Tommie Lyn

Tommie Lyn is no stranger to the world of words. She was raised in the Deep South, where storytelling has been an art form for generations.

Her father, a Christian minister, moved the family to Munford, Alabama when she was fourteen, and she attended high school there. After graduation, she married a Munford boy who made the U.S. Navy a career. They spent years at duty stations in various places, including California, where their three sons were born. It was while they lived in California that she first tried, unsuccessfully, to write a story and concluded she had no talent for writing fiction.

She turned her attention to other endeavors, like sewing, knitting, crocheting, gardening and raising three boys. When the family was transferred to Okinawa, Japan, Tommie Lyn learned to make Japanese dolls and became a licensed doll maker. She also learned to read, write and speak Japanese.

It was when they moved to NAS Whiting Field, in Milton, Florida, that she again turned her hand to writing. She wrote a story told by her mountaineer grandmother. "The Blue-Sprigged Dimity Dress" was the story of her grandmother’s entering young adulthood, marked by the wearing of her first long dress. But, like Tommie Lyn's first attempt at writing fiction, it was less-than-satisfactory, and it sealed her belief that she’d never be a writer.

After her sons reached adulthood, she began to delve into historical and genealogical research. Much of what she learned isn’t common knowledge, but she thought should be. And since many people won’t read a history text but will read entertaining fiction, she tried to persuade others to write a fictionalized account of the historical record. No one would. Finally, a history professor told her, “If you want it written, write it.” And so she did.

Since then, Tommie Lyn has written numerous short stories (including a successful rewrite of her grandmother’s story), some of which are featured on her website: http://tommielyn.com , and she has several novels of different genres (three of which are set in the Florida panhandle) available on Amazon.com.

Her latest release is the first novel she wrote, High on a Mountain.