I SAID..
Tammy Horvath is a travel-memoir writer. She is here with me now – thanks Tammy!
THE QUESTIONS
1. Focus on your book!
I write about things people think are impossible, like forgiving a murderer. My Journeys Through Life series has two books, with the third coming out in early 2024, as soon as I record the audiobook.
Gone in an Instant: Losing My Son, Loving His Killer shares how I grew up with an alcoholic father and an overly strict mother. But what didn’t break me made me stronger. I married a man similar to Julia Robert’s husband in the movie Sleeping with the Enemy. Like Julia, I hid my pain until one day my husband died in a fiery car crash, leaving me a widow and a single mom. I remarried a wonderful man a few years later. But a hot-blooded killer murdered my child when he was only nineteen. Not only did I face the killer, but I forgave him as a Christmas gift.
Life Begins with Travel: Facing My Fears, Finding My Smile is book 2 in the series. Devastated having to face the killer for his sentencing, I fled the country. In Iceland, I saw the northern lights, had a mental breakdown, and dusted myself off to face my fears by climbing a glacier and venturing into an ice cave to find healing. That adventure led to the “travel bug” biting me, taking my husband and me to several national parks and beautiful Caribbean beaches where I embraced the local culture.
Deep Inside: Forgiving the Unforgivable, Loving the Unlovable is book 3. Overcoming the depression that kept pulling me back into the abyss was hard, but I did it by cycling and hiking. Then, after waiting for almost six years, I finally got a call from my son’s murderer. Visiting a State Correctional Institution in Pennsylvania is a nightmare. There aren’t any specific instructions about what is needed to enter a prison, but could I pass security? Or would my dream of discovering why my son had to die never come to fruition? Maybe I should’ve hired someone to teach me about prison like Will Ferrell did in the movie Get Hard.
2. Fine art: The craft of writing!
My readers say they feel I’m sitting in the room with them, sharing my story. I’m very candid. No holds barred. I’m not afraid to say anything that comes into my mind, and I always manage to embarrass myself. But hey, if you are laughing at me, then you are leaving someone else alone. I’ve been blessed to meet several other authors and professional editors who have helped me become a better writer.
3. Fascinating you: What would locals in a foreign country first notice about you?
My iPhone is always out, and I’m constantly snapping pictures. Whether of myself or a gorgeous beach or mountain, it does not matter. I never know when I may capture my next great book cover.
I’ll strike up a conversation with anyone. Always sharing my story. Always asking what they do for a living. Always living in the moment because you never know when it will be your last.
4. Following: Which authors, fiction or non-fiction do you admire?
Jacky Donovan for her witty books and her adventurous personality. Like me, she has no holds barred. From Fear to Serenity: A Lombok Earthquake Survivor’s Tale had me on the edge of my seat, and I couldn’t wait to see what happened in that non-fiction book.
Janet W. Ferguson is my favorite fiction writer. Her realistic inspirational fiction books have won many awards. It’s always nice to sit back and relax by the fire with a cup of hot chocolate and burn a rose-scented candle while reading a wonderful romance novel with characters I fall in love with. I’m fascinated with hurricanes; lately, there have been storms in her books. It’s as though she’s writing just for me.
5. Fame: What’s your claim to fame?
Well, I sold real estate in Pennsylvania. If a committee had given an award for the “Agent who never sleeps,” I would’ve won because I always answered my phone. Whether it was midnight or 5 a.m., it didn’t matter. I’ve been known to leave an expensive hot filet mignon and baked potato just where the server sat them in a restaurant so I could answer a call and not disturb other guests. I guess that’s why my career only lasted a few years—my husband was sick of my hours!
6. Fortune: Have you ever made any money? Won a bet, a round of poker? Or been the beneficiary from a long-forgotten distant Aunt?
I won zoo tickets once. Does that count? I was the tenth caller to the radio station and won four tickets. And my first husband used to fill my Christmas stocking with scratch-off lottery tickets, and I once won $50.
When my first husband died in a car crash, the life insurance company wouldn’t pay out on the minuscule policy I needed for the funeral, claiming his blood-alcohol level was more than twice the legal limit—which it was. Having worked in insurance for ten years and training as an underwriter, I knew they couldn’t deny me based on that. It only took one letter from an attorney before they paid, but it cost me 1/3 for the attorney’s fee for five minutes of his time.
7. Fool: Just for fun: tell me about the time you made a silly mistake or found yourself the unwitting centre of attention
Once, I was at a concert and tried to tell my husband I had to go to the bathroom. He kept yelling, “What?” because he couldn’t hear me. As I again approached his ear, the music stopped, and before I could stop myself, I yelled at the top of my lungs, “I have to pee!” You could have heard a pin drop.
8. Frippery: how do you make your mark?
I’ve been known to wear my late son’s pajama bottoms to walk outside to the mailbox. Don’t judge me. I see people at the local grocery store and Walmart shopping in PJs. At least I didn’t leave the house dressed like that. They are my son’s and bring comfort when I have a terrible day missing him.
9. Favourite books?
Comedies or inspirational romances are my favorite.
10. Forgiveness – Is it better to ask for forgiveness or permission?
Permission. I’m not a rule-breaker unless you count the time one month after my son’s murder when I was in Iceland, and clearly not in my right mind. Here’s the excerpt from Life Begins with Travel:
I watched as Joseph climbed over the metal railing meant to keep people safe on the designated pathways. He turned and looked at me, and my body froze as I watched Joseph stand over the enormous crevice where the Eurasian and North American tectonic plates met.
“Are you coming?”
Sometimes I get carried away by things. Impulsively throwing myself into situations without thinking them through has wreaked havoc with my safety. That was one of those times. Smiling at Joseph, I lifted my foot over the railing.
“What the heck? You only live once!”
Several tourists looked at me in shock.
One lady tourist voiced her opinion rather loudly. “You aren’t supposed to do that.”
My other leg swung over, and I landed on the bumpy lava field.
Here’s the Amazon series link: https://amzn.to/3YaOuo6
Stephen Malins, Author & Photographer 