Tamera, describe yourself for our visitors.
I find my greatest joy in being a wife and mother and am so grateful for the family God’s given me. They’re terrific! I’m an easy going person (wait, is that the sound of my husband choking?!!), but can get a little intense when writing. Especially on deadline. My husband and our two college age children have learned to accommodate for that vague look in my eyes… Joe and I are recent empty nesters since our 20-year-old daughter returned to college and took our 18-year-old son with her (sniff, sniff). But our kids love their university and are having a great time which, in turn, makes the transition easier for us.
As far back as I can remember, I’ve loved history. When I was nine years old my family took a trip to Europe. It was a fabulous experience, even though there were eight—yes eight!—of us (four adults and four kids) touring Germany, Holland, and Switzerland in a Volkswagen Bug (I rode in the cubby hole in the back). Touring the castles in Germany was a defining moment for me, though I didn’t know it then.
I remember standing in one particular castle on the Rhine River, touching the stone walls, and thinking to myself that I wished I could know the lives and details of the people who had lived there. When I was older I read a ton of Regencies, and when I studied American History in high school, I fell in love with the American Frontier 1840-1880s. And the rest, as they say, is history!
How do you find time to connect with God?
Just like everyone else, I carve it out. I try to start each day with immersing myself in God’s Word. He always meets me there and gives me encouragement for the day and, so often, a nugget of truth that is so helpful in my story. He’s so faithful. I love my MP3 and listen to praise music constantly, as well as sermons, as I’m biking and walking each day.
Tell us about your journey to publication.
It all started with a dare…
In 1995, my mother-in-law, Claudette Harris Alexander, shared a book with me, one she thought I would really enjoy. I was busy and let time go by without reading it. She asked me again if I’d read it. Several times. I said no, but that I would. The best laid plans…
Very unexpectedly, Claudette died that same year from a brain aneurysm.
Weeks passed, and as I was cleaning bookshelves downstairs, I happened across that little volume and immediately sat down and read it. Claudette was right! I felt an immediate connection with the thread of hope woven through that gentle love story—Love Comes Softly, by Janette Oke, originally published by Bethany House Publishers in 1979. That sent me searching for more inspirational fiction published not only by Bethany House, but elsewhere in the Christian Booksellers Association market (CBA). I devoured it, and developed a strong interest then in historical fiction.
In 1999, my husband and I were driving back to Colorado from Texas late one night. I finished a novel, turned to him and said (only joking at the time), “I think I could write one of those.” Without blinking, he said, “Well, do it.” Competitive at heart, I nodded and said, “Okay.” I was working outside the home at the time and had young children, so I wrote from 10:00 p.m. to 2:00 a.m.
My first novel made it to the review board at Bethany House Publishers in 2000, after which I received a very nice rejection letter. That novel is now safely tucked away in my desk drawer—right where it should be! Writing that first story was a learning experience for me that I took to heart. I then determined to set about seriously studying the craft of writing. And in October 2004, I was offered a three book contract by Bethany House Publishers.
Tell us about your current book.
My most recent release is Remembered, book 3 in Fountain Creek Chronicles. Here’s a peek at the back cover blurb:
Though loss is often marked in a single moment, letting go of someone you love can take a lifetime…
The threat of war—and a final request—send Véronique Girard from France to a distant and uninviting country. In the Colorado Territory, she searches for the man who has held her heart since childhood—her father. Pierre Girard left Paris for the Americas to seek his fortune in fur trading, vowing to send for his wife and daughter. But twenty-five years have passed and his vow remains unfulfilled. Sifting through shards of broken promises, Véronique embarks on a dangerous search for a man she scarcely remembers.
His grief finally healed, Jack Brennan is moving on with life. After years of guiding families west, he is now working as a freighter to the mining towns surrounding Willow Springs. What he doesn’t count on is an unexpected traveling companion on his trips up into the mountains, and how one woman’s search will cause havoc with his plans… and his life.
How did you come up with ideas for this book?
My motivation behind Remembered was a trip to Paris that my husband and I took in May 2006. I "met" the heroine of Remembered, Veronique Girard (figuratively, of course), in a cemetery in northern Paris, and as Joe and I strolled the old cobbled walkway of Cemetery Montmartre, this young woman (the daughter of a French Fur Trapper from the 1840s) came alive for me.
The first scene in Remembered is set in that very cemetery. Remembered, book 3 in Fountain Creek Chronicles, released this summer!
List your three most recent books.
Rekindled, Revealed and Remembered, the Fountain Creek Chronicle trilogy.
Here’s a peek at Rekindled:
Ten years ago Kathryn Jennings made a vow. For better or worse. And that promise still holds true, even though her marriage has not turned out as she expected. When her husband fails to return home one stormy winter night, she struggles to keep their ranch, but her efforts are blocked at every turn. After a shocking glimpse into her husband’s past, Kathryn uncovers a hidden truth. What she wouldn’t give to turn back time and be able to love her husband for the man that he was, not for the man she always wanted him to be.
Larson Jennings has spent his entire life running from a broken past, unable to trust, reluctant to try again. One fateful night, his life takes an unexpected twist, and soon he is forced to make a choice. Whatever he chooses, his decision may cost him his life.
Here’s a peek at Revealed:
Annabelle Grayson has been given a second chance at life, but she can’t claim it with the cloud of her past hanging over her in Willow Springs. After her husband dies, she advertises for a trail guide to accompany her to land waiting for her in Idaho–and a most unlikely candidate applies for the job.
Matthew Taylor is a man on the run, with consequences of past mistakes pursuing him at every turn. Meeting Annabelle Grayson the first time was unpleasant enough, but when she crosses his path again, her presence in his life–and what she reveals–is devastating. If given a single wish, Matthew would turn back time and right a grievous wrong. If given a second wish, he would make Annabelle Grayson pay.
What’s next for you?
I recently completed the first draft of >From a Distance, book one in the new Colorado Territory series with Bethany House but still have a ways to go with the story before I’m done. You know how that goes. But I LOVE rewrites and layering! Here’s a sneak peek at From a Distance: Elizabeth Westbrook, daughter of a decorated Union Commander, travels to Timber Ridge, Colorado Territory, in the heart of the Maroon Bells, determined to photograph their beauty and that of the territory’s newly discovered cliff dwellings. Establishing her career as a premiere photographer and journalist is of utmost concern, as is finding a cure for her mysterious illness. But when one of her photographs turns into key evidence in a murder charge, her life is in peril. And when her interests clash with those of former Confederate sharpshooter Daniel Ranslett, she begins to question her own motivations. What she learns about herself is surprising, but what she learns about Daniel is life-changing. Bethany House is already working on the cover art and here’s something fun—they’re having a seamstress custom make an “Elizabeth dress” for the model to wear. I so appreciate the attention to detail Paul Higdon and his art team at Bethany give my covers. As soon as we have a mock up of From a Distance, I’ll post it on my blog at www.tameraalexander.blogspot.com.
From a Distance releases in spring 2008. Where can visitors find you online? Website: www.tameraalexander.com Blog: www.tameraalexander.blogspot.com Giveaway! Visit my website at www.tameraalexander.com to sign up to win one of several boxed sets of Fountain Creek Chronicles.
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