TO WIN HER FAVOR - Tamera Alexander - One Free Book, Plus More

Welcome back, Tamera. What are some of the spiritual themes you like to write about?

The spiritual themes in my book are never planned. While I know the characters in a novel when I begin writing, along with their basic journey, I rarely have the spiritual theme in view. That comes in the writing, in seeing the story revealed as the characters grow and change. One of the most prevalent spiritual themes in my writing (as a reader recently pointed out to me) is the truth of seeing who we are without Christ. Because seeing who we are (and would be) without the power of Christ living in us, changing us, brings a far deeper gratitude for His presence.

What other books of yours are coming out soon?

Coming in July is a Belle Meade Plantation novella—To Mend a Dream. To Mend a Dream continues the story of a secondary character we meet in To Win Her Favor, Savannah Darby. Savannah is Maggie’s closest friend and while we learn about Savannah’s struggles in To Win Her Favor, the culmination of her story is told in To Mend a Dream, a novella in a Southern novella collection entitled, Among the Fair Magnolias. I’m excited to share this novella collection with friends and fellow authors Shelley Shepard Gray, Dorothy Love, and Elizabeth Musser. Their stories are marvelous! And each story is accompanied by a luscious Southern recipe and discussion questions. Perfect for reading groups.

Sounds wonderful. I’d love to feature that collection on my blog. If you could spend an evening with one contemporary person (not a family member of yours), who would it be and why?

I’d love to spend an evening with Carol Burnett. I’ve long admired her comedic wit and personal warmth and, of course, grew up watching her show. A book of poems she published years ago, when I was just a girl—I still have my copy—really made an impact on me and helped me through an especially difficult time. So, Carol, if you’re out there and listening, “Dinner’s on me, babe!”

What historical person would you like to meet (besides Jesus) and why?

Moses. I’ve just finished studying the Life of Moses (Exodus - Deuteronomy) in Bible Study Fellowship (BSF.com) for the past year, and I’ve come to admire Moses—his faith, his trust in God, his very human side, and his love for the Israelites—more than ever before. And how touching that God buried Moses. Scripture is so rich, truly “living and active” as the Word says.

How can you encourage authors who have been receiving only rejections from publishers?

I received several rejections on the first novel I wrote, so I stuck that novel in my drawer and decided to start fresh. I wrote my next novel and got my first three-book contract. Rekindled was my first published novel, but it wasn’t the first book I ever wrote. Remember the story tucked away in my desk drawer for almost seven years? After a complete rewrite, that manuscript became The Inheritance, which has now sold over 100,000 copies. So never give up. Never throw away a manuscript. Keep pushing forward toward your goal. Because every “No” along the way is really just part of God’s final “Yes!” when His perfect timing is reached.

Tell us about the featured book.

I’m so excited about To Win Her Favor’s release. For a year or more, I live with these characters inside me, growing and discovering their journeys. So it’s beyond thrilling when a book releases and readers begin to embrace and love these characters like I do.

To Win Her Favor is the second standalone novel in the Belle Meade Plantation series and it follows the story of Maggie Linden and rugged Irishman Cullen McGrath. This marriage of convenience story explores questions of race, faith, and loyalty and offers perspective on how Reconstruction affected racial relations, social status and economic fortunes in the post-war South — and has a passionate love story at its very heart.

Maggie Linden lost nearly everything in the Civil War — including most of her family. She’s about to lose her stables and land at Linden Downs, and her racing hopes as well. A gifted rider in a world where ladies never race, Maggie is determined that her mare, Bourbon Belle, will become a champion. And her only hope of saving Linden Downs is if the horse takes the top purse in the inaugural Peyton Stakes, the richest race ever run in America. To give his daughter a chance, Maggie’s wily father makes a barter. But 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.

It’s okay if readers haven’t read the first book in the series, To Whisper Her Name (USA Today bestseller). The Belle Meade novels can be read and enjoyed individually.

