The Thanksgiving Target

Today we're welcoming Tara Carmichael, the heroine of , The Thanksgiving Target by Laura Scott, a November 2009 release.

Wow, you've just had quite an adventure.
1. Tell us a little about yourself and how you came to be in the midst of such suspense. Hello, my name is Tara Carmichael and I’m a social worker in St. Louis, Missouri. I was trying to help one of my client’s, a woman named Melissa Forrester escape from an abusive relationship when I discovered someone was stalking me. I thought both incidents were completely separate until we discovered that they were both connected to the same man. A man from Max’s past, bent on revenge.

2. So, during the book you met Max Forrester. Tell us a bit about him. What was your first impression? When did you know it was love? I knew from the moment we first met, that Lieutenant Max Forrester was a man who liked to take charge. But he was also deeply disturbed by what had happened to his sister, Melissa. I wanted to offer him comfort and support but in the end, he ended up protecting me when my house exploded. I tried to keep my distance from Max on a personal level, because I’d lost my husband two years earlier and thought I was being unfaithful to his memory by opening myself up to love again. But in the end, once I realized that God’s greatest gift was love, I rejoiced in my love for Max.

3. What strengths/skills do you have? What is your greatest weakness? I think my greatest gift is compassion and caring. In my job as a social worker I’m exposed to many people in need. I like being able to help others in getting their lives back on track. My biggest weakness is refusing to allow myself to be too emotionally involved with my clients. In Max’s sister’s case, for example, I kept wishing I’d been a better friend to her.

4. What scares you? I think being in love scared me at first, because I’d lost my husband so young, we had only been married a year and, I was afraid to open myself up to suffering another loss. But now that I have Max, I’m not afraid any more.
5. If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be? I wish I could learn to be less quiet and shy and more open to relationships with others. I feel I’ve come a long way though, after everything that has happened.
6. Where are you in your faith at the start of your story? I was raised with a strong faith and belief in God. However, after my husband’s death, deep down, I blamed God for taking him too soon.

7. Where are you in your faith at the end of the story? Meeting Max, helping him to grow in his faith, made me understand what I was doing. I knew God had a mission for me but it took me a while to realize my mission involved not just showing Max faith but actually loving him.

8. You've got a scripture at the beginning of the story. Tell us why this scripture is significant. This scripture is special to me, first of all because I love the Book of Psalms. But this scripture became even more important when I believed Max and I were going to die. I truly believe that God heard our prayers and answered them. God would never leave us, especially in those moments we need Him the most.

9. If you could be a dessert what would you be and why? Mint Chocolate Chip ice-cream cone. Because it’s my favorite, especially with the tiny chunks of chocolate offering a surprise in every bite. 

Thanks for having me here at the Craftie Blog today.


Thank you Laura for sharing Tara with us. This sounds like a great holiday read.