World Blog Tour!

Hello! Welcome to the next version of the World Blog Tour! 

I’m Tanya Stowe, a Christian Fiction writer with an unexpected edge. I’m a Pelican Book Group author who likes to fill my romances with the unusual…gifts of the spirit in Tender Touch and spiritual warfare in Haunted Hearts.  In Never Ending Night I explore the horrors of a Civil War battle and unravels a mystery. Tender Trust treks to the Old West. Leap of Faith brushes wings with an angel and White Christmas wraps romance in the traditions of a small town holiday. No matter where I go…on a journey through the past or contemporary adventures in new lands…be prepared for the extraordinary.

Right now, I’m working on a romantic suspense set in Santa Fe, New Mexico. It’s called Santa Fe Sunrise and involves art, flamenco and pot-hunters. Of course, Santa Fe’s unique flavor runs through the entire story like a fine silver thread.

You probably noticed, I write in a wide variety of genres…historicals, romantic suspense and the ever popular contemporary Heart’s Haven Series you see on this blog. Why do I write so many different kinds of stories? I have to say my inspiration comes from curiosity, sparked by my travels. Wherever I go, my mind asks questions. What is it like to live in a small town like this? Would I like waking up every morning and looking at that peak? What did the first settlers see here?

My first book was inspired by a motorhome trip through the California Gold country. I wanted to know why some of the boomtowns born in the gold rush survived while others disappeared. My search for answers led to the creation of my own gold town called Harperville and a book called Tender Touch. While researching Tender Touch, I read about Civil War battles in the West. I never knew battles were fought in the West, so off I went and Tender Trust was born.

While sitting in a movie theater, I heard a new type of flamenco music in the background. My mind didn’t rest until I discovered Nouveau Flamenco and found the perfect setting in Sedona, Arizona. Sedona Sunset came to life and Santa Fe Sunrise followed because, of course, I’d heard so much about the unique capital of New Mexico and had to see it for myself. Yes, curiosity is really my muse.

Imagine my concern however, when we moved to the Middle East and after six months, no story ideas came to me. I wondered if my career was over! But rest assured, it took a little longer, but Danger in Dhofar was created from pieces of information about Somalian pirates!

I think my characters rise out of my curiosity. Remember those questions I ask, like how would I like to wake up each morning and see that peak? I put myself in a setting, work out those questions and resolve the problems. That process has led to some very interesting characters like Stumpy McPherson, a 49’er trying to get by after the glory days of the rush, or willowy, wispy, Zoe Wyndham, the late-in-life love-child raised in communes.

For my characters to really work through their problems, I have to plot. When I first started writing, I had interesting characters but they jumped from one event to the next without any real purpose and never resolved anything! Plotting helped me to settle those bouncing motivations down and find not only a purpose, but a resolution to my character’s issues. With plotting, I can create multi-dimensional characters with real problems and God-inspired solutions. I love that process because it’s real life!

I’m not sure what sets me apart from other writers. I know I like lean, tight writing. I’m more interested in the stories, the people and the places than crafting words. That insatiable curiosity just won’t let me rest! It wants me to keep asking questions and moving forward…even while I’m on vacation.

I wonder whom I’ll meet and what they’ll teach me on my way to Mesa Verde. Hmmm…is that a story already in the making? I can’t wait to see!

I’ve enjoyed chatting with you on this World Tour Blog. I hope you’ve enjoyed learning a little bit more about me. Also, please join us for the next leg of the tour. Next Monday, June 23, my friend Lynn Willis will post insights on her writing life.      

Lynn Chandler-Willis has worked in the corporate world (hated it!), the television news business (fun job) and the newspaper industry (not a fan of the word "apparently" and phrase "according to"). She keeps coming back to fiction because she likes making stuff up and you just can't do that in the newspaper or television news business.

She was born, raised, and continues to live in the heart of North Carolina within walking distance to her kids and their spouses and her nine grandchildren. She shares her home, and heart, with Sam the cocker spaniel.   You’ll find Lynn’s blog at: http://lynnchandlerwillis.com/

Mary Manners is an award-winning author of inspirational romance who lives in the beautiful foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains of East Tennessee with her husband and teen-aged daughter. She is a member of the Romance Writers of America and Smoky Mountain Romance Writers.

During the school year, she teaches middle-schoolers reading and Algebra. In her free time, she likes to garden, take long walks with her husband, and read romance novels in a hammock beneath century-old shade trees.

Mary will be posting here on the Heart’s Haven Blog. 

On Tuesday, June 24, Delia Latham will share her unique writing perspective right here on the Heart’s Haven Blog.  

Delia Latham is a Christian wife, mother, grandmother, sister and friend, but especially treasures her role as princess daughter to the King of Kings. She has a "thing" for Dr. Pepper and LOVES hearing from her readers. Delia writes inspirational romance from her home in the California mountains.