Tanara McCauley

Culturally Imagined Stories

Category: Writing and Pursuing Publication

  • Tainted: Querying March 1, 2025

    Hi everybody! I will officially begin querying for Tainted, my debut fantasy novel, on March 1st.  For those of you unfamiliar with the writing world, to query is to pitch your project to an agent for representation. It’s a behind-the-scenes deal, which means there won’t be a book in hand by March 1st nor will I reveal names of…

  • Twice the Miracle (Updated)

    (Originally posted circa April 2013) I could tell by the look in the nurse’s eyes she wasn’t sure I understood what she’d said. We stared at each other, she with brow lifted waiting for some sign of comprehension on my end, me drifting inside myself with a host of “what ifs” tumbling through my mind.…

  • The Knight in Blue Jeans

    My phone alerted me to a text. I paused to read it and shook my head. It was from my husband, his latest response to a series of messages between us. I tapped the reply square. “You’re such a man.” And I didn’t mean that in a “you’re the hunk of my dreams and I…

  • A Wrecked Perspective

    “In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” ~ 1 Thessalonians 5:18 Recently, on a day like any other, my three kids and I set out for an evening of gymnastics and Kenpo practice, with a potential coffee stop squeezed in. The smell of mint wafted from…

  • Happy and Prosperous 2015!

    A man’s heart plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps. ~Proverbs 16:9 It’s the second week of the new year, and I hope you are still as excited about your goals and resolutions as you were at the beginning. I know I am. 2014 ended with the blessed commotion of travel, family, laughter,…

  • Moving Right Along

      Let your eyes look straight ahead, and your eyelids look right before you. Proverbs 4:25 Not too long ago I was alerted to a new comment on one of my old blog posts. I had to read my entry for context before responding, and found myself frowning. At the time that post was written,…

  • The Write Kind of Life

    The Write Kind of Life

    Writing is a solitary business. Sure, lots of people do it. But when it’s time to put words to page, the writer is often isolated behind four walls. We talk to ourselves. We get talked to by inspirational quotes we’ve framed, tacked, or taped all around the writing den, not to mention characters we’ve made…

  • Gone Fishing, Author Style

    This was originally posted on 11/09/2013. It’s that time of year again… As a child, I fished with my father. Dark, quiet nights, sometimes nothing but the calm sound of water lapping the bank, or the buzz of mosquitoes testing the perimeter of whatever insect repellent we wore. It’s been a long time since we’ve…

  • A Writer’s Praise

    Psalm 144:1    

  • What We All Need and Almost Never Get

    For many of us it seems the more rest we need, the less we get. Between taking care of my family, actively seeking the Lord, and trying to launch a writing career, (plus all my other projects and obligations) getting sufficient rest can be as far-fetched as finding out that book I’ve never pitched has…