Part 4: Close-Up Talk Radio spotlights author B.D. Tharp

Wichita, KS – While the family has always been defined by a husband and wife and their children, today "non-traditional" families have become the norm. If you share in love and responsibility for each other, anyone can be your family.

B.D. Tharp is the author of Feisty Family Values. First published in 2010, the novel tells the story of cousins Regina, and Annabelle, along with their friend Tillie, make up an unlikely and unconventional family, to say the least. Wildly different personalities thrust together by circumstance; together the women confront abuse, illness and an unexpected surprise at their doorstep. Tharp’s compelling voice and rich characters have made the book a favorite among readers.

“When I started the book, I had no concept of who the characters were going to be, but they typically develop from people I know,” explains Tharp. “I had all these puzzle pieces I needed to put together. Annabelle is a composite of my grandmother and other mother figures in my life. I saw Feisty Family Values as an opportunity to explore a character who has a hard time standing up for herself.”

Fans of Feisty Family Values will be excited to learn Tharp has completed her second novel, a sequel to Feisty Family Values, tentatively titled Patchwork Family, to be published in March of 2014. The novel picks up a year after the events of Feisty Family Values.

On revisiting her characters, Tharp says, they just weren’t done telling their stories.

“I liked the idea of looking at another character in the family and exploring how their lives had changed amidst all the upheaval. It’s a book forgiveness and tolerance. They’re each unique, they all have flaws, but they’re a family.”