A question that is coming up more and more often at my appearances — “Which is your favorite book that you’ve written?” That’s what readers and attendees want to know. That’s like asking me which is my favorite child? If I only had one book or one child, the answer would be simple.
In a way, the answer is simple — “I don’t have a favorite.” However, each book is, in fact, my favorite but for different reasons, just as each of my children is my favorite but for different reasons.
“The Clearwater House” is my favorite because it was my first book. I put a lot of love into it, spent a lot of time on it, worried and fretted about it the most of all five so far, and learned my craft on it (or at least started to learn my craft). I did the same with my first child. I think every parent does. My first was a boy and my second (and last) was a girl, so I had very different parenting experiences with each, just as I’ve had very different writing experiences with each book. This first book also contains a lot of territory that I grew up around and in which I still live, so it’s special to me for its setting and the memories I have of Clearwater and its surrounding countryside. This book is dedicated to my two children who are the most important people in my life, so that’s another reason it’s my favorite.
“State of Georgia . . . and Other Writings” is my favorite because it’s dedicated to the memory of my best friend, Amy, who passed away at the age of 50 from cancer in September of 2018. It’s a story collection, too, instead of a standalone novel, so it’s different from the other books in that respect. It’s cover is a photo that my beloved uncle took, and he has since passed away, too, so the cover is a constant reminder of a great guy. The stories are of the ‘feel-good’ variety, and the two shorter stories received “Honorable Mention” status from prestigious writing competitions. This book also has four of my poems, so it showcases me as a novelist, a short story writer, and a poet.
“Ticker Tape” is my favorite because it’s about a veteran, and I’m proud of our veterans. I dedicated it to my parents, and I love them, so that’s another reason it’s my favorite. The entire story came from the first sentence, which came to me in class one day. To have an entire novel spring from a short sentence is pretty cool, so that’s why it’s my favorite. I wrote this in alternating chapters about the three main characters, and I enjoyed doing that, so that’s another reason it’s my favorite. I included my poem about standing flag lines at military funerals, and I dedicated it to the memory of my boyfriend’s middle son who died by suicide four years ago. The cover was drawn by my niece, and I colorized it in the colors of the United States.
“Twinges” is my favorite because it came out of me the easiest, and it’s a thriller. I enjoy reading thrillers. The cover is another photo that was taken by my uncle, and when I published “Twinges,” my uncle had already passed on, so the cover photo is a way for me to keep his photographic legacy alive. The main character is a teacher, and I spent thirty years as one — however, she’s an elementary teacher whereas I taught junior high and high school kids. The germ of the idea behind this book stems from my childhood, so that connection and all the memories it stirs up is another reason that “Twinges” is my favorite.
“Trouble on Tybee” is my favorite because it’s my longest so far. It’s the first novel I’ve written in first person. I have visited Tybee Island, Georgia, and I really loved it. I found the photo for the cover on Instagram, connected with the photographer, and managed to buy it and all rights to it, and it’s the perfect cover photo for the book, so that experience (and luck, really) is another reason that this is my favorite book. It’s dedicated to my dear friend and first exchange student, Silvia, who lives in Mexico, and I wrote a funny and personal dedication to represent what she means to me. I relate to the main character on many levels, and she may be the most autobiographic protagonist so far even though, on the surface, it doesn’t seem that we have anything in common. Writing this was my salvation during our forced COVID lockdown time, so that’s also why it’s my favorite.
I could say that the book I’m writing now is my favorite book because it needs my attention right now to fully develop and be completed. It’s something I can pour my heart and soul into every day. It’s protagonist is a woman motorcyclist — hmmm, I think I can relate well to her. The world of education is a major part of the story, and it’s a thriller/mystery/suspense, which I love. I plan and hope to include another of my uncle’s photos on the cover, so it’s my favorite for that reason as well.
I could say that the books to follow are my favorites because they hold the promise of the unknown and the future, and they give me something to look forward to. Some are in the development phase, some are only ideas, and some aren’t even conceived yet. Each will be my favorite in some way.
I love each of my children, and I love each of my books. I have no favorite, yet they are all my favorites.
If you’ve never visited my Amazon author page and would like to see more about my books, here’s the link to it: Tammy on Amazon
Currently, I’m reading a few books, but the one I’m reading for my column is “Reading Lolita in Tehran” by Azar Nafisi. It’s an amazing read. I’ll share what it says on the back cover of the book:
Every Thursday morning for two years in Islamic Republic of Iran, a bold and inspired teacher named Azar Nafisi secretly gathered seven of her most committed female students to read forbidden Western classics. As Islamic morality squads staged arbitrary raids in Tehran, fundamentalists seized hold of the universities, and a blind censor stifled artistic expression, the girls in Azar Nafisi’s living room risked removing their veils and immersed themselves in the worlds of Jane Austen, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Henry James, and Vladimir Nabokov. In this extraordinary memoir, their stories become intertwined with the ones they are reading. “Reading Lolita in Tehran” is a remarkable exploration of resilience in the face of tyranny and a celebration of the liberating power of literature.
“The liberating power of literature.” — Those are words I agree with and stand behind, and like Nafisi, I’m very worried about the current state of things in the U.S. concerning book challenges, bans, and censorship. It’s getting out of hand. In my opinion, any bit of book banning is wrong, so what’s happening now is worrisome and even terrifying.
Nafisi lives in the U.S. now, and she gave an amazing interview on a podcast that I listen to. The podcast is “The Bookcase.” It’s hosted by Kate Gibson and her father, Charlie Gibson (retired “Good Morning America” anchor). I listen to it on Spotify, but here’s the link to it on ABCaudio: The Bookcase podcast
Nafisi’s interview was called “Reading Dangerously.” You can scroll back through the interviews on the ABCaudio site to find hers, or you can listen to it on whatever podcast site you prefer. She’s erudite and insightful, and I think the U.S. would be wise to listen to people like her who saw firsthand what happens when a nation allows things to happen. Iran wasn’t what it is now, just as other countries who have allowed totalitarian things to happen in them weren’t always what they are now.
People in the U.S. need to read more literature, and they need to read books like “Reading Lolita in Tehran” as well as the books she taught and still teaches to her students.
Books are being challenged all over the country for many reasons and often by people who haven’t even read the books they want banned. I’ve always thought that people who try to ban books are being counterproductive because most bans tend to lead to skyrocketing sales for the authors.
Maybe I should hope that one of my books would be challenged or banned then? Ha ha.
Read books. Read lots of books. Read a variety of books. Think for yourself. Let literature guide you from book to book and from idea to idea.
If you’d like to learn more about Azar Nafisi, here is the link to her website: Azar Nafisi
As I said about my own novels, I can’t pick a favorite, and that applies to what I read as well. All books are my favorites. I usually say that “The Count of Monte Cristo” by Alexandre Dumas is my favorite when pressed to name one, and it is, but it’s also not. It’s a beloved book, that’s for sure, and it’s the book I’d choose if I could only take one with me to a deserted island, but whatever book I’m currently reading is my favorite because it occupies my thoughts at the moment, and it then becomes a part of me after I’m finished with it.
If you’re a book reader, I’m thrilled. If you’re not, I hope you’ll pick up one — any book — and let it start you down the reading path.
Our world needs readers.
Until next time. I hope to share more of my work in progress or even a short story that I started writing this week — I’ll share one of those with my paying subscribers next week, so if you’d like to upgrade to “paid,” please do so. Your few dollars a month go a long way to help me keep writing.
Thanks.
Tammy Marshall
I love this!!!