Author Tiffany Desiree is a dedicated literary researcher and creative writer who graduated in the top 3% of her undergraduate creative writing class. Based in the Pacific Northwest, her multiethnic identity encompasses the sovereign bloodlines of the Waccamaw-Siouan, Lumbee, Keetoowah, Muscogee, and Chahta nations. Following her reception into the Eastern Orthodox Church, her faith and heritage became the dual lenses through which she examines the world. Her prose serves as a sharp, beautiful tool for historical accuracy and artistic survival.
About My Private Canon
In her stunning new release, My Private Canon: Forged in Malice, Chanted in Isolation to the Christ of Thorns, Tiffany Desiree has crafted a rare literary achievement where the raw, untamed landscape of the American borderlands converges with ancient faith. This premium 6×9 hardcover spans 310 pages, featuring vibrant, full-color printing that brings both text and ancestral imagery to life. Written in English, Choctaw, and Cherokee, the book tracks a profound journey of self-remembrance and spiritual endurance following severe betrayal. It is a visually and textually rich masterpiece designed for anyone seeking a deeply authentic story of resilience.
The interview
Fill in the blank: “People will like your book if they like…”
“People will like your book if they like stories about the grit of the borderlands before America, ancient Christian history, and the beautiful, hard-fought journey of remembering your true name and sovereign identity after someone tries to strip it away from you.”
How did you plot out the content of your book?
I did not design these pages neatly; instead, I made sure to keep things completely raw. You will see Eastern Orthodox mistakes made, like A Night in the Inner Cell in its rawest form, captured during a time of intense pain. These pages were born authentic, with many tears, much exhaustion, pain, joy, happiness, and peace. I let emotion and truth drive the work completely rather than following a standard, artificial plot structure.
Did you write in timeline order or have any specific process for getting your first draft down?
I completely abandoned strict calendar order to let the emotional truth of each moment dictate the draft. My process was very organic, focused entirely on capturing the heat of an experience while it felt closest to the surface.
Memory does not move in a straight line; it loops, pauses, and rushes forward like a river. Writing this way allowed the prose to feel immediate and alive rather than clinical or overly rehearsed. I wanted the reader to experience the story exactly how it was felt, letting the past and present speak to one another seamlessly across the pages.
Did you have trouble writing about yourself, or was it fun and freeing?
Putting your own life and the faces of your family on the page requires a massive amount of creative vulnerability. It was definitely a balancing act to share such personal reflections without losing the artistic control I worked hard to develop in my university studies.
Ultimately, the process felt incredibly freeing because it allowed me to reclaim my narrative completely. Writing this book gave me the space to define my own boundaries and honor my background on my own terms. Transforming raw lived experience into a beautiful hardcover volume was one of the most rewarding creative challenges of my life.
How do you handle including dialogue in a memoir?
Dialogue in this book is handled with a deep respect for how people actually speak, capturing the unique rhythms of the borderlands. I wanted to avoid plastic, cinematic speech and instead preserve the real cadence of conversations that stayed with me over the years.
Because this book weaves together English, Choctaw, and Cherokee, the dialogue carries a distinct weight and texture. Each language introduces a different way of seeing the world, and I let those interactions happen naturally on the page. It was vital to let the characters speak with their true voices, showing their wit, intelligence, and humanity.
Did you have any input on the cover?
I had total creative input on the cover, ensuring it matched the premium color aesthetic inside the 310 pages. The visual design needed to stand out on a shelf as an intentional piece of art, blending traditional iconography with indigenous presence.
It acts as a threshold for the entire book, signaling to the reader that they are entering a unique literary space. I wanted the cover to feel substantial and evocative, matching the weight of the languages and histories bound within it to serve as a stunning visual wrapper for a very personal journey.
How important were the settings of your book in telling the story that you wanted to tell?
The settings are essentially characters themselves, driving the mood and movement of the entire narrative. The story travels through the rugged paths of Arkansas and the historic borderlands of the Carolinas, places where the land itself holds generations of memory.
