About the Book

Book: To Speak His Name

Author: Tara Johnson

Genre: Historical Romance

Release date: March 4, 2024

Avalina is a woman trapped in silence. Stolen from her home in Ireland and sold as a slave to a Barbados plantation owner, the trauma of her past has left her mute, wrapped in a prison of loneliness and isolation amid an island of beauty. Though she longs to be free from the cruelty of her overseer, her heart yearns for a greater freedom…something just beyond her grasp.

Josiah Holland has been born into a South Carolina slave-holding family but all it takes is one trip to the island of Barbados to open his eyes to the ugly cruelty that abounds beyond the confines of his plantation. With the aid of fiery abolitionist Benjamin McGee, Josiah forges a new future, fighting the very ideals he was once a part of.

When Avalina and Josiah’s lives entwine, will their spark engulf them in destruction, or ignite a revolution?

Click here to get your copy!

About the Author

Tara Johnson is an author and speaker, and loves to write stories that help people break free from the lies they believe about themselves.

Tara’s debut novel Engraved on the Heart (Tyndale) earned a starred review from Publishers Weekly, and was a finalist in the Carol and Christy awards. Tara has been published by Tyndale House, Annie’s, and Guideposts. In addition to being published in a variety of digital and print magazines, she is a certified body language expert and has been on radio, television and podcasts. She is a history nerd, especially the Civil War, and adores making people laugh. She, her husband, and children live in Arkansas.

More from Tara

Barbados Sweet Bread Recipe

INGREDIENTS

• ³⁄₄cup brown sugar
• ¹⁄₃cup shortening (or coconut oil)
• ¹⁄₃cup butter
• 2cups flour
• 1pinch salt
• 2 ¹⁄₄cups grated coconut
• ¹⁄₄cup raisins, chopped
• ¹⁄₄cup dried cherries, chopped
• 1tablespoon grated nutmeg
• 1tablespoon almond extract
• 1 ¹⁄₃cups evaporated milk
• 3tablespoons water
• 1tablespoon butter (for pan)
• 2tablespoons turbinado sugar

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 350*F and lightly grease a bread pan. The original recipe calls for 2 bread pans, but the bread doesn’t rise at all so it bakes nicely in one pan.
2. In a mixer cream together the brown sugar, shortening and butter.
3. Add flour, salt, grated coconut, raisins, cherries, nutmeg and mix well.
4. Stir in almond extract, evaporated milk, and water, until a firm dough is formed. (You may need to add additional water.).
5. Split the dough evenly between the two pans, and use a knife to cut a diagonal criss-cross pattern on the top of each loaf. Sprinkle 1 tbsp turbinado sugar over the top of each loaf.
6. Bake for about 1 hour, until a skewer inserted into the center of the loaves comes out clean (Or a digital thermometer reads 190*F.) Cool completely in the pans before removing.

The Story Behind To Speak His Name

By Tara Johnson

Who doesn’t love a toe-curling romance? I confess, when I began writing my upcoming story To Speak His Name, romance was the farthest thing from my mind.

This novel was prompted by two unique nuggets. First, I have always been fascinated with how those who have never heard of Jesus come to a saving knowledge of Him. How does the Holy Spirit reveal such marvelous truths to a soul who knows nothing of the spiritual world?

I began meditating on Psalm 19: 1-3: “The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork. Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night sheweth knowledge. There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard.” At the same time, I picked up a small nonfiction book about the Irish slave trade, and what I learned was astonishing.

The Irish slave trade began when King James II sold 30,000 Irish prisoners as slaves to the New World. From 1641 to 1652, over 500,000 Irish were killed by the English and another 300,000 were sold as slaves. Ireland’s population fell from about 1,500,000 to 600,000 in one single decade. Families were ripped apart and 52,000 Irish (mostly women and children) were sold to Barbados and neighboring islands.

My imagination quickly took flight. I pictured a young Irish girl named Avalina, stolen away from her home, shipwrecked and found wandering on a sandy beach in Barbados.

Oh, one other thing…Avalina is mute.

She is taken in by a cruel man and forced to work as a slave on his plantation, surrounded by strange people in a strange world who are steeped in polytheism and superstition. The years pass and, with her voice locked away in silence, she wonders if there isn’t something more to life than mere existence.

