Spotlight on Tammy Barley and Faith's Reward

Don't forget the rules of the spotlights here. Answer the random question associated with this spotlight in the comments in order to be entered in the drawing.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

TAMMY BARLEY - I have lived in twenty-seven places in eight states (so far) and have visited nearly all. When I'm not writing? I judge a number of top writing contests and love my work as a manuscript editor and biographer. I am also Mom to two sons, one daughter, a rescued American Eskimo dog, thirteen parakeets, and an aquarium full of fish. The children I home-school; the dog I taught to sit. She also barks at parked cars. In my spare time, you're likely to find me baking, gardening, behind a camera, or hugging a horse.

FAITH'S REWARD
by Tammy Barley
Published by Whitaker House

ABOUT THE BOOK

The year 1865 starts out as a nightmare come true for Jessica Bennett. The cattle she and her husband, Jake, fought to save from drought the summer before now face the threat of freezing to death. Her fears worsen when Jake contracts pneumonia.

Springtime brings trials of a different kind—the snowmelt causes the ranch to thrive so much that Jake must sell off the last of their cattle to make room for their horses and the young foals to be born. In the meantime, Jess endeavors to recover her rightful inheritance, which mysteriously disappeared from the bank. When she discovers a link between the banker and a group of murderous Unionists, who continue to target Southerners even though the war is over, Jake launches an undercover investigation.

The conspiracy runs deeper and wider than either of them could have imagined. Jess must put her life—and the life of her unborn child—at risk to stop the ringleader and save the lives of many others. Yet, Jess refuses to give up hope in the God she serves—a God of love who often provides above and beyond our greatest dreams.

~ Rated four stars, "Compelling. A page-turner" by Romantic Times Book Reviews.

Readers, buy your copy of Faith's Reward today!

AUTHOR INTERVIEW

1. What gave you the inspiration for this story?

The climactic scene. I wondered, “What has never before been done before in a climactic scene?” On-location research in Virginia City, Nevada inspired the answer, and the third book of The Sierra Chronicles grew from the mental image of that one scene.

2. How much of your own experiences influenced your characters? What aspects became traits that were theirs and theirs alone?

You mean Jess’s stubbornness? You think she might have gotten that from me? LOL! Probably, though I try to think of it as certitude and tenacity. :) Neither Jess nor I are wired to quit. Traveling to places I write about grows my real-life experiences and influences my characters, as does reading intriguing historical journals written by people who lived it.

I have Jake and Jess’s love for wild, open places, and I share their love of horses, mountains, streams, and walks in the moonlight. Like them, I’ve ridden horseback over mountains on extended trips, waded in snowmelt streams, and often lose myself in the moonlight, or in watching a fog bank roll in.

Those are the qualities I’ve shared with Jake and Jess. The rest are qualities they have shared with me.

3. If your hero/heroine were an ice cream flavor, what would he/she be and why?

Jess would be mint chocolate chip—fresh and breezy as all outdoors, with a little sweetness and just a bit of kick. :)

4. Are there any themes in Faith's Reward that you hope the reader sees? Are there any themes that weren't overt but developed as the story progressed?

The main theme was inspired by one of my favorite Bible verses, “Faith is being sure of what you hope for and certain of what you do not see” (Hebrews 11:1). Jess’s faith, and her powerful love for Jake, enables her to see “impossible” circumstances as merely obstacles, and it enables her to prevail against all odds.

5. What were your most difficult parts to write? Your favorite?

Difficult: Twisty plots. As the third book in a complex three-book plot, I had to be certain to tie all loose ends neatly, forgetting nothing.

Favorite: Everything else. This book has tons of unknowns, twists, and suspense, and I loved the romance. It was great fun to write.

6. When is your next book coming out and what is the story?

The next trilogy is set in 1873 Wyoming Territory, tentatively titled The Legend of the Wind River Mountains. Three sisters find love, and discover themselves, in a most unexpected place. Release date currently unknown.

* * * * *

Thank you, Tammy, for being in the spotlight with us.

