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