101 Best Romances from the past decade

Thanks, Colleen Coble, for giving me the heads up on this list from BookListReader.com! And thanks to BookListReader for including #ABeautySoRare, a Belmont Mansion novel, on this list! 

Anyone reading Marcus and Eleanor's story right now?

Here are some favorite reader excerpts from A Beauty So Rare:

"Eleanor liked looking at him from this side. Actually, she liked looking at him from any angle. Although heaven help her if he ever knew. The man's ego practically entered the room before he did."

"She didn't want that—to have regrets at the end, to look back on things she wished she'd had the courage to do but didn't even try. She didn't want to merely survive this life. She wanted to live it."

Do you have a favorite quote to add?

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A Beauty So Rare made INSPY Award's 2015 Shortlist

How fun to learn that A Beauty So Rare made the INSPY Awards 2015 Shortlist!

Which ones have you read? 

Read an excerpt from A Beauty So Rare

A Beauty So Rare, 2015 Christy Finalist

I'm thrilled that A Beauty So Rare was named a 2015 Christy finalist for Best Historical Romance. And I'm also thrilled that handsome Ezra Cartee snapped a pic of himself as he (and mom) saw it as they shopped the other day.

Read more about A Beauty So Rare

Check out all the 2015 Christy Finalists

A Beauty So Rare releases in Germany today

A Beauty So Rare, the second standalone novel in the Belmont Mansion series, releases today in Germany! 

The title there is Undiscovered Beauty, which is so befitting of the story. I can hardly wait to be there next week with buddies Lynn Austin and Elizabeth Musser for our June 11-18 book tour! My lovely daughter, Kelsey, is going too, fabulous marketing assistant that she is. 

Get ready, German reader friends, here we come! 

Check out our tour schedule

Have YOU been to Germany? If yes, what was most memorable about your trip?

Buttermilk Pie from A Beauty So Rare

Yum! Here's Eleanor Braddock's delicious Buttermilk Pie "as read in" A Beauty So Rare, the second standalone Belmont Mansion novel.

Are you a Buttermilk Pie fan? And no, you don't have to love buttermilk to love this pie. You just have to love Southern scrumptiousness. Have you ever tasted a bit of heaven on earth...I mean...Buttermilk Pie?

Eleanor Braddock’s 

Southern Buttermilk Pie

2 1/2 cups sugar

4 large eggs beaten well

5 ounces buttermilk

2 Tablespoons and 2 teaspoons plain flour

1 stick melted butter

1 teaspoon vanilla

Mix well by hand in a medium-size bowl (oh, how I love a “one bowl” pie!), then pour the mixture into an unbaked pie shell (do not prick the pie shell with a fork beforehand). Bake pie at 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes until firmly set, then get ready to savor this delicious Southern delicacy…just like Marcus did! I’ve been making this pie for over thirty years. It’s a family favorite for sure, and so easy! The custard is creamy and smooth, while the top bakes to a golden yummy crunch. Enjoy!

Watch the trailer for A Beauty So Rare

Read more about A Beauty So Rare

More novel recipes

Pictures from the Franklin Main Street Festival

I had such fun on Saturday meeting with current and new reader friends at the Franklin Main Street Festival in downtown Franklin, TN. 

Thanks so much, everyone, for stopping by to see me. Made my day! I'll be right there again come the last Saturday in October for the Pumpkin Fest (thank you to Joel at Landmark Booksellers for hosting me)! 

So if you haven't made a sojourn to Nashville to see the Belmont Mansion or Belle Meade Plantation, the settings for my Southern mansion novels, that would be a great weekend in which to do it. You'll get mansions and pumpkins in one fell (or fall?) swoop! ;)  

These sweet friends drove from Indiana for the festival and to see Nashville. Bless you gals!

Thank you, again, everyone! Meeting y'all is one of the biggest highlights of writing! 