ENTRY RULES Readers, answer the question associated with the spotlight in the comments, then leave your email address for your chance to win a FREE autographed copy of Faith's Reward. If you do not answer the question, you will not be entered.

Question: As indicated above, I wrote a grip-your-seat-suspenseful climactic scene in Faith’s Reward that has never been done before (to my knowledge) in any fictional format. What is your favorite suspenseful climactic scene in a book or movie? Why is it your favorite? All you folks who share your favorite scene will be entered into the drawing to win a personalized, autographed copy of Faith’s Reward.

Make sure you also leave your email address (name at domainname dot.com/net). You won't be entered in the drawing without it. If you wish to comment but don't want to be entered, say so when you post.

This week, the contest is open to US/Canada residents only.

Spotlight on Tammy Barley and Hope's Promise

Don't forget the rules of the spotlights here. A random question will be inserted into each spotlight for you to answer in the comments in order to be entered. So, be on the lookout!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

TAMMY BARLEY's roots run deep and wide across the United States. With Cherokee heritage and such ancestors as James Butler "Wild Bill" Hickok, Ralph Waldo Emerson, and Henry David Thoreau, she essentially inherited her literary vocation and her preferred setting: the Wild West. The first book of her new Sierra Chronicles trilogy, Love’s Rescue, went into its second printing only five weeks after its release and landed on a best-seller list at ChristianBook.com.

In addition to writing, Tammy makes a career of editing manuscripts, ghostwriting, and mentoring other writers, and judges various fiction contests. She is also a homeschool mom of three teens, and still manages to stay mostly sane.

HOPE'S PROMISE
by Tammy Barley
Published by Whitaker House

ABOUT THE BOOK

Jake Bennett is finally wed to the love of his life, Jessica Hale—but he isn’t convinced she won’t leave him. Life is a constant struggle for the Bennetts as they battle drought and live in fear of raids on Southerners, and he is not sure that Jess knew what she was getting herself into when she married him.

Jess, however, despairs for another reason—she is unable to conceive a child.

While trying to prove their unconditional love for each other, the Bennetts must defend against attacks on the Paiutes, the doubts that haunt them both, and an unknown force that threatens to destroy all they hold dear. Together, they must stand in faith through betrayal, barrenness, and a very real threat, trusting that God will reward their hopes for a better future.

Readers, buy your copy of Hope's Promise today!

AUTHOR INTERVIEW

1. What gave you the inspiration for this story?

Hope’s Promise continues the story of Jake and Jessica. They share a powerful, passionate love and an epic dream, and there was too much story for one book. It was inspired by journals of folks who struggled and enjoyed the rare setting in which the book takes place, the Honey Lake Valley of the northern Sierra Nevadas.

2. How much of your own experiences influenced your characters? What aspects became traits that were theirs and theirs alone?

I’m a horse-hugger—they’re like big, loveable dogs—so the horse ranch setting was a must, and that, of course, influenced the characters’ dream and goal of turning the cattle ranch into a horse ranch (though I love cows too). I’m known for being tenacious, and so is Jess, but she’s got more grit and guts than most manly men—critical for women to survive in the Old West—and that is all her. Jake is calm (he didn’t get that from me!), and he also listens, in the way all women wish their husbands listened, and he’s honorable, he does what’s right, which was a common trait among the cattlemen of the cowboy era and part of what made them such a remarkable part of American history.

3. If your hero/heroine were an ice cream flavor, what would he/she be and why?

Jess would be mint sorbet—fresh as the outdoors, with an icy kick if you decide to take her on.

4. Are there any themes in Hope's Promise that you hope the reader sees? Are there any themes that weren't overt but developed as the story progressed?

Simply, always hold tightly to hope, as the title suggests. Jess faces overwhelming odds and the threat of losing everything, yet she remembers all the time God has helped her through before, and trusts that He will help her through now. Another theme—God gives each of us a special gift. In Hope’s Promise, Jess discovers she has premonitions.

5. What were your most difficult parts to write? Your favorite?

Difficult—about the real hardship of life and livelihood at the time. It was almost completely dependent on the altruism of nature. (Remember the Little House series, and Laura Ingalls Wilder? Fires, floods, and draughts drastically changed lives.)

