TAOLove.jpg)
TAOFreedom.jpg)
TAOForgiveness.jpg)
TAOGrace.jpg)
Tammy Lash
As many of you may know, or many may not know, I am a very active member in our church. I teach Sunday school, work in the junior church, sing in the choir, work in the rest home ministry, coordinate a home school group for our homeschooling families, and play in the nursery. (Honestly, that place is great to unwind!) My heart has always been for children, which may be why I enjoy homeschooling my own kids.
All of this is why I was enthralled with Tammy Lash's interview. If she lived anywhere near me, I think we would be best buds. LOL. Check out what she had to say to find out more about this wonderful lady.
AJ: Tell us your name and a little about your background that led you to be a writer.
TL: Hi! My name is Tammy Lash. I am a homeschooling, stay-at-home mom. My husband and I have three kids ( 24, 18, 16) and three cats. I love the number three, so what I just typed completely geeked me out! Ha ha! My husband and I have been in children’s ministry for over twenty years, but for the last
four we have been given a break and have been working in other areas of ministry. We have been creating and cultivating the world of White Wolf. (‘We’ because the entire family has, in some way, given their time and talents for White Wolf.)
I had never intended on becoming an author. It was my son’s high school English course, One Year Adventure Novel, that gave me the courage to try. I am a second generation story-teller, NOT a writer! I was never good in school, but I loved to read and English was my favorite subject.
AJ: How many books have you written? And, in what genre would you classify your works?
TL: I have only written one book, White Wolf and the Ash Princess, but I have written hundreds of children’s stories on napkins, loose pieces of notebook paper, and on the backs of church bulletins. One of those devotional-type stories, “The Surprise Ride”, is published in Keys for Kids.
My work in the past would be classified as inspirational/devotional. White Wolf, however, is a Christian allegory based on my life as a survivor of abuse. White Wolf and the Ash Princess follows the guidelines of how I have always taught my kids in my classes (meaning the story has a goal with a lesson to learn), but this work would be classified as historical, young adult, Christian fiction.
AJ: What was your favorite book to write and why?
TL: My favorite book to write is actually my current work, Letters from the Dragon’s Son, the sequel to White Wolf. I have to dig deeper for Jonathan’s story, and it’s super fun writing from the male perspective. Jonathan is a complex character with an equally complex past. It’s a painful process having to go back to retrieve the emotion that the story needs, but I feel honored to be called to share more of my story with others.
AJ: Do you see writing as a career? Or, is this just a hobby?
TL: Quite honestly, I see the writing I’m doing now no different from what my husband and I had spent twenty-something years doing. I feel like those years were the training ground for what we are doing today. I see White Wolf and the Ash Princess as a ministry. It’s a challenging and fulfilling area of service, and I’m extremely grateful to be called to do it.
AJ: What is your favorite book by your favorite author and why?
TL: Ahhhh! This is so hard! There are soooo many! If I were to pick the first one book to pop in, it would be Mrs. Mike, by husband and wife, Benedict and Nancy Freedman. I read the sequel to Mrs. Mike a few years back, and I DO NOT recommend that one, but Mrs. Mike is a great read written in 1947. It was a favorite of my mom’s. She passed the story down to me and I fell in love with it, too. It’s a story about a teen (Katherine Mary) who is sent to live with her uncle in Canada where she meets an older Canadian Mountie (Mike). Mike and Katherine marry and settle deep in the Canadian wilderness where Mike is stationed near a Native village. White Wolf and the Ash Princess is heavily influenced by this old-timey read as well as another of my favorites, Jane Eyre.
AJ: What is your goal or mission as a writer?
TL: My goal is the same as a writer as it was when I was teaching in Children’s Church at all the churches we were led to. I want to be a missionary through my writing and share the good news of Christ. My books are based on my life’s journey so far, and I want to share through story who He is and what He has done for me.
AJ: Have you been able to travel for your writing? If so, what was the most exciting
place you visited? If not, what would be one place you would choose to visit and write about?
TL: White Wolf and the Ash Princess is inspired by the wild still found in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. To many, this isn’t an exciting place to visit, but to our family it’s paradise and full of places to explore and discover.
If I were to choose a place to visit and write about, it would be where my grandparents came from, Holland.
AJ: Who designs the book covers for your books? If you design them yourself, which
programs do you use?
TL: I had a cover designer for the first edition of White Wolf. I had to do a re-brand and make the book look more historical. I taught myself how to use Photoshop by watching a million and twenty YouTube videos. I designed my new cover on my own. It took me two months, four proof copies, and half of our Ibuprofen supply to do it, but… I DID IT!!!!
AJ: Do you meet your readers through book signings, conventions, or similar events?
TL: I had a book signing open house last year when I released White Wolf. I had all my friends and family over, and it was super fun. I have met most of my new friends and readers through Facebook, parties, book clubs, etc...I am meeting new people consistently. In the past, this would have scared me to pieces! Now, I find meeting new people part of the adventure of being an author... and I love it! I still get scared and overwhelmed sometimes, but each person is an opportunity to share my story. I don’t ever want to let fear dictate what the Lord wants from me.
AJ: How can readers discover more about you?
Click on any of the links above to find or follow Tammy Lash,
or click on any of her pictures above.
