An Interview with Tamara Merrill

Best-selling author Tamara Merrill has three happy places: reading, writing, and painting. When she was a child, she thought she’d grow up and live in a loft in Manhattan where she would spend her time doing all three. Tamara hasn’t done that, but she does live in two lovely places, Coronado, CA and Wickenburg, AZ.

And Tamara does read, write, and paint.

During the sixties and seventies, Tamara published multiple short stories in the popular women’s magazines of that era. But then the need for cash intervened and she took a “real job” and stopped writing fiction. Fortunately for readers of fiction, she is writing again. Her work includes historical fiction, psychological thrillers, and many short stories.

A dark tale of gaslighting at its worst, Twisted Lives plunges single mother Sarah into a frightening battle to save her son, herself, and her sanity. Just One More, a psychological thriller, tells the story of one young woman caught in a terrible situation. Her friendship with the crows provides her only support system and survival may not be possible. Tamara’s book Shadows In Our Bones is based on real people and real events. This book explores the impact that a racial incident in Maine, 1912, has had on the descendants and society. DNA testing, racial tension, family dynamics, and eugenics are all examined in this award-winning read.

Tamara is also known for the Augustus Family Trilogy—a family saga that covers events from 1937 to 1980. Family Lies 1937–1944, Family Matters 1944–1960, and Family Myths 1960–1980. Her short stories appear in anthologies and online.

Tamara is available to speak at book clubs, writers’ and readers’ events, and teaches writing skills in the adult education arena. Learn more about Tamara at www.tamaramerrill.com. Follow her on Faceback at TamaraMerrillAuthor or on Instagram, @tmerrillauthor.

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Who/what made you want to write? Was there a particular person, or particular writers/works/art forms that influenced you?

I have always read everything, and I do mean everything. If it has words on it, I read it. I can’t seem to help it! As a child, I was introduced to the Betsy-Tacy books by Maud Hart Lovelace, and I decided to write books when I grew up. I started there and just kept going.

What other professions have you worked in? What’s something about you that your readers wouldn’t know?

I trained to be an art teacher, then taught seventh- and eighth-grade science and math simply because that was the teaching job I was offered. I worked as a display artist, as a human resources director, and then as a management consultant. Along the way, I’ve tried my hand at many things.

Tell us the story of your book’s title. Was it easy to find, or did it take forever?

Book titles are VERY hard for me. Twisted Lives simply started as Jeremy. A terrible title, but short enough to use for files. I consulted with my writers’ group, my beta readers, and finally came up with a list of twenty-five possible titles. Twisted Lives was one of the last titles suggested and it seemed to fit the convoluted, intertangled lies and lives that make up the story.

What part of publishing your book made it feel real for the first time?

Actually, that happens long before the book is published. Each book or short story comes to me as a set of characters who feel very real to me from day one.

What’s one thing you hope sticks with readers after they finish your book?

That abuse comes in more forms and to almost all of us at some time in our lives. It is important to tell yourself your truth, even if everyone else tells you that you are wrong or mistaken.

What was the most rewarding/meaningful part of publishing your book?

I love speaking to book clubs, hearing readers talk to each other about their “real” experiences, and how reading Twisted Lives helped them see themselves and others in new ways.

What creative projects are you currently working on?

I am currently writing another work of historical fiction. It is an ambitious family saga that, I think, will span the years 1660 to 2000. This one carries a working title of Hedgehog Murders, but … anything may change.

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