“The Tea Chest” by Heidi Chiavaroli … and a GIVEAWAY!

 

Heidi is here to share a bit about her latest release, The Tea Chest.  Her publisher has offered to give away a hard copy of the book (US ONLY).  You can enter by using the Rafflecopter link at the end of the post. (Giveaway ends February 21, 2020 If you are the randomly chosen winner, I’ll contact you.)  

Q&A with Heidi…

Q: The Tea Chest links the stories of a young woman from colonial New England and a contemporary woman training to become America’s first female Navy SEAL. What inspired you to connect these two characters?

A:  This inspiration definitely came slowly for me! Since I knew I wanted to write about the events of the Boston Tea Party, I dove into researching everything I could about the circumstances surrounding it. My historical heroine, Emma Malcolm, was birthed when I read an account of the brutal tarring and feathering of customs official John Malcolm. This servant of the Crown was quite a character in his own right—very outspoken and stubborn with no patience for the antics of the Patriots. And yet I found myself feeling compassion for him. He was treated cruelly and inhumanely by those we find ourselves lauding as heroes today.

I imagined what it’d be like if he had a daughter—one who sympathized with the Sons of Liberty . . . one who sympathized with the very political side her father was intent on squelching. What if his daughter befriended those plotting to dump the tea? What if she aided them? What if she was even in love with one of them?

Once I had the historical story line down, I thought it might be fun to explore a contemporary woman who also longs to fight for her country and prove herself the best way she knows how. In my research about women in the military, I learned that in July 2017, it was announced that for the first time, a woman would enter the training pipeline to become a Navy SEAL. I imagined what this unidentified woman had gone through and what propelled her to enter such rigorous training. I decided to explore her story in fiction.

Emma and Hayley, my contemporary heroine, both long to serve their country despite broken families. They both long to prove themselves and seek a greater worth and identity.

Q:  Are any of the characters based on historical figures from the Revolutionary War? What did researching these lives teach you?

A:  Oh yes! That’s always one of my favorite parts. John Malcolm was a real person in history. I struggled whether to use him or not in my story. Historical accounts show he was a hard man, intent on looking for trouble. Of course, just because there was nothing good written of him doesn’t mean there was nothing good in his actual life. As a historical fiction author, I try to show the sides many of us see in our own lifetimes. I long to show real historical figures as close as possible to their true selves. This is a challenge, especially when dealing with someone we might consider the “bad guy.” In the end, I did use him and almost all the accounts that I read of him, staying as true to the picture we have as possible but also trying to give him a bit more humanity.

Another character I used was Sarah Bradlee Fulton. She was given credit for the idea of using Mohawk Indian disguises when dumping the tea. She was also known as a bit of a feisty colonial lady! I enjoyed reading about her and used her character to inspire my historical heroine, Emma, to bravery and faith.

As always in my research, I was most fascinated studying the different personalities and relationships of these historical figures. They lived hundreds of years ago in a vastly different world, and yet the struggles of their hearts—and the celebration of their victories—are very much like our own.

Q:  In the novel, Hayley struggles with intense pressure to succeed. What lessons do you hope readers will learn from her struggle?

A:  Oh, my, this is a lesson dear to my very own success-driven heart! For so long, I felt my worth was in what I did and how well I did it. It’s a bit crazy, but when I thought of failure in certain areas—failure to get a good grade in a class, to keep my patience with two toddlers, to write a book that people would like—I would very much feel as if something inside me would die (yes, die!) if I didn’t succeed.

Bringing these struggles to my fictional character Hayley wasn’t much of a stretch. I mean, this is a woman with some hefty goals! But I also wanted her to find freedom from this mind-set. For me, I found that freedom in Jesus—in resting in His finished work and not my own. Sure, I still get pulled back into that old way of thinking all too often, but I am no longer defined by it. Instead, I am defined by God. To me, that’s true freedom.

Q:  What is your favorite thing about writing in the time-slip genre? What’s the most challenging aspect of it?

A:  I love writing historical fiction. I love the research, the excitement of learning about people who really existed years earlier, and I love learning from them. I love dreaming up fictional heroes and heroines to walk alongside the actual historical people. But I also love writing in the contemporary! In the end, it’s the study of humanity I find fascinating—both in the past and in the present. To me, there’s such power in connecting them and having a contemporary character learn from a historical character because it’s what really happens all the time. I get goose bumps just thinking about it!

 Q:  What role does faith play in this story?

A:  I never know exactly what my characters will learn until I’ve written the entire book. As I wrote of Emma and Hayley, two characters who long to be strong and long to be of worth, I felt an intense urge to free them. How that looks is different for each of them, but my hope is that readers will glimpse a message that our worth is not in where we come from or even what we’ve done, but in whom we trust.

