In touch with author Tammy Barley

Tammy Barley author

Tammy Barley has lived in twenty-seven places in eight states (so far) and has visited nearly all. She's a homeschool mom to two sons and one daughter—her laughter and her joy—and she loves her full-time work as a ghostwriter and professional manuscript editor (for more information, visit Editorial Services).Tammy recently published two series of devotions in an inspirational collection for missionary wives. Love's Rescue won second place in the Golden Rose Contest inspirational romance category.

VISIT TAMMY'S WEBSITE

I had the privelege of chatting with Tammy about her writing, particularly her new book, Love's Rescue. The book trailer for this book is posted below.

LYNDA: Congratulations on the new release of Love’s Rescue, the first in the Sierra Chronicles. What is this story about and what can readers expect from the series?

TAMMY: Thank you so much! I’m delighted that it’s already getting some great reviews! Here’s a blurb for Love’s Rescue:

A Dividing Conflict
In 1863, the War Between the States is dividing more than a nation. To escape the conflict, Jessica Hale and her family flee their Kentucky home and head for Nevada Territory. Her brother, Ambrose, committed to the Confederates, rejoins the Kentucky militia and is disowned by his father. But the worst is yet to come.

A Heroic Kidnapper
When Unionists presume the family to be Confederate sympathizers, they set a devastating fire to their home. All alone and then “kidnapped” by cattleman Jake Bennett, Jessica is taken to a ranch deep in the Sierra Nevada wilderness. Can she overcome her resentment toward Jake for failing to save her family?

The Depths of Love
When Jake launches a plan to help Jessica’s brother escape from prison camp, she sees him for the honest, good-hearted Christian man that he is and now knows the depth of his love for her. Through the lingering smoke and smoldering ashes from her ruined home and murdered family, will Jessica see a future with Jake?

Jake and Jessica’s struggles continue in the next two books, Hope's Promise:
Jake and Jessica Bennett learn there was more to her parents’ deaths than they knew, and both the ranch and Jessica are in danger. Now they must quickly find the murderer . . . and discover for themselves how far they will go for love.

and Faith's Reward:
Jake and Jessica are expecting a child while their hope of surviving land redistribution laws grows dim. Worse, Jessica’s inheritance has disappeared from the bank, and turns up in the hands of a man funding Union sympathizers in a personal war against Southerners. To stop it Jessica must confront her greatest fear, and Jake will be forced to risk the lives of Jessica and their unborn child.

LYNDA: Sounds like a wonderful series! Did you grow up on a ranch? Where does your love for westerns come from?

TAMMY: I wish I had! I envy folks who’ve lived on farms and ranches—such a great place to be a child. I’ve lived in 27 cities and towns in 8 states (so far), including several places in the West. I’ve ridden horseback over mountains, along beaches, and half way across Arizona on a ten-day trip with twenty other adventurists. (If you ever have the chance, go!) I’ve always loved history, and when I toured Virginia City, Nevada years ago, the “Old West” town came alive to me. In Piper’s Opera House, I attended a spectacular one-man play called “The Ghosts of the Opera House” about the many people who lived in Virginia City during its early silver bonanza. Through the actor, the people came alive to me, and I couldn’t get the places and those who struggled to survive out of my mind. I had to write it.

LYNDA: Have you always wanted to be a writer? And do you remember the first thing you ever wrote?

TAMMY: I always loved reading and writing, but it took me a while to put the two together. After all, I came from three generations of electricians and gardeners—tangible pursuits; being a novelist was something Kathleen Turner did right before real life (and jungles and Michael Douglas) happened. LOL

The first thing I ever wrote was a short, three-verse poem about my dream to live in the wilderness where nothing has been disturbed and nothing has been concreted or “improved.” I was perhaps ten or so at the time.

LYNDA: How long was it from the time you started writing Love’s Rescue until the book was released? What was the process like for you?

TAMMY: Cringe—about twenty years. Marriage happened, and children, a career search, the Northridge Earthquake, kidney failure . . . Life happened. Much like a sculptor, I guess, I chipped away at elements of the story throughout the years, developed characters, toured various places to gather research, and wrote whenever I could, which wasn’t often until I wound up on dialysis with lots of available time. The story was always there, hovering in the background, tugging at me.

LYNDA: You've also written devotionals. How is getting a novel published different than publishing a devotional?

TAMMY: The devotionals were each about a page in length, so writing each only took a day or two after planning was complete. Publishing a novel is different from publishing devotionals both timewise and effortwise. The bigger the rock, the more time and effort it takes to roll it. It’s perhaps some humorous twist of fate that the bigger the rock, the more I love the challenge of making it move. Anyone identify? =)

LYNDA: LOL. Definitely. I'm the same way. There's nothing like a challenge to motivate me. But one thing I'm not great at is time management. I'd love some tips! As an author and a freelance writer and editor, how do you divide your time? What does a typical day look like for you?

TAMMY: Visualize a frog in hurricane. LOL

In many respects, my life runs me, and believe it or not, I love it. Perhaps after a lifetime of moving to new places, experiencing new climates, cultures, histories, and regional foods—new, always new—I don’t handle sameness well. I schedule time to write, and I schedule time to edit, but Surprise and Unexpected are two creatures that follow me everywhere, and I’ve learned to roll with whatever they throw me.

Few days look the same. Right now I’m nine days away from the Love’s Rescue book launch, so I’m putting together historical displays and family costumes since the event is Travel Back to 19th Century America—Civil War and Western exhibits and dress related to the book along with the book signing. I’m also doing interviews, advertising, working with promoters, editing, homeschooling three teens, designing a banner, organizing the folks at church helping me with the displays and book launch, and trying to figure out how to keep the ground squirrels out of my bird feeders.

LYNDA: Tell me more about the contest you’re sponsoring for the Sierra Chronicles.

TAMMY: To introduce readers to The Sierra Chronicles Trilogy and Love’s Rescue in particular, I’m sponsoring the kind of contest I’d love to win: Simply read Love’s Rescue, answer ten questions about the story on the BOOKSHELF PAGE of my Web site and you’re entered to win a one-week western guest ranch resort vacation for two to the Rocky Mountains of Colorado. The winner will be drawn on Valentine’s Day 2010.

LYNDA: I'd better get my hands on a copy of your book. My husband and I need a vacation! :-). So, finally, what is the message you hope readers take away from this series?

TAMMY: Not one of us is ever alone. Times may be hard, but God is always, always with you, loving you and getting you through.