Charlene Raddon

Charlene Raddon writes historical romance rooted in the American West, where difficult journeys test what characters are willing to trust. Tender Touch began as her second completed manuscript, won the historical division of the Colorado Gold contest, and later became a Romance Writers of America Golden Heart finalist. Zebra published it in 1994; Raddon eventually reclaimed the rights and brought the story back into print. Brianna Wight arranges her disappearance to leave a destructive marriage, then hires widower Columbus Nigh to take her west. Travel on the Oregon Trail turns their relationship into a question of survival, judgment, and reliance between strangers. Raddon's other books include Taming Jenna and Forever Mine, and she has designed covers for fellow writers of Western historical fiction. Tender Touch remains a pivotal book in her career because its contest success led to a three-book Kensington agreement and transformed years of private writing into a sustained publishing path.