Romance author Tam DeRudder Jackson is another indie author I would love to meet. She’s been added to my cocktail party list because she’ll keep the conversation flowing, chatting about her many and varied interests. With a passion for Celtic mythology, a deep love of rock music, and a talent for weaving steamy, adventurous romances, Tam would bring a unique blend of intellect and fun to any gathering. Whether she’s swapping stories about her time teaching in England, gushing over the latest Shinedown concert, or sharing insights into her Gametime, Talisman and Baelfire series, she’s sure to spark engaging discussions. Plus, with a travel bucket list as ambitious as her writing career, she’s got plenty of tales to tell! Check out what Tam had to tell us about writing, life and a new release.
If you could meet any author, living or dead, who would it be?
Tam: I’d love to meet Jane Austen. I have so many questions about her life and her work.
I have met Kristan Higgins and Heather Graham, both of whom are fantastic authors and lovely people who champion other authors.
You are planning a dinner party. Which fictional characters would you invite?
Tam: Louisa Clarke from Me Before You, Elizabeth Bennet and Fitzwilliam Darcy from Pride and Prejudice, Stella Lang and Michael Phan from The Kiss Quotient, Maid Marion and Robin Hood from Lady of the Forest by Jennifer Roberson, and Bridget Jones. It would be a lively affair.
Do you think you were born in the wrong era? Or are you exactly where you should be?
Tam: While I have a history minor and enjoy historical fiction, I wouldn’t want to live in an earlier time. The future is a bit terrifying, so I’m happy right where I am.
If you could physically travel into a fictional book world, where would you go and why?
Tam: I’d love to ride in the RV with a group of inanimate objects in Tom Robbins’s Skinny Legs and All. Traveling the US and ending up in Israel with a spoon, a sock, and a can of soup would be quite an adventure.
Would you ever want to live in any of the fictional places you have created?
Tam: I spent time in the town of Ullapool, Scotland where much of the Talisman Series is set. I’d love to hang out in the manor house I created there. It’s always been my dream to spend time in such a place.
As a reader, do you prefer a series or stand-alone?
Tam: I don’t have a preference. I love to read both. What I despise, though, is cliffhangers. If I know a book ends on a cliffhanger, I won’t pick it up.
What do you love about self-publishing?
Tam: The creative control over every aspect of the process. I also like that I choose who I work with in terms of editing, cover design, and interior layout of my books.
What do you dislike about self-publishing?
Tam: Marketing. Perhaps I’d like it more if I could figure it out and become good at it.
What is your favorite part of the writing process?
Tam: All of it. I love coming up with the story, revising it, editing, and polishing. The entire process makes me happy.
What is your least favorite part of the writing process?
Tam: The days when I have to drag the words out. When I’m not feeling motivated—or my characters are being super quiet—It’s difficult to keep going.
What is your favorite reference book for writers?
Tam: Verbalize by Damon Suede. Reading it turned my writing around.
Are you a pantser or a plotter? Or a bit of both?
Tam: A bit of both. I know my characters’ verbs and the general outcome of the story. After that, I figure out the story along with the characters as I write it.
What’s your go-to beverage when writing?
Tam: Choffy—chocolate that brews like coffee. I drink it by the gallon.
What’s your go-to snack when writing?
Tam: I can’t eat and write. I skip a lot of meals when I’m working on a book. 😉
What do you do when your characters stop speaking to you? Or when they won’t stop speaking to you?
Tam: If my characters aren’t speaking to me, I head to my research. Generally something in it will get the little darlings back on speaking terms with me. When they don’t stop speaking, I write as fast as I can to catch everything they want to say.
What’s an opinion that non-writers have about writers that is completely ridiculous?
Tam: Write what you know. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had to disabuse readers that I’m not writing my own experiences in my books—especially the sex scenes. 😉
Do you have a word that you use too much in your writing?
Tam: Just. I have to delete it multiple times in my books.
When or where do you come up with your best ideas?
Tam: Usually right as I’m dropping off to sleep is when my best ideas show up. I keep a notebook beside the bed for exactly that reason.
Do you have a favorite character from your books?
Tam: My favorite character is whoever I’m currently writing.
How do you come up with cover concept(s)? And do you design yourself or do you have a designer?
Tam: I have a designer. We work together based on my blurbs to come up with designs that fit for the books.
What do you want readers to know about you?
Tam: I’m so passionate about my work because I want readers to have the best experience when they read my books. I’m also a big proponent of trying 30 new things a year to broaden my opportunities, improve my luck, and grow as a person. Some of the things I’ve tried are rappelling off of a platform, having a fish pedicure (highly recommend), and climbing an active volcano.
What do you not want readers to know about?
Tam: Clearly not revealing that here. 😉
Do you use a pen name?
Tam: Tam DeRudder Jackson is my real name.
Do you have a new book coming out? When? Title? Genre? Blurb?
Tam: I have another book in the Game Time Series coming out hopefully by the end of 2024. Delay of Game is Danny’s story in my college football romance series.
Note: Delay of Game was released on January 29, 2025.
Blurb:
Danny Chambers is back.
I lost my heart to Danny Chambers in high school, even though he parked me in the friend zone five minutes after we met. It’s taken me years to stop thinking about him at least once every hour. It helped that he enlisted in the Air Force after he graduated. But now he’s back, and he’s walking on to the football team. He could go to college anywhere, so why does it have to be Mountain State?
