By Mary M. Smith
Last month, Tammy shared about her porch time with granddaughter Iva. They discussed a myriad of careers and vocations. Tammy assured Iva that having several different vocations is a possibility; Iva could just look at her. Being a curious person, Tammy has sampled several careers over her lifetime. She is currently a middle school English teacher and part-time actor. What Tammy didn’t share was that she is an avid reader and a terrific writer who desires to have her own bookstore someday. It is through the love of books, the enchantment of story, and the desire to be writers that Tammy Cullers, Barbara Finnegan and I became friends. We are known as the cozy mystery author Mary Fulk Larson.
The three of us began our friendship in a reading group at the Village Library in Broadway. Back in 2010, we enjoyed sharing our thoughts and critics of specific authors. We had our favorites and some –not so favorite. We loved “words” (and still do). We jotted down special quotes for safe keeping. We picked apart plots and discussed how characters developed within stories. Little did we know then, we were filling our writer’s toolboxes in preparation for what was to come. After twelve months of reading and sharing books together, we came to the conclusion that we could write our own. So our journey as authors began.
Our stories as writers are the same, yet different. We’ve experienced together the difficulty of taking ideas and making them come alive on paper. We’ve struggled with timelines, deadlines, and strike lines. It wasn’t easy to bring three minds together to make one cohesive thought, let alone quirky characters. In the end, it was our determination to write and our individual strengths we willingly brought to the writing experience that made us succeed.
Over the past twelve years, we have become true friends, sharing many of life’s ups and downs. While writing scenes and reading through chapters, we have nursed ailing parents and laid them to rest. Over cups of tea and coffee, our concerns for children, husbands, and family members have been shared. We’ve celebrated with each other the births of grandchildren and viewed dozens of pictures as we watched them all grow. We have walked life’s path together.
“Certain people enter our life at the perfect time,
for the most beautiful reasons and you know right away,
it was a gift from God.”
— Brigette Nicole
I do believe God puts people in our lives for a reason. Those friends God chooses for us are true gifts. Tammy and Barbara are just that to me. Without their coming into my life, I wouldn’t have realized my dream of becoming a writer. My life has been made richer, having them take this journey with me these past twelve years.
I hope God has given you such friends to make you a little braver, a little more curious and a whole lot more blessed.
