Author Interview: Tamera Kraft

What inspired you to write Resurrection of Hope?

I heard a sermon in church about how men need respect and women need love from their spouses. I also was toying with the idea of writing a story with a tornado outbreak in it. Ohio has a devastating history of tornados destroying entire towns. I found out that a deadly tornado hit Western Ohio on Palm Sunday in 1920 and the setting took shape. That time period, shortly after World War One and the Influenza Pandemic is such an interesting pivotal year. I knew I had all the elements I needed for a story set around Easter where I could inject the hope of the Gospel in dark times.

What spiritual theme does this book include? How did it come to be a part of this story line?

The theme of Resurrection of Hope is the hope that Christ brings. In the story, Vivian has lost everything: her family, the love of her life, her material possessions, even her faith in God, but God resurrects hope in her life using Henry, a man who has his own issues. Hebrews 6:19 says, “Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast.” I wanted to illustrate that even in the most hopeless situation, Christ gives us the hope that is an anchor for our souls.

What book are you currently reading?

I am currently reading 30 AD by Ted Dekker. I am fascinated by the story of Mavia, an Arab, who encountered Jesus. I love historicals that are epic adventures, and this fits that description.

Do you usually insert a spiritual theme into your books? If so, do you have a favorite?

I don’t really insert a spiritual theme, but a theme always ends up inserting itself. I have favorites. I love stories where redemption plays a key role. Resurrection of Hope has this element. I also love stories where the heroine or hero is called by God to fulfill an impossible task and must decide to risk all to obey God.

Please share a verse of scripture that is especially meaningful to you, and why it is special.

I can’t share only one. I have two passages I call my life verses. The first one is found in Roman 12:1-2. “Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.” This is basically what God expects from me. It was preached the night I gave my life to the Lord.

The second verse is what God has promised me. Isaiah 43:1-2 says, “...Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze.” With a promise like that, how can I help but trust God through any trial?

About Resurrection of Hope

She thought he was her knight in shining armor, but will a marriage of convenience prove her wrong?

After Vivian’s fiancé dies in the Great War, she thinks her life is over. But Henry, her fiancé’s best friend, comes to the rescue offering a marriage of convenience. He claims he promised his friend he would take care of her. She grows to love him, but she knows it will never work because he never shows any love for her.

Henry adores Vivian and has pledged to take care of her, but he won’t risk their friendship by letting her know. She’s still in love with the man who died in the Great War. He won’t risk heartache by revealing his true emotions.

Purchase on Amazon

About the Author:

Tamera Lynn Kraft has always loved adventures. She loves to write historical fiction set in the United States because there are so many stories in American history. There are strong elements of faith, romance, suspense and adventure in her stories. She has received 2^nd place in the NOCW contest, 3^rd place TARA writer’s contest, and is a finalist in the Frasier Writing Contest and has other novellas in print. She’s been married for 38 years to the love of her life, Rick, and has two married adult children and two grandchildren. Tamera has two novellas in print: A Christmas Promise and Resurrection of Hope. Her first full length novel, Alice’s Notions, is due to be released in April. You can contact Tamera on her website at http://tameralynnkraft.net.

You can also contact Tamera online at these sites.

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Guest Post: Author Mary Alford

The Beauty of Broken

by Mary Alford

Have you ever felt so broken that you didn’t see any way of coming back from it? Brokenness can come either from the circumstances forced on us or the self-infliction caused by us, and I think at some point in our lives, we all feel a little less than perfect.

Maybe you’ve made so many mistakes in your life that you believe there’s no fixing them, not even for God. Well guess what, nothing is too big for God.

Psalm 34:18 says, “The LORD is near to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.”

Just look in the Bible and you will find multiple examples of broken people finding redemption.

Adam and Eve disobeyed God and yet He came up with a different plan for their lives.

David had his friend killed to be with his wife. Broken, David called out for forgiveness and God blessed him. 

Jonah ended up in the belly of a whale. I’d say he reached rock bottom. But God lifted him out of the whale and he fulfilled his mission in Nineveh.   

Paul had Christians put to death until God found him on the road to Damascus, and he became a great apostle.

                  stock.adobe.com  © Photographee.eu

So you see, beauty can be found in brokenness and so can healing.

When I set out to write my February 17^th White Rose Press release, Grace And The Rancher, I wanted to show that kind of beauty and healing in my characters. 

As an author, I love writing about broken and flawed people because I think readers can relate to them the most. We don’t want to read about perfect people living perfect lives. Watching the hero and heroine go from broken to restored just makes for a great romance.