Even best friends keep secrets.
When Danny earns a spot playing receiver for the Wildcats, I’m in the clear. I can admire him from the stands and go back to my boring life of finishing my undergrad, prepping for grad school, and resigning myself to being married to my career. After what I learned about myself with my one and only boyfriend last semester, well, I know Danny and I are never going to be more than friends. Which makes the head games he is playing with me so painful. After all this time, why is he acting like he wants something more with me?
Five years ago, I made a mistake. Now I need a second chance.
Growing up a military brat, the one constant in my life was playing football. Though I met all kinds of people while switching schools on the regular, one look at Taryn Hamilton told me she was my girl. But after we met, I learned quick she was off-limits if I wanted to catch passes during my senior year of high school. I have paid the price ever since. After graduating a year ahead of her, I gave Uncle Sam four years of my life so I could go to college. Now that I’m attending Mountain State, I plan to take every opportunity to show Taryn how I really feel—how I have always felt about her. Because she is so much more than my best friend.
Football was my first love. Now I’m playing for my only love.
Game Time.
Entrada Publishing Review of Delay of Game
Tam’s Books
| Book | Genre | Blurb | Link |
 | Sports Romance | It started as fun and games. Now I’m playing for her heart—and my own. | https://books.apple.com/us/book/finding-the-end-zone/id6470303336 |
 | Sports Romance | She thought the game ended in the first quarter, but I play till the final whistle. | https://books2read.com/u/br6z6E |
 | Sports Romance | She thinks she knows the score, but I’m focused on winning her heart. | https://books2read.com/u/bp9Or6 |
 | Rockstar Romance | A rocker who gave up his true love to chase his rock ‘n’ roll dream must convince her to give him a second chance. | https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B094XFFFPM |
 | Rockstar Romance | After his antics cost a music reviewer her job, the lead singer of the world’s hottest rock band must earn her trust to have any chance at winning her heart. | https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09DNSCNRN |
 | Rockstar Romance | The lead guitarist for the hottest rock band in the world must overcome his fear of abandonment to win the love of his life. | https://www.amazon.com/Wild-Me-Tam-Derudder-Jackson/dp/173646955X |
 | Rockstar Romance | A pop diva fears her long-held secret will end her career and her red-hot love affair with the bassist of the world’s hottest rock band. | https://www.amazon.com/Hot-Me-Tam-Deruddder-Jackson/dp/1736469576 |
 | Paranormal Romance | With time running out, a modern-day Celtic warrior must convince a skeptical woman she’s his fated mate, and their union is the key to ending a centuries-old curse. | https://books2read.com/u/mddBjR |
 | Paranormal Romance | A rogue warrior must choose between his greatest ambition and the woman he loves. | https://amazon.com/dp/B0B57XBZ4V |
Tam’s Social Media and Other Important Links
FB: https://facebook.com/1531651733710243
IG: https://instagram.com/tamstales32
Goodreads: https://goodreads.com/author/show/19849371
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@authortamderudderjackson
Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/author/www.tamderudderjackson
Do you have a newsletter? How can people sign up? Yes. There’s a place on my website to sign up.
Website link: https://www.tamderudderjackson.com
Author Bio
 | Tam earned her BA in English from Montana State University and her M.Ed. in literacy from Lesley University. After a short teaching stint in Bath, England, she settled in the wilds of Wyoming where she taught adolescents all about the Celts and a bit about writing before she stepped out of the classroom to pursue her writing career full time. When she’s not writing, you can find her working her way through her mountainous TBR piles, alpine skiing, or traveling to some new place on her ever-expanding bucket list. To stay up to date on her adventures, connect with Tam on her website http://www.tamderudderjackson where you can subscribe to her newsletter. |
Check out interviews with Indie Authors
Interviews with Indie Author’s Characters
Shari T. Mitchell’s Marnie Reilly
Shari T Mitchell’s Detective Lieutenant Danny Gregg
Brooker Peterson’s Lillian Martin
TL Brown’s Lucie Bellerose
Jennifer Brasington-Crowely’s Raven Xerces
TL Brown’s Sebastian St. Michel
Rose J. Fairchild’s Aura Prisma Cordyline
Shari T. Mitchell’s Kate Parish
Thanks so much for hanging out with Tam and me. I’ll be back soon to share an interview with Marnie Reilly Mysteries Ransom Elliot. Maybe he’ll tell us what really happened between him and Marnie.😲
Take care and see you next time!👋
A great interview! It was nice to learn more about Tam. We’ve been connected for quite a while on Instagram, but I knew little about her life outside of writing. She’s quite the interesting lady!
I also chuckled over her “I’ve had to disabuse readers that I’m not writing my own experiences in my books—especially the sex scenes” comment. LOL! (I’ve had to do the same. 😆)
PS…Apparently, I overuse the word “quite.” 🙈
I’m a “just” gal. 😂
These interviews reveal interesting tidbits and funny reader perceptions.😂 Goodness! If they wonder if art imitates life, what would the think of me? 😱😂
LOL! Exactly! Between you and Rose J. Fairchild, I’m concerned about the thoughts roaming through my friends’ heads! LMAO!
😂 I get that a lot!
It must be a romance writer thing. I bet no one asks Shari how she know how to hide the bodies. 😉
Wanna bet. 😏😂