News Talk 94.1/AM 1600 Where The Upper Cumberland Talks
McMinnville native Tara Cowan set to release her fifth novel this fall.
Cowan runs a law firm with her brother, but she said she loves writing. But she adds she finds herself inspired by reading, historic architecture, and the game of combining the past with a fictional life that may plausibly have occurred to provide a window into another world.
“But I do want to make sure at the end of the day you don’t want to put it down and that you do enjoy it,” Cowan said. “Because that’s what makes reading so special to me. I’ve gotten a lot out of joy reading over the years and want to pass that along to readers.”
Cowan’s recent novels Southern Rain, Northern Fire, and Charleston Tides are historical fiction. She said her readers seem to appreciate the history as much as the story.
Right now, Cowan said she must focus on the release of her latest novel Secrets of an Old Virginia House. She plans to announce the release date on her website when it is available.
Cowan said that she can think of one reviewer in particular who said she hated history in school but enjoyed using the historical information in Cowan’s novels to make up for the history she missed out on earlier in life.
“I always want readers to find my books well researched,” Cowan said. “So if that is a goal of their’s they can continue to learn or consider aspects of history in ways that they may not have previously.”
Cowan said she sticks to a schedule of publishing every year to year and a half for her readers. She said she always has the thread of a story running in her mind and a great deal of what ends up on the page was conceived long before she writes.
“The Magness Library hosts a local authors day, and last year it was in November and I think they plan to do something similar this year,” Cowan said. “So if anyone wanted to come out and talk about the book or let me sign what you do have, that’s a pretty reliable place to find me.”
More on Tara Cowan’s work at https://taracowanbooks.com
