Tammy Hinton

I have to compare my many changes of address to that of a wandering gypsy. As part of an Air Force family, we lived from border to border and coast to coast. After one visit to Lake Eufaula, my husband/proof reader, Herb, and I chose Oklahoma as our final destination. I feel I was meant to be here where my ancestors settled so long ago, where men wear boots and cowboy hats.

History interested me from an early age, especially American History. Years spent on Cape Cod nurtured my inquisitive mind. What kind of person decided to be an immigrant, pioneer, or explorer? What did they endure to survive? I can’t help but wonder when we’re driving in the Rocky Mountains or thru the Badlands of South Dakota, what would I have done if I was driving an ox or horse drawn covered wagon and met these obstacles?

Growing up, my mother shared an oral history of her family’s struggle in Indian Territory. As a gift to Mom, I started my ancestral research with her side. Hours spent glued to a chair looking for that mystical Indian name on the Dawes list were in vain. That name still eludes me. However, relatives I found include both Rebs and Yankees, Irish immigrants, and a famous Kiowa painter. It is my desire to share their stories that prompted me to write. My novel, Unbridled, has been named a finalist for best novel from a debut author by Western Writers of America and Western Fictioneers..

I earned a Bachelor of Science in Education-Composite Social Sciences from Black Hills State University, Spearfish, South Dakota. While there I received the Wenona Cook Scholarship Award presented by Friends of the Leland D. Case Library for Western Historical Studies for academic achievement.

Associations: DAR (Daughters of the American Revolution), Oklahoma Genealogical Society - First Families of the Twin Territories, Western Writers of America, Women Writing the West, Oklahoma Writers Federations Inc., McAlester McSherry Writers Guild.