Meet Tamara J Hassell

We were lucky to catch up with Tamara J Hassell recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Tamara J, thanks for sharing your insights with our community today. Part of your success, no doubt, is due to your work ethic and so we’d love if you could open up about where you got your work ethic from?

In my youth, my parents were a constant example of resilience and hard work. It was an unspoken quality, ingrained in me from watching them. At this stage in life, I see my adult children exhibit similar values that continue to influence and remind me of the importance of a productive life and the value of work.

Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?

It’s been a busy life; so much so, that my writing had to take a back seat for quite some time. Creating, at least for me, requires a large dose of focus and targeted intention. The accumulation of experiences, problem solving and the art of listening can serve as tools for penning relatable and touching stories. The challenge is always layering the words just right.
I was excited in 2024, to receive the Appy Inkwell Award for best fiction for “A Habit of Keeping Secrets.” But awards aren’t the reason I write.
Additionally, music is a wonderful hobby that I enjoy with my husband. Together, we are Stringfellows, a guitar/banjo/vocal duo that plays a variety of acoustic music. Specifically, we’re fans of mountain and old-time tunes. We are music presenters at the Ozark Folk Center in Mountain View, Arkansas where we perform mountain songs and share music history to park attendees.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

I believe it helps to be curious. It helps to be willing to learn. It helps to read. My advice is to create good habits, from making your bed, to saying please and thank you and you’re welcome. It’s also good to listen and not always feel like you have to be the one talking. You can learn a lot by listening and watching. You can learn what to do, as well as what NOT to do, just by being quietly aware of your surroundings.

As we end our chat, is there a book you can leave people with that’s been meaningful to you and your development?

I could name a book that someone else has written that has impacted me, but in all honesty, my own novels have impacted me more than any others I’ve read. Given that one must pour all of themselves into completing a valuable piece of fiction, such an endeavor can’t help but thrust life lessons right back at you.
In my first novel, “The Travel Letters,” a mother is leaving behind letters to her children. I knew from the start the letters would play a pivotal part in the story, but I had no idea how difficult they would be to write. She was striving to impart sage advice for her children. It became personal for me in creating her words. After all, my own kids or grandchildren might be reading them once I’m long gone. It mattered what was in them. The letters needed to be effective with timeless advice but never preachy. That’s not easy because a mother is usually preachy!
In “A Habit of Keeping Secrets,” I learned so much from my favorite character, Luna Beddingfield. She reminded me about the importance of resilience and forgiveness.
In the third novel, “A Fortunate Turn,” snippets of my own family history and misfortunes are imbedded throughout this book. Again, researching these stories reminded me of my family’s hardiness and was an encouragement for me to keep that up in my own life. Hopefully, readers will notice and think about the value of these qualities. I want readers to have a hard time putting the books down. I want each chapter to propel them into the next. I want readers to feel curious and enlivened about what might be unfolding literarily. I want my readers to live their lives like that, too, curious and enlivened.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://TJHassell.com
• Facebook: TJ Hassell