I was born in Brooklyn, New York. When I was five I moved to Roanoke, Virginia where I was raised by maternal grandparents. I went to New York every summer until I graduated from college so I guess I had the best of both worlds. I live In Virginia with my husband. We have three beautiful, smart, and creative girls.
I believe my childhood contributed to me becoming an author. My mother is a retired teacher. Most of her friends were educators also so and that influenced me greatly. She’s very creative and always had books around. As a child I liked to perform, make things, and read. I would put on shows in my my mother’s living room and hold her and her friends hostage. They were kind enough to indulge me. For a few years I seriously considered becoming a comedienne. My godmother would buy me joke and riddle books so I could hone my craft. I would watch Carol Burnett every night because my goal was to be like her one day. I grew out of that phase and began writing poetry and short stories. I’m still a funny girl though.
Becoming an author was a natural transition for me. I’ve always liked to talk. Having access to so many books expanded my vocabulary immensely. After reading Summer of My German Soldier, I began choosing a word of the week from the dictionary like the main character did. However, it wasn’t until high school that people really started to take notice. Based on my propensity for writing and English, I attended a magnet school my senior year. A lot of emphasis was placed on writing. We participated in workshops and performed exercises that I still employ. Today I am a bonafide wordsmith who studies words almost daily.
I consider writing my ministry. My topics are based on whatever the Lord places on my heart. He always starts with a title first. After that He gives me the topics He wants covered and the outline and characters are developed from there. I was never a rigid “thus sayeth the Lord” kind of person. I like to have fun. I believe it is possible to write a good relatable story without compromising the word. I am a very descriptive writer. I like transporting readers to the center of the story; however, I still leave things to the imagination. I try to be less descriptive about what a love interest may look like or what city/town the story takes place in because I want my readers to insert the things that they can identify with or enjoy. I try to keep it basic in that regard. Stop by my website at http://www.tawnialramirez.com/