For my heroine, Grace Bradford, forgiving herself is the hardest thing to do. Grace suffered abuse at the hands of the man who was supposed to love her.

Grace was a rising star on the country music scene. Everyone thought her life was perfect, but in truth her marriage was falling apart. After an argument that ended in a car crash, Grace’s husband was killed and Grace’s career finished. Running away from her problems seemed like the only answer. But what Grace found when she moved to Delaney Mountain was not only restoration, but redemption. And forgiveness from herself.   

Kyle Delaney, the hero of the story, is an alcoholic, just like his father. Kyle’s family life is dysfunctional at best. When Kyle almost killed his brother when he drove his vehicle while drinking, Kyle realized he had to get away from his poisoned home life to ever have a chance of changing. He moved to Texas and became a success in his career, but still something was missing from his life. When his father reaches out to him asking for forgiveness, what Kyle finds when he comes back home to Delaney Mountain is the home he’d always dreamed of, and the love that is missing from his life.

So, wherever you are in your life, no matter how dark your world may seem, there’s mending for the shattered. Restoration for the crushed. And hope for the hopeless. It can all be found in God. You just have to look up. 

www.maryalford.net      

About Grace and the Rancher:

Grace Bradford is living a lie. To the world she has the perfect life: A promising country music career and a husband who adores her. But her husband isn't the man everyone believes him to be. When a car accident widows her and ends her career, Grace escapes to Delaney Mountain. But moving to the remote town doesn't wipe away the ugly secret of her marriage. Kyle Delaney never intended to return to Delaney Mountain, but he promises his dying father that he'll turn their land into a working cattle ranch. He uproots his life in Austin, sells his flourishing business as a music agent, and returns to the Colorado town of his childhood. Can a runaway singer and a makeshift rancher, thrust together by circumstance and held together by the common thread of loss and a love of music, find hope and a happily-ever-after under the stars of Delaney Mountain?

Purchase the book:

Amazon

Barnes and Noble

About the author: 

Mary grew up in a small Texas town famous for, well not much of anything really. Being the baby of the family and quite a bit younger than her two brothers and her sister, Mary had plenty of time to entertain herself. Making up stories seemed to come natural to her.

As a teen, Mary discovered Phyllis Whitney and Victoria Holt and knew instinctively that was what she wanted to do with her over-active imagination.

She wrote her first novel as a teen, (it’s tucked away somewhere never to see the light of day), but never really pursued her writing career seriously until a few years later, when she wrote her first inspirational romantic suspense and was hooked.

Today, Mary still lives in Texas, and still creates people facing dangerous situations. In fact, she can’t think of anything else she’d rather do.

Learn more about Mary at www.MaryAlford.net, or send her an email at maryjalfordauthor@gmail.com. 

New Release: Angela K. Couch

A great big welcome to Author Angela K. Couch, with her novel THE SCARLET COAT. Angela will give away one copy of this book in digital format. Leave your comments below to be entered in the drawing.

A Revolutionary Love

What a turbulent world we live in with terrorists, shootings in schools and churches, wars and rumors of war. Emotions run high when people start talking about politics or religion…or both together. I know many who like to lose themselves in fiction for a few hours, some turning to historical romances and “simpler” times.

I turn to the past with my writing, but not to escape. I desire to explore what we are experiencing now under a different light… Perhaps a “simpler” light?

The American Revolutionary War, for example. Not just the North against the South, like the Civil War, but neighbor against neighbor throughout the colonies as those loyal to Britain and those seeking more freedom plunged into armed conflict.

Emotions ran high.

In the midst of battles and loss of loved ones, where is there room for simple commandments? Such as love thy neighbor as thy self? Or love one another?

“For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in:

“Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.

“Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink?

“When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee?

“Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?

“And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.” (Mathew 25: 35-40 KJV)

So when the smoke clears on the battlefields, whether of gunfire and saber, or words and legislation “… must we forget Christian love and compassion?” (The Scarlet Coat)

I hope not. Let us never forget Christ’s love or that it is for all!

The Scarlet Coat     

(Hearts at War – Book 1)

A Woman Compelled by Christian Charity
Surrounded by the musket fire of the American Revolution, Rachel Garnet prays for her family to be safe.  When the British invade the Mohawk Valley, and her father and brother don’t return from the battle, she goes in pursuit of them. She finds her brother alive but her father has been killed at the hand of the enemy. Amidst the death, how can she ignore a cry for help…? Rachel reluctantly takes in a badly wounded British officer. But how long can her sense of Christian duty repress her hatred for his scarlet coat?

