Noonish In The Garden Of Wit And Charm
By: Toni Tails
Tags: Humor, Family, Productivity, Creativity, Writing

Aimée is currently a Top Writer in Fiction, Poetry, Food, Satire, and Parenting, who writes about dogs, relationships, mental health, food, and more! We at Random Awesome are honored to name her our Featured Author for November 2020, and she kindly agreed to answer a few questions.

Family, Dogs, and Gardens — Oh my!

RA: Tell us a little about yourself.

My name is Aimée Gramblin — I’m a 42-year-old Oklahoman who lives in Tulsa with my husband of 18 (!) years, 2 children, Jaden (12), and Ceci (short for Cecilia, 10), and our two dogs, Juno and Nugget.

When I’m not writing, I’m wandering our backyard, searching for all things nature and gardening. My greatest moments of understanding and reflection usually occur in the garden. Gardening and nature allowed me to write my memoir, which was a huge exercise in healing.

Photo of the Gramblin family — provided by Aimée Gramblin

In December 2019/January 2020, I experienced a debilitating bout of depression and finally realized that along with my known mental health issues, I’d been dealing with chronic pain most of my life. I wrote about that here.

After working outside as a gardener at our local botanic garden for almost 3 years, I resigned from my job and have been finding my way back to writing professionally since I’ve been healed enough to do so.

Red Fred and Round-Robin

RA: When did you start writing?

I think I started writing in my head when my dad played records, made up stories for me called “Red Fred,” and my mom and dad both read to me. My mom and I recorded round-robin stories on a tape player before I could write, I think; thus a storyteller was born.

It’s definitely in my genes. In 2nd grade, we kept a writing journal, and Mrs. Nichols responded enthusiastically to each entry. I’ve been writing in some way or another ever since. My college degrees are in English-Creative Studies with poetry emphasis (a BA and MA).

Bless Me and Run with Wolves

RA: What authors and books inspire you?

Rudolfo Anaya, who wrote Bless Me, Ultima, has had a deep influence on me, and I think you can see that in my Aleks and Gaby series, which is published every Friday in PS I Love you for Fiction Friday.

I recently — finally — listened to Women Who Run With The Wolves by Dr. Clarissa Pinkola Estés, which really resonated with me. This year has been my Wild Woman year for sure. I find myself drawn to a lot of Latin American literature — the mix of magical realism, emotion, and intuition speaks to me. One more book I’ll mention is In The Time of the Butterflies by Julia Alvarez.

Hooked on Medium

RA: What inspired you to join Medium?

I thought blogging was kind of a past-tense boat that I’d missed out on. Then, in March 2020, my mom (INFJ Elder on Medium) told me she’d started a WordPress blog and felt very frustrated in learning how to build it. I offered to do a little research and try to find something easier. I found Medium, signed up, started writing, and got hooked pretty quickly! :D

RA: What’s your favorite thing about publishing on Medium?

It’s so quick! The chances of my stories being seen are fairly high — and then I get to talk about them. I’m no longer writing into a void. Beautiful friendships have bloomed through Medium. The networking has been amazing! Ok — that’s more than one thing, lol.

photo provided by Aimée Gramblin

Shout-Outs!

RA: Want to shout out to some authors? Now’s your chance!

Yes! First of all, you, Toni Tails! I’m inspired by your amazing ability to navigate deep, painful life experiences and also bring a quirky, fun, vivid presence to the platform. I’d also like to shout-out my co-editors and good friends at Age of Empathy, Shanna Loga and Melissa Bee.

Shanna writes in-depth think pieces and has recently broken into poetry as well. Melissa writes inspiration, poetry, fiction, and more. They are both incredibly talented writers and wonderful people.

Susan Brearley, MuddyUm owner; Jay Squires, Genius in a Bottle founder; and Victor Sarkin, current Genius in a Bottle owner — have all been wonderful mentors.

Shout-Out to Dad!

I’d also like to give my dad, Dr. Steven E. Brown, a shout-out. You can find his books, which are based on disability culture, on Amazon.

How to Support Aimée

I’m working on a WordPress site, but it’s very bare-bones right now. You can also find me on;

If you’re interested in hiring me or collaborating, email aimee@gramblin.com — let’s talk!

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