Southern hugs, 

Tamera

Booksigning this Saturday in Franklin, TN

BOOKSIGNING in quaint, historic Franklin, TN 

this Saturday, April 26 at Landmark Booksellers, 

during the Franklin Main Street Festival

Have you ever been to Franklin, TN? It's a lovely town on the outskirts of Nashville (about 20-25 minutes or so from downtown), and this weekend is the annual Franklin Main Street Festival. We'll have copies of all the Southern Mansion books available.

I'll also have a special little "pink something" for the first 20 readers who stop by. More details on the festival here. Are you planning on coming? 

Sure hope our paths cross this weekend!

A Beauty So Rare at Kroger

Attention Kroger Shoppers!

Did you know that A Beauty So Rare is on sale now at Kroger? I kid you not. 

The next time you visit your local Kroger store, breeze down the book aisle and let me know if you see Eleanor there in all her pink glory! If you do, snap a pic and share it here! 

I suggested to the Kroger book rep that we set up a display of books with sacks of russet potatoes, either that or strawberry milk, but apparently my idea didn't go over too well... : )

Are you a Kroger shopper?

Meet the Woman Behind the Cover Dress

Beth Schoenherr,
Seamstress Extraordinaire
who sewed the dress on the cover of
A Beauty So Rare

Hey friends!

Have you ever wanted to meet the woman who sewed the dress on a novel cover? Then please allow me to introduce you to Beth Schoenherr, the ever-so-talented seamstress who sewed Eleanor Braddock’s dress for the cover of A Beauty So Rare. 

I’m thrilled that Beth was willing to share about her experience in making the dress, and I love the behind-the-scenes glimpses she shares. I hope you will, too!

Tamera: Where did inspiration for the dress for A Beauty So Rare come from (both the style and color)?

Beth: The style, of course, was determined by the post–Civil War timing of the story.

I believe the cover designer and editors talked about a garden setting and felt pink would look lovely against the backdrop of the green foliage and other flowers, which it does! I then had the fun of finding the right shade of pink to keep it a believable color for the time. Hot pink or neon pink, of course, would never do!

Tamera: Um, no. LOL! Not even Adelicia Acklen could have coerced Eleanor into neon pink! ; )

Keep reading... You'll gain a new appreciation
for all these pleats!

Tamera: Have you made dresses for photo shoots before?

Beth: I started doing period costumes for men, women, and children in amateur theater in 1999 and then had opportunities in the following years to progress to working in the costume shop of a professional theater. This is my first costume for a photo shoot, however.

Tamera: How cool, Beth. I’m so grateful for your work on this dress. Well done!

Tamera: Do you have an appreciation for period clothing? And if yes, what’s your favorite style of women’s dresses from history?

Beth: I do enjoy period clothing. I don’t think I can pick one favorite style though. I just enjoy the various and changing silhouettes and fabrics throughout the history of fashion.

Tamera: Understandable. I have many "favorites," too!

Tamera: What’s the most challenging dress you’ve created for a cover (and what was most challenging about it)? Also, what has been your most challenging sewing project in general?

Beth: As I mentioned, this is the first dress I have made for a cover. It has been really fun and exciting to create this dress from scratch and then see it on the cover of this book. A new experience I had when making this dress was the cartridge pleats at the back of the skirt. The pattern called for the front and side pieces of the skirt to be pleated to fit into the waistband and left only a five-inch opening in the back of the waistband. Then I had to fit the 50-inch-wide piece of fabric for the back part of the skirt into that five-inch opening. I thought, “There is no way I’m going to get that much fabric into that little space.” But the cartridge pleats worked fabulously at neatly pleating 50” down to 5”.

The most challenging costume I worked on was a waistcoat designed and then cut out by someone else and given to me to sew. Not a single piece matched up in size to its coordinating piece. There was no extra fabric to work with so I had to just rework the pieces I had while making sure the finished garment would still fit the actor it was designed for. Definitely a “make it work” project!

