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Q: Elizabeth Westbrook is a proponent of women’s rights – a suffragette and in the running for the first female reporter’s job on the Washington Chronicle. However, you chose to afflict her with a lung disorder (I’m guessing asthma) that reminds her often of her true weakness and mortality. How purposeful was the dichotomy of this strength and weakness? Where did the idea come from?
A: While the dichotomy grew out of
Q: As
A: Being born and raised in Atlanta, I’ve long held an appreciation for Southern history and for the Civil War in particular. I’ve looked forward to writing a book where I could blend the rugged backdrop of the
Q: Josiah’s story is truly one of mercy and grace in a person’s life. He tells
A: I truly believe that a faith like Josiah’s has to be refined by fire, as it says in I Peter 1:7. By trials. I know that, personally, I grow closer to God in the hard times more so than the easy times. A dear friend once said, “Nothing happens to me but what it first hasn’t been sifted through the loving hands of my Heavenly Father.” I believe that. I believe God is sovereign and He knows what’s coming down the pike, so to speak, in my life. And that nothing touches me or my life that hasn’t been “allowed” by His sovereignty.
Now, does that mean that everything that happens to me is purposed by God? No, I don’t believe so. I believe that we live in a fallen world where sin exists, and that just as I have free will, so does someone else who’s chosen not to follow God. And when our “free wills” collide, things happen. Sin happens. Be it fair or not, we pay for the consequences of others’ choices. Oftentimes dearly.
Did God want me to be sexually abused when I was a little girl? No. I think His heart broke when that man took me in a back bedroom and, on repeated occasions, sexually assaulted me. But God (obviously) allowed that to happen. And through the years, He’s also provided healing for those emotional wounds, as well as avenues to share that healing.
Writing Revealed (my second book) was a healing journey from sexual abuse for me that I hadn’t anticipated. But God knew. I believe that when I first created Annabelle Grayson’s secondary character in Rekindled, God knew I’d write Revealed, and He was already waiting for me in that moment a year later as I wrote Annabelle’s story, even as He was with me in that current moment when her character first “stepped onto the page.”
And something more… I believe that years ago—even as a man lured a little six-year-old girl into a bedroom and sinned against her—God was already setting into motion a plan for her healing. And that He knew I’d someday answer His call to be a writer, and that His glory would be made known through the story of a prostitute who was abused at a tender age. I never could have written Revealed, I never could have gone to those dark places in the human heart, had I not experienced such pain. And then later…such amazing joy!
Q: Daniel, Elizabeth and Josiah all reach a point where they either choose to share or are forced to share the truth about their circumstances. Why do we feel so compelled to hide what is painful from others when it is in the sharing of our trials that we often find forgiveness and freedom from the guilt often associated with those trials? Why is it so difficult to see and understand how God works in our lives even through these difficult times?
A: It’s hard to take off the mask and let people see who we really are—warts and all, as the saying goes—because it makes us vulnerable. And when we’re vulnerable, we can get hurt. All over again. And who wants to intentionally open yourself to more hurt? And yet, when we’re vulnerable, we’re real. (Writing this makes me want to run grab my copy of The Velveteen Rabbit and read it all over again!) Being real, being authentic, is such an attractive quality in a person.
As I get older, I see God most through these difficult times in my life, and yet my seeing Him, sensing and witnessing His presence, doesn’t always help me to understand the “why” behind something He allows. I’ve long ago surrendered the quest to figure out why God does something. Searching for the answer to a “why” has never led to a deeper faith step in my life. Choosing to trust Him despite not knowing the reason why something happened, choosing to trust (in the words of Job) “though He slay me”….does.
Q: Will we get to see more of these three great characters in the next book in this series? How many books will this series contain?
A: Yes! We’ll see these characters in the next two books, which will be released in 2009.
Q: What exciting things is God doing in your life right now? Any closing words of encouragement you want to share with your readers?
A: An exciting (and memorable) moment happened for me recently. My husband and I are having some landscaping done, and one afternoon the landscaper asked me what I did for a living since I was “always home.” LOL! I told him I was a writer, and he shared that his wife loved to read. And that she was currently on bed rest, due in three weeks with their fourth child.
I gave him a set of Fountain Creek Chronicles (Rekindled, Revealed, Remembered) to give to his wife. Well, I got an email the next night saying that his wife was loving Rekindled and was telling him every single scene when he got home from work, so he wouldn’t have to read the book—his wife had already told him everything!
The next day he arrived. I met him in the backyard to discuss some details and he said, “Before we start, I just want to thank you for writing that book.”
“Rekindled?” I asked.
He nodded. “My wife finished it last night. She loved it.” He got a little quiet. “She came up to me afterward and told me that reading that book made her love me more, and that she was more committed to our marriage now than she had been.”
There are moments in your life when you wonder if you’re doing what God made you to do. While I have no clue whether I’ll be still writing novels ten years from now, I have no doubt that I’m doing what God designed me to do…for this moment in time. And I’m grateful to share the hope in Christ that He’s entrusted to us. That’s what this brief little journey called life is all about.
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.
What happens when dreams aren’t what you imagined,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
This entire story takes you on an emotional, exciting journey that spans the course of a year. During that time it seems that
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!
CONGRATULATIONS, GRATEFUL GRAMMA!! PLEASE SEND ME YOUR EMAIL SNAILMAIL ADDRESS SO I CAN GET THIS BOOK OUT TO YOU!
