Jane M. Tucker is our guest today.
She wrote a book called Lottie’s Gift and she’s here to share the story behind her story.
She’s a little girl with a big gift. Lottie Braun has enjoyed a happy childhood in rural Iowa. Her mother was gone, but she knew her father and older sister loved her and her aunts, uncles and cousins surrounded her.
But the quiet, idyllic life she enjoyed as a child ended with tragedy and a secret that tore the two sisters apart. Forty years later, Lottie is a world-class pianist with a celebrated career and an empty personal life. She moves from city to city, guarding her privacy with fierce vigilance, all to protect herself from the past.
But one sleepless night, she allows herself to remember and she discovers that memories, once allowed, are difficult to suppress.
Can she make peace with the past? Will she ever find her way home?
Learn more and purchase a copy.
What inspired you to write this book?
I’m fascinated by the creative process. How do people come up with new ideas? Like crazy dreams, I’m convinced good ideas are based in reality and take flight from there. The Lottie Braun series is proof. Lottie’s roots run deep in Iowa soil, but her talent—her astounding gift for music–well, that’s pure fantasy.
But why should she come from Iowa, when I am not a native of that state?
Burlington, Iowa fired my imagination for a few reasons. First, I moved there as a newlywed, while my memory was still in recording mode. I worked temporary jobs at several companies and got involved in our church. My husband, fresh out of law school, served in the county attorney’s office. I got to know the old river town, and it was different enough from my own upbringing to make a deep impression. I also got to know Jon’s relatives.
Grandma Tucker lived a mile away in a little bungalow that backed onto an alley. She loved to go to auctions and found several household items for us that way. Grandma was raised in a nearby farm town called Denmark. The oldest of ten children, she and her siblings still gathered yearly for family reunions. I admired their loyalty and got a kick out of their stories. Those stories! Farm life during the Depression. Brothers who served in World War II. Traveling salesmen, practical jokes, and boarding in town for school. Those stories were the seeds of Lottie’s Gift and Lottie’s Hope.
We only lived in Burlington for two years. I’m convinced I wouldn’t have written about that city if we’d stayed. Our daily lives always appear mundane. It takes time and distance to see the magic in a place. In Lottie’s family, I did my best to portray the Iowa-bred loyalty and common sense I’ve come to love.
My characters aren’t copies of anyone, but I hope they seem like they could be.
What an interesting story! Thanks for joining us today, Jane.
Jane M. Tucker is a lifelong writer and reader with a deep love for the art of storytelling.
Her Midwestern roots inspire the stories she tells, both in her books and on two blogs: Postcards from the Heartland, and Midwest Almanac.
Jane is the author of the Lottie Braun series, about an Iowa girl with a big gift for music, and the sister she loves with all her heart.
Lottie’s Gift and Lottie’s Hope are available at Amazon.com and Crossrivermedia.com.
Follow Jane on Social Media:
Website: JaneMTucker.com
Facebook: Jane M. Tucker Author
Twitter: @JaneMTuckerAuth
Instagram: JaneMTucker
Jane is giving away a copy of Lottie’s Gift. Follow the directions below to enter.
I think I am an encourager. I try to build up my fellow Christians. See the bright side of things. I currently sing for Church and take turns leading a ladies Bible Study.
Being an encourager is a wonderful quality, Paula! And singing is a gift I greatly admire.
One of my God-given talents is teaching children in Sunday School or Vacation Bible School. Due to health issues I have taken a sabbatical but someday with God’s help I will be able to again. In the meantime, I’m a prayer warrior!
I too love to teach Sunday school, Linda. Children are a mission field we can’t afford to neglect. I hope you will one day be well enough to get back to teaching!
I am patient with kids, and am a teacher!
Great qualities! I especially admire your patience.
God made me a RN, specifically a labor and delivery nurse. I’ve been doing this for 14 years and I’m so thankful for this wonderful gift!
That is a wonderful gift!
I feel like I am an encourager. I have been given the talent of playing the piano and am blessed to be able to use it to play for my church.
I love the piano, Ann, and I admire people with the talent to play well. That’s why Lottie is a pianist. I wonder what you would think of her?
I love the idea of this story and lotties sister. I wonder what happened between them? It was interesting to find out how you developed this story and I would love to have a chance to read it.
I do hope you’ll get that chance, Rory!
One of my talents/gifts is baking and I love to bless others with baked goods. It’s especially rewarding to gift them anonymously and hear them wonder who left treats on their vehicle after church. My sister and I get together with our girls a couple of times a year and make doughnuts which we then deliver to shut ins, couples with new babies, new folk in town.
I love this, Arletta! What fun it must be to bless people anonymously like that. I’m wishing I lived in your neighborhood.
I am a reader and an acquaintance of Jane Tucker. I would love to read her work.
I hope you’ll get a chance to, Shelly!
I think my God given gift is teaching or working with children. I am not doing it right now, but I did for many years.Thank you
Working with children really is a gift! Maybe someday you’ll have that chance again.
It sounds like you really put your heart into this book and I look forward to reading it.