Finally, probably the most thrilling dress I got to make was the first complete dress for a play at the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis. Many of my costumes prior to that had to be remakes of existing dresses or costumes due to tight budgets. But I was graciously given the opportunity to sew, from start to finish, the schoolteacher dress in Little House on the Prairie: The Musical, which premiered at the Guthrie and then went on to tour nationally. It was so exciting to see the professionally-designed dress come together step-by-step and then to see it on stage.

Tamera: I bet that was a rewarding experience with Little House on the Prairie: the Musical, Beth. Congratulations! I’ve always admired people who know how to sew, and sew well! 

Thank you for sharing your talent and time with us – and with the cover of my latest novel!

For more "behind the scenes" glimpses from the photo shoot for A Beauty So Rare, visit here.

~Tamera 

A Beauty So Rare #GIVEAWAY

Sponsored by Bethany House Publishers...

click to enter

Hey friends, 

I'm thrilled to share this with you. Best wishes, and be sure to leave a comment letting me know you're entering!

Tamera

About the prizes:

1st Prize Package: A Kitchen Full of Love

Eleanor Braddock loves to cook, but her dream of opening a restaurant and becoming self-sufficient takes her down a road she wouldn’t have chosen for herself. When her life intersects with those of widows and fatherless children, she finds her dream challenged and her heart––and kitchen––suddenly filled in ways she never imagined. Enjoy everything you need to fill your table with food and your kitchen with love as part of this first-prize package.

1. KitchenAid Gourmet Stainless 10-Piece Cookware Set with copper base core for even heating. This professional quality set has beautiful tempered glass lids, is dishwasher safe and is exquisite in style and function. Enjoy your kitchen again, and serve your family a plate of love.

2. First Prize Pies: Shoo-Fly, Candy Apple, and Other Deliciously Inventive Pies for Every Week of the Year … a cookbook by Allison Kave. Eleanor Braddock had to try her recipes over and over until she found perfection, but this delicious cookbook has done the hard work for you, and you will love every delicious bite of the results!

3. Turquoise Fiesta Deep Pie Dish – Give your pie masterpieces the flare they deserve with this gorgeous dish.

4. A $100 gift in your honor:  The simple tools to be able to prepare a meal can change a woman’s life.  It changed Eleanor’s life and the lives of the women and children around her.  As part of this first prize package, a gift of $100 will be donated to OXFAM to provide cooking stoves to 4 women in need. This stove offers both warmth and meal preparation and is an essential survival tool for displaced women. 

5. Your own copy of Tamera Alexander’s exquisitely written new book, A Beauty So Rare.

2nd Prize Package: No Ordinary Bloom

1. Marcus Gottfried is much more than he appears on the day Eleanor Braddock meets him. Mistaking him for an under-gardener, she watches in fascination––and a tad disbelief––as he seeks to create a rose the color of dawn that has been commissioned by her wealthy aunt. For the second-prize package, we’ve sought to capture that same sense of beauty. The Day Breaker Floribunda Rose is the embodiment of Marcus’s commission. This stunning rose bush will be a bright addition to any garden and will remind you year after year of the true nature of beauty.

2. One of the themes of A Beauty So Rare is the depth of God’s forgiveness and the hope that offers. Be inspired in your own journey of hope by both the beauty of this bronze statue of the Prodigal Son, and its message of reconciliation.

3. The winner of 2nd prize will receive both of the books in Tamera Alexander’s Belmont Mansion Series. The books stand alone (meaning they can be read separately from one another), but give such an amazing insight into this gorgeous Nashville estate and period in time, you will love the opportunity to read them both.

A Beauty So Rare Available on Kindle

To my Kindle Readers! A Beauty So Rare is 

NOW AVAILABLE for download

BUY THE e-BOOK

No more waiting until April 1st, friends! If you pre-ordered A Beauty So Rare from Amazon, it should already be on your eReader. 

