The Woman Behind the Legend: Why I Wrote El Paso: Felina’s Story
We all know the famous musical landscapes of the American West—the sweeping ballads of lone cowboys, dramatic gunfights, and fatal love. But as a writer of women’s western fiction, I find myself constantly looking past the men holding the reins, toward the women standing in the shadows of those legends.
What happens when the woman in the story finally gets to speak for herself?
This exact question was the creative spark for my new novel, El Paso: Felina’s Story. For years, the character of Felina existed only through the lens of a man’s song. She was a catalyst for tragedy, a romanticized icon, a symbol of a wild woman of ill-repute, even called “evil.” But history—and human nature—tells us that no woman is ever just a symbol.
I felt a deep urgency to explore the inner life of the woman beyond the myth. I wanted to write a book that gave Felina her agency back. In this novel, she is a woman navigating her own complex world. She faces intense cultural and personal pressures, wrestles with fear, harbors secret longings, and makes choices that carry heavy consequences.
For me, this story is a natural extension of the themes I am always drawn to: women’s self-possession, the deep ache for belonging, hard choices, and family legacy.
Equally crucial to building the atmosphere of the story is the setting of Old El Paso. Never just a backdrop, the landscapes of my writings are characters unto themselves. The rugged environment and societal rules of the time actively shape what Felina wants, what she risks, and ultimately, what the world allows her to become. It is a story about how the emotional force of a place has so much power over a person’s fate.
If you have spent time with my previous books, you know I love exploring the untold lives of resilient women surviving and thriving in a new kind of Wild West. El Paso: Felina’s Story is built on that exact foundation of emotional tension and the vastness of western landscapes—this time with the kick of historical depth.
Over the next few weeks, I am going to open the doors to Felina’s world. I will be sharing behind-the-scenes inspirations, and an opportunity to snag an early reading copy before the official launch, so be sure to Get on the Waitlist for the novel.
To make sure you don't miss out on the early copy giveaways, come join my community newsletter Letters from the New Wild West.
What other legendary figures do you think deserve to have their own stories told? Feel free to leave it in the comments below.
