Beyond This Moment by Tamera Alexander

Please welcome my friend, Tamera Alexander, as she tells us about her newest release, Beyond This Moment, a Timber Ridge Reflections novel.

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’' 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 others are saying about Beyond This Moment:

"Pull up a comfy armchair! The main and secondary characters in Beyond This Moment instantly become people to care about, and the plot twists will keep you turning pages long into the night. The themes of racial tolerance and second chances are as timely today as they were back in the early days of Colorado's history." -Romantic Times, 4 1/2 star review

"Tamera Alexander paints scenery with the written word, and makes characters, stories, and insights linger long after the book is read." --Cindy Woodsmall, New York Times bestselling author

"The characters are charming, engaging, and very realistic . . . a great story that will have readers quickly turning pages . . ."--The Romance Readers Connection

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 seventeen 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.

If you have a minute, you can visit Tamera's website (www.tameraalexander.com) and her blog. Or read an excerpt of Beyond This Moment. Click on "win" for a chance to win a copy of one of Tamera's books.

The 12 Authors of Christmas Final Bonus, the lovely Tricia Goyer

Please welcome friend and author, Tricia Goyer. I've known Tricia for several years now and she is one person I always look forward to seeing at writer's conferences or retreats.

Her warm smile and love for others wins everyone over.

Welcome, Tricia.

Tell us about your first Christmas memory?

I remember being an angel in a Christmas pageant and my little brother was baby Jesus. I was four and he was four months old. I remember being very concerned when he started crying from his manger.

Growing up, did your family have Christmas traditions? Tell us how you incorporated them into your family life. Or, how you created new ones.

I remember after that going to my Grandma’s house for dinner. We always spent Christmas with her and my grandpa. All the aunts, uncles, and cousins would come together to celebrate. We'd have a big dinner, usually with homemade enchiladas or tamales. We'd have an adult's table and a kids' table. For most of my growing up years it was just me, my brother and my two cousins at the kids table.

Now that I have my own family, we still have a big gathering. My grandma lives with us, and we have three teenagers. We also invite over my husband's whole family and friends who don't have family nearby. Last year we had 35 people, and I expect the same this year.

(rh: Wow, sounds fun.)

When do you put up your tree? At my house, it goes up right after Thanksgiving. My husband works assembly and outside lights. I do the rest. Describe the decorating at your house.

I usually put it up after the kids keeping bugging me and bugging me. This year it was on December 2nd. We put it up Sunday after church.

(rh: Ah, my dad could relate to you. I bugged him until he put up the tree.)

My kids help decorate and the young woman I mentor and her family come over too. Her kids are 6, 3, and 1 … so there is a lot of commotion!

What is your favorite Christmas song or album? I grew up with a Johnny Mathis Christmas CD and it's still one of my favorites. My other is a copy of Mel Torme singing his "Christmas Song."

I love lots of different kinds of Christmas music. I love old songs that are sung by new artists with a new twist. This year I found a new cd called Unexpected Gifts, and I've listened to it at least 10 times every day.

It includes "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" (Bethany Dillon); "Do You Hear What I Hear" (Nichole Nordeman); "O Little Town of Bethlehem" (Steven Curtis Chapman); and "Silent Night" (Sanctus Real).

(rh: Tricia confessed to me she didn't even know who Johnny Mathis is, but I'll forgive her. Young'un...)

Christmas morning, my parents didn't want us in the living room until the tree was plugged in. So, we'd wake up early, five a.m. or so, and bang on the floor to stir my parents awake. Relive your childhood Christmas mornings for us.

We'd usually get up, get dressed and head over to my grandparents' house where we'd all open presents together.

I think that as we got older my brother and I complained because around junior high we started opening them at our house. I don't remember getting up super-early, but I do remember the smells of Christmas dinner cooking while we open gifts.

Also, I loved it because everyone was together and focused on the celebration. In fact, those Christmas days are some of the few times I remember my parents playing games with us. That's why I'm big on family time and games on Christmas!

Seems to me snow and Christmas go together, but I’ve been a Florida girl for 33 years! Tell us about your Christmas setting?

I grew up in the mountains of Northern California. We had lots of snow. Lots!

I remember one Christmas Eve driving from my Grandparents house to our house. It was a blizzard and I didn't know how my dad could even see the road. I remember thinking that the snow hitting the window looked like the opening of the Star Wars movie when the stars were zooming lines in space.

It’s Christmas Eve, describe your day and evening.

We usually attend a Christmas Eve service and then spend time with friends. This year we're going to church and then we're having the families from our small group come over for snacks and a white elephant gift exchange. There are five families and between us we have twelve kids between 4-18. We’ll eat, open gifts, sing and play games.

Confession time. Shop on line or at the mall?

Half and half. This year my daughter and I are making blankets for my nieces and nephews, so we have fabric and stuff all over the house.

