Hi, I’m Tifainé!
I’m a writer… and a mum (to five), a wife, a friend. I live close to Basel in Switzerland which is near the borders of France and Germany. We’re British and before we lived here we lived in China for five years.
I’ve written all sorts of things for as long as I remember: from math text books and stories as a child, to diaries and poems as a teenager, to full-length pitiful romance novels as a 20-something year old. I’ve written technical manuals and programming guides and marketing materials and websites and bid proposals and project plans. Since 2008 I have particularly enjoyed writing about faith in the form of prayer guides and Christian devotionals for my community.
Most recently I’ve written a book of Christmas/Advent devotions. It’s called His Purpose Our Privilege because it’s all about reconnecting with the reason why Jesus was born, and looking out what impact that might have on our 21st century lives.
I’ve written other books too: a children’s book about social distancing during the Covid-19 pandemic called The Girl Who Grew A Gallery and a memoir written as a children’s story about my friends who opened up their home each week to cook for friends and strangers called Empty Chairs.
When I’m not writing I’m looking after my family which can get pretty interesting as we’re a large family with lots of projects on the go, but also sometimes pretty boring as there’s a lot of sandwiches to make.
Things I’m good at:
Procrastinating. I recently discovered that most procrastinators procrastinate due to fear. Knowing that sometimes helps me get on with whatever it is I’m putting off (but not always).
Home DIY. Whether it’s putting up shelves, making a table to seat 50, sewing an outfit or knitting a cardigan… I’m your gal.
Procuring random objects for my children’s latest hair-brained schemes.
Making lists.
Things I’m not so good at:
Detaching myself from sad stories.
IB Chemistry HL and IB Mathematics HL (much to much son’s delight)
Gardening. I kill plants very easily. As if it were a skill.
Things I like
I like to read. I like spending time with my friends. I like laughing. I cry easily, and it’s often not because I’m sad. I love reading the Bible and talking about Jesus. I like walking. I like science fiction, not so much for the technology (although I love technology and previously worked in the IT industry) but for the framework it gives us to consider world order and explore human character and behaviour. I like the sea. I like sitting outside in a busy spot to watch all the people around me. I like being at home with the people I love. I like writing. If you would like to read what got me started writing online, you can read that story here.
Monday Supper & Empty Chairs
In 2019 I published a book called Empty Chairs, inspired by the true story of my friends who created a no-strings-attached community in Shanghai. You can read the story about that here, or see at the book on Amazon here. You can read more about how to build community at mondaysupper.org
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