Please give us the first page of the book.
Nashville, Tennessee

May 4, 1869

Steady, girl,” Maggie whispered, peering down from the bluff, leather reins held taut. The thrum of spectators on the field below rose on the cool morning breeze, and she leaned forward to stroke the thoroughbred’s neck. “Wait,” she gently coaxed, anticipation sparking the air. “It’s coming . . .” But even as she said it, her own pulse edged up a notch.

Bourbon Belle pawed the dirt, and Maggie sensed the mare’s restraint growing thinner by the—

The gunshot sounded. The horses on the racetrack below bolted from their marks, as did Bourbon Belle, and exhilaration fired through Maggie’s veins.

Belle surged to life and Maggie gave the horse her head, allowing the mare to surrender to every instinct the animal’s sleek-muscled body commanded. To run.

Belle’s hooves pounded the smooth dirt path, and Maggie imagined that this was what Willie experienced when he raced Belle around the track below. Except the boy was less than half Maggie’s weight, so he and Belle all but flew, just as she expected the pair to do again at the heat later this week.

One and a quarter miles, barely a two-minute race. But the thud of Maggie’s heart marked the time as Belle rounded the familiar curve in the path, the mare’s powerful stride devouring the distance.

Crouching forward, as she’d trained Willie to do, Maggie felt the wind whipping the pins from her hair, and she relished the freedom that only this kind of riding could bring. And though she knew the peace was temporary at best, she embraced it.

You can read the first three chapters on my website! http://www.tameraalexander.com/cmsdocuments/Chs1-3ToWinHerFavor.pdf

How can readers find you on the Internet?

Website:         www.TameraAlexander.com

Facebook:       www.facebook.com/tameraalexander

Twitter:           www.twitter.com/tameraalexander

Pinterest:        www.pinterest.com/TameraAuthor

Blog:               www.TameraAlexander.blogspot.com

View vignettes filmed on location at Belle Meade Plantation, the setting of To Whisper Her Name and To Win Her Favor, on the Belle Meade Plantation novels page on Tamera’s website.

Can Maggie prove that her mare, Bourbon Belle, can take the top purse in the inaugural Peyton Stakes, the richest race ever run in America? Find out in Tamera Alexander's To Win Her Favor. To give her that chance—and to save Linden Downs from being sold to the highest bidder—Maggie must marry a man she's never met. A man she never would have chosen for herself.

Celebrate the release of To Win Her Favor with a Kindle Fire and book giveaway!

One grand prize winner will receive:

• A Kindle Fire HD 6
• A copy of To Win Her Favor

Enter today by clicking the icon below. But hurry, the giveaway ends on May 10th. Winner will be announced May 11th on Tamera's blog. Plus stay tuned for more opportunities to win after May 11 with a special Pinterest contest—more details coming soon!

{NOT ON FACEBOOK? ENTER HERE.}

Thank you, Tamera, for allowing us to be part of the release of this new book. I know my readers will love it.

Readers, here are links to the book. By using one when you order, you help support this blog.

To Win Her Favor - Christianbook.com
To Win Her Favor (A Belle Meade Plantation Novel) - Amazon
To Win Her Favor (A Belle Meade Plantation Novel Book 2) - Kindle

Christian Book Store

Leave a comment for a chance to win a free copy of the book. Please tell us where you live, at least the state or territory. (Comments containing links may be subject to removal by blog owner.)

Void where prohibited; the odds of winning depend on the number of entrants. Entering the giveaway is considered a confirmation of eligibility on behalf of the enterer in accord with these rules and any pertaining local/federal/international laws.

The only notification you’ll receive is the winner post on this blog. So be sure to check back a week from Saturday to see if you won. You will have 4 weeks from the posting of the winners to claim your book.

If you’re reading this on Goodreads, Google+, Feedblitz, Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, or Amazon, please come to the blog to leave your comment if you want to be included in the drawing. Here’s a link:
Http://lenanelsondooley.blogspot.com