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Monday, June 6, 2011

Interview with Tiffany Amber Stockton, by Carrie Fancett Pagels


Tiffany Amber Stockton is the author of Promises, Promises
Published by: Barbour/Heartsong Presents
Date: February 2008
Tiffany is also the author of eight books.  Her website is www.amberstockton.com.

See our Fiction Sampler of Promises, Promises

Tiffany, what got you interested in the colonial time period?
I have always been fascinated by history, but growing up in Delaware and living just 5 miles from a preserved Colonial town helped increase my love of the Colonial era. That, in turn, led to a passion for our founding forefathers and the nation for which they risked everything to establish. Films, books, research trips, and lectures. I absorbed and explored them all. And when I first began my pursuit of professional publication, it seemed natural to set my stories in this era. It just happened to be a bonus that my editor loved it as well. J

What inspired your latest colonial work?
Well, my latest work is yet to be released. It won’t come out until May of 2012. It was inspired by researching various trades that existed and the background provided by the author who spear-headed our team to write the collection. The title of that novella is Trading Hearts and will appear in Colonial Courtships next year.
The Colonial series (Liberty’s Promise) in which Promises, Promises is featured was inspired by a home about 2 miles from where I lived for 15 years. The home was built in 1740 and has a historical marker at the end of its drive. Through research and a visit to the current owners of the home, I discovered not a lot of detail was known about the family or the home beyond a few facts. So, I took a creative license and made it up. J The facts I did have, though, I made sure to maintain so historical accuracy could be preserved. The house is featured on the cover of all 3 books in the series.

Do you have a favorite colonial place you like to visit and why?
Yes. When I get the chance to return to Delaware, I love to visit Old New Castle. It not only was the inspiration for this novel, but the town remains preserved from Colonial Times when the town was in its hey-day. You can walk the same cobblestone streets, stroll along the same river, and even enter the same churches, eating establishments, and shops once occupied by colonists living 300 years ago. Once a year, residents and business owners open their homes and their shops to the public for touring. It’s quite an experience. And I also love it more than Colonial Williamsburg because it isn’t over-run with “tourist” markings.

The most fascinating piece of information I learned is New Castle was supposed to be what Williamsburg is today, only the residents and business owners didn’t want their town turned into a big tourist destination. So, the site was moved to Williamsburg, a town which is world-renowned for its Colonial depictions and atmosphere. It kind of makes me wonder how New Castle would be different had the original plan been carried out.


Tell readers where you live and what colonial places you have in your state or your home state if different.
I currently live in Colorado, but I grew up in Delaware and was surrounded by Colonial era influence. From Philadelphia down to Washington, DC. But, the entire East Coast is obviously saturated with towns and places to visit. And we could get anywhere in 6 hours or less from where we lived. It was rather convenient. Now, it seems to take forever to get anywhere out here in the mountain state. And there isn’t much influence from Colonial times here. Colorado didn’t even become a state until 1876, more than 100 years beyond the Colonial era. If I want Colonial influence, I have to travel back East.

Giveaway:  Tiffany is doing an autographed giveaway. Leave a comment with your email address for a chance to win.  



Bio: Tiffany Amber Stockton has been crafting and embellishing stories since childhood. Today, she is an award-winning author, speaker, online marketing specialist, and a freelance web site designer who lives with her husband and fellow author, Stuart Vaughn Stockton, in Colorado. They have a toddler daughter, a baby boy, and a vivacious Australian shepherd named Roxie. She loves to travel, sing, cook, and study history.

Her writing career began in high school with the publication of her first children’s book, but she didn’t pursue adult fiction until she wrote her first novel in 1999. She joined ACFW in 2002 and attended their annual conferences each year, receiving a request for a proposal in September 2004. Two years later, in December 2006, the request resulted in her first sale. And in January 2008, her debut novel released.

She has since sold eleven books to Barbour Publishing with more on the horizon. Three of her novels have won annual reader’s choice awards and in 2009, she was voted #1 favorite new author for the Heartsong Presents book club. Read more about her at her web site: www.amberstockton.com.



Thanks so much, Tiffany for this interview!

(CFP) Readers: You can find Tiffany’s recipe for Applejacks this coming Saturday on CQ!  It looks delicious and Noooooo……….., it is NOT the cereal!!!

Don't miss our Fiction Sampler of Promises, Promises


25 comments:

  1. Love learning more about Tiffany and her writing and love of history here:) Thanks for the great interview. Please don't enter me in the giveaway as I don't want to take away from readers. Just wanted to say I'm really looking forward to reading her next colonial release!

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  2. Carrie sure knows how to conduct an interview! These are great questions and it was so nice of Tiffany provide such fascinating answers. THe bit about New Castle I'd never heard. I loved getting to know more about Tiff's colonial interest and look forward to her coming release, Colonial Courtships. ;)

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  3. What a fun interview! I'm happy that there is a chance to win one of her books too, now I'm really curious about her work! I so envy those of you who've been able to see these real colonial towns and places of history. Out here in Oklahoma, we're even younger than Colorado! I love too that she took fragments of a story and real setting and made it her own. Sounds wonderful!

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  4. Thanks Laura and Carla and Heather! Heather, I bet what is "historical" out there is not too old, right? I remember my first fiance, an Italian, scoffing at the historical homes in Charleston, SC! Compared to Italy it was all very new!

