Why I write

I’m Tami, and I write because this is what God has called me to do. I first started writing a little more than fourteen years ago with a fitness blog, just for fun. I was in shape then.

No, really.

Blogging was new to me, and for the most part, so was writing.

In 2008, I began to pay very close attention to politics.

Don’t get me wrong, I didn’t not pay attention previously…but I was nowhere near as invested as I would eventually become – motherhood had changed me. Within this realm, I discovered an even greater passion for writing.

I had no earthly idea what I was getting myself into.

Except for a few brief dry spells, I stayed busy as a political activist, strategist, writer, editor, and briefly as a podcaster for nearly ten years. I loved {mostly} every minute of it, learned a lifetime of lessons, and met some incredible people.

In those final couple of years, I felt very unsettled. I still loved the political arena and all the wonderful friends I’d made, but I knew God was prompting me to transition to something new. I started freelancing, writing primarily for a wonderful {now closed} website called Opportunity Lives, where I wrote human interest stories. I loved it. I learned a lifetime of lessons interviewing and writing about some of the most wonderful, interesting people on the planet. During that period, I also wrote periodically for Breitbart News, and freelanced as a digital media coordinator for several businesses. I thoroughly enjoyed each of these challenges.

2017 was a year of tremendous growth, both professionally and personally. As some doors closed, others opened – this time for ghostwriting. The Lord provided some incredible clients, amazing opportunities, and taught me far more than I deserve about the craft of writing. I’ll always be grateful for that season.

I continued freelancing until late 2021, when I accepted a position as Communications Director for New York Times bestselling author Andy Andrews. We’ve laughingly joked since that my job title really should be “jack of all trades” – and I love it. My responsibilities include but aren’t limited to writing, editing, and leading a team of writers who contribute to an incredible new website called Wisdom Harbour. Additionally, I’m teaching two online courses under the Andy Andrews Life Skills Project:  The Little Things: Why You Really Should Sweat the Small Stuff and How Do You Kill 11 Million People: Why the Truth Matters More Than You Think.

This blog, however, is a personal space where I can share some of my old content, some guests posts I’ve written, and a place where I can begin to write the things God puts on my heart. There’s no specific theme – I’ll occasionally get back to my roots and write about politics, but writing, faith, and health are my latest passions. In no way is this blog affiliated, nor should it be a reflection on the incredible people for whom I have the privilege of working. My words are strictly my own.

If you’ve continued reading this long introduction, God bless you. You deserve a medal. Really, though, I just want to be a blessing and an encouragement to those who are prompted to read these pages. I hope that if you don’t know Jesus, you’ll come to know Him through scrolling here. This blog won’t always be about faith-related topics, but I hope if I convey nothing else here, you’ll leave knowing this girl loves Jesus, and wants you to know Him too.

The important details

I grew up in the gorgeous Shenandoah Valley and attended Bob Jones University in Greenville, SC after high school. I majored in business and got a certificate in cosmetology, so naturally, I write.

I’m married to my best friend, John, and together we have a beautiful daughter named Anna, who graduated from high school in 2016, from college in 2021, and currently works as a potter/pottery teacher. { She’s an incredible artist } Until recently, we lived near Washington, DC, but we sold our home and we’re now living in an RV traveling the south. (for now)

The unimportant details

In case you haven’t noticed, I speak sarcasm.

I love to read, but unless a book is riveting, it takes me forever to get to the end of one because I read so many at once. My favorite: anything by the late Vince Flynn. I almost always read those in one {very long} sitting. To date, he was my favorite interview, but it happened just before he passed, and I’ve never been able to bring myself to write that piece.

I love the show Blue Bloods. I’m obsessed with Fixer Upper, and really happy the show continued on the Magnolia Network. I hope I can one day interview Chip and Joanna Gaines for a story – I’d pay for my own trip to Waco if necessary, because interviewing them over the phone just wouldn’t do.

I love to travel. Just before Covid, my husband took me on a Caribbean cruise, and we just got home from a Gaither cruise to Alaska (July 2022). In 2016, we had the blessing of visiting my dad on New Zealand’s north island and spending Christmas that same year in Hawaii. The two years prior, two trips to Africa, where my daughter and I fell in love with the people in little village called Gbentchal. I hope someday God will let me be a travel writer. I think I’d love that.

I love to shoot guns, and I’m not terrible at it. I don’t shoot nearly often enough, much to my husband’s disliking. I do have a concealed carry permit. I’m also wife to a pretty incredible, newly retired law enforcement officer.

We have two German Shepherds named Aspen and Rocky who are spoiled rotten. {understatement}

I have Celiac Disease, so I eat gluten free, and because of that and my daughter’s intolerance to gluten and a hundred other things, our family chooses to eat a mostly Paleo diet.

The End

I’m sure I’ve told you more than you cared to know, but that’s pretty much me in a nutshell. God is so good, and for some reason, He’s given me this crazy love for words…so I’m really so grateful you stopped by. I hope you’ll stick around for awhile.

Please feel free to comment, or connect with me here or on social media. I’d love to hear from you!

You can find me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/taminantz/

And Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nantz.tami

Twitter: @TamiNantz