Author Spotlight: Tracy Andrewson
We are pleased to introduce Tracy Andrewson. Tracy recently published the first book of A New Family Series, called Someplace New. It is available through the Word Alive Press Bookstore, and everywhere fine Christian books are sold. We asked Tracy to share a little bit about her writing and her new book. But first, a little bit about her.
About
Tracy Andrewson grew up in Northern Wisconsin. She had her first short story published when she was in Middle School, when her teacher submitted it to a kid’s monthly magazine.
Tracy took a break from writing, until she started homeschooling her children and creating curriculum. After her son died suddenly in 2010, she began to write about how a Christian deals with the loss of a child. She wrote a book with plans to edit and submit it to a publisher, when it disappeared from the hard drive, flash drive, and “recently used” section in her laptop.
After that, she decided to attend some writing classes. During that time, she woke up in the middle of the night with the name "Allyan" on her mind. She wrote a lot of short-short stories and poems before she was given this book to write, the story of Allyan and his adoption.
Tracy teaches at a Christian school, working with the same age group that she writes for (fourth grade and up). It is a small school that focuses on having a relationship with Christ and the ability to do the best job we can to honour God in all things. She also teaches children’s church, and, together with her husband, has worked with children, youth, and adults to bring them the love of God for more than twenty years.
Q&A
Q: Does writing come easily to you?
A: Yes. As long as I am working on these stories, I don’t have to think much about it. The stories, the Bible studies, and the names come to me as I am writing and praying. Ever since I lost the book about my son’s death, I write my stories in long hand and then type them up.
Q: Where is your favourite place to write?
A: My husband (of twenty-six years) and I often camp with our two dogs, Bugsley and Gigi. We like to camp in the Chequamegon National Forest, where it is mostly rustic camping (no electricity or water, and very quiet). I get a lot of writing done there. We like to call it God’s Cathedral.
Q: Can you tell us more about your A New Family series?
A: Finally a Home (book two) and Julieanne’s Journey (book three) are written, and the fourth book is started. All of these books are about children and teens being adopted into a farm family in Oklahoma in the 1960’s. Each story has its own mysteries and Bible studies. There are 6 books in this series.
Q: Do you have any other projects in the works?
A: There is another series coming as well with animals that can talk. Daniel is the lead character, he is a squirrel that preaches. My original plan was to make these stories into homeschool curriculum with questions for each book. I have since decided to leave them just as a book unless someone asks for curriculum.
Q: What message do you hope children will take from your stories?
A: I hope that people and children everywhere will learn more about the greatness of God. I pray that people will learn about God and His love and grace for us all, and get a better understanding of the Scriptures. I also pray that God will use these books to help people gain a better relationship with Him.
Q: Do you have any advice for new writers?
A: If I were to give any advice, it would be to always write what is on your heart, lean on God, and love what you’re writing about. Just keep writing. It will come to you if it is God’s will.
Connecting Points
Find Tracy, her books, and (together with her daughter, Darian) her crafting online:
So grateful to be one of the early readers of the first book in this series. It’s refreshing to see clean, wholesome works being done for the youth. In this day and age of social media and technology, we can use all the help we can get in bringing family back to the family and getting kids back on track to the heart of what makes this life worth living. Kudos on a strong book with a powerful and loving message, Tracy 💕
Tracy is an amazing teacher, Jesus driven, dedicated to children. I am so thrilled to see her books, love and knowledge available to the public, and especially middle school children!
I know Tracy personally and I’m blessed beyond measure! She is also a prayer partner to my granddaughter. She is my go-to person for minor medical advise as well. With her knowledge of holistic remedies, she is a great resource! I graduated with her husband, John and the two of them are a wonderful asset to our church and school!