A Man Lost to the Devastation of War
Passages of Scripture and fleeting images of society are all Andrew Wyndham recalls after he awakens to the log walls of his gentle prison. Even his name eludes him. Rachel Garnet insists he is a captain in the British army. He mourns the loss of his memory, but how can he hope to remember war when his “enemy” is capturing his heart?

A Scarlet Uniform Holds the Power to Unite or Divide
Andrew’s injuries are severe, his memory slow to return, and the secret of his existence too perilous to ignore. As Rachel nurses him back to health, his hidden scarlet coat threatens to expose the deeds of her merciful heart, and Andrew is forced to face a harrowing decision—Stay hidden and risk losing the woman he loves or turn himself in and risk losing his life.

Available at: 

Barnes & Noble           Indigo/Chapters         Amazon

About Angela K Couch:

To keep from freezing in the Great White North, Angela K Couch cuddles under quilts with her laptop. Winning short story contests, being a semi-finalist in ACFW’s 2015 Genesis Contest, and a finalist in the 2016 International Digital Awards also helped warm her up. As a passionate believer in Christ, her faith permeates the stories she tells. Her martial arts training, experience with horses, and appreciation for good romance sneak in there, as well. When not writing, she stays fit (and warm) by chasing after three munchkins.

Guest Post: Ane Mulligan

I'm delighted to welcome Author Ane Mulligan back to Chirp 'N Chatter! I know you'll enjoy Ane's wonderful post, and...she'll be giving away an electronic copy of WHEN THE BOUGH BREAKS! Be sure to leave a comment below to be entered in the drawing.

Everyone Wants to Belong

Every time I passed a mirror, I would look to see if I could catch a glimpse of someone I looked like. You see I was adopted as an infant. Now before y'all get the wrong idea, I had a wonderful childhood in a loving family.

I always knew I was adopted. I felt special and loved. I never lacked for love, but when I started school, I met my first set of twins. They were in my class and the two people who looked exactly alike fascinated me. That's when I realized I didn't look like anyone.

My lineage is Irish and a pinch of French. My adoptive dad was Scandinavian and mama was German and Scottish. I began to watch sisters who looked alike, a daughter who looked like her mother. And I felt like I didn't belong anywhere. That is when it started; my obsession with looking at people to see if I could find someone I looked like.

When I turned fifty, I would look in the mirror and wonder if I looked like my mother or father. Was I a combination of both or a replica of one? I didn't have my biological mother or a sister to ask about the changes that happen to women. I would stare into the mirror and ask whose nose is this? Whose ears? Whose hands?

Then in 2009, I found my birth sisters. The whole story is on my website under Adoption. I finally had my answer. I was a replica of my mother – nearly an exact one. I have sisters who look just like me. I have the Mullvain hands. I watched my sisters' mannerisms and realized they were the same as mine!

When my youngest sister, Cindy, and her husband came to see us, I don't remember what I did, but her husband, John, turned to her and said, "She is so your sister." Sweeter words were never heard. And for once, I felt like I truly belonged.

I knew if I felt like this, other people—other women—did too. Being a novelist, the natural progression was to write a story about an adoptee who looks nothing like her loving family. I decided to give her a profession that might help her find her birth mother, and it was one with which I had experience. I made her a lobbyist for a pro family group.

My heroine had to learn that God had placed her where He wanted her. There is a Scripture I love, Psalm 27: 10 "Even if my father and mother abandon me, the Lord will hold me close." NLT

For me, the story is a tribute to my adoptive parents. And it also is a tribute to how God is trustworthy with our dreams. I had to give Him my dream of finding my birth sisters, and He was faithful with it. In His time, he brought me great joy by fulfilling my dream. I didn't just get a sister, but five of them.

About WHEN THE BOUGH BREAKS:

Her dream job has a Catch 22—and time's running out

Rookie lobbyist Sienna O'Shea is determined to make a name for herself in New York's capitol city and use that influence to gain easier access to her birth records. For years she's searched for her birth mother, but when she's handed her first assignment—to lobby support for the permanent sealing of all adoption records—her worlds collide. Swept up into the intrigue of backroom politics, falling in love was not on Sienna's agenda, but the candidate for Lt. Governor runs a formidable campaign to make her his first lady. When an investigative reporter discovers foreign money infiltrating political campaigns, the trail leads to Sienna's inner circle.

Ane Mulligan writes Southern-fried fiction served with a tall, sweet iced tea. She firmly believes coffee and chocolate are two of the four major food groups. An award-winning and multi-published novelist and playwright, Ane is the creative director and CEO of Players Guild@Sugar Hill, a community theater and a contributor to Novel Rocket. She resides in Sugar Hill, GA, with her artist husband and a dog of Biblical proportion. You can find Ane on her website at www.anemulligan.com or her Amazon author page.