I'd love to know when it downloads! And a picture of you reading would be like having an Iced Caramel Latte with whipped cream on top. Well, almost like that. 

Thanks, friends, for your enthusiasm over this book's arrival. I hope you enjoy Marcus and Eleanor's journey!

Seeing you in all YOUR BEAUTY!

I am loving see you gals in all your beauty!  I hope you enjoy A Beauty So Rare and would love to hear from you when you're finished! 

If you haven't shared your picture with your print copy of the book (or your ebook, which is releasing any hour now!) on my Facebook Page, please do! I'd love to see you there! And thanks for reading.

Thanks, Valerie, for reading!

Lisa, sweet author buddy, hope you enjoy!

Susan, LOVED your analogy of chocolate! Hope you enjoy the story!

A Beauty So Rare signing at Belmont Mansion in Nashville, TN

Thanks to everyone who came to the book signing Sunday, March 16 at Belmont Mansion in Nashville. Over 500 people came through Adelicia's front door for the "free day" at the mansion––and to celebrate Adelicia's birthday first and foremost, of course! 

I had the pleasure of meeting and chatting with so many of you, and signing your books, too. Which was such a joy to know you're taking yet another "journey" with me as you read. Thank you for coming, and for reading! I especially hope you enjoy A Beauty So Rare.

So exciting! I finally got to meet Connor DaCosta, such a handsome little man. Catherine and Erik, bless you for getting out a rainy Sunday afternoon to come by. Your son is so precious! 

Jeanne (Alfveby Crea), what a total joy to finally get to meet and hug! Thank you for lugging all of your "Tamera" books from Minnesota to Nashville. I was honored to sign each one! Blessings on your week in ATL and hope you enjoy my hometown. Much love, friend. P.S. LOVING my scarf, and my book! 

Last week I had the opportunity to Skype with a group of great gals in Newnan, GA. Well, this sweet lady is a sister to one of those women, so she stopped by "on order of her sister" to visit yesterday. Ha! Was fun.

This pretty little gal, Corinne, is the great-great-great-great granddaughter of Adelicia Acklen's sister Corinne! I felt like I was in the presence of royalty! Bless you Corinne (and to your mom and grandmother) for coming by.

What a joy to meet you, April (Simpkins). You radiate warmth and welcome, friend. April and I had a chance to talk, and I learned that she's President of the Scleroderma Foundation. Scleroderma (or "hard skin") is a disease that forms excess collagen, resulting in hardening of the skin tissue, and in its systematic form, hardened organ tissues (esophagus, lungs, kidneys, and heart). Some symptoms are tightened skin, joint pain, vascular-circulation problems, fatigue, acid reflux and shortness of breath. 

If you struggle with Scleroderma or know someone who does, I encourage you to contact April at www.scleroderma.org/chapter/tn for more information on ways to help those you love who suffer from this disease, or simply to learn more about it. April, bless you, friend, and thank you for visiting!

Such a treat meeting you yesterday, Lucilla (Hodges)! I hope you enjoy your time in Florida this week, sweet friend. You look marvelous in that color, btw! I hope A Beauty So Rare proves to be an enjoyable vacation read! 

Happy Birthday, Adelcia Acklen, the woman who built the Belmont Mansion in 1853 and who is a character in all of the Belmont Mansion novels (A Lasting Impression, A Beauty So Rare, and the third Belmont novel I'll write later this fall).

Just before leaving yesterday, I ducked into the central parlor (that's being renovated this year!) and got to meet this adorable docent Natalie! Natalie's mom reads all my books, Natalie said. So sweet. Natalie is one of the many oh-so-talented and knowledgeable docents that provide tours at the Belmont Mansion. 

And don't forget, if you've read the Belmont Mansions novels and you want a "novel tour" that gives you additional "reader insights" into the various rooms and what scenes from the book happened in which rooms, etc.., be sure to ask for that when you schedule your visit. The Belle Meade Plantation offers the same type of tour if you've read To Whisper Her Name, the first of three Belle Meade Plantation novels.

