Of Faith and Dreams Debuts Soon!

I’m pleased to feature the debut novel of Tonya Ashley this month. There are people who instantly become a cherished friend and Tonya is one of those friends to me. She’s a sweet and giving person, who is always ready to help a friend struggling with writing issues or what life has thrown at you.  She shares a partial cover with us today and invites us to her cover reveal on her Facebook author page on March 16th.

 

This will be a fantastic book because Tonya is a fantastic writer.  I worked with Tonya and Jenny Carlisle to write a novella collection titled A Gift for All Time published in September of 2023. She answered some questions today about her herself and her new book.

Please give us an overview of this exciting new book, Tonya.

Of Faith and Dreams, takes place in 1849 Van Buren when gold prospectors swarm the town as they make final preparations for their journey west. Town resident, Justin Hogue, is trying to sell seven horses before the forty-niners leave town in twelve days. However, newcomer, Eliza Dawn, arrives requesting a room at his family’s male-only boardinghouse and life becomes far more complicated. It seems he can’t escape distractions when a steamboat captain requests his assistance in locating the recipient of a mysterious letter. Along the way, Justin might just discover the same diversions that test a man’s faith and threaten his goals are an important part of the journey to achieving his dreams.

When will the full cover be revealed and where?

Of Faith and Dreams is set to release on April 16, 2024. Readers who follow me on Facebook author page in March will learn about how to join the Of Faith and Dreams launch team. Members of the launch team will be part of an exclusive Facebook Group with early access to the book cover reveal, special content, and more leading up to release day. Don’t wait too long though—the cover reveal will be March 16^th! I can’t wait to share the fun with readers!

What are you working on right now?

I’m working on the Lost and Found series, a historical romance series set in Van Buren, Arkansas during the mid-1800s. At that time, Van Buren was on the edge of Indian Territory, the last bit of civilization before heading west. This town is a fun location to set historical fiction because it has steamboat, railroad, and Butterfield Stage history. Also, a wide variety of people passed through Van Buren during that time—from wealthy to poor, immigrants from multiple countries, freedmen and slaves, outlaws and lawmen (and an outlaw who would become a lawman). So, the town itself lends a lot of inspiration to the stories.

Each story has a reverse treasure hunt at its core. In each novel, two main characters discover a unique item and then try to find the owner. Book 2 (untitled) will be Rebecca Hogue’s story. She appears first in A Gift for All Time, a novella collection. Readers get to know her a little better in Of Faith and Dreams.

Is there someone from your family who inspired your writing?

My family is wired for story. When we gather, we share our stories and experiences whether for entertainment or lessons learned. Sometimes our stories ring with deep truths, other times the gong of tall tales—especially when fish are involved. So, storytelling has always been in my life.

However, when I was ten or eleven and became fascinated with writing, Dad said, “You know who else wrote? Your great grandfather.” He was a schoolteacher. He wrote some poems, sermons, and perhaps other things. I think I also have a great aunt (one of Great Grandpa’s daughters) who wrote some. So, there’s been a lot of support, encouragement, and inspiration in the form of fellow writers in the family and a built-in audience.

Tell us about your next writing project.

When the Lost and Found Series is complete, I hope to return to a story I began about ten years ago. It’s an around-the-world treasure-hunting story featuring medically retired Navy SEAL, Tate Sloan. He’s not sure what life will look like in retirement, but I doubt it will be as boring as he imagines.

I miss Tate. I can’t wait to get back to his story. But I have several ideas floating around in my head, so I’ll have to see if the timing feels right after I finish the Lost and Found Series.

How do you relax and recharge when you step away from writing?

That’s a big question! I love spending time with family and friends. I have a broad rotation of hobbies, like hiking, hammocking, reading, gardening, painting, crafting, playing video games, binge watching favorite shows. A certain amount of quiet time is a must. Quiet time could include Bible study, music, an essential oil diffuser, journaling, exercising.

Those are all ways I might recharge while I’m working on a project. When I’m in between projects, I’ll sometimes get a wild hair and do something crazy. After I finished Of Faith and Dreams I decided I would paint the room I just inherited to be my new writing office. Only, I couldn’t simply paint it. I decided one wall needed a forest mural—and I’ve never painted a mural before! But that project is going well and painting it brings me joy.

Describe what you feel is the hardest part about writing.

It’s tempting to say nothing and everything! Writing is easy when it’s easy. It can be hard when life is coming at you though. Sometimes unexpected things happen, and they eat up writing time. It’s important to know when to hold fast to your writing schedule and when to set it aside for more important things. Aside from life happening, the next most challenging thing is trying to keep the same level of motivation from one day to the next. It isn’t usually a problem for me if I’m writing every day, but if I get off schedule or there’s too much time between projects my motivation takes a hit. Then I simply have to recommit and get going.

What do you find is the greatest blessing of being a writer?

Community. One hundred percent. I’m not only talking about other writers. There is nothing like connecting with fellow writers and readers. Or readers who would-be writers. It’s a unique community that encourages and promotes the sharing of stories. And you know why they do it? Because story connects us. We read a story and relate to it because of an experience we’ve had ourselves. Then, when we tell a friend about the story we’ve read, it opens a conversation about our experiences. Pretty soon, we’ve discovered that we’re more the same than different. We’re not alone. What a blessing to be part of that conversation!

Is there a genre you’d consider in the future that differs from that/those you do now?

I do have some story ideas that fall into other genres, including adventure/treasure hunting, contemporary romance, post-apocalyptic, and middle-grade hunting/fantasy.

Which book or book series have you recently enjoyed reading?

I recently finished Jenny Carlisle’s Crossroads series. Each novel is great as a standalone, but I so loved the characters I just kept reading. It warmed my heart through and through. It was the kind of series that felt like home.

What’s your best advice for other writers?

Go ahead and quit. You can always start again tomorrow. And sometimes that’s exactly what you need to do to move forward—quit and start again. Life can be overwhelming. Take care of your heart and soul first, then come back to the page later. Because your heart and soul are the most important things you bring to your stories.

Do you have a funny memory you’re willing to share with us? (Sometimes these can be embarrassing!)

Writers tend to dive deep into their story worlds and sometimes it can be difficult to rejoin the real world after a writing session. At one point, while writing Of Faith and Dreams, I had to stop writing because it was time to pick my son up from school. As I was driving, an oncoming vehicle drifted into my lane. I said a line of dialog (“Move over! Move over!). When the vehicle jerked back into the proper lane, I sucked in a quick breath and said, “She gasped.”

I hadn’t stopped writing in my head and started narrating my life! lol

Is there someone famous (alive or passed) who has inspired you positively or negatively?

I read the book A Hobbit, A Wardrobe, and a Great War by Joseph Loconte many years ago. I became fascinated by the friendship between J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis. Having lost all their dearest friends during WWI, this new friendship grew from sharing their losses. It was a dark and dismal time in the world’s history. Largely, the writing of many authors of the time was colored by the darkness in the world. Yet Lewis and Tolkien wrote from a place of hope. They wrote about hard things and the dark places of the human heart, but light and hope always won the day. Their faith is evident in their works.

Like Lewis and Tolkien, I hope to create stories that carry a strong element of adventure and faith, no matter the genre.

Links to Tonya:

https://www.facebook.com/tonya.b.ashley.author

https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B0CJRS731F