MY REVIEW:There is so much that took place in the span of Martha Washington’s life! Just to have experienced the eight years of revolution is enough to distinguish her years on this earth. However, Martha Washington was to live through the death of all four children born to her, two husbands, a host of brothers and sisters as well as several grand-children. Her heart was broken so deeply! Yet Nancy Moser captures what surely must have been her sustaining strength in a scene so poignant and real that it leaves you breathless! On page 133, Martha has gotten away from everyone to grieve her daughter’s death. After many bitter tears she finally looks heavenward and her thoughts are written as follows; “Then I felt something – from the inside rather than out. An assurance. A hand upon my heart saying, You belong to me, and I to you.” Martha’s faith was strong and it was real, and even though these thoughts are fictional representations, they can’t be far from truth based on the way this phenomenal woman lived her life. When rain began to fall upon her as she was there alone, page 134 records another thought that rang true to me; “It was as though God were sending heavenly tears to keep my own company. I closed my eyes and let us cry together. And be cleansed.” Although comforted and able to move forward, Martha remains real in her grief. On page 140 she states: “I took comfort in the knowledge my girl was in heaven with our Lord, and yet I still fought with the Almighty over the arrangement.”
Nancy Moser captures the personal, intimate inner-workings of Martha Washington’s life. Through these pages you experience not only her grief and heartache, but the wondrous love she shared with George. As the two grow to love one another, Martha states on page 37; “I had come to revere him as a man, respect him as a soldier, relish him as good company and react to him as a woman. When in his presence, I wished to be nowhere else. And when apart, I longed to be with him.” This was true of the forty years Martha spent by her husband’s side. Truly she supported him with such sacrificial loyalty, that she should serve as an example to all women everywhere who are blessed with a good husband.
I feel like I cannot do justice to this book in a brief review. This is a powerful, poignant tale of a heroic woman serving alongside a heroic man in order to birth the greatest nation upon this earth. Through these pages you can experience one of the greatest and most troubled times in our nation’s history. I thank God for George and Martha Washington, and I thank Nancy Moser for writing their story so beautifully!! I beg you, go purchase this book TODAY!! It is phenomenal!!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Nancy Moser is the author of three inspirational humor books and a eighteen novels, including Mozart's Sister, Just Jane, and Time Lottery, a Christy Award winner. She is an inspirational speaker, giving seminars around the country. She has earned a degree in architecture; run a business with her husband; traveled extensively in Europe; and has performed in various theaters, symphonies, and choirs. She and her husband have three grown children and make their home in the Midwest. Read more about her books at www.nancymoser.com.
From the publisher's website:As you probably know by now, mysteries and suspense are my two favorites when it comes to reading. So, when Fatal Deduction presented itself, I was all excited! However, this book changes point of view so many times and so abruptly that it was really hard to stay with the story. One minute you were dealing with finding a dead body, and the next minute you were getting back-story on the dysfunctional past of the two main characters. In a nutshell, the story came across very disjointed to me and kind of confusing. The spiritual aspects seemed kind of forced, and that only added to the feeling that things weren’t fitting together very smoothly.
The ending of the book did bring some of the disjointed pieces together, but overall, I just have to say it was ok. I do have a copy of this book to give away, so if you enjoy a kind of cozy mystery based around a very dysfunctional family, you might like this. Please leave a comment for your chance to win. You may really enjoy the book even if it left me feeling sort of indifferent. Give it a try!
Gayle Roper has been writing mystery and romantic suspense novels for more than thirty years and is the author of over forty-five books. She is a three-time Christy Award finalist, the winner of three Holt Medallions, and the recipient of a Lifetime Achievement Award from Romantic Times magazine. Her novel Autumn Dreams won Romance Writers of America’s RITA Award for Best Inspirational Romance. She and her husband, Chuck, divide their time between Pennsylvania and Ontario, Canada.
DragonLight
WaterBrook Press (June 17, 2008)
Donita K. Paul is a retired teacher and award-winning author of seven novels, including DragonSpell, DragonQuest, DragonKnight, and DragonFire. When not writing, she is often engaged in mentoring writers of all ages. Donita lives in Colorado Springs, Colorado where she is learning to paint–walls and furniture! Visit her website at www.dragonkeeper.us.
Castle PassagesNamutdonlowmack. Woodkimkalajoss. Glaringtonover. These are some of the character names in Donita Paul’s latest release Dragonlight. I tell you this, because I’ve never read the first four books in this series, and fantasy poses a particular challenge to me. Besides keeping these 15-letter names straight, I have to keep straight the types of creatures I’m dealing with – wizards, dragons, people and some other things that I’m not sure what they are! I have read almost half of this book, and I’m going to have to cry “uncle!” I’m required to work too hard to keep all of this straight in my mind, and it is stealing my joy of reading.
That said….it is very easy for me to see why so many people are raving over these books! As hard as fantasy is for me to understand, Donita Paul does a wonderful job creating scene and mood in her work! The subtle spiritual references as the characters encounter the group of “Followers” in the land is well-done, and the spiritual lessons and challenges are real and timely. I really think if I were to go back and read this entire series, I would really be enjoying Dragonlight right now. As it is, I’m missing too much information, and time simply will not allow me to go back four additional books right now. I sure would like to have some of the skills that Kale possesses – mind speaking, changing her clothes’ style, color and appearance as needed – wonderful stuff!
This book is extremely well-written, and I hope to introduce this entire series to my teen sons this summer. However, right now…I know when I’m licked, and my mind is simply rebelling against this genre right now. I’m going to move on to something else, but I am going to encourage you fantasy fans to check out this author! She is very talented, and I think there is a lot to be enjoyed by those who prefer a good fantasy read! Enjoy!!
