Tammy Lash > Recent Status Updates

"I didn't notice that my brother led the procession out the door. I didn't feel the many eyes sweep over us in approval as they passed. Jonathan takes in a great inhale, and the controled release of his breath warms my neck. I feel the same. It's as if we had both been pulled from the ice today and we're taking our first breaths together."

I am sobbing so hard at this. Izzy, you grew up, and I'm so proud of you.

I can't remember the last time I was this invested in a story. Yeah, the "Rachel" and family scenes are a bit bizarre, but Reed and Cap's characters are really unfolding nicely. True Crime meets Cryptids. Delightful.

Izzy is afraid to sleep in the cave because of Mikonan's wendigo tale. He told her the creatures sleep in caves on beds of bones. Izzy said the tale was a forbidden one and it remains that way centuries later. Something Old in Snow capitolizes on generations of fearful Gudwyne Story Keepers who keep his legend hidden....until now.

Holy crap. This story is SO FUN! The characters are fantastic ❤️

"My, how things change. Just yesterday she couldn't tolerate my presence. Thomas will be pleased when he returns home. His Maddie has returned, and it didn't take a trip across the ocean to find her."

This is the point where Izzy is beginning to become the strong partner that Jonathan will so desperately need. Life and loss do that. We all have choices to make. Wilt and disappear or dig your roots in and grow.

Tubs and Izzy. The scene was written to say goodbye to my 17 year old brother (1988? Ugh. So long ago). Like Maddie, I never got to. Mom passed in 2025. I am satisfied the scene still fits the passing process, though Mom's passing traumatized me to the point I needed an outlet to express it. The creatures in the Something Old are clay vessels. I mold them with words and shove all the unpleasantries in.

"Going forward, no matter how small the step, is how you do it."
~Avery

Ten years later, Avery's words still echo in my mind. Avery's character was so intriguing, I had to explore his change further in Letters from the Dragon's son. I wanted to see through writing if he truly did change. If he did, what did that look like? Most importantly, what would he be willing to go through to get his beloved son back?

Failure is the word of the day. I have had this novel edited so many times and yet I am still finding errors. It my fault because of my "stupidity". I feel this hissed in my head every time I read this story. However. As many times as I'm pulled out to bawl over my inadequacy, the story continues to pull me back in. I am thankful the Holy Spirit has worked past my shortcomings to make this story as accepted as it is.

The Grasshopper story ends at the Pictured Rocks where Grasshopper, the handsome, yet cruel trickster of a dancer becomes a jee-bi. Ghost. My sources use the word jiibay. In my newest novel, I mention jiibay. Location absolutely suggests these stories are Ojibway but the language used in them is confusing. 😵‍💫

Beck's (Rebecca) hiking attire is SO wrong for the picky, outdoorsy husband who micromanaged the hiking trip. Khaki SHORTS?! Who wears that in the forest with ticks, biting flies, mosquitoes, poison ivy, thorns, and sharp branches? Nope. Nope. Nope. As someone who hikes, but has a hard time finding time to get out on the trails, I'm irritated and I'm only on page 8.

The prison call section. I listened to all of these and find the book description version a bit rushed and lacking.

I'm not sure what Native language this book is in. I thought Ojibwe since Gitchi-gumme is mentioned. Kabbinonokka is North Wind according to this book. In my book Something Old in the Snow, the Ojibwe word is giiwedin according to two of my language sources. Hmmm. Perhaps it is another tribe in the Three fires. Ottawa or Potawatomi?

Chapter 27

"Pick," Avery grins.
Tubs smiles and taps a hand. It is the wrong one. Avery puts his hands behind his back and shuffles the rock between them. He lets him pick again. He lets him pick until he wins.

I don't have many good memories, but the painful ones are no longer red and inflamed, and they haven't been for some time. This was a sweet memory of "Avery" and I was happy to share it in the story.

Twenty-six:
"Today is a day for gifts," he says. "White wolves are never seen....is not the impossible possible with God? Can He not lead the wolf of your tomahawk to you? You are blessed, sister--you have not one but two white wolves."

Why am I crying at this today, for crying out loud?

Though, well written, the large cast of characters that have been in and out of the Richard Allen case have had me confused who is who. There aren't many visual references offered to help me "see" the detectives. The entire police interrogation scene was great. I watched them in their entirety on YouTube and was captivated by the technique of the detectives to try the get Allen to open up about the shell casing.