Talkshow Thursday: Meet Tamera Kraft
Linda: Thanks for joining me today. You’ve got a new
book which is always exciting! This one is the first in a series called The
Ladies of Oberlin. What made you choose this time period and location, and where
did you find your inspiration for this story?
Tamera: I was
researching women ministers and Christian women who made a difference in the
1800s for some blog posts. Oberlin College kept coming up. It was the first
college that allowed women to get a college degree and one of the first that
allowed blacks to attend before the Civil War. It also had Second Great
Awakening Evangelist Charles Finney as its president for a number of years. I
found out most to the women involved in the abolitionist movement, missionary
movement, women's suffrage, and prohibition were connected to Oberlin in some
way. I knew then I wanted to write a series of novels about women students at
Oberlin.
LM: In addition
to your work in children’s ministry, you also help other authors by running
monthly group Facebook Parties. How did you get started in that?
Tamera: I was
involved in a few FB parties, and I really enjoyed them. I also found that the
parties that were more successful were the ones where multiple authors joined
together around a theme. I decided to start having these parties to help other
authors and also effectively promote my own books. I charge a small fee to go
toward the grand prize and advertising. It's a win-win situation. For any
authors interested, they can find out more at this link.
LM: Lots of
research goes into writing a book. Do you have an unusual research story to
share…something you did or found?
Tamera: Every
time I research a book, I find lots of research that surprises me in some way.
Many times, critique partners and editors tag me for being too unbelievable
when I include those historical facts. One such incident happened in Red Sky Over America. I was reading a
journal written by an abolitionist preacher who went to the home of a slave
owner pastor. The pastor introduced his slave mistress and slave family without
any shame at all. He felt, as a slave owner, he had the right to commit
adultery with his slave. He even used the Bible to justify it. I had to tone
down the story to include it in my novel because nobody who critiqued it
believed this could really happen. Truth is much stranger than fiction.
LM: What is the
quirkiest thing you’ve ever done?
Tamera: I've done
some pretty quirky things. I don't want to reveal all of them in a public forum
though. LOL. One thing my husband thought was quirky was when I told him I
couldn't stop writing now because I wanted to see what happened next. He looked
at me in bewilderment and said, "But you're writing it." Another
quirky and somewhat dangerous thing I did in the early days of children's
ministry was to go door to door in the worst neighborhood in Akron inviting
children to church. I didn't think about how dangerous it was until later. What
I didn't know was the reason everybody was so nice to me was because one family
put out the word I was under their protection. I believe God urged them to do
that.
LM: Wow! God is good. Okay, here are some
quickies:
Tamera:
Favorite color: Red
Favorite food: Yellow cake with chocolate buttercream icing.
Favorite time of year: Early summer before it gets too hot.
LM: What is your
next project?
Tamera: My next
project is Book 2 in the Ladies of Oberlin Series, Lost in the Storm, due to be
release in November, 2018. Here's a blurb about it:
During the Civil War, Lavena challenges a profession ruled
by men to become a war correspondent, but will she keep her job by destroying
the man she loves?
LM: Sounds intriguing! Where can
folks find you on the web?
Tamera:
Website: http://www.tameralynnkraft.net
Newsletter: http://eepurl.com/cdybpb
Word Sharpeners Blog: http://tameralynnkraft.com
Facebook: http://facebook.com/tameralynnkraft
Twitter: http://twitter.com/tamerakraft
Purchase link: www.amazon.com/dp/B079GQQ9KY
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