Tammy Pasterick didn’t intend to become a historical fiction novelist. But when a deep dive into her family’s immigrant history unearthed fascinating storylines about Eastern European emigres who settled in Pennsylvania, she knew she had a great story on her hands.
In the latest episode of the Make Meaning Podcast, host Lynne Golodner interviews Tammy Pasterick about her journey of writing Beneath the Veil of Smoke and Ash, why she went for hybrid publishing, growing up in a family of steelworkers and coal miners, and her career as an investigator with the National Labor Relations Board, a paralegal and a German teacher.
In this episode, Lynne and Tammy discuss:
- Mining your family history for ideas & identity
- Self-publishing and managing book marketing
- How Americans perceive immigrants
- What it takes to make a life in America
- Launching a writing career
- Beta readers
- Character development, literary arcs and voice
Links and Resources:
- San Francisco Writers Conference
- NetGalley
- She Writes Press
- IngramSpark
- Penn State University
- Book Sparks
- Bookstagram
- Blog tour with the Coffee Pot
- Amor Towles
- Kristin Hannah
- Outlander
Find Tammy Pasterick:
If you enjoyed this episode, you’ll like these other Make Meaning Podcast episodes:
- Episode 129 – Rosina Lippi – Author of the Wilderness Series
- Episode 131 – Weina Dai Randel – The Last Rose of Shanghai
- Episode 123 – Karen Baum Gordon – On Surviving the Surviving
- Episode 102 – Patrick Hicks – How to Write Historical Fiction
- Episode 80 – Iris Lee Underwood – Author & Descendant of the McCoys of Appalachia
