Winnie Griggs | Interview with Tamera Alexander, Author of TO WIN HER FAVOR

Hi. Winnie Griggs here, back with more on what’s new and intriguing on the Inspirational Romance front.

Today I’m talking to the wonderful Tamera Alexander about how she came to writing and where she draws her inspiration from.

Winnie: What led you to writing in the Inspirational Fiction Genre?

Tamera: Sadly enough, it was the untimely passing of my precious mother-in- law.

I first considered writing a novel in 1997. But I need to go back a bit further to get the full story. 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—several times—if I’d read it. I said no (because, frankly, the cover didn’t really appeal to me), but being a good Southern gal I said that I would! The best laid plans, as they say.

Very unexpectedly, Claudette died that same year from a brain aneurysm at the young age of 58. Weeks passed, and as I was cleaning bookshelves, I happened across that book 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. That sent me searching for more inspirational fiction, which I devoured.

A few years later my husband and I were driving back to Colorado from Texas. I finished a novel, turned to him and said (only joking at the time), “I think I could write one of these.” Without blinking, he said, “Well, do it.” Competitive at heart, I nodded and said, “All right, I will!”

My first novel made it to the review board at Bethany House Publishers in 2001, after which I received a nice rejection letter. I stuck that manuscript in my desk drawer, but writing that first story was a learning experience. I determined then to set about seriously studying the craft of writing. Two years later, I wrote my next story, REKINDLED, which became my first published novel in 2006. Speed ahead nine years, and my eleventh novel just released.

Winnie: What makes your newest release unique in the market?

Tamera: TO WIN HER FAVOR is definitely the most passionate story I’ve written to date, and I don’t mean solely in a romantic sense. From the start, this story was more evocative because it delves into the intimacies of a marriage of convenience, and also explores prejudice within a marriage—in addition to examining the prejudices between former slave owners and former slaves in a volatile time in our nation’s history. Everyone is learning how to "be with each other" in TO WIN HER FAVOR, learning where the new boundaries were, where everyone fits.

As I read and researched, I found my own emotions deeply stirred by real events that occurred in Nashville during Reconstruction. At times, the accounts were repugnant and heartbreaking. At others, they were remarkably soul stirring and filled with hope.

Read a three chapter excerpt from TO WIN HER FAVOR.

Winnie: Tell us how you came to write the Belle Meade Plantation novels.

Tamera: I knew the first time I stepped foot onto Belle Meade Plantation in 2007 I wanted to write stories about the people who lived and died at this historic estate. The thoroughbred history drew me in big time, too. Ever heard of Secretariat? Or Enquirer? So many Kentucky Derby winners trace their lineage to thoroughbred champions that stood stud at Belle Meade in the 19th century.

Grab a glass of sweet iced tea and join me on my Belle Meade Plantation novels page where I’ll take you on a quick two-minute tour!

Winnie: Is there anything in particular you learned while writing TO WIN HER FAVOR?

Tamera: I learned that our capacity to hurt one another, to inflict cruelty and to hate, is trumped only by our capacity to love. But the latter comes only through the transforming power of Jesus Christ.

Winnie: What piece of advice do you have for readers who may want to write?

Tamera: Never give up. Keep writing. Keep honing your skills as a writer. And pray about your writing, give your aspirations to the Lord. He’s not only the restorer of discarded dreams, he’s the supreme planner of journeys you’ve yet begun to imagine.

About TO WIN A FAVOR

A gifted rider in a world where ladies never race, Maggie Linden is determined her horse will become a champion. But the one man who could help her has vowed to stay away from thoroughbred racing forever.

An Irishman far from home, Cullen McGrath left a once prosperous life in England because of a horse racing scandal that nearly ruined him. He's come to Nashville for a fresh start, hoping to buy land and begin farming, all while determined to stay away from thoroughbred racing. But starting over proves harder than he'd wagered, especially when Maggie Linden's father makes him an offer he shouldn't accept yet cannot possibly refuse.

Maggie is certain that Bourbon Belle can take the top purse in the inaugural Peyton Stakes, the richest race ever run in America. Maggie only needs the chance to prove it. To give her that chance--and to save Linden Downs from being sold to the highest bidder-- Maggie's father makes a barter. His agreement includes one tiny, troublesome detail- - Maggie must marry a man she's never met. A man she never would have chosen for herself.

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Winnie Griggs grew up in south Louisiana in an undeveloped area her friends thought of as the back of beyond. She and her two younger siblings spent many an hour exploring the overgrown land around her home, cutting jungle trails, building forts and frontier camps, and looking for pirate ships on the nearby bayou. Once she ‘grew up' she found other outlets for dealing with all those wonderful, adventurous imaginary friends by filling notebooks with their stories.

Eventually she found her own Prince Charming, a rancher whose white steed takes the form of a tractor and whose kingdom is situated in a small rural community that she loves to call home, and together they've built their own storybook happily–ever–after that includes four now grown children, two of whom are twins.

Now a multi–published, award winning author, Winnie feels blessed to be able to share her stories with readers through her writings for Love Inspired Historical books.