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Now a little about myself. I was born and raised in Vancouver, Washington, amid the rainforests of the Pacific Northwest and my beloved Cascade Range. I miss swimming in the Columbia River, walking Pacific Coast beaches, and eating dungeness crab fresh from the boat. After a few years serving in the United States Air Force, I settled down with my husband, Michael, in Middle Georgia. I have four children--three girls and a boy--and four grandchildren, one in high school and the other three under school age. We also have two small poodles. Abigale, named for the NCIS character, is often referred to as the little hardhead. Champaign is completely fearless--he loves to swim in the pool and fetch balls, preferably at the same time. I'm the creative sort. Among the crafts I've explored are sewing, embroidery, crochet, ceramics, porcelain dolls, painting and papercraft. I discovered the world of 3D printing a few years ago, and can now create durable toys, gifts, and useful objects--things that would blow my late mother's mind. I'm learning to play the piano, can edit music and video on my computer, and manipulate photography and graphics. I've spent the last three years balancing my many projects with babysitting wee ones, a task that is as enjoyable as it is exhausting. I've been in love with the written word ever since I learned to read. To me, it's the most perfect form of escapism. When there were no books to read, or on occasions like bedtime when reading wasn't allowed, I stretched my imagination and escaped into my fantasies. Daydreaming and musing became habits that followed me into adulthood. The paranormal genre attracted my interest in the late 60's when the series Dark Shadows aired. Mom knew to have the television free when I got home from school, and the Collins family took priority over homework. I role played with my friends and sister, most often placing myself in the part of femme fatale. I was disappointed and frustrated after the short-lived revival concluded in 1992, and began obsessing over my own characters. Late that year, overwhelmed by ideas and spurred on by a friend, I began writing. Although my first attempt was a stunning failure, the genie had been released, and I've been a writer ever since. I finished my second novel in 2003 and registered it with the Library Of Congress, then gave a copy to my supervisor at work. She presented me with a congratulatory trophy and told me I had to get published. While I struggled to do just that, another co-worker put me in contact with AuthorHouse.com, and Twilight Destiny made it to print. I self-published two more, then submitted my fourth to Secret Cravings Publishing. They accepted all four books, and helped me connect them into Haven's Realm. In the four years that followed, I published two more books, learning and growing as a writer. It broke my heart when Secret Cravings closed its doors in September of 2015. It was about at that same time that a freak microburst knocked the 25-year-old bradford pear tree in our front yard down. Reeling in despair, I cut branches and cleared our sidewalk singing, over and over again, the lines from a Fleetwood Mac song: "Is it over now? Do you know how to pick up the pieces and go home?" Eventually, my theme turned to "Hey, Look Me Over", and I became determined to overcome. Look out, world, here I come! It took six years, and was a lot of hard work, but I rewrote or revised every story in my saga. By the time I was through, two of my original stories became split, and one more climbed in, bringing my completed works to nine. I'm doing a final edit before presenting them to you, so if you aren't new to this site, don't be dismayed if not all my previous titles are listed. They're coming back soon. To me, writing isn't a job I must do to survive. It is a living force inside me, prompting me onward and often replacing the world around me. Over time, my imaginary friends have become very real, and the love I feel for them is written in every line of Haven's Realm. I'm sure that you will come to love the Community every bit as much as I do. Thank you for visiting. ~ Tamara Monteau |
Copyright© 2023 by Tamara Monteau. All Rights Reserved. |
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