These landscapes contrast beautifully with the quiet, mist-covered hills of the Pacific Northwest where the book was physically written. The physical details of the woods, the trails, and the open sky were crucial for grounding the emotional elements of the story. You cannot separate a person’s inner resilience from the dirt they walked on to find it.
Without providing spoilers, what is one moment that you feature in your book that you would most like to go back in time to change?
There are painful moments of conflict and name-calling that can easily make a person feel small or disconnected from their roots. While the initial instinct is always to wish you could bypass hard seasons entirely, those specific challenges are exactly what forced me to dig deeper into my identity.
They pushed me to seek out the ancient stability of the Church and to proudly claim my ancestral sovereign lineages. If I changed those moments, I might have never discovered the strength required to write this book. The trials ultimately shaped the perspective that allows me to write with such clarity today.
Do you try to hit a certain page or word count with each writing session?
Instead of chasing an arbitrary number of words, I focus entirely on the vitality and rhythm of the prose during a session. A writing day is successful if I finish a paragraph that feels completely authentic, resonant, and visually sharp.
Forcing a word count can lead to lazy sentences and filler, which completely undermines the standard of writing I hold myself to. I prefer to leave the desk knowing that every line earned its place on the page. Quality and emotional truth will always matter more to me than hitting a speed requirement.
Do you have any writing rituals?
My routine is all about clearing out modern digital clutter so I can focus completely on the music of the language. I usually light a bit of copal or sacred incense to ground myself and set a mindful, respectful atmosphere for the work.
I take a few quiet moments to center my thoughts on my faith and my ancestors, ensuring my intentions are clear before writing. Once that focus is established, I can dive into the text with absolute clarity. It is a simple but necessary way to transition from the busy outside world into the creative zone.
Where did you write this book?
This book came together in the Pacific Northwest, mostly written in the warmth of my cozy home in Seattle. On days when I needed a change of environment, I would take my notes to a quiet local cafe, letting the ambient hum of the city fade into the background.
The misty, green landscapes of Washington provided a peaceful environment that allowed me to look back clearly on the sunny, rugged terrains of Arkansas and the Carolinas. Writing in these spaces gave me the perfect balance of comfort and focused isolation needed to tackle a major project.
What are your favorite memoirs?
I am deeply inspired by memoirs and personal journals that read with the poetic cadence of the Beat Generation or the sharp atmospheric focus of classic American storytelling. I love autobiographical writings that feel like a long, reflective walk through the woods or an honest conversation over coffee.
Books that capture the raw, unedited pulse of the human condition without trying to look perfect are the ones that stay with me. I appreciate writers who treat their life stories as true literature, focusing on the beauty of the sentence structure and the honesty of the voice.
What are your passions/hobbies outside of writing?
When I am not deep in archival research or writing, you will almost always find me outdoors enjoying the natural beauty of the world. I love to go on long, challenging hikes, camp out under the stars, and simply walk through the local trails to clear my mind.
Moving through nature keeps me grounded and directly feeds my creative energy. There is a quiet clarity that comes from being on a trail that you cannot find anywhere else. These outdoor experiences keep my senses sharp and bring a fresh perspective back to my desk.
If given the chance, would you rather own a bookstore or run a library?
I would absolutely love to run a library, because it feels like a vibrant community sanctuary dedicated entirely to learning and preservation. Libraries are places where anyone can walk in and discover histories, languages, and stories that might otherwise be forgotten. It allows you to protect rare volumes and give people access to literature based on curiosity rather than commercial trends.
Curating a space that honors diverse tribal histories and deep spiritual texts aligns perfectly with my love for research. A library is an intellectual home where knowledge is kept safe for the next generation.
If Hollywood bought the rights to your book, would you want it to be turned into a movie or series? Any casting preferences?
A television series would be the ideal format because a 310-page book filled with three different languages and multiple settings needs room to breathe. A standard movie would be forced to cut out the historical details and ancestral imagery that make the hardcover so unique.
