Help we welcome fellow Black Opal Books author Tierney James
Returning home in hopes of putting her life back together after several disastrous relationships, Fawn finds that the man who drove her away ten years earlier is waiting to pick up where he left off. Her father is determined to keep them apart and hide the secret that forced her to run away from the handsome Garrett Horton. He’s convinced Garrett wants Fawn’s inheritance and his lead mines. But nothing will stop Garrett this time from taking what he wants most—a heart as hard as the lead he brings up from the Ozark mines.
Bio:
Tierney
James is a former Solar System Ambassador for NASA’s Jet Propulsion Lab as well
as a former geography teacher. Besides working on a Native American
reservation, floating the Okavango Delta of Botswana, Africa and visiting The
Great Wall of China, she has spent time at Space Camp for Educators and
volunteering her time for Friends of the Library board. Living in a mining
community for many years led to writing the novel, The Rescued Heart, a
romantic suspense. Between traveling,
gardening and writing, Tierney serves as an officer for Sleuth’s Ink, a mystery
writing group. Creating a writing workshop for beginning writers is her latest
project.
Your books stretch from
children’s stories about cancer to action thrillers like An Unlikely Hero. Now
you’ve added the romantic suspense The Rescued Heart. How are the two
adult novels different?
An
Unlikely Hero is
about getting caught up in a terrorist attack by a soccer mom. The Rescued
Heart comes from personal experiences of living in a mining community for
many years. My husband is a mine engineer and would go into the bowels of the
earth every day. There is a unique culture in a mining community. I wanted to
share that risk every family experiences when involved in mining.
Your book takes place in the Ozarks. How realistic is that?
There is so
much mining in the state of Missouri it should be called The State of Mines not
The Show Me State. At one point Missouri
produced more lead than any place in the world. It was also the highest grade.
Hard rock miners work in cavernous mines so large a dinosaur could easily
ramble around without effort. They are
magnificent. Most people think all mines are like the coal mines you see in
West Virginia. Nothing could be further from the truth.
What did you like and
dislike about your characters in The Rescued Heart?
Big Jim Turnbough – He is the owner of Turnbough Lead
Company and a self-taught miner. He likes to be in control of everything and
everyone. Because of his lies and pride, his only child ran away to escape a
love she thought betrayed her. The things I adore about Big Jim are that he is
tough and brutally honest. When the chips are down, he caves to his need to be
rescued. In the end Jim had to depend on others. Being independent and powerful
can warp your judgment, but there are times when you just have to say, “I need
help.” Big Jim can teach us that.
Garrett Horton—Besides being a country boy with
brains, he is determined and trustworthy. His love for a woman he can never
have, fuels his energy to make mining safer for all his men, even when others
try to circumvent his authority. In the end Garrett is willing to sacrifice
everything to find the truth and suffer the consequences of his actions. I hope
if I ever get into trouble someone like Garrett is around to rescue me.
Fawn Turnbough—Disillusioned by treachery from the
two men she loves, her father and Garrett Horton, Fawn sets out to make a new
life for herself among the hard rock miners of Westfork. Saving the child of
her nemeses reveals the poor choices in her life. She fights to save the dream
she thought dead, no matter the cost. Even though her heart has become as hard
as the lead brought up from the mine, Fawn decides to risk everything. We all
have a little of Fawn in us. It’s hard to take chances on things that could
ruin what we know for sure. I want to be like her when things look their
darkest.
So what are the
projects down the road for Tierney James?
I have the
sequel to An Unlikely Hero coming out this summer. Winds of Deception
is Volume II. I’m planning on having Rooftop Angels Volume III which
takes place in Afghanistan, ready for next fall. But my current WIP is an urban
fantasy which takes place in St. Louis. More about that later, but I will say
I’m having a ball with that one.
How can readers reach
you?
Twitter:
@TierneyJames1
All my books
can be found on Amazon.