I have more book signings and speaking engagements coming up. So check my website often (as we're adding events as they're confirmed) to see if one of them is near you!

I hope our paths cross soon, friend, and thank you reading.

Tamera

First copy of A Beauty So Rare (what fun!!)

Look what was waiting on my doorstep when Jack and I got back from a walk this afternoon. 

When I saw it, I guessed that it might be the first copy of A Beauty So Rare from my publisher. 

And…it was! 

Want to join me as I open the package? 

Gracious, it's wonderful to finally hold a copy of this book. It's been a long time coming, but I so hope you enjoy it! 

At the end of the video, I mention something about the "mustache scarf" I'm wearing. I heard about it from www.KevinandAmanda.com. She looks far cuter in it than I do. 

Here's Amanda sportin' it...

I told you. She's a doll, right? 

Amanda's posts are always such fun, and so pretty. A feast for the eyes. And palate! Check out their Facebook Page and also their website. 

Thanks for sharing the moment with me, friends.

I appreciate you, and hope you enjoy A Beauty So Rare, the second stand-alone novel in the Belmont Mansion series. Is it on your TBR list, by chance?

More about the book

Watch the trailer for the novel

Excerpt for A Beauty So Rare, a Belmont Mansion novel

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Morning friends! 

The excerpt from A Beauty So Rare, the second stand-alone novel in the Belmont Mansion series, is up and waiting for you. And it's nice and long since the book is the same. Hope you enjoy! The rest of the novel is coming March 25 to a bookstore or eReader near you. 

Thanks so much for taking yet another journey with me, and please know that––as you read the dedication––I mean every word.

More below…

   

The back cover of the novel

More about A Beauty So Rare

Several have asked where the cover was photographed. It was photographed at the Como Park Zoo and Conservatory in Minneapolis. Have you been there? Are you a nature lover? A gardener?

I learned so much about 19th century gardening and grafting as I wrote this story. Such fun!

~Tammy

Original pieces return to the Belmont Mansion

Thanks to Adelicia Acklen's great-great granddaughter, Elise Quigley of Sacramento, California, this has been an exciting month for the Belmont Mansion…

If you've not heard of the Belmont Mansion in Nashville, TN, it's the home of Adelicia Acklen, the richest woman in America in the 1860s. And a woman that I, admittedly, have grown to love and respect over the past few years.

Belmont Mansion, Nashville, TN

I've spent countless hours researching family files, spending time in her home, walking where she walked, reading her letters, and delving into her life as I prepared to write the Belmont Mansion novels.*

Adelicia's gorgeous Southern home, originally named Belle Monte, is the setting for A Lasting Impression and A Beauty So Rare (April 2014), the first and second Belmont Mansion novels in the 3-book series. 

And now, what's old is new (to the mansion) again…

Elise Quigley, Adelicia's great-great granddaughter, has generously seen fit to return two items that belonged to Adelicia––an unusual silver coffee pot and a leather covered box.

Elise Quigley holding two original pieces that belonged to Adelicia

As noted in the latest newsletter from the Belmont Mansion… 

"The silver coffee pot is of monumental size, standing 13 inches tall. Manufactured by Gotham of New York City, the pot represents a renewed interest in classical details during the post-civil War period, as exhibited in the Neo-Grec design. Gorham retailed a number of their products at Tiffany's. As the premier silver manufacturer of the 1860s, all their offerings were quite popular. The Acklen family name is engraved on the face of the pot, just below the bas-relief profile of a woman.

Adelicia likely purchased this piece as part of a larger set on her return from her grand tour of Europe in 1866. The coffee pot would have been used for formal occasions in either the Dining Room or the Central Parlor. A tea pot, footed tray, creamer, and sugar bowl would have completed this formal service. Currently, the coffee pot can be viewed through the Dish Pantry window. Imagine, if Adelicia had seven sets of china, how many sets of silver do you think she kept?

