Tamara Passey is a busy mom and author in Arizona and a former 2013 Young Mother of the Year. Recently we at American Mothers asked her why she chose Christmas topics for her three books and found out how mothering – sometimes even grumpy mothering – can be inspirational. See below.I have to smile at the question, “Why did I choose a Christmas setting for my books?” I say often I feel like Christmas chose me—meaning when I started writing, I didn’t have a grand plan of the kind of books I wanted to write.
Then, one day in December, I had a child home sick and two others asking when we could put up the Christmas tree. I was probably a little grouchy with them until I remembered how excited my sister and I would get when my dad would come home with a tree. I loved how our house felt different–as if the tree we put up was magical. That childhood memory served as a whisper of a story idea. What if Christmas trees could bring about miracles? And what if you were the one to grow and sell those trees? Though I enjoyed writing essays and poems, I’d never attempted anything approaching the length of a novel. I wasn’t sure if I could write that many words! But miracle Christmas trees had grabbed my imagination and wouldn’t let go. Now, having just released my third holiday romance novel, I’ve found that not only can I write that many words but I discovered I love writing about Christmas and exploring the important themes of love, faith, and family that comes with it.
Tamara’s Christmas books include: The Christmas Tree Keeper, The Tree Keeper’s Promise, and Eleanor and the Christmas Carol Fudge. She is also the author of a short memoir called, Mothering through the Whirlwind. You can learn more about Tamara at her website, tamarapassey.com
We at American Mothers hope you feel inspired this holiday season. Please share some of your memories, inspirations and ideas here and on our social media.
