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. An avid equestrian, Tammy has ridden horseback over western mountains and rugged trails in Arizona. Tammy excelled in her writing studies at a local college, where she explored prose, novel writing, and nonverbal communication. She even enrolled in acting classes to master character development. In 2006, she published two series of devotionals in Beautiful Feet: Meditations for Missionary Women for the Lutheran Women's Missionary Society. She won second place in the Golden Rose Contest in the category of inspiration romance, and she serves as a judge for various fiction contests. In addition to writing, Tammy makes a career of editing manuscripts, ghostwriting, and mentoring other writers. She also homeschools her three children. Tammy has lived in twenty-eight places in eight different states, but the family currently makes their home in northern Illinois. In her spare time, you're likely to find her baking, gardening, behind a camera, or hugging a horse.
Visit Tammy Barley online
Faith's Reward
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.
- ISBN: 1603741100
- Publisher: Whitaker House
Interview with Tammy Barley
Tammy creates strong heroines with very real problems in historical romance novels. In Love’s Rescue (2009), after a devastating home fire and then a kidnapping, Jessica Hale waits to see what God can bring out of the smoldering ashes. Book two of the Sierra Chronicles Trilogy is Hope’s Promise (2010), where Jessica, now married, learns of God’s unconditional love. Book three, Faith’s Reward, released on January 4th (2011), follows Jessica, now pregnant, as she learns to rely on God for the safety of her unborn child.
Tammy, congratulations on your third novel, Faith’s Reward! Clearly you have a love for the west and for horses, but how did that direct you to write historical instead of contemporary fiction?
Most of us have toured historical sites in the United States, such as Washington DC, antebellum homes, and western ghost towns. My folks loved touring such places, so I grew up feeling more a part of the 19th century than my own. Through fiction, my readers get to time-travel to earlier times and places, as do I, while I research and write. I love that.
Reflecting back, what do you see as most significant to your publication journey?
Kidney failure. No kidding. We talk about God working in mysterious ways? Along with dialysis, I was given the opportunity to write. An illness that nearly resulted in death opened a door to a new life.
What’s your biggest challenge in balancing writing time with your other responsibilities?
Prioritizing. Each of us can prioritize based purely on facts and logic, but God doesn’t operate on facts and logic alone. I always seek God’s direction so that I use my time and abilities according to His plans.
How do you research for your books, which take place in the late 1800’s?
First I learn everything I can online and via published books. Then I visit the books’ settings. I view the land, touch the rivers, listen to the trees. I watch the mountains where the sun rises and observe the unique color of the sky when it sets. I see the birds that begin to stir at first light, and wait for the deer and wildlife to come out with the moon. Only then can I take the reader there.
I see on your website that your current novel, Faith’s Reward, has a contest which began on February 14th. The grand prize is a chance to win “the day of your dreams”. It entails a spa day perhaps. Tell us what we need to do to enter the contest (winner will be announced on 8/1/11)?
It’s easy. Read Faith’s Reward and correctly answer the five story questions at http://www.tammybarley.com/Bookshelf.html. And voilà! You are entered into the drawing. For details and to enter, visit http://www.tammybarley.com/Bookshelf.html.
How do you balance storytelling and the spiritual aspects of your characters?
I begin by asking God, “What would you like for me to share with Your people in this story?” I often find myself inspired by one or more faith themes, and then determine a way to work in those faith themes, in a way that will touch readers in a beautiful, memorable way. I try to go light on spiritual aspects, because I hope that Christian readers will be able to share these novels with friends and family members who are seekers, and whose hearts might be touched through God’s gentle and ever-present love.
What do you consider the greatest moment of your writing/publishing career?
Seriously? Every time I receive an e-mail from a reader that says one of my novels affected her in a meaningful way. Those are my greatest moments. They fuel my love for what I do.
Tammy, thank you for taking time to share with our ACFW readers!
Thank you so much!
Tammy, congratulations on your third novel, Faith’s Reward! Clearly you have a love for the west and for horses, but how did that direct you to write historical instead of contemporary fiction?
Most of us have toured historical sites in the United States, such as Washington DC, antebellum homes, and western ghost towns. My folks loved touring such places, so I grew up feeling more a part of the 19th century than my own. Through fiction, my readers get to time-travel to earlier times and places, as do I, while I research and write. I love that.
Reflecting back, what do you see as most significant to your publication journey?
Kidney failure. No kidding. We talk about God working in mysterious ways? Along with dialysis, I was given the opportunity to write. An illness that nearly resulted in death opened a door to a new life.
What’s your biggest challenge in balancing writing time with your other responsibilities?
Prioritizing. Each of us can prioritize based purely on facts and logic, but God doesn’t operate on facts and logic alone. I always seek God’s direction so that I use my time and abilities according to His plans.
How do you research for your books, which take place in the late 1800’s?
First I learn everything I can online and via published books. Then I visit the books’ settings. I view the land, touch the rivers, listen to the trees. I watch the mountains where the sun rises and observe the unique color of the sky when it sets. I see the birds that begin to stir at first light, and wait for the deer and wildlife to come out with the moon. Only then can I take the reader there.
I see on your website that your current novel, Faith’s Reward, has a contest which began on February 14th. The grand prize is a chance to win “the day of your dreams”. It entails a spa day perhaps. Tell us what we need to do to enter the contest (winner will be announced on 8/1/11)?
It’s easy. Read Faith’s Reward and correctly answer the five story questions at http://www.tammybarley.com/Bookshelf.html. And voilà! You are entered into the drawing. For details and to enter, visit http://www.tammybarley.com/Bookshelf.html.
How do you balance storytelling and the spiritual aspects of your characters?
I begin by asking God, “What would you like for me to share with Your people in this story?” I often find myself inspired by one or more faith themes, and then determine a way to work in those faith themes, in a way that will touch readers in a beautiful, memorable way. I try to go light on spiritual aspects, because I hope that Christian readers will be able to share these novels with friends and family members who are seekers, and whose hearts might be touched through God’s gentle and ever-present love.
What do you consider the greatest moment of your writing/publishing career?
Seriously? Every time I receive an e-mail from a reader that says one of my novels affected her in a meaningful way. Those are my greatest moments. They fuel my love for what I do.
Tammy, thank you for taking time to share with our ACFW readers!
Thank you so much!
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