Favorite—the ranchmen’s humor. I still laugh when I think about different scenes. (Gotta have humor to balance life’s challenges!)

6. When is your next book coming out and what is the story?

The last book in The Sierra Chronicles, Faith’s Reward, comes out January 2011 (complete with a totally gorgeous cover). Here’s the blurb:

The year 1865 starts out as a nightmare come true for Jessica Bennett. The cattle she and her husband, Jake, fought to save from drought the summer before now face the threat of freezing to death. Her fears worsen when Jake contracts pneumonia.

Springtime brings trials of a different kind—the snowmelt causes the ranch to thrive so much that Jake must sell off the last of their cattle to make room for their horses and the young foals to be born. In the meantime, Jess endeavors to recover her rightful inheritance, which mysteriously disappeared from the bank. When she discovers a link between the banker and a group of murderous Unionists, who continue to target Southerners even though the war is over, Jake launches an undercover investigation.

The conspiracy runs deeper and wider than either of them could have imagined. Jess must put her life at risk to stop the ringleader and save the lives of many others. Yet, Jess refuses to give up hope in the God she serves—a God of love who often provides above and beyond our greatest dreams.

* * * * *

Thank you, Tammy, for being in the spotlight with us.

NEW!! Readers, answer the question associated with the spotlight in the comments, then leave your email address for your chance to win a FREE autographed copy of Hope's Promise. If you do not answer the question, you will not be entered.

Question: Jess begins having eerie premonitions in Hope’s Promise. President Lincoln, you may have read, had premonitions about his death. Have you ever had a premonition or a sense that something was going to happen, that later did? If so, why do you think God gives us these instincts or premonitions?

Make sure you also leave your email address (name at domainname dot.com/net). You won't be entered in the drawing without it. If you wish to comment but don't want to be entered, say so when you post.

This week, the contest is open to anyone worldwide.

Spotlight on Tammy Barley and Love's Rescue

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

TAMMY BARLEY shares the family lines of James Butler "Wild Bill" Hickok, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry David Thoreau, and Emily Dickenson. With that background, she says it’s no wonder she writes Western Romance. She also works full time as a freelance manuscript editor, writing mentor, and biographer, judges a number of top Christian fiction writing contests, and is a homeschool mom of three teens. She has ghostwritten a number of published books, but Love’s Rescue is the first with her name on the cover as author.

LOVE'S RESCUE
by Tammy Barley
Published by Whitaker House

ABOUT THE BOOK

A Dividing Conflict

In 1863, the War Between the States is dividing more than a nation. To escape the conflict, Jessica Hale and her family flee their Kentucky home and head for Nevada Territory. Her brother, Ambrose, committed to the Confederates, rejoins the Kentucky militia and is disowned by his father. But the worst is yet to come.

A Heroic Kidnapper

When Unionists presume the family to be Confederate sympathizers, they set a devastating fire to their home. All alone and then “kidnapped” by cattleman Jake Bennett, Jessica is taken to a ranch deep in the Sierra Nevada wilderness. Can she overcome her resentment toward Jake for failing to save her family?

The Depths of Love

When Jake launches a plan to help Jessica’s brother escape from prison camp, she sees him for the honest, good-hearted Christian man that he is and now knows the depth of his love for her. Through the lingering smoke and smoldering ashes from her ruined home and murdered family, will Jessica see a future with Jake?

Buy Your Copy of Love's Rescue today!

Read Love’s Rescue for a chance to win a one-week western guest ranch resort vacation for two to the Rocky Mountains of Colorado! For details and to enter, visit http://www.tammybarley.com/Bookshelf.html.

