The Outlaw

Is it wise for a young woman to fall in love with a dream? Read on to find out. Darla Rockhart's searing debut novel, The Outlaw, takes a refreshing stab at the historical romance genre, seamlessly blending the rugged outsider charm of Louis L’Amour with the searing romantic tension of Nora Roberts and the reflective, shoe-gazing wit of Richard Brautigan.

19-year-old Sarah McCready has never felt at home in Baltimore—too stuffy, too cramped, too upper class—so when her father dies after a brief illness she decides to take a leap of faith and journeys out west to start life anew with an uncle she barely even knows (the powerful, mysterious Sheriff Tyrus McCready) in the budding town of Cosmos, Wyoming. Unwed and wrestling with recurring dreams of a lover who might not even be real, Sarah envisions a serene and humble life far away from the hustle and bustle of the East. But when Sarah’s train gets robbed en route to Cosmos, she begins to sense that life in the West may not be as idyllic—or as safe—as she’d imagined. “No need to worry,” one passenger tells her. “It’s only The Outlaw.” What's this? A celebrity train robber? In Cosmos? Sarah has never heard of this man, but when he gallops past her window atop a sterling white stallion, even she can’t bear to look away. She knows this alleged criminal: He’s the man of her dreams. Sarah thus finds herself in the midst of a ruthless manhunt for the mysterious outlaw, led by none other than her uncle, Sheriff Tyrus McCready. Caught between a self-righteous law and an unquenchable and brutal love, Sarah must choose for herself what is ultimately right—not just for her, but for the town of Cosmos as well. What she encounters is the stuff of Western legend: sex, money, booze, betrayal, and a succession of bloody shootouts that make the OK Corral seem like an Ohio plains meditation retreat. Along the way she’ll come into contact with an array of colorful locals—some good, others not so much—who will help her to unlock the tantalizing web of mysteries surrounding The Outlaw, Sheriff McCready and, finally, her yearning heart.

Darla Rockhart is America’s paramount romantic novelist. Very little is known about her origins. The most popular account says that her life began in the wooded wilds of the Pacific Northwest. The story goes that she was born in a bordello, the bastard daughter of a popular Madame. She made her way through childhood with no formal education. Her lessons in literature came from found tattered copies of the American classics: Twain and Hemingway, Faulkner and Whitman. Her lessons in love came from the house’s ladies and the Johns that visited them. When her learning was complete she unleashed herself upon the world, no ties to bind her from developing her distinct brand of Americonerotica… Of course, to believe this or any other tale of Darla’s genesis is to believe in pure hearsay. Nothing can be verified and only one thing is truly known: she exists. Thankfully this much is true. Today, Ms. Rockhart splits her time between her two homes. She resides in her speculated birth place of Washington State, but also spends significant time in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. Ms. Rockhart is a largely reclusive personality. However, she has been known to let her hair down for the occasional social affair. Ms. Rockhart does not grant interviews and has stated that “real literature should speak for itself.” She prefers to connect to the outside world primarily though social media and through her website, darlarockhart.com, where you can find her writing along with her blog, "Between a Rock and a Hart Place".