Tanara McCauley

Culturally Imagined Stories

Tag: relationships

  • 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…

  • When the Odd Bird Flies

    Odd bird. It’s an expression my family uses for something or someone who strikes us as unusual. The context can be positive, such as a quirky or endearing oddity; or it can be of the don’t-make-eye-contact variety. A bird of the former type attends my daughter’s gymnastics school. She’s tall and pale, all angles and…

  • When Mom’s Away…

    As I gear up to head to the American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW) conference in St. Louis, I’m tempted to fret over how my family can possibly manage without me. My husband is off work and my father-in-law will be flying in to keep him company, still I’m skeptical of two men being able to…

  • Mercy Despised

    Not too long ago I had a wrestling match with my youngest daughter, something we do quite often. This particular day I had to cut our bout short. I trapped her legs between mine, clamped her arms to her sides and her back to my chest in a one-armed hug, and applied enough pressure so…

  • Promised

    Life–if we’re honest–is hard. That’s not to say it isn’t good. Laughter, the arms of a child thrown around your neck, kisses from the one you love–these are all precious tidbits of the countless things that keep us striving to lengthen our days. But life does throw many a curve ball. And these unexpected hurls…

  • Ready…or Not: An Author’s Pre-Conference Petition (and Parody)

    In less than a week, I will kiss my husband and kids goodbye, board a plane, hoist my carry-on in the overhead compartment, and fly to Indianapolis for the American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW) Conference. I’ve worked on my proposal and one-sheets (all that’s great about your novel on one page), practiced my elevator pitch,…

  • O Death, Where is Your Sting!

    These past twelve months have seen their share of trouble. In the circles of my family and nearest my family we’ve endured several trials and losses, from serious illness diagnoses to organ transplants to multiple unexpected deaths. Tomorrow we bury another loved one, a beautiful soul who was like a fourth sister in our close…

  • The Value of Grace

    Value A: I know I’m not perfect So why even try? Don’t want too much Jesus Just some of his pie And you there, don’t judge me Hold onto that stone Who made you my keeper? My life is my own I’m free now, He said it I’ll live as I choose Your talk about…

  • Marriage Part V: Loser Cleans the Toilet

    All marriages require decisions be made. Some are huge, others not so huge. And the rest? Well, I won’t label them. Let’s just say the stakes are low, the potential to bicker about them high. For example: “I will paint a yellow stripe down my face before I let you paint our ceilings yellow.” “Why…

  • A Little Tact, Please

    Years ago, in a modest California home on a crowded California couch, I sat next to my Great-Grandmother who was visiting with my parents for a few weeks. Remote in hand, I flipped through their zillion channels for something suitable to watch. It went a little like this: Click. Pause. Interesting? No. Click. Pause. Seen it. Click.…