Several years ago, Janette Oke co-wrote (with T. Davis Bunn) what many believed to be her final story, the conclusion to the Acts of Faith series.  We recently discovered, however, that Janette and her daughter, Laurel Oke Logan, have together written another story entitled Where Courage Calls.This is not just another prairie romance, though…  Inspired by an unlikely series of events, the background story for this novel is quite interesting – and a little confusing.

More than 2o years ago, Janette began writing a series of books called The Canadian West.  The first book in the series – When Calls the Heart – was soon followed by three sequels.  More than ten years later, another two titles were added to the series, making a total of six books. Each of these books holds a special place in our hearts, because not only is the main character, Elizabeth Thatcher, one of the best ‘book friends’ we’ve ever met, the series also takes place very close to home, on the western prairies of Canada.

In 2012, we discovered that a movie was in the process of being made, based on the novel When Calls the Heart.  Earlier this month, that movie of the same name was finally released on DVD.  It was a joy to watch!  Although the storyline did not follow the book in numerous ways, the overall tone was the same and we greatly enjoyed it.  The ending, however, was left wide open for sequels, or as the case may be… A television series!  After doing a little research, it became clear that this newly released movie is actually the pilot for a new series being released on the Hallmark channel, starting in January.  The series will follow the adventures of characters exclusive to the movie (not mentioned in the book series), and leave where the pilot movie left off.

Now, you may be asking what all this movie information has to do with Janette Oke’s newest novel.  Well, reportedly Janette is fully supportive of both the movie and t.v. series – so much so that her newest story is based on these productions!  Yes, it’s true.  Where Courage Calls draws from the story made for television, and helps to intertwine the books and movie/series into one complex story.  That was unexpected, wouldn’t you agree?

If you are interested in the new movie, check out this official trailer:

So, what do you think?  Do you plan on watching the new movie and sequel series?  How about reading the new book?  Or maybe you will just stick with the original Canadian West book series…  In any case, we’d love to hear from you!  Please share your comments below.