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  5. Lol, yeah, we're pretty freshly made around here when it comes to 'white' culture. Oklahoma didnt become a state until 1907, our oldest building in my hometown is from 1898.

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  6. Enjoyed the interview; I have Liberty's Promise so I'm just adding a hello to Carrie, and thank you, Amber-- Continued Blessings on your call to write historical romance--especially in the early American time period.

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  7. Gah! I was working on a client's blog and web site and forgot to sign out before commenting. Now, I'm back, but I had to delete that comment posted on her account. :)

    Laura, thanks for stopping by. And it's only a little less than a year for my new Colonial release. In the meantime, I have another novel releasing in the Fall, and book 2 in that new series releasing in April 2012.

    Carla, I'm looking forward to YOUR story in our collection as well. :)

    Heather, I feel your pain. But there IS a lot of rich history where we both live now. Just might not be "white" culture. :)

    And Pat, thanks for the adding blessings. I'll never turn those away!

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  8. First of all, I wanted to say that Tiffany's hair color is gorgeous! I didn't like it on my rascally little brothers when we were growing up, but it looks beautiful on you! I really enjoyed the interview, Carrie and Tiffany, and I so wish there were more really GOOD Colonial era books out there!

    dianalflowers@aol.com

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  9. Tiffany: growing up in Delaware surrounded by all that history, no small wonder you write Colonial Fiction! That must ahve been so cool! I can't imagine how much you learned! Sounds like a great book! I love Colonial fiction.

    Please enter me

    crazi.swans at gmail dot com

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  10. This is an enjoyable interview you and Tiffany did together. I learned a little about Delaware history as well as remembering my visit to Williamsburg years ago. I count historical fiction as my favorite type of read and would like to read Tiffany's writings. Thank you for offering it as a giveaway and the chance to win this fascinating book. I hope I win!

    Blessings,
    Barb Shelton
    barbjan10 at tx dot rr dot com

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  11. I recently won some of Tiffany's books but I haven't read them yet. They just arrived last week! I'm looking forward to digging into them soon. :)

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  12. What a fun interview this was to read. I love reading books about colonial times.

    Blessings,
    Jo
    ladijo40(at)aol(dot)com

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  13. Diana, thanks again for the FB promo, too! Good to see a posse of ACFW Book Club gals here too! Glad you all liked the interview and love colonial fiction!

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  14. Wow, I can't believe I've lived this close to New Castle all these years and didn't really know about it. Thanks for sharing the info about the places and the writing. Sounds terrific!

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  15. Thanks Carrie and Tiffany for the great interview. I love getting lost in a great historical book, can't wait to read this one. Thanks for the chance to win! tsmathews61@gmail.com

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  16. Hi Teresa, I just packed a box for you and one for Faye as I catch up on our CQ and my OTT mailings! Kate, I have lived in Yorktown, VA, for over a decade and just recently went to the Moore House, which is where the terms of surrender were signed for Cornwallis surrendering after the Battle of Yorktown (their aides did all the work, BTW, just like today!)

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  17. Great interview, Tiff and Carrie! I'm so pleased to have known Tiff since the beginnings of ACFW, and she did my main website for me. What a delight it's been to see you develop as an author, Tiff, and to watch your lovely family grow! May God continue to bless you!

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  18. So glad for all the nice comments about the interview!

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  19. Tiffany,

    After reading this post, I am going to put New Castle on my list of future travel destinations! Looking forward to the release of your book!

    Stacie
    smgerathy@gmail.com

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  20. Thanks, Joan! And Carla, I am grateful, too, to our readers! Stacie, just came back from the post office. New Castle does sound interesting!

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  21. Wow! I go away for 1 day and come back to a whole passel of comments. :)

    Diana, thank you for your super sweet remark about my hair color. Used to hate it, but now I love it. Only wish my daughter would have stayed a redhead. (sniffle)

    Faye, I'm sure where I used to live *did* impact my choice of writing genres.

    Barb, historical fiction is my favorite as well. As if there were any doubt. :)

    Pegg, good to see you here. Looking forward to hearing from you once you've had a chance to read the books.

    Kate, where do you live if you're close to New Castle?

    Teresa, I also love getting lost in a good historical novel. Takes me back to simpler times.

    Joan, your site remains a favorite of my designs, and you've been quite an inspiration to me in my writing journey.

    Stacie, glad I can help add to your future travel destinations. New Castle truly is a beautiful little town. You're going to love it.

    Good luck everyone!

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  22. I learned more about the DE/MD/VA area from this interview. Now I'm interested in visiting New Castle. Thanks for sharing your love of this area and its history.

    Connie Walsh Brown
    sequoiajoy@gmail.com

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  23. Congratulations to Kate Dolan, who I recently learned also has written some colonial fiction! I will let Tiffany know that you won the giveaway!

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  24. Glad to hear it, Connie. And that area is more commonly known as the Delmarva Peninsula. All of Delaware (De), plus the Eastern shore of Maryland mar), and a sliver of Virginia (va).

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  25. Enjoyed reading the comments. I grew up in Colorado which does have a lot of history of the settling of the West. Do you plan to write a book with that time period?
    JWIsley(at)aol(dot)com

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