Tamelia Aday loves books which led to a life-long desire to write her own. She started writing in grade school and hasn’t stopped. She’s had various jobs—some disastrous, like banking—but is happiest when at home, putting together stories and raising her family. She has been married to her husband for thirty-seven years and they have three sons—two adults and the youngest in high school. They also have acquired two cats. They make their home in Oregon.
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The Filbert Ridge Miracle
It was October 7, 1967. The festival in Filbert Ridge Oregon came early, and many wondered if they had followed the usual tradition of celebrating the hazelnut harvest on the second Saturday of October, perhaps things would have gone in a different direction. Instead, town history and the lives of its citizens changed forever. That was the day little Stephen McMillan disappeared.
- ISBN: 1962218074
- Publisher: WordCrafts Press
Tamelia Aday
What made you want to become an author?
I loved books. When I was young I couldn’t wait to read. Just looking at books made me happy, and I longed to write my own. I used to sit and copy them in longhand. I never got very far, but it was like I couldn’t get enough of what I was reading. My favorites included Little House on the Prairie series, The Wizard of Oz, The Little Princess, and The Bobbsey Twins. I did try to make up my own stories all through grade school. They were usually about cats. Later, after fourth grade, I was inspired by C.S. Lewis and the Narnia series.
What did you learn while writing The Filbert Ridge Miracle?
I spent many years on The Filbert Ridge Miracle, and I learned how to write while working on it. I’d always been comfortable with dialogue, but muddled through prose. Then I discovered a book that had the most remarkable sentences. I’d read them and be like “wow, I want to absorb this.” And it changed everything in my writing/reading world. I searched for books that were beautiful. My interest in prose sparked to a new level. My love for writing grew because I liked the challenge of giving life to a visual description. Today I read a phrase in Isaiah— “Then the full moon will be embarrassed and the sun ashamed …” Giving nature human feelings is a fun thing to play around with. I like to experiment doing the same with inanimate objects as well.
I also discovered my writing voice once I changed the beginning of The Filbert Ridge Miracle. My character, Patrick, who barely had a part in the story, came to life.
I suppose I should admit that my oldest son is thirty-one and he was in third grade when I was in the beginning stages of this novel.
If someone were to look at your Google search history (all for research of course!), what types of things would we find?
Smuggling Antiques
Ten motives for murder
Writing the perfect murder
Can you buy a small town
How to disappear
If you have amnesia can you remember your name
Living another life while in a coma
These are mixed in with all the usual google helps on finding a good place to eat and something to help my damaged hair.
What do you want readers to take away from The Filbert Ridge Miracle?
I read a fair amount of fiction outside the Christian genre, but I want it to be clean. This isn’t the easiest to find and my goal was to write a story that could be picked up and read without the reader feeling like they’ve polluted their soul. (My google searches probably look questionable now). I didn’t want to water down the church aspect for the sake of making it more acceptable so I didn’t hold back.
Donna Tartt says: “The first duty of an author is to entertain.. It is a moral duty. People who read your books are sick, sad, travelling, in the hospital waiting room while someone is dying. Books are written by the alone for the alone.”
I do believe that love is a superpower, so if there is any message to be had I would say perseverance, and that love should be the prelude to all miracles.
If you could have coffee with an author, dead or alive, whose work you admire, who would that be? What would you ask him or her?
Kate Morton. She’s from Australia and writes astounding stories with complicated plots. I usually have to wait five or six years before the next book. I would ask her about her plotting process.
And I’d love to meet C.S. Lewis.
What’s your go-to drink while writing?
Water, and an afternoon coffee—like a homemade mocha or some other sweet concoction. Marshmallows with a shake of pink Himalayan salt on top is a plus.
If you could give your younger self one piece of advice, what would it be?
Write a little faster, and try to not daydream at your job. Save that for your off hours.
What do you enjoy doing when you are not writing?
I enjoy when my older sons come visit. We are all in the same state still, so it is a somewhat common occurrence. My husband and I like watching mystery series together. Right now we are making our way through Murder She Wrote. I knit and have recently started to crochet, which I’ve found to be a bit more fun. There are things in knitting that I haven’t accomplished that hinder my progress—like knitting in the round. I love to read, of course, plus taking walks in the woods, going to the beach, and eating chocolate are all at the top of my enjoyment list. My husband and I love to travel to warmer climates—like Hawaii. I’m a huge fan of palm trees and blue-green oceans.
What books are on your TBR pile right now?
Whose Waves These Are by Amanda Dykes
Cat About Town by Cate Conte (a cozy mystery)
The Lost Melody by Joanna Davidson Politano
Cold Drip by Heather Gilbert
I always have a huge ongoing TBR list—pages worth.
What can we look forward to next?
I’m writing a cozy mystery. It’s a favorite genre of mine and has been so much fun to work on. It revolves around a small town, and there is a cat, of course. I’m also writing another novel with the miracle theme. I like to refer to these as ‘Miracle Fiction.’
I loved books. When I was young I couldn’t wait to read. Just looking at books made me happy, and I longed to write my own. I used to sit and copy them in longhand. I never got very far, but it was like I couldn’t get enough of what I was reading. My favorites included Little House on the Prairie series, The Wizard of Oz, The Little Princess, and The Bobbsey Twins. I did try to make up my own stories all through grade school. They were usually about cats. Later, after fourth grade, I was inspired by C.S. Lewis and the Narnia series.
What did you learn while writing The Filbert Ridge Miracle?
I spent many years on The Filbert Ridge Miracle, and I learned how to write while working on it. I’d always been comfortable with dialogue, but muddled through prose. Then I discovered a book that had the most remarkable sentences. I’d read them and be like “wow, I want to absorb this.” And it changed everything in my writing/reading world. I searched for books that were beautiful. My interest in prose sparked to a new level. My love for writing grew because I liked the challenge of giving life to a visual description. Today I read a phrase in Isaiah— “Then the full moon will be embarrassed and the sun ashamed …” Giving nature human feelings is a fun thing to play around with. I like to experiment doing the same with inanimate objects as well.
I also discovered my writing voice once I changed the beginning of The Filbert Ridge Miracle. My character, Patrick, who barely had a part in the story, came to life.
I suppose I should admit that my oldest son is thirty-one and he was in third grade when I was in the beginning stages of this novel.
If someone were to look at your Google search history (all for research of course!), what types of things would we find?
Smuggling Antiques
Ten motives for murder
Writing the perfect murder
Can you buy a small town
How to disappear
If you have amnesia can you remember your name
Living another life while in a coma
These are mixed in with all the usual google helps on finding a good place to eat and something to help my damaged hair.
What do you want readers to take away from The Filbert Ridge Miracle?
I read a fair amount of fiction outside the Christian genre, but I want it to be clean. This isn’t the easiest to find and my goal was to write a story that could be picked up and read without the reader feeling like they’ve polluted their soul. (My google searches probably look questionable now). I didn’t want to water down the church aspect for the sake of making it more acceptable so I didn’t hold back.
Donna Tartt says: “The first duty of an author is to entertain.. It is a moral duty. People who read your books are sick, sad, travelling, in the hospital waiting room while someone is dying. Books are written by the alone for the alone.”
I do believe that love is a superpower, so if there is any message to be had I would say perseverance, and that love should be the prelude to all miracles.
If you could have coffee with an author, dead or alive, whose work you admire, who would that be? What would you ask him or her?
Kate Morton. She’s from Australia and writes astounding stories with complicated plots. I usually have to wait five or six years before the next book. I would ask her about her plotting process.
And I’d love to meet C.S. Lewis.
What’s your go-to drink while writing?
Water, and an afternoon coffee—like a homemade mocha or some other sweet concoction. Marshmallows with a shake of pink Himalayan salt on top is a plus.
If you could give your younger self one piece of advice, what would it be?
Write a little faster, and try to not daydream at your job. Save that for your off hours.
What do you enjoy doing when you are not writing?
I enjoy when my older sons come visit. We are all in the same state still, so it is a somewhat common occurrence. My husband and I like watching mystery series together. Right now we are making our way through Murder She Wrote. I knit and have recently started to crochet, which I’ve found to be a bit more fun. There are things in knitting that I haven’t accomplished that hinder my progress—like knitting in the round. I love to read, of course, plus taking walks in the woods, going to the beach, and eating chocolate are all at the top of my enjoyment list. My husband and I love to travel to warmer climates—like Hawaii. I’m a huge fan of palm trees and blue-green oceans.
What books are on your TBR pile right now?
Whose Waves These Are by Amanda Dykes
Cat About Town by Cate Conte (a cozy mystery)
The Lost Melody by Joanna Davidson Politano
Cold Drip by Heather Gilbert
I always have a huge ongoing TBR list—pages worth.
What can we look forward to next?
I’m writing a cozy mystery. It’s a favorite genre of mine and has been so much fun to work on. It revolves around a small town, and there is a cat, of course. I’m also writing another novel with the miracle theme. I like to refer to these as ‘Miracle Fiction.’
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