Tamera has recently completed her eighth novel, A LASTING IMPRESSION, the first book in the new three-book BELMONT MANSION Southern historical series which starts shipping in mid-October and will be on store bookshelves everywhere on November 1st.
From Christy and RITA Award-winning author Tamera Alexander comes a novel about the difference between knowing who you are––and knowing who you want to become.
Claire Laurent’s greatest aspiration is to paint something that will bring her acclaim. Yet her father insists she work as a copyist. A forger. When she’s forced to flee from New Orleans to Nashville only a year after the War Between the States has ended, her path collides with attorney Sutton Monroe. She considers him a godsend for not turning her in to the authorities. But after he later refuses to come to her aid, Claire fears she’s sorely misjudged the man. Finding herself among the elite of Nashville's society, Claire believes her dream to create a lasting impression in the world of art is within reach––but only if her fraudulent past remains hidden.
The Federal Army has destroyed Sutton’s home and confiscated his land, and threatens to destroy his family’s honor. His determination to reclaim what belongs to him and to right a grievous wrong reveals a truth that may cost him more than he ever imagined––as well as the woman he loves.
Set at Nashville's historic Belmont Mansion, a stunning antebellum manor built by Mrs. Adelicia Acklen, A Lasting Impression is a sweeping love story about a nation mending after war, the redemption of those wounded, and the courage of a man and woman to see themselves––and each other––for who they truly are.
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Read an excerpt from A Lasting Impression
Praise for
A Lasting Impression
“Tamera Alexander has once again written a novel rich in storytelling and history, peopled with living, breathing characters who made me laugh, and cry. Better than sweet tea on a veranda, A Lasting Impression is a winner. I want to live at Belmont!”
—Francine Rivers, New York Times best-selling author of Redeeming Love
“Tamera Alexander paints vivid scenes, not with oils on canvas but with words on the page, as she sweeps us away to the cafes of New Orleans and the hills of Tennessee. In Claire Laurent we find a true artist, ever doubting her talents, ever questioning her calling. And in Sutton Monroe we meet a hero whose bright mind is eclipsed only by his tender heart. A lovely story, sure to please anyone who treasures a good romance.”
—Liz Curtis Higgs, New York Times best-selling author of Mine Is the Night
"A Lasting Impression is a wonderful start to a new series. With writing that is rich and textured, Ms. Alexander paints a portrait of Belmont and Nashville after the Civil War that will pull you in and almost make you believe that you are living there yourself."
—Robin Lee Hatcher, best-selling author of Belonging
“Beautifully written and brimming with "real life" history, A Lasting Impression captures a slice of American history, and an era the South will not soon forget. Nor should we. As Director of the Belmont Mansion, I highly endorse A Lasting Impression and invite you to visit the home of Mrs. Adelicia Acklen to see, in person, the beauty and elegance that defines both Adelicia's home, and this novel."
—Mark Brown, Executive Director, Belmont Mansion, Nashville, Tennessee
(Book 3, which completes the series)
regarding the delayed release of this book...
While Rachel Boyd and Dr. Rand Brookston's story first captured my heart as I wrote From a Distance and Beyond This Moment, the better part of my year (2009) was spent traveling to and from Atlanta to be with my parents as my precious mom battled metastatic gallbladder cancer. Mom was diagnosed with the cancer in February 2009 and went home to be with the Lord six months later on August 17th.
Though I didn't write much while caring for her, the story in Within My Heart wasn't dormant. It had been living inside me, growing and taking shape. For a while, I tried writing in the hospital, as I stayed with Mom, sitting close beside her bed. But I quickly learned that hospitals are no place for rest--or for writing. The real clincher for me (when I knew I needed to lay aside this story for a time) came when Mom started to ask me something then stopped, and said, "Oh honey, I'm sorry. Am I bothering your writing?"
I closed my laptop with a click.
Looking back now, I'm keenly aware of how the story changed and took shape in those months. Everything a writer experiences eventually makes it to the written page in some form, at least it does for me, and my life experiences during the final months with Mom are no different.
I'm grateful to my publisher (Bethany House) for the additional time they gave me to finish Within My Heart, and my utmost gratitude also goes to you, dear readers, for your enthusiasm over this story and for 'hanging with me' as I finished it. The connection we share through these characters and their journeys is precious to me, and I look forward to sharing yet another journey, Within My Heart, with you as you read it.
I'm busy writing as we speak, falling in love with a whole new set of characters that I look forward to sharing with you soon. The first book in a brand new three book series, A Lasting Impression, will release in fall 2011. More on that series soon!
Tamera
