Fifty Cups of Coffee #38: Tamara Turner
Date: December 12, 2024
Location: Zoom
How we know each other
Tamara and I first met several years ago. I can’t recall the exact event, but I am fairly certain it was a local food, wine, and/or travel event, as we were both writers covering those topics. Over the years, we’d see each other at food and wine media events, and it always made me so happy to see her at the same event! I love following her travels around the world, and her wine articles are always so well written.
What Tamara is doing now
Tamara lives in Portland, Oregon with her husband. She has a 17-year old son, Shayden. Tamara is a freelance writer but she’s currently taking a break for a new, exciting project. Read her answer to the first question to find out more about the project!
Three questions
During these Fifty Cups of Coffee chats, I ask each person the same three questions. The reasoning behind each is as follows:
Question 1 – Social media makes it easy for other people to think that they know us, when truthfully, we all only see a small sliver of someone’s life and who they really are. This is the interviewee’s chance to share something that is important to them that, for whatever reason, other people may not know.
Question 2 – We all have fears, no matter who are are or where we are in life. This helps connect us and show we are all more alike than we are different.
Question 3 – I believe the answer to this question helps show each person’s true values, passions, and their why in life.
There are no right or wrong answers to any of these. I’m including each person’s answers in first person. Their answers have been edited from my notes for length and clarity, but these are their words.
What is one thing you wish more people knew about you?
“I’ve been a wine and travel writer for the last 15 years, but right now, I’m taking a break from that to work on a fictional novel that’s really close to my heart. It’s about a turn-of-the-century clock that my grandfather passed down to my mom, which was supposed to be passed down to me. My parents thought they saw it in a museum in Beijing and thought it was super special. But after some research, I discovered it’s not as significant as they thought—it’s just one of the early 19th-century American-made clocks. But the clock has a lot of meaning to me personally.”
“As the executor of my parents’ will, I learned that the clock was actually going to my brother, not me. That’s fine, but it inspired me to write a story about a cursed clock made by an immigrant in the U.S. that’s passed down through generations. The story weaves through each generation’s curse. I’m using my family as the characters, which has been a fun challenge, especially imagining my grandfather as a young man with all his quirks.”
“It’s been a really fun journey for me. I’m currently tying a lot of history into the story, which involves a lot of research. I’m up to Hiroshima and Nagasaki now, and reading personal accounts from survivors is fascinating. Writing this novel has been a wonderful journey for me while I take this break from my previous work. I’ve also written a book called Sweethearts, Suitors, and Schmucks: A Decade in Online Dating that’s been sitting in manuscript form for years. Once I finish this book, I plan to focus on getting that one published as well.”
What is your deepest fear?
“Well, I mean, lately my fear has been really about what’s going to happen in the country after January 20th. How is our president going to break democracy? My husband and I are going to Portugal in January. We’re going to go hide out for a month and go do some scouting over there. We’re going to go look at some cities potentially for relocating. With my son graduating high school this summer, we’re thinking that we may be able to move abroad once he graduates, goes off to college. I hadn’t really thought about doing that, but as things are changing, that is looking more and more like that will be the plan.”
“But with politics aside, I think really my deepest fear is as I’ve been watching my mom struggle with Alzheimer’s over the last decade. Watching her deteriorate into an empty shell has been heartbreaking. She didn’t want to go through that. My dad has dedicated his life to taking care of her at home, which she wouldn’t have wanted either. It’s incredibly tough to watch them both go through this.”
“I know it sounds strange, but my fear is becoming her. I’ve made it clear to my kids that if I ever develop Alzheimer’s, I want them to put me in a home and forget about me. Of course, they don’t want to do that, but I don’t want anyone to sacrifice their life for me the way my dad has for her. I wish our country had better options for assisted suicide, especially for people with Alzheimer’s. It’s a terrible disease, and I wouldn’t want anyone to have to go through what she has.”
“That’s my deepest fear, and I know it’s something that many people can relate to, especially those dealing with aging parents. It’s something I’ve thought about a lot, especially with the changes in my own family. I’m just trying to find peace with the idea of how I can protect myself and my family from that fate.”
If you had unlimited funds, what would you do with your life?
“If I had unlimited funds, I’d have houses all over the world—Italy, Greece, Thailand, Australia, Uruguay, the Caribbean, and Puget Sound. Each place would be an oasis with a gym featuring state-of-the-art equipment, a personal trainer, a massage therapist, and a personal chef. I’d have a jet and a pilot ready to fly us wherever we want on standby… I’d have people to help keep my family and me in optimum health.”
“I’d also help my family financially. My brother had a stroke and heart attack last year, and unfortunately he’s accumulated significant medical debt from that. I would pay off his medical bills and help with his house. I’d also invest heavily in medical research for a cure for Alzheimer’s.”
“I’d do all the things I always wanted to do, but never have the time or money to do. Focus on art projects. Take enology classes, learn new languages. I’d buy a vineyard, make hobby wine.”
Lessons Learned
It was so great to catch up with Tamara, as it’s been a while since we’ve seen each other. Here are a few of the biggest takeaways I got from our conversation.
- The mass American exodus we thought would happen in 2016, when T was first elected president, may actually happen in the next few years. My daughter is the same as Tamara’s son, and I know that she and I are not the only ones who are seriously scouting locations for our next adventures outside of the US. There are a lot of us currently in this transitional phase of life, and many of us have genuine fears about what’s about to happen to our country. If this is you, too, know that you are not alone.
- We need a cure for Alzheimer’s and similar diseases NOW. Tamara is also not the only friend I know who is enduring the agony of watching a parent progress with Alzheimer’s. It is truly a horrible, gut-wrenching disease and I hope that research continues to be funded well so a cure can be found soon.
- This is a great time of life for new projects. I am so excited to learn that Tamara is working on a novel! She’s an excellent writer, and I know her book will be absolutely brilliant. It makes me so happy to see friends in their 50s, 60s, and 70s embarking on new projects that are personally fulfilling.
Thank you so much for taking the time to chat, Tamara! Can’t wait to read your book!
Learn more about Tamara
While Tamara is working on her novel, you can follow her adventures @TamaraWineGal on Instagram.
Follow 50 Cups of Coffee
Follow 50 Cups of Coffee on Instagram.
Visit my main website: Urban Bliss Life.
Learn more about me at MarlynnSchotland.com.
