Book Reader Magazine Interview

Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?

My name is Tammy J Cohen, and I was born in Manhattan and raised on the South Shore of Long Island. I moved back into the city right after college. I am married and raised 3 wonderful sons in Manhattan. I work as a brand messaging consultant, founded the Women Beyond the Table Network, and co-hosted the Beyond the Table Podcast. My husband and I opened Eighteen Restaurant on Manhattan’s Upper East Side over 13 years ago. “Text Messages To My Sons: Connecting Deeply In a World of Devices” is my first book.

At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?

I have always loved reading and writing. I was highly engaged in English and Social Studies because there was always the opportunity to write an essay or report, and I enjoyed researching subjects. I could also express myself through written words better than with spoken words.

It’s interesting because I never considered myself an author; however, I did consider myself a writer. Writing or publishing a book never crossed my mind until the past 1-2 years.

Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?

Growing up, I loved Leon Uris, Jackie Collins, Harold Robbins, Ken Follet, and Robert Ludlum. I was also attracted to crime mysteries, spy and intrigue novels, and historical biographies.

Over the past 3 years, I have gotten into the mindset -thought leaders genre, such as Dr. Joe Dispenza, Stephen Covey, Robin Sharma, Napoleon Hill, Patrick Lencioni, and Victