After finishing The Viking Princess and TimePath, I knew I wanted to keep writing novels. The process had become something I loved—not just the storytelling, but the surprising discoveries along the way. But after those first two books, I hit a wall. I couldn’t find inspiration for what to write next. Days turned into weeks of creative frustration. I kept searching, waiting for a spark. Then one night, it came—in a dream.
I dreamed of a wagon train crossing the rugged West and of a mysterious journal—an enchanted one—that guided a young girl traveling with the train. The dream was vivid, haunting, and oddly emotional. When I woke, the images stayed with me. It was eerie how real it had felt. What surprised me most was the subject matter. I had once been an avid fan of westerns, but I hadn’t read or watched anything about wagon trains in years. Yet here it was, clear as day, handed to me by my own imagination.
The very next morning, I wrote what became the opening scene of Enchanted Journal. But then I hit a new obstacle—I didn’t really know much about the Oregon Trail. I’d never been on it, and I had only a foggy idea of what life was like for the pioneers who made that journey.
So before I could write more, I dove into research. I studied maps, journals, and historical accounts—anything I could find. What I discovered was that there wasn’t just one Oregon Trail. There were multiple routes, variations that pioneers took depending on the season, the year, or the challenges they faced. My first task was to pick a specific trail to follow in my novel. Once I had that, I chose the prominent stops and camping sites from actual pioneer accounts and worked them into the storyline.
Then came the characters. I began defining the people who would make up this fictional wagon train—their backgrounds, hopes, and conflicts. But as I wrote, the story kept growing. I realized I needed more characters to fill out the world of the trail—each with a purpose and a backstory. Writing Enchanted Journal was a long process, mostly because of the research required to make it believable. But it was also deeply rewarding.
About three-quarters of the way through, it hit me—this story didn’t end when the wagon train reached Oregon. A sequel was obvious. So after completing Enchanted Journal, I went on to write Pony Express, which tells the story of what happened after the pioneers settled in Oregon.
Looking back, I’m still amazed that it all started with a dream. Enchanted Journal became a story about courage, mystery, and the long road west—but it’s also a story about inspiration finding you when you least expect it.
I hope you’ll take the journey with me and read Enchanted Journal.