I recently interviewed author Tamra Norton about her ground-breaking book, “Make Me a Memory.” In commemoration of Veteran’s Day, she is giving Families.com another exclusive interview to discuss the sequel, entitled “Make Me a Home.” A synopsis of the book reads:
For the past eleven months, Allie has lived in Edna, Idaho—an okay place if you don’t mind living friendless and fatherless in Hicksville, USA. But it isn’t “home.” And how could it be with her dad in Iraq? Then Ivy Peterson moves to town and Allie finally finds the friendship and understanding she has desperately wanted. Edna is even starting to feel like home. But when Allie’s father returns from war, change is again required and a new set of trials and mixed emotions arise. Through it all, Allie discovers that “home” is much more than a location.
Tamra, thank you for joining us again. I’m excited to hear that “Make Me a Memory” has a sequel and that we’ll be able to enjoy it soon. I wonder, how did you research Allie’s family and the things they would go through while their father was away in Iraq?
I have a few friends with deployed spouses. And through school visits in Killeen, TX, I have met many children who have dealt or are dealing with deployment. Also, my mom was a military kid. She graduated from High School in Germany where my grandpa—a master sergeant in the Army and Vietnam Veteran—was stationed for a few years. Having said that, to be honest, I didn’t do a ton of research on military families. I watch the news, and I’ve checked out numerous military family support sites on the internet. And the response I continually get from military families is that somehow I was able to tap into their experience and express emotions that are common to their unique situation.
I simply tried to write a story expressing how any child might feel if they were in this situation. These families and children aren’t super-human. They have good days and bad. They laugh and they cry. But through it all, they face this challenge of deployment, somehow finding whatever strength is necessary to make it through each day. One thing I’ve learned is that there is a very strong sense of community in the military—a second family, if you will. We should never underestimate the strength of a dedicated and supportive family, in whatever form it takes as it stands united.
Was it hard to write such a sensitive subject for young readers?
It’s a tough subject, for sure. But life must go on for these children while their parent is away. They still have to go to school every day, deal with other children, and tackle every new day—whatever it may bring. Even though a family member is away, they must still function as a unit with those at home. In Make Me a Memory, I tried to keep it real—show the ups as well as the downs. And some of those up just happen to be funny! In my writing I have always tried to take a humorous approach whenever appropriate. My theory is that we can always use a little more laughter in our lives.
Thank you for sharing your time with us, Tamra, and thanks especially for writing these books. So many of our servicemen and women have left children at home and it’s a subject that is coming close to home for many of us. You’ve addressed the topic in a beautiful, sensitive way.
(“Make Me a Home” does not yet have a release date, but watch media reviews for an update.)
Related Blogs:
Author Interview: Tamra Norton part one and two
Patriotic Crafts for Veterans Day
Helping Military Children Deal with Deployment