Category: Charmed Writer by Tari Lynn Jewett

Tari Lynn Jewett's column

Home > Columns > Charmed Writer by Tari Lynn Jewett

I will write 500 words…

March 10, 2026 by Tari Jewett in category Charmed Writer by Tari Lynn Jewett, Writing tagged as Motivation, writing

And I will write 500 more…

I’ve been struggling with my identity, on so many levels in recent years. My kids have all moved out of the house, I’ve changed my address, lost nearly half of my body weight and completely changed who I see in the mirror, in fact, where did the white hair and wrinkles come from… and there are days when I wonder am I still a writer?

Obviously, I’ll always be a mom, but for so many years, my life was entirely wrapped around my boys, and being a mom. Many of you will understand the sense of loss and even floundering when your kids all move out, and you realize they’re probably not coming back. And that’s as it should be, they’re adults. Sitting at the dinner table, Hunky Hubby and me, having a peaceful dinner, no interruptions, no loud conversation, arguing with brothers, fighting over who gets the last serving of whatever is on the table…or fighting because someone took the last serving while no one was looking. No food being thrown…not that my little angels every would have done that. I’ll never be a mom in the same way.

I prepared for this, or I tried to prepare anyway. I’d written for magazines and newspapers since my oldest was 9 months old. While I didn’t call myself a writer ̶ writers are people like Nora Roberts, Phillipa Gregory, Megan Hart ̶ I wrote, was published, and paid. So, when people asked what I did, I said I was a stay-at-home mom. If they pushed, I might say “I write”, without making it part of my identity. When my boys reached their teen years, I realized how hard it was going to be to let go of that part of being a full-time mom. I needed to prepare.

I’d always wanted to write fiction. I wrote short stories. I wrote children’s story. I even wrote a complete novel by hand. So, I wrote fiction, for myself. But I wasn’t a writer.

I joined our local RWA Chapter, and my motivation grew. I wrote at every opportunity, and one by one, my boys moved out. Before they had all moved out, my first novella was published in an anthology. It was hard, but when people asked what I did, I stopped saying stay-at-home mom, or housewife, and started saying “I’m a writer”. And I wrote and published several more books as a hybrid author.

Then I got a second chance, not as Mom, but as Grandma. Grandma, the best title ever. For two years, I was totally wrapped up in Milo as I got to spend time with him full time while my son and daughter-in-law worked. A gift I never expected.

But life is constantly changing, and Milo went off to preschool where his mother is a teacher, Hunky Hubby retired, and we moved from the outskirts of Los Angeles, to rural Arizona. The rural part is a dream I’ve always had. I grew up in rural Ohio, and loved living in the small peaceful farm town where my father had also grown up.

I worried that Hunky Hubby would have a hard time with retirement. He’d worked hard his whole life. He immediately started talking about getting a job. But then something happened. He shifted his focus. We bought the house next door, and he made it his new job. He gets up every morning at 5am, and goes to work remodeling the house. He found a purpose, and he’s thriving.

I find myself getting up, glancing at the computer, and heading to the kitchen to unload the dishwasher. It’s not writer’s block. Characters are talking to me, I have more stories to write than hours in the day, but I walk away.

And I find myself wondering, usually quietly, today publicly. Am I still a writer? Who am I today? Who do I want to be? I still want to write, but am I relevant? Do my words matter in a world I no longer recognize? WHO AM I?

Okay, my rant is finished. Have you ever had a total identity crisis? A collapse of your belief in yourself and the world? Tell me your story.

And in the meantime. I’m going to write 500 words, then 500 more, and maybe I can get back to who I was, or at least find out who I am.

