Looking Out the Window: Harlequin Heartwarming Author Tanya Agler Introduces A Ranger For The Twins, Her Newest Book

 

A Warm Welcome to Tanya Agler

Tanya will give away a Kindle e-Book of one of her earlier books, The Sheriff’s Second Chance. Read about the story below and leave a comment and email address to enter to win.

Hi Tanya.

Hi, and thank you, Gail, so much for hosting me on your blog today! 

The pleasure's mine. Tell us a little about yourself.

I’m a write-at-home mom of four. I moved around a lot as a child (my dad was in the military and then he had a job that transferred him often) before settling in Georgia. I attended the University of Georgia and graduated with an A.B.J. in Journalism and a J.D. degree in Law, and it’s also where I met my husband. 

When I’m not reading or writing, I love classic movies, especially those with Cary Grant or Jimmy Stewart. I also love walking and exploring Georgia. Cloudland Canyon and Tallulah Gorge are two of my favorites. You can often find me reading with a cup of tea at my side.

Lots of writers were avid readers as children. What about you? If so, what did you read?

Reading has been a part of my life as long as I can remember. One of my most cherished keepsakes from my childhood are the books that traveled with us as we moved around. My parents wrote my name in cursive inside my Dr. Seuss collection, and I’ve added the names of my children whenever I read those books to their classmates on Dr. Seuss Day. The first series I really loved was Trixie Belden although I wanted to be Honey, not Trixie! I was also a huge fan of The Borrowers by Mary Norton and The Happy Hollisters series. Then I discovered Anne of Green Gables on a library rack in seventh grade and that’s one of the books I’ve read multiple times.

Tell about your latest book.

In A Ranger for the Twins, Lucie Decker went from being the town darling to total pariah. Now she’s launching a new business and needs ranger Caleb Spindler’s help. And her twins adore Caleb. After all, he’s a genuine hero—even if he is hiding a secret. But while Lucie’s heart has forgotten how to trust, it still remembers how to fall in love…

It’s an uplifting story about finding treasures in unexpected places. For Lucie that treasure is redeeming herself after difficult circumstances rip her life apart. For Caleb it’s finding people who accept him for who he is rather than circumstances which elevated him in some people’s eyes. At the heart of it all, it’s a happy story about redemption and never giving up hope.

Buy A Ranger for the Twins on Harlequin

and Amazon

How do you get to know your characters?

I’m a plotter so, whenever possible, I spend a couple of weeks thinking of the characters. I think of a premise and then I consider each character and why they are the way they are. One writer once gave me the advice of asking why about everything each character does, and then ask why at least one more time. During this time, I also start looking online for pictures of how I envision the character so I can have a better visual picture. Then once I get to know them a little better and have an idea of what they look like, I start looking at the book through a movie camera lens and think of the different possibilities. 

How do you balance writing, family responsibilities, or other obligations?

I love attending writers’ conferences. Overall, I’m an introvert, but I always feel at home around other writers. Whenever I go to a writing conference, I always attend at least one class on time management! It’s one of my favorite topics as I search out ways to make better use of my time while still making sure that my family knows how much they contribute to my writing. One thing I’ve told my twins is that one of the reasons I write is that it’s been my dream, and that by allowing me to write, they can see dreams can come true with hard work and determination (and a lot of prayer). 

Right now, I write at the same dining room table where my twins are involved in digital learning. Mornings are devoted to writing while afternoons are more focused on emails, marketing, and social media. Whereas I used to work out at the gym before I picked my twins up from school, now I use time after dinner to take them on a walk around the neighborhood so I can exercise. 

However, I’m always open to suggestions. And my kitchen is never totally clean!

In three words describe your style of writing.

Hopeful, lighthearted, heartwarming.

Do you put yourself in your books?

Not directly. I do, however, try to plant family names or fun little Easter eggs in my books. One of my cherished keepsakes from my dad is a family history called Frederick’s Hope, and I try to insert one or two last names from my family or my husband’s family into each book. Caleb Spindler’s last name is actually the maiden name of my great-great-great grandmother. I also try to slip in something fun. In A Ranger for the Twins, Ladybug is a bulldog, which is a tie-in to my college alma mater, the University of Georgia (mascot: Bulldogs). 

Do you have any advice for aspiring writers?

Yes! When I first started writing, I went to a local library and wrote a couple of pages every day before I finally told my husband about my wanting to write a book and taking steps to doing so. He told me he’d always known I was a writer and wondered what took me so long to acknowledge it! However, I still didn’t read any books about writing or show my work to anyone. And I finished that book and received twenty rejections in short order. After my twins were born, I kept wanting to write, and when they entered preschool, I decided I was going to go a different route this time. I started attending writing classes where I found out about local writing groups. I joined some organizations and went to my first conference where a new friend and I decided to exchange first chapters and become critique partners. The following year we both were finalists in the same writing contest, and now we are both published writers. I’m an introvert but I find writers to be very easy to talk to because we all want to help each other. 

So my advice to aspiring writers is to show your work to a writer for feedback and join writing organizations. My other piece of advice is to try to write as consistently as possible for your schedule so you finish a book. 

What are you working on right now?

I’m currently in final edits for my third book, The Soldier’s Unexpected Family, which comes out in March of 2021. And I just finished the first draft of my fourth book, which features Jonathan Maxwell, Caleb’s cousin (Caleb’s the hero of A Ranger for the Twins).

Tanya's Kindle e-Book Giveaway

About The Sheriff's Second Chance

Officer and single dad Mike Harrison doesn’t believe in second chances. Ever. That is, until he learns that his former best friend—gorgeous green-eyed car mechanic Georgie Bennett—is back in town. Unfortunately, she’s also a suspect in a recent break-in! But it’ll take an old classic car to show Mike and Georgie that almost anything can be restored with a little patience…and a whole lot of love.

Buy on  Amazon

BN.com: Barnes and Noble

and Harlequin

Bio:

 An award-winning author, Tanya Agler moved often during her childhood and settled in Georgia where she writes sweet contemporary romance novels, which feature small towns, family and pets, and themes of second chances and hope. Her debut, The Sheriff’s Second Chance, is a January of 2020 Harlequin Heartwarming release with her second novel, A Ranger for the Twins, being released by Harlequin Heartwarming in October of 2020. A graduate of the University of Georgia with degrees in journalism and law, she lives with her wonderful husband, their four children, and a newly-rescued beagle/Basset mix. Represented by Dawn Dowdle and the Blue Ridge Literary Agency, she’s currently at work writing new books.  When she’s not writing, Tanya loves classic movies, walking, and a good cup of tea. 

Learn more about Tanya on her Website

Connect with her on Facebook

Goodreads Goodreads 

and  Instagram