Q:  What does your novel illuminate about the meaning of loyalty?

A:  To be honest, I’m not sure this novel will reveal anything earth-shattering about loyalty. Instead, I’m hoping it will spur readers to wrestle with the topic of loyalty, as it did with me. Emma must choose between loyalty and liberty, family and love. All these are potentially good things, so how does one decide? Is one of these more appealing to us than the other? How do we decide who or what to be loyal to? How do these virtues shape our own values? I’m hoping The Tea Chest will help readers to think about some of these aspects of loyalty in their own lives.

Q:  The Tea Chest, like other novels you’ve written, highlights the virtues of hope and forgiveness, as well as the redemption of suffering. How do you hope your readers will relate this to their daily lives?

A:  In some ways, to suffer is to be human. That may play out in different ways for each of us, but we have all known it. It’s universal. The thing about suffering is that it strips away pretenses—it not only reveals the real us, but it reveals what we truly believe about God, ourselves, and others. Some of this sounds like dark stuff, but as a believer in Christ, I don’t believe our suffering is wasted or that it has the last say. There is hope—both for the now and for the eternal. My hope is that readers will glimpse that and be reminded of it—no matter what spectrum of suffering they may or may not be going through at the time they read the novel.

Q:  How has living in New England influenced your writing, especially in the Revolutionary War genre? How does being a local make your perspective on this subject unique?

A:  While I’ve always loved history, I didn’t always fully grasp the rich heritage surrounding me. Only as I grew older and had children of my own did I start thinking of those who lived and died and fought and loved right in my backyard. Once I learned of their stories, I couldn’t stop thinking about them. Of course, living in Massachusetts and visiting Boston sparked to life stories of the Revolution. When I realized just how many tourists come to Massachusetts for the history alone, I felt blessed to have such a rich source of research close by. As I began writing stories as a way of growing my own faith, I thought that maybe this was one of the reasons God had planted me in New England in the first place.

Q:  Can you tell us about some of your upcoming projects?

A:  Sure! I’m super excited about my next Tyndale book, tentatively titled The Orchard House and set for release in 2021. It’s a split-time novel that explores some of the lesser known facts of Louisa May Alcott—including her time as a nurse during the Civil War. We’re hard at work on edits as we speak!

I also plan to release a historical novel next fall based on an actual twentieth-century island for exiles off the coast of Massachusetts. This one’s dear to my heart and it’s one of those I simply want my readers to have in their hands. Lots of things happening, but I’m loving every minute of it!

Ooh, that sounds good! I can’t wait to read it! Thanks for taking the time to share with my readers. I’m sure they will enjoy learning more about you and your latest release.

My review…

Time-slip/dual timeline novels are some of my favorite reads, and Chiavaroli is one of my favorite authors in the genre. In fact, her books are on my “must-read” list!

As with the author’s book, her latest is full of vivid detailing and beautiful prose that pulls the reader in from the start. This book didn’t alternate between time periods quite as frequently as some books in this genre, which was a bit unexpected. The historical and contemporary lines were equally developed. Themes of love and courage were prominent in both story lines, and romance and intrigue abound.

Hayley is likely to be a relatable character for many, as she was for me. She was more apt to run than face a difficult situation. Emma was also a strong heroine, and her story line was packed with a bit more action. It was easy to root for both women to overcome and find happiness.

I wasn’t always a huge fan of history in school, but I really enjoy being educated as well as entertained. It’s obvious that Chiavaroli did her research. Fans of historical fiction will want to check out this book (as well as the author’s prior books). She has certainly made a name for herself as a master at this genre.

One of my favorite quotes:

“Your worth is not where you come from, Hayley. Your worth is what you already have inside of you–what God put there from the very beginning–the will to live, the will to fight. No one can take that away from you. You have a say in how your life goes.”

Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy, but I wasn’t required to leave a positive review.

Amazon purchase link

About Heidi…

 

 

 

Heidi Chiavaroli began writing eleven years ago, just after Jesus had grabbed hold of her heart. She used her two small boys’ nap times to pursue what she thought at the time was a foolish dream. Despite a long road to publication, she hasn’t stopped writing since! Heidi won the 2014 ACFW Genesis contest in the historical category. Both her debut novel, Freedom’s Ring, and her sophomore novel, The Hidden Side, are 4 1/2-star Romantic Times Top Picks! Freedom’s Ring was also a Booklist Top Ten Romance Debut. Heidi loves exploring places that whisper of historical secrets, especially with her family. She loves running, hiking, baking, and dates with her high-school sweetheart and husband of fourteen years. She makes her home in Massachusetts with her husband, two sons, and Howie, her standard poodle.

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