READ: Women of Faith and Fiction ~ Tamera Lynn Kraft. PDF, EPUB online free reviews.

This morning I am happy to introduce you to friend and author, Tamera Kraft. Tamera is a wife, mother, children’s ministry consultant, and writer. Tamera, tell us a little about yourself.

I have always loved reading adventures. I love to write historical fiction set in the United States because there are so many stories in American history. There are strong elements of faith, romance, suspense and adventure in my stories. I have received 2nd place in the NOCW contest, 3rd place TARA writer’s contest, and am a finalist in the Frasier Writing Contest. My two novellas in print are A Christmas Promise and Resurrection of Hope. My first full length novel, Alice’s Notions, was released in April, and my next full length novel, Red Sky over America will be available February, 2018.

I’ve been married for 38 years to the love of my life, Rick, and have two married adult children and two grandchildren. I am also a children’s ministry consultant and revivalist and the founder of Revival Fire for Kids ministry. You can find out more about me and my books on my website at http://tameralynnkraft.net.

Congratulations on your marriage and your awards! And your new house is gorgeous. I know you are exciting about this coming year. Time for the next question. This month’s theme is self-control. Please share your thoughts with our readers.

Wow, that’s a hard one. Self-control is not really controlled by our own selves. As Romans 7:19 says, ” For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing.” The only way any of us can control our speech, actions, and thoughts is by being God-controlled. That’s why it is part of the fruit of the Spirit. Without the Holy Spirit to guide my life, I am fooling myself to think I can control my own actions.

In my own life, I have noticed the closer I am to God, the easier it is to control my tongue and my unruly emotions. That means I need to focus my mind on the things of God and yield myself to Him. As Romans 8:5 says, ” For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit.” So I don’t have self-control. I yield to God, and He has control.

I couldn’t have said it better myself. God-control is the key. Next question. Life is a continual journey of learning, applying, and transforming. Have you ever experienced a season when you found it difficult to have self-control? How did you overcome?

Only one? I’ve had many times where I’ve had difficulty with self-control. I would blurt out something I shouldn’t or eat that candy bar I shouldn’t eat. Yes, gluttony is a sin. In particular, I remember a season a long time ago where I was constantly falling into one particular sin. No matter how much I tried to control myself, I stumbled back in. The way I got through it was by being honest with God and surrendering to Him. He told me to make myself accountable to another sister in Christ. That was a humbling experience, but when I obeyed God and yielded, it wasn’t long before I was even tempted in that area.

We all have those seasons of diffictulty. Having a prayer partner makes a difference during those times! Now, in what genre do you write and how does your faith influence your writing?

I write Christian historical fiction. All of my historicals are set in American history. That’s an interesting question because I don’t know how to separate out my faith. My faith influences everything I do. It comes out organically in my stories. I was once asked if I will always write Christian fiction. I had to laugh because I don’t set out to write Christian fiction, but my faith is so much a part of my life, it turns out that way.

In Alice’s Notions, my current novel, Alice is a WW2 war widow going back home to a sleepy West Virginia town where she believes she’ll be safe. She finds out there’s nowhere we can hide and be safe. She relies on her faith in God to give her the courage she needs to face the struggles she’s faced with. It also deals with racism and anger when Alice finds out the European refugee she was sent to work at her shop is German. She is angry with all Germans for the death of her husband. She has to forgive and let this go before God can heal her grief.

In my novella, Resurrection of Hope, Vivian has lost everything including her hope. She finds hope again in the form of a friend of her dead fiancée who wants to marry her and take care of her. God weaves hope back in her life as she learns to love again in a marriage of convenience.

In my first novella, A Christmas Promise, Anna learns to trust God with her family’s safety. She and her husband are Moravian missionaries to the Lenape Indians in the Ohio frontier.

I agree. As Christian writers, our faith should shine forth in our writing. I’ve read Alice’s Notions and recommend it to my readers! Tamera, thank you so much for taking the time to visit and sharing your heart with us.