Enter Josiah Holland.

I never conceived having the son of a slave trader as my hero, but once I wrote the first scene with Josiah, I knew he would be the one to set Avalina’s heart on a path toward freedom. Just as the famed hymnist and former slave trader John Newton found redemption in the arms of Jesus, so Josiah turns away from the world he knows to embrace a broken woman and an uncertain future.

Is Josiah perfect? No. He struggles to please his demanding family. He grapples with his motives and his stained past, yet he is beautifully vulnerable.

When I finished penning the final scene, it hit me: Josiah is a picture of Christ. He redeems Avalina and carries her from the Land of Darkness into a kingdom of Light. He shows her kindness and compassion when all others treat her with disdain. What a lovely picture of grace.

Interview with Tara

When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?

My journey into writing is an odd one but I’m so thankful for it. I was a voracious reader as a child, and would even close my eyes during family movie time and ‘rewrite’ the endings in my mind if I thought they were boring, but writing a story never entered my mind. All I wanted to do was sing. I stuttered but noticed it disappeared when I sang along to The Sound of Music, Annie, or The Wizard of Oz. When I was in college, I took Literature as part of my pre-requisites and my professor begged me to change my major from music to Creative Writing. He told me I had a gift and needed to pursue it, but I was dead-set on my first love: music. I thought God had told me He was going to use my voice to lead others to Him. After being with a record label for ten years, I was diagnosed with a medical condition that limited my ability to sing. I was devastated and questioned if I had ever heard God at all. I began writing as a form of self-therapy and soon had a rather robust blog following. At the encouragement of a friend, I attended my first writer’s conference where I learned about the author’s voice—the unique way each writer weaves words and phrases together. That’s when God caught my attention. He told me, “You can have a voice and still not have a voice.”

In many ways, I wonder if I should have just switched my major when the opportunity first presented itself, but I also believe nothing is ever wasted in God’s economy. My music degree has enabled me to be a better musician as I serve in church. Teaching piano helped put my kids through private school. And I’m able to write about music in my stories with a knowledge I wouldn’t otherwise have. He uses it all for His glory and purpose.

How long does it take you to write a book?

The actual writing time takes about 6 months, but I usually need another three or four months before that for research. Even then, my first ten chapters are usually super slow. It takes a while for the characters to open up to me.

Do you base your characters on real people?

The heroines in my first three novels (Engraved on the Heart, Where Dandelions Bloom, and All Through the Night) were all based on real women. Keziah was a combination of female spies I discovered who worked during the Civil War. Cassie Kendrick was based on real life hero Emma Edmonds who dressed herself like a boy and enlisted as a soldier in the Union Army. Her story is phenomenal! And then there’s Cadence Piper is who is very loosely based on Elida Rumsey, the first woman to sing “The Battle Hymn of the Republic”. I love to throw cameos from history in my novels whenever I can, which is always fun. My favorites have been Dorothea Dix, Fannie Crosby and John Wilkes Booth.

Where can readers find out more about you and your books?

www.TaraJohnsonStories.com

Any current or upcoming projects you’d like to tell us about?

I just finished a story loosely based on the life of Dr. Mary Walker, who was the first female U.S. Army surgeon during the Civil War. She was an abolitionist and was even accused of spying. In addition, I’ve just started work on a new story about a female Pinkerton detective who is hunting down Jesse James. It’s already turning out to be a fun adventure. After that is finished, I’ll be starting the sequel for To Speak His Name.

Blog Stops

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, July 11

Texas Book-aholic, July 12

Inspired by Fiction, July 13

Stories By Gina, July 14 (Author Interview)

The Book Club Network, July 14

Locks, Hooks and Books, July 15

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, July 16

Artistic Nobody, July 17 (Author Interview)

Abba’s Prayer Warrior Princess, July 18

Happily Managing a Household of Boys, July 19

Simple Harvest Reads, July 20 (Guest Review from Mindy)

For Him and My Family, July 21

Through the Fire Blogs, July 22 (Author Interview)

An Author’s Take, July 22

The Lofty Pages, July 23

Holly’s Book Corner , July 24

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Tara is giving away the grand prize of a $50 Amazon gift card!!

Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.

https://promosimple.com/ps/2ca41/to-speak-his-name-celebration-tour-giveaway