A series would allow viewers to truly immerse themselves in the distinct atmospheres of the Carolinas, Arkansas, and the West Coast. For casting, I would want authentic indigenous and afro-indigenous actors who understand the language and heritage, alongside individuals who can naturally capture the quiet depth of a spiritual path.
Who is your dream audiobook narrator?
My dream narrator would be someone with a warm, grounded voice that carries a natural poetic rhythm and emotional weight. They would need to navigate the transitions between English, Choctaw, and Cherokee seamlessly, honoring the specific beauty and pronunciation of each language.
The narration shouldn’t sound theatrical or overproduced; it should feel like someone telling you a profound truth across a campfire. It takes a unique talent to voice a memoir with that level of genuine intimacy and respect.
Who is on your Mt. Rushmore of greatest/inspirational writers?
My personal Mt. Rushmore is anchored by the visceral, fearless poetic voice of Ai and the expansive, natural rhythm of Walt Whitman. Joining them are Washington Irving, for his incredible ability to capture the atmosphere and folklore of early America, and Jack Kerouac, whose kinetic Beat Generation prose showed me how to make language move with speed and energy.
These four writers completely shaped my understanding of what American literature can do. They taught me how to combine style, landscape, and raw emotion without ever compromising on originality.
Are you a big reader? Do you own a large collection of books, or are you more of a borrower?
I am a massive reader and have built a large, deeply cherished personal collection of books over the years. My shelves are packed with poetry, early American history, native linguistic texts, and spiritual volumes that I refer to constantly.
For me, owning a book means building a relationship with it, marking the pages, and keeping it close as a creative companion. While I highly respect libraries, there is something incredibly comforting about being surrounded by your own curated world of literature at home.
Who would you most want to read your book? They can be living or dead.
I would love for my ancestors and long-gone relatives to read it, those who were forced to hide under the guise of being a person of color while still quietly speaking their language at home in hopes of finding the American dream. I also want anyone interested in the history of the borderlands to read this work. Finally, I write this for Christians, especially Orthodox Christians, so they can learn about other brothers and sisters in Christ.
Have you ever mentored another writer with their writing?
Yes, I really enjoy working with emerging writers who are trying to find their unique voice and navigate the challenges of the craft. My main advice is always to protect their originality and resist the urge to blend into generic commercial styles.
Having graduated at the top of my own class, I try to share the structural tools and editing discipline that helped me succeed. Mentoring is about helping someone see the strength in their own background and encouraging them to write with absolute courage.
What is an annoying thing that a non-writer has assumed about writers or the act of writing?
People assume writing happens overnight or that you simply choose when to construct the pages, when in reality, the pages completely own you. They dictate the timing and tell you exactly when the next step is ready.
During the creation of My Private Canon, the text had to be rewritten multiple times as God challenged me in more ways than I could have ever imagined. The first draft was born out of pure anger, but by the time it was finished, the final draft became the altar.
What is your favorite website that you use to promote your writing?
I always direct readers to Lolliwolliworld Publishing, a small, woman-owned publishing company right here in Seattle. They gave me a true chance to write under the LWW Literary Press imprint when so many larger houses had rejected my work in the past.
Supporting their digital platform is incredibly important to me because they believe in authentic, uncompromised independent voices. It is the perfect online home for My Private Canon.
What kind of feedback have you received from those featured in your book?
The feedback has been deeply moving and personal. People have cried and shared their own private stories through my website about navigating the weight of religious trauma.
Hearing that my words gave someone else the space to acknowledge their own pain and find a sense of comfort means everything to me. It completely validates the years of intense writing and research that went into bringing this premium color hardcover to life.
Have you made any public appearances to promote your book?
I choose my public appearances very carefully, focusing on local literary readings, independent bookstores, and spaces that appreciate creative depth. I enjoy engaging in real, face-to-face conversations with readers who are genuinely interested in the intersections of faith, landscape, and language.
These smaller, authentic settings allow for a much more meaningful connection than large, commercial promotional events. It keeps the dialogue focused on the actual art of writing.
How do you measure the success of your writing career?
I measure success not by number or volume but by how many souls feel at peace at the end of the page.
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