Interview with author Tamera Alexander

Tamera Alexander is a best-selling novelist whose deeply drawn characters, thought-provoking plots, and poignant prose resonate with readers. Having lived in Colorado for 17 years, she and her husband now make their home in Nashville, Tennessee, where they enjoy life with their two college-age children and a precious – and precocious – silky terrier named Jack.

Welcome to PASTimes. Tell us a little about what you write.

Thank you for hosting me on PASTimes! It’s an honor to be with you. I write historical fiction with stories that, so far, have been located in the Colorado Territory (1860-1870s). I’ve written two series for Bethany House Publishers – Fountain Creek Chronicles (which titles include Rekindled, Revealed, and Redeemed) and Timber Ridge Reflections (which titles include From a Distance [a 2009 Christy Finalist], Beyond This Moment [released in March], and Within My Heart [which releases this fall]). And I recently wrote the first historical for the Women of Faith fiction line with Thomas Nelson, The Inheritance, which released in February.

Are you a full-time writer, or do you hold a day job? What is the biggest challenge/obstacle you face in protecting your writing time?

I’m a full-time writer, and the biggest obstacle in protecting my writing time is the tendency to underestimate the time needed to balance the two sides of writing – the business side (which I love since my background is in business marketing) and the creative writing side (which is hands down the hardest thing I’ve ever done and therefore makes it tempting to procrastinate).
I tend to underestimate how long it will take me to write a book, while also underestimating the many “valid” interruptions life will inevitably throw into the mix as I’m writing. It’s a balancing act, and I’ve had to learn to say no to even “good things” simply because there’s not enough time to do everything all at once.

What historical time periods interest you the most and how have you immersed yourself in a particular time period?

Since I lived in Colorado for 17 years, I absorbed so much of that history and reveled in the gorgeous Rocky Mountains, so that became a natural setting for the stories I write. I also love Southern history (being born and raised in Atlanta, Ga.) and look forward to incorporating that heritage in future books.

Introduce us briefly to the main characters in your most recent book.

My most recent release is Beyond This Moment, the second book in the Timber Ridge Reflections series. The back cover blurb of Beyond This Moment gives us a pretty good glimpse at the two main characters:

Lives are made up of tiny steps. Some are chosen for us; some we choose. All hold the power to change who we become – but only if we let them.

When Dr. Molly Whitcomb, Professor of Romance Languages, steps off the train in Colorado Territory, she makes a choice – one that goes against everything she stands for. Yet it’s the only choice that offers her a chance to regain a fraction of all she’s lost.

Sheriff James McPherson’s instincts about people rarely miss the mark. He senses Professor Whitcomb is hiding something. He just doesn’t know what. When James learns Molly’s secret, his own reputation is undermined. But when Molly Whitcomb’s reinvented life begins to unravel, it threatens his job, the stability of Timber Ridge, and what he always knew to be true about himself.

What are you working on now?

Within My Heart, the third Timber Ridge Reflections novel. It releases this fall. It’s the story of Rachel Boyd and Dr. Rand Brookston, characters we first meet in From a Distance, and then again in Beyond This Moment.

A reader once asked me this question, and I thought it was a good one. Is there ever a time when you feel like your work is truly finished and complete?

There is a definite time when any one book is finished and complete because it finally goes to press, is shipped, and finds its way into the hands of readers. But a book only reaches that stage because a team of very talented people have partnered with an author to bring that story to the point of completion.

And in my case, that team of very talented people (my editors) has used their many strengths to help compensate for my many weaknesses. Is the book perfect? Ha! Not hardly (and we typically find at least one or two things to fix in the second printing). But the book is finished, packaged, and ready to ship. And that’s about as “complete and finished” as you get.

Now, a different question is: “Am I ever satisfied with a story (when it’s going to press)?” No. I always wish I had “just another month, or at least two weeks” to make the story better, the characters stronger, the plot smoother, the dialogue crisper. But one thing I’ve learned is that you simply have to do your best with where you are right now, and then let that book go. Give it to God and let Him put that story – with all its imperfections – in the hands of the readers He chooses. I learned long ago that God uses weak imperfect things, and I’m so grateful.

Describe your dream workspace.

Come back tomorrow to learn about Tamera Alexander’s dream workspace and to read the rest of our interview. Leave a comment anytime this week for a chance to win a copy of Beyond This Moment.