From a Distance by Tamara Alexander

This week, the
Christian Fiction Blog Alliance
is introducing

From A Distance
(Bethany House June 1, 2008)
by
Tamera Alexander


ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Tamera Alexander is a bestselling novelist whose deeply drawn characters, thought-provoking plots and poignant prose resonate with readers. Tamera is a finalist for the 2008 Christy Award Remembered, and has been awarded the coveted RITA® from Romance Writers of America Revealed, along with Library Journal’s Top Christian Fiction of 2006 Rekindled. Having lived in Colorado for seventeen years, she and her husband now make their home in the quaint town of historic Franklin, Tennessee, where they enjoy life with their two college-age children and a precious—and precocious—silky terrier named Jack.

A Note from Tamera:

Stories are journeys, and each story I write is a journey for me.

Rekindled began with a dream—the image of a man returning home on horseback. He came upon a freshly dug grave and when he knelt to read the name carved into the roughhewn wooden cross, he discovered the name was…his own. The inspiration for Revealed grew from two characters in Rekindled whose stories needed to be told. But even more, whose stories I needed to tell. Writing Revealed was a very personal journey for me, and a healing one. For Remembered, I met that story’s heroine (figuratively, of course) while strolling the ancient cobblestoned pathways of a three hundred-year-old cemetery in northern Paris, France. And From A Distance came from a question I was struggling with in my own life at the time, “What happens when the dream you asked God for isn’t what you thought it would be?”

For me, the greatest thrill of these writing journeys is when Christ reveals Himself in some new way, and I take a step closer to Him. And my deepest desire is that readers of my books will do that as well—take steps closer to Him as they read. After all, it’s all about Him.

In the Potter’s Hand,

Tamera


ABOUT THE BOOK

What happens when dreams aren’t what you imagined,

And secrets you’ve spent a lifetime guarding are finally laid bare?

Determined to become one of the country’s premier newspaper photographers, Elizabeth Westbrook travels to the Colorado Territory to capture the grandeur of the mountains surrounding the remote town of Timber Ridge. She hopes, too, that the cool, dry air of Colorado, and its renowned hot springs, will cure the mysterious illness that threatens her career, and her life.

Daniel Ranslett, a former Confederate sharpshooter, is a man shackled by his past, and he’ll do anything to protect his land and his solitude. When an outspoken Yankee photographer captures an image that appears key to solving a murder, putting herself in danger, Daniel is called upon to repay a debt. He’s a man of his word, but repaying that debt will bring secrets from his past to light.

Forced on a perilous journey together, Daniel and Elizabeth’s lives intertwine in ways neither could have imagined when first they met . . . from a distance.

If you would like to read the first chapter, go HERE

“…a rich historical romance by possibly the best new writer in this subgenre.”--Library Journal

“…a most amazing story. The characters are more than words on the page; they become real people." --Romantic Times

MY REVIEW:

This is a book that will leave you breathless! Tamara Alexander has truly presented her finest story yet in her latest novel, From a Distance. I invite you to prepare your heart and mind to take a journey back in time to the year 1875 into the Colorado Rockies. In a small town called Timber Ridge you will meet Elizabeth Westbrook, an independent, strong-willed, plain-spoken single lady with only one goal in her mind – to become the first female photographer/journalist for the Washington Chronicle. Little does she realize as she climbs about in the wilderness of the Colorado Rockies capturing photographs of the wildlife and the grandeur of nature that God is charting a new course for her life, a course that will be filled with unexpected events, unplanned for emotions and heart-breaking truth.

Daniel Ranslett is one person Elizabeth Westbrook never planned for in her life. When he ruins one of her finest photographs and agrees to take her out for a day to try and recapture the image, he starts down a path that neither he nor Elizabeth could have ever dreamed of in their lifetime! Alongside these two in their journey is gentle Josiah Birch, a free black man who is employed as Elizabeth’s assistant while she is working in Timber Ridge. Josiah has a unique story all of his own, and through his gentle wisdom and honest, hard work he teaches Daniel and Elizabeth some of life’s most precious truths.

This entire story takes you on an emotional, exciting journey that spans the course of a year. During that time it seems that Elizabeth’s dream and goals are shattered one by one. As she seeks answers and tries to figure out what to do circumstance directs her on a trip to the Mesa Verde – a location she has tried to reach from the beginning – but now she must escape there to preserve her very life and the life of Josiah Birch. That journey causes her to face deep, painful truths about herself and the motives that brought her to this point in time. She returns from this trip a very different person!

I really cannot say enough about this book! There is excitement, mystery, romance, history….just so very, very much within the pages of this story! This book deals with the human heart on many different levels and deals with issues of honesty, race, and other surprising topics that makes this story very special! Truly, by the time you reach the end of this book, you will feel like a very different person yourself! May you learn the same truth that Elizabeth did during her journey, “…that God loved her enough to intervene in her dream – to shatter it – to shatter her – only so He could put her back together and give her an even bigger, better dream. His dream for her life.” (p. 264)

The greatest news is that From a Distance is the first in a new series from Tamara Alexander entitled Timber Ridge Reflections! That means that if you can stand to wait until Spring of 2009, you can read more about life in the Colorado Rockies with Elizabeth and Daniel. I encourage you to purchase a copy of From a Distance here today!