flynn always knew Jessie was a wild card, but bringing down his corrupt step-family is a temptation he can’t resist. As they spend time together, they realize there is a chemistry and attraction they cannot ignore.
These stories are like all Maisey Yates stories in that they take readers on an emotional roller coaster ride. The addition of humor interlaced into the story only adds to the plot. She balances romantic tension with heartfelt moments that keep readers engaged from page one.
Elise Cooper: How did you get the idea for Outlaw Lake?
Maisey Yates: It is a friend to lovers’ story, one of my favorites to write. The idea came through the characters. This story has an edge to it because the characters have known each other for so long.
EC: How would you describe Carson?
MY: Stoic, hard, former military, protector, caring, determined, hardworker, charismatic, and moody.
EC: How would you describe Perry?
MY: Honest, cautious, lonely, and she feels broken. She is a lot more put together than she gives herself credit for. She is more emotionally mature than he is. She is insightful.
EC: The role of Alyssa, Carson’s first late wife?
MY: I wanted her to be complicated and the male lead, Carson Wilder, feelings for her to be complicated. It was important for me she mattered to the conflict between Carson and the female lead, Perry Bramble. She was her own whole person. He made a mistake marrying her which was his mistake, not hers. They did not have a great marriage which is mostly on him. She is not a bad person.
EC: What about the relationship between Perry and Carson, since she called him a coward?
MY: Emotionally he was a coward. He is a big strong man that is brave in all these ways but does not want to be vulnerable. A lot of his external strength covered up his emotional fear. This is the reason his first marriage did not work and why he married Alyssa in the first place. He avoided his true feelings for Perry which frustrated her. He had her and always wanted her, but the fear of vulnerability always held him back.
EC: How did you get the idea for the story of Lonesome Ridge?
MY: The female lead, Jesse Jane, presented herself to me as a strong character. The story presented itself because of how she and the male lead, Flynn, treated each other.
EC: How would you describe Jesse Jane?
MY: Very guarded and builds walls. She was humiliated as a child. She lives in a small town where people had perceptions of her that she could not control. Her only control is to take on the persona that she really did not care what others thought of her. She is also a prankster and charming.
EC: Why does she want to be the mayor?
MY: To change the power structure because she has been so hurt by it. She hides that she genuinely cares. She has a complicated relationship with the town. She cares about it and the people in it.
EC: What about Flynn?
MY: He can be obnoxious, irritating, and controlling. He has a lot of family drama. Like Jesse he was looked down upon because of their parentage.
EC: What about the relationship between Jesse Jane and Flynn?
MY: They had a combustible relationship. They openly sniped at each other. Jesse Jane was inexperienced with men even though she has all this bravado which she uses to keep people at a distance and make assumptions about her. She presents to the world this personality of a strong woman. They are sarcastic to each other and do not care about each other’s reputation. They play games with each other to avoid commitment. On the surface they are similar which is why they clash.
EC: What about Danielle, the Mayor?
MY: She is unpleasant, mean, corrupt, self-serving, and likes to stab people in the back. She is the mean girl. She climbs the social ladder which is really a step ladder.
EC: What is the role of the diaries from past relatives at the beginning of each chapter in each book?
MY: With the different diaries I liked to show the parallel between the past and the present. It reflects the fact on the importance of learning from the past and the importance of history. It is to show that the characters were not as far away from their happy ending as they thought they were. The diaries help readers to flush out the past.
EC: Did you base the characters on the real West history?
MY: Jesse was based on Annie Oakley/Buffalo Bill with the Wild West shows. The Wilder family was slightly based on my mom’s family who grew up in Kansas where the Dalton Brothers were captured. Where I live in Oregon there was the last fatal train robbery.
EC: Next book?
MY: It is titled Christmas Valley. The story will be West and Cassidy. My author friends said I had to make West the hero of this story. This is one of the few times I changed who the hero would be. It is sort of a love triangle since Cassidy thinks she has a big crush on her brother’s friend, Dalton. There is this complication since she did not see West coming. It comes out the end of September.
EC: THANK YOU!!