Love at Christmas Inn Premiere Event

Four award-winning authors! Four breathtaking romance novellas!

Release Day Event for 

Christmas Bells are Ringing (Book 1)

Friday, Nov. 4, 7 p.m. EDT

on our Facebook page

Heiress Ariana Christmas is in trouble. Fed up with her wastrel life full of parties, hot spot appearances and Internet scandals, her parents cut her allowance, her cell phone access and her car. Then they send her to the back of beyond…Hope Springs, Tennessee. Her aunt has suffered a mild heart attack and needs help restoring Christmas Inn to its past glory. All Ariana wants is to get the job done and get back to her life. What she doesn’t count on is the famous old inn weaving its way into her soul…not to mention the handsome young contractor who sees the Inn as it could be, not what it is. Can he do the same for Ariana?

Taylor Knox is a man with a plan. After years of handling the family’s construction business everything is set for his brother to take over. Taylor is determined to finish his education and complete his dream to become an architect. But first, Knox Construction has to complete renovations of Christmas Inn…a task made more difficult by the arrival of Little Miss Entitled. Ariana Christmas throws Taylor’s plans and schedule into complete disarray, threatening the completion of the work and his future. That doesn’t even begin to cover what she does to his heart.

The other three books in the Love at Christmas Inn collection are available for pre-order NOW on Amazon!  Authors include: Tanya Stowe, Marianne Evans, Mary Manners, and Delia Latham.

New Release: Game On by Lillian Duncan

Everyone’s heard the saying: just because you’re paranoid doesn’t mean someone isn’t out to get you! That’s the premise of my new political thriller, GAME ON.

 AMAZON LINK

PELICAN BOOKS LINK

Congressman, Lucas McMann wants to throw his hat into the political arena once again, this time for the U.S. Senate. It’s the next step on his journey to the White House, but he believes he’s the victim of an elaborate stalking game.

The problem is no one believes him.

Instead his friends think he’s experiencing PTSD. He can’t move forward until he stops the game. He can’t stop the game until he discovers who’s behind it. To do that he needs someone who will believe in him enough to help him get the proof he so desperately wants.

And he knows just the person.

If only she’s put their past behind her.

Private Investigator, Nikki Kent makes a living finding out other people’s secrets, but she has one of her own. When Lucas shows up asking for her help, she refuses. She can’t take the chance of her secret coming to light. But her new-found faith won’t let her turn her back on someone who is desperate for her help—even if he was the first man to break her heart!

Game On is filled with enough twists and turns that it should keep any reader turning those pages late into the night. I really had fun writing it and hope readers will have fun reading it. My publisher outdid herself with the book trailer for GAME ON so I hope you’ll check it out at: https://youtu.be/t6MK2UGB1P0.

GIVEAWAY:

To celebrate the release of GAME ON, I’m giving away a virtual basket of goodies at www.lillian-duncan.com including Amazon gift cards. For all the details go to my blog, Tiaras & Tennis Shoes. Simply leave a comment on the blog post GAME ON at www.lillian-duncan.com and you’ll be entered.

ABOUT GAME ON:

Politics is no game when a stalker nears and there’s nowhere to hide.

A run for the senate is just a step on the road to the White House for Congressman Lucas McMann. But his public profile has put him in the middle of a crazed gunman’s twisted game of stalking. If he wants to win the election and reclaim his life, he’ll need the help of the one person who’d rather leave their past behind them.

Private Investigator Nikki Kent knows how to dig up secrets and discover those who exist in the shadows. She should. She’s good at hiding secrets of her own. Can she risk her own discovery for someone so desperate for her help? For the first man who broke her heart?

With new-found faith, she’ll help Lucas search for the answers. But with the truth comes a danger they must face together.

Check out the book trailer video for GAME ON at

https://youtu.be/t6MK2UGB1P0

About the Author: 

Lillian Duncan…Stories of faith mingled… with murder & mayhem.

Lillian is a multi-published author who lives in Ohio Amish country with her husband. After more than 30 years working as a speech pathologist for children, she believes in the power of words to transform lives, especially God’s Word.

Lillian writes the types of books she loves to read—fast-paced suspense and mystery with a touch of romance that demonstrates God’s love for all of us. To learn more about Lillian, you may visit her at www.lillianduncan.net or www.lillian-duncan.com. She also has a devotional blog at www.PowerUpWithGod.com.