AUTHOR INTERVIEW

1. This is your debut novel. Congratulations. What gave you the inspiration for this story?

Hi everyone, and thank you so much, Tiff, for inviting me today! The story’s inspiration. . . . Oddly, it wasn’t one main factor, but four: 1) a lifetime of travel in which I toured Civil War homes and battlefields and the Old West (for years curiosity frequently tugged at me and I wondered What was happening in the West during the Civil War?) 2) moving around a lot—I’ve lived in 27 cities and towns in 8 states so far—meant I often had to say goodbye (one of the main themes of Love’s Rescue), 3) the unexpected death of my best friend when she was thirty years old (her friendship inspired the friendship in the story) and 4) a gripping one-man play which I saw years ago at Piper’s Opera House in Virginia City, Nevada called The Ghosts of the Opera House. The play spoke deeply to me, and the actor made eye contact with me once in a way that made me feel he was doing the play specifically for me. The characters of the Old West came alive through that actor, and I felt that their story had to be told.

2. How much of your own experiences influenced your characters? What aspects became traits that are theirs and theirs alone?

I horseback rode halfway across Arizona on a ten-day trip, which came in handy writing the scenes with horses and bad and cold weather. The cowboy coffee scene which provides good comedy in the book was similar to one I went through when, shivering clear through to my bones, I learned to appreciate hot, chunky cowboy coffee. Even with the rain and cold, I loved the relationship with my horse, and the feeling of going high speed with nothing—no doors, no windows—between myself and the wind. Jess has the same love of horses and riding.

My handgun training evolved into a turn-up-the-air-conditioning-variety romantic scene between Jake and Jess. Also, an angel visited me in the hospital once (I had kidney failure), and, when I asked her if I was going to die, told me that I “was just a little butterfly,” which meant I wasn’t done yet. The nickname “Butterfly” appears in the book. My tenacity (different folks have called it by different terms ) becomes Jess’s, as does my enjoyment of God’s creation and of simple pleasures. Jess’s sheer grit is a solid step above my own, and the uniqueness of the several cultures present in the characters were those I observed in others or drew from diaries of those who lived in the West during the time period the book takes place. I strove to make them as real and as unique as could be.

3. If one of your characters were an ice cream flavor, what would he/she be and why?

What a fascinating question! Hmm. Lemon sorbet. Jess loves cold, sweet lemonade on a hot summer day, and she’s got too much kick to be any mildly flavored ice cream. She’s one you meet and don’t easily forget.

4. Are there any themes in Love's Rescue that you hope the reader sees? Are there any themes that weren't overt but developed as the stories progressed?

I’m thrilled you asked that question. A few themes weave very subtly through the story, but I hope the reader catches two in particular: The first: If you must marry, choose your future spouse wisely! The second is subtle, but it’s the foremost spiritual theme: Due to Christ’s death and resurrection, we never have to say goodbye to those we love. Women who have lost a family member and have read Love’s Rescue have commented how much that touched them.

It’s funny, but I didn’t have either of these themes in mind as I first wrote the story. When I finished a few rewrites, they became more and more clear, like seeing stars in the night sky as you drive further and further from the light noise of a city.

5. What were your most difficult parts to write? Your favorite?

Most difficult: page one. I’d wanted it to begin with Jess’s brother, Ambrose, writing to her from the Civil War, but it just didn’t want to happen that way. Favorite: Jess’s first escape scene. Adventure and suspense is always fun to write, but this scene, with so much at stake for Jess and her and Jake’s personalities and intentions clashing, it was tremendous fun.

6. When is your next book coming out and what is the story?

The second book in the series, Hope’s Promise, should be out next summer. Jake and Jessica Bennett learn there was more to her parents’ deaths than they knew, and both the ranch and Jessica are in danger. Now they must quickly find the murderer . . . and discover for themselves how far they will go for love.

* * * * *

Thank you, Tammy, for being in the spotlight with us.

Readers, leave a comment for your chance to win a FREE autographed copy of Love's Rescue.

Make sure you also leave your email address (name at domainname dot.com/net). You won't be entered in the drawing without it. If you wish to comment but don't want to be entered, say so when you post.

And if you want to make certain you don't miss anything, check the box that says 'email follow-up comments to:' when you leave a comment and they'll be sent to the email address associated with your blogging account. That way you'll be notified of any comments and will know when I announce the winner.

This week, the contest is open to anyone worldwide.