Adelicia's letterbox is of American manufacture with tooled leather applied to a white pine base, brass strapwork in the English Renaissance style and dates from the mid-1850s. A monogrammed brass shield with the letters "AA" is located in the center of the lid. The box can be opened to reveal a slanted writing space, a compartment for paper, ink pens, envelopes, and two holes for ink wells. Adelicia's letterbox can now be seen on the ladies secretary in the Tête-à-Tête Room."

I haven't seen these items in person yet but can hardly wait to get to the mansion again. And you can bet both of these items will be in the third Belmont novel. But tell me…

What's something special you would like to see tucked inside Adelicia's letterbox in the third Belmont novel? If I use your idea, I'll give you full credit in the Author's Note at the end of the novel.

Blessings on your Tuesday,

Tammy

* When I wrote about studying Adelicia's life and home above, it reminded me of how excited I am to be in BSF again––studying the life and ministry of Jesus.

We're studying the book of Matthew this year. If you're in BSF, give a shout out. I'd love to know we have that common. If you're not, check out BSF here and see if it's something you'd be interested in. It's a life-changing study. And this Wednesday is a Welcome Day! So feel free to go and check it out.

Last day to enter for Colorado Romance

and Rocky Mountain Chocolate

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Eleanor Braddock's Pumpkin Bread

I made pumpkin bread yesterday - yum! - and my house still smells cozy and fallish… 

Eleanor Braddock's Pumpkin Bread
~ recipe below ~ 

This is a recipe I've had for many, many years, and that my heroine Eleanor Braddock makes in A Beauty So Rare, the second Belmont Mansion novel. I'm finishing rewrites on that novel now! 

Eleanor loves to cook and bake so this book is chock-full of scrumptious Southern delights. Can't wait to share Eleanor's story (and her cooking!) with you. 

What recipe do you make that says "fall" to you? 

Eleanor Braddock’s Pumpkin Bread

3 cups plain flour
3 cups white sugar*
½ tsp baking powder
1 ½ tsp salt
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp each cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg
1 cup oil
1 cup water
1 15-ounce can pumpkin
4 eggs
1 cup chopped nuts

Mix dry ingredients first, then blend in the rest. Bake in two greased and floured loaf pans for 50 minutes at 350. Check for doneness. Don’t overbake.

*I bake with Xylitol, which is a naturally occurring sugar substitute found in most plant sugar substitute, and it bakes like a dream! Great for diabetics and if you’re looking to lower calories.

More about A Beauty So Rare
(April 2014)

A Beauty So Rare available for pre-order now

Read an excerpt from A Lasting Impression 

Eleanor Braddock, a spinster––plain and practical, no stunning Southern beauty--
has long since dismissed any hope of marriage. But when a dying soldier whispers his final words, she believes her life can still have meaning and determines to find his widow. 

But this compassionate deed takes a harsh turn, and Eleanor finds herself dependent upon the richest woman in American and the most despised woman in Nashville--her aunt, Adelicia Acklen, mistress of Belmont Mansion. A clandestine act of kindness leads Eleanor to an unlikely path for her life--building a home for destitute widows and children from the Civil War. And while Eleanor knows her own heart, she also knows her aunt will never approve.

Rudolf Marcus Gottfried, Archduke of the House of Habsburg and fourth in line to the Austrian throne, arrives in Nashville in search of a life he determines, instead of one determined for him. Collaborating with botanist Luther Burbank, Marcus seeks to combine his own passion for nature with his expertise in architecture. But his plans to incorporate natural beauty into the design of the widow's and children's home run contrary to the wishes of practical, frugal Eleanor, who sees his ideas as costly nonsense.

Yet as the construction project continues, Marcus and Eleanor find common ground--and a love neither of them expected. But Marcus is not the man Adelicia has chosen for Eleanor to marry, and even if he were, someone who knows Marcus's secrets is about to reveal them all.