But most of the stuff - for my kids and husband - I buy on-line. It's too hard to shop and not have them with me. Every time I go out the kids say,
"Can I come?"

Christmas grows more and more commercial every year. Setting the hustle and bustle aside, what does Christmas really mean to you?

Christmas is celebrating the birth of our Lord with friends and family. It's taking time to enjoy each other and spend time with those we love the most.

It's Christmas day, what's for dinner? Do you make cookies or other traditional foods?

I don't make many cookies . . . because I end up eating too many! Our Christmas dinner is similar to Thanksgiving.

We have potluck style and everyone brings something. Since it's usually at our house, I make a turkey, potatoes, and some type of dessert. There are usually 5-6 people scrambling around my kitchen and it's tons of fun.

Tell us about your favorite Christmas memory.

My favorite Christmas memory is when I was twelve. I received a cassette play with a microphone that could record. My Mom, Dad, brother and I sat around and made up stories and recorded them. I still have that tape somewhere.

What are you plans for this season?

The holiday season also means basketball season. In addition to all the holiday fun we travel every other weekend for games.

Since we live in rural Montana we often travel 4-5 hours for two or three basketball games. Of course, these are great memories too . . . dashing through Montana, talking in the car, replaying the game's highlights with our words.

Since my oldest son is a senior in high school thing years I’m enjoying every moment.

Any final thoughts on Christmas?

Happy Birthday, Jesus!

The official word on Tricia Goyer.

Tricia Goyer is the author of seven novels, six non-fiction books, and one children's book.

Tricia was named Mount Hermon Christian Writers Conference "Writer of the Year" in 2003.

In 2005, her book Life Interrupted was a finalist for the Gold Medallion. Also in 2005, her novel Night Song won ACFW's Book of the Year for Long Historical Romance.

In 2006, her novel Dawn of a Thousand Nights also won Book of the Year for Long Historical.

She’s written over 300 articles for national publications and hundreds of Bible Study notes for the Women of Faith Study Bible.

Tricia lives in Montana with her husband and three kids where she homeschools, leads children's church, and mentors teenage mothers.

Author Tracey Bateman and Defiant Heart

Hi Everyone,

My good friend and worship soulmate, Tracey Bateman has a book coming out the same day as Diva NashVegas! Her Avon Inspire, Defiant Heart.

I got my copy already, and it looks wonderful. Tracey is a warm, thoughtful, creative writer who knows how to make the characters come alive on the page. I know Defiant Heart will touch us all.


An Interview with Tracey Bateman

Q: When did you first know you wanted to be a writer?

A: The first time I can remember wanting to be a writer was after I read Gone with the Wind. I was about ten years old and it was the first book that resonated with me that much. I wanted to write the sequel. Got a good start with my blind brother's typewriter, but abandoned the effort when I realized Mother would never allow Rhett to cuss and it just didn't feel right the other way. See? I was born to edit myself.

Q: Where does your inspiration come from?

A: I write from a great love of books and a lifetime of reading stories that triggered my imagination. I write inspirational fiction because I'm a Christian and those are the stories that come out of me when I sit down to write. My books always begin with a character who needs the hope I've found in a relationship with Christ. So that's what comes out when I write. Anything can trigger an idea: a TV show, the History channel, a billboard, something my pastor says. Ultimately, I imagine ideas come from God. Sometimes I wish he'd write the books for me too!

Q: Tell us about your heroine, Fannie Caldwell.

A: Women in the western frontier had to be gritty and they had to be tough. They couldn't afford to be shrinking violets. For a woman like Fannie Caldwell, there was no one to take care of her, so she had to make her own way. What else was there to do but take a chance? Danger isn't necessarily a bad place to be if the alternative is staying in bondage to a brutal taskmaster. If you don't fight, there's no way to win. I always like to write about characters who have a lot to overcome because I think God is able to show Himself the most for us when we're the most needy. I like to show how God can bring us through adversity—not necessarily make it easy, but walk with us until we come out the other side—maybe bruised, maybe battered, but definitely the victors in the battle.


Tracey's bio:

Tracey Bateman lives in Missouri with her husband and four children. Their rural home provides a wonderful atmosphere for a writer's imagination to grow and produce characters, plots, and settings. In 1994, with three children to raise, she and her husband agreed that she should go to college and earn a degree.

In a Freshman English class, her love for writing was rekindled and she wrote a short story that she later turned into a book. Her college career was cut short with the news of their fourth baby's impending arrival, but the seeds of hope for a writing career were already taking root. Over the next several years she wrote, hooked up with critique partners, studied the craft of writing and eventually all the hard work paid off.

She currently has over 25 books published in a variety of genres. Tracey believes completely that God has big plans for his Kids and that all things are possible to anyone who will put their hope and trust in the God.