Tari’s Books

#HAUNTEDHERMOSA

#12DANCINGSANTAS

#FIREWORKS IN THE FOG

#SILVER BRACELETS

#PLEASE SAY YES (#HermosafortheHolidays Book 1)

1 0 Read more

From Love Stories to Lovecraft

August 10, 2025 by Tari Jewett in category Charmed Writer by Tari Lynn Jewett

I write romcoms. And women’s fiction, although I’m not sure it counts yet, because I haven’t been brave enough to submit or publish it. I’ve even written a children’s bedtime book. And, as you may know, I wrote for magazines and newspapers for many years. I also wrote some advertising, press releases, and even a cable infomercial…although we didn’t call it that back then. I wrote a parenting column, a law column, two cooking columns, was a copywriter for an auto accessory catalog. My writing has been diverse.

So, why do I find myself struggling with my current project? It’s definitely out of my writing sphere, but my writing background tells you that the lines of that sphere are a little fuzzy.

My reading history is even more varied than my writing. As a little girl, I would read anything I could get my hands on, including several versions and interpretations of the Bible, the dictionary, even the Yellow Pages. For those of you too young to remember, the Yellow Pages came in print, downloading books was not a thing, and in the summertime in my small town, the bookmobile didn’t come, so I would read whatever I could find around the house, which eventually led to my mother’s romance novels.

But, to get back on track, currently, I’m flailing. My son, Gerrod, is a board game designer, and he asked me to write a short story for an upcoming H.P. Lovecraft anthology his company is publishing. Since he’s also my book cover designer, and romcom isn’t his genre, I definitely feel like I need to meet this challenge. I hadn’t read Lovecraft before this project came up, so I downloaded (yes I can do that now) the complete H.P. Lovecraft, and began my research. And, my son pushed me to stay somewhat in my genre, but add the Gods, and Lovecraft elements.

I’ve started the story, and it doesn’t have to be long, I even know where it’s going…which is unusual for me because I’m pretty much a pantser and let the characters tell their story through me, but this time I know, and I like where it’s going. I think it’s fear that’s holding me back. (Well, Lovecraft is a little scary.) It’s not writer’s block, it’s more not trusting myself, or maybe I’m afraid of the wrath of the gods.

Hunky Hubby came in and read over my shoulder as I wrote this, and of course, he believes I can write anything. He’s my biggest supporter. You might say that I’m a goddess in his eyes. And right behind him, my three sons always push me to be more. Clearly, the oldest son believes I can do this.

So, now that I’ve used all of you to bolster my confidence, I’m going to call on my ‘goddess’ powers to finish this story.

I’ll let you all know when it’s released. In the meantime, what do you struggle with? Do you write or read in one genre? Is there one genre you know you could never write? (I won’t say what mine is…I’m positive one of my guys would hand me a project to write in THAT genre.) Tell me what, if anything intimidates you at the keyboard, or on the bookshelf?

2 1 Read more

Tari Lynn Jewett: Featured Author

May 14, 2025 by Tari Jewett in category Charmed Writer by Tari Lynn Jewett, Featured Author of the Month tagged as #Charmed Writers, #FireworksintheFog, #HeromsaForTheHolidays, #PleaseSayYes, Love and Mud Puddles, romantic comedy, Tari Lynn Jewett

Tari Lynn Jewett lives with her husband of nearly thirty years (also known as Hunky Hubby). They have three amazing sons, a board game designer, a sound engineer and a musician, all who live nearby. For over fifteen years she wrote freelance for magazines and newspapers, wrote television commercials, radio spots, numerous press releases, and many, MANY PTA newsletters. As much as she loved writing those things, she always wanted to write fiction . . . and now she is.

She also believes in happily ever after . . . because she’s living hers.

http://tarilynnjewett.com/

Tari’s newest title is Love and Mud Puddles, available now.

Hannah loves her accounting job, the condo that she purchased herself, and her best friend Melinda. What she doesn’t love is baking. To be fair, she’s never tried. But when her cousin shames her into bringing homemade cookies to the family Christmas Eve celebration, she begins a quest to make the perfect holiday cookie.

Paramedic Josh also occasionally teaches kids’ cookie baking classes at his family’s bakery. When a beautiful accountant mistakenly signs up for a children’s holiday baking class, he realizes immediately that she’s in the right place.

Can this local hero help to save Hannah’s Christmas? Or will it all go up in smoke?