SANTA FE SUNRISE - Tanya Stowe - One Free Book

Welcome back, Tanya. Why do you write the kind of books you do?

I don’t know why I write the books I write. An idea comes. It intrigues me. I try to find the faith challenge in the concept and I write it. I don’t understand it but I appreciate how the Lord lets me work through things in my writing.

Besides when you came to know the Lord, what is the happiest day in your life?

I was so stressed at my wedding I can’t say it was that day. I’ve had many, many wonderful days in my life but I’d have to say one of the highlights was the day I sold my first book.

Being published has changed my writing in several ways. Now I get to write full time instead of squeezing it in my spare time. I have many more friends but the most important change has been having a community of readers who have become friends as well. So now I have someone to talk to about my books!

What are you reading right now?

I’m getting ready to start How to Charm the Beekeepers Heart by Candice Patterson.

What is your current work in progress?

My current work in progress is doing revisions on a romantic suspense I just sold to Love Inspired Suspense.

What would be your dream vacation?

I’ve had some pretty awesome vacations. Europe. Egypt. Petra. Motorhoming across the U.S. Right now, given my current schedule, sitting on the beach in the Caribbean sounds pretty good. Lol.

How do you choose your settings for each book?

They choose me. As I said, my husband and I travel a lot. Sometimes when I go to a place, something just strikes a chord and won’t let go of me until I’ve built a story around it. My first visit to Santa Fe was like that. Something about the place just compelled me to find a story to fit. The same with Sedona Sunset. Never Ending Night came about when I read about a Civil War battle. So … they choose me and won’t leave me alone.

If you could spend an evening with one person who is currently alive, who would it be and why?

Mel Gibson and not for the reasons some people might imagine. He’s a master craftsman. His life has had the highest of highs and the lowest lows struggling with alcoholism. No matter how low he gets, he picks himself up, brushes himself off and moves forward without giving in to despair like so many others do. I honestly don’t think someone could do that without an intense, personal relationship with and love of Jesus. And on top of all that, he brings those highs and lows into his movies and shares those realistic struggles with us. I wish I had the courage to do that. Amazing.

What are your hobbies, besides writing and reading?

Travel. Tennis. Hiking.

What is your most difficult writing obstacle, and how do you overcome it?

In writing I’m a storyteller not a word crafter. I have to work at it constantly. And in life, storytelling very often gets in the way of listening. I work on that too.

What advice would you give to a beginning author?

Take grammar seriously. You have to know the rules to break them. After that write constantly.

Tell us about Santa Fe Sunrise.

I love this book. I suppose because I love Santa Fe and the curious mélange of atmospheres there. History. Art. Culture. They all blend into a feel that is distinctly Santa Fe. I also the love the hero. He appeared in Sedona Sunset and grew so much in Santa Fe that I hardly recognized him. Also, I think I’m a little like the heroine, Rafaella. Devoted to family. Determined to honor her heritage but trying to be practical. So busy doing so many things she forgets to sit at the feet of the Lord and listen. I guess that’s enough without giving away too much of the story!

Please give us the first page of the book.

Brett Fraser couldn’t move his neck. He’d caught a few hours’ sleep hunkered into the crevice between his car seat and the door. His right hand throbbed with tiny needles as the circulation came back, and his knee, wrapped around the gearshift, wouldn’t unbend even after he sat up.

As soon as I get off this back road and locate Santa Fe, I’m going to find a nice hotel, a shower and a king-sized bed.

Sleeping in his car had definitely lost its charm. After six months of a self-imposed sabbatical touring the great Southwest, he was ready for some creature comforts.

One thing for sure, he’d seen some spectacular country. The Grand Canyon with its sheer drop-offs and hidden valleys. Lake Powell’s amazing mixture of colors—blue, green and a thousand variations of rust. Canyon de Chelly, the Navajo’s sacred place, with its smooth, sheer walls of swirling sandstone and cliff dwellings. Absolutely unbelievable.

He might not know where or how he fit into it, but one thing was clear, God had a plan. Anyone who’d witnessed these spectacular sights had to recognize the Master Artist at work.

Case in point: the sunrise in front of him.

In Arizona, fire burned the skies during sunrise and sunset. Bright golden light and fireballs of orange and gold lit the horizon. But here, in New Mexico, the colors were softer, more subtle. Above the dark ridge, the horizon was streaked as if by a paintbrush with bands of subtle gray blending into purple, then mauve, and finally pink.

Amazing.

How can readers find you on the Internet?

Tanya Stowe

Prepare for the Extraordinary

http://tanyastowe.com/tanyas-travel-topics.html

http://tanyastowe.com/index.html

https://www.facebook.com/TanyaStoweReadersPage/

Twitter: @TanyaStowe1

Thank you, Tanya, for sharing this book with us. I'm eager to read it.

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Santa Fe Sunrise - Christianbook.com
Santa Fe Sunrise - Amazon
Santa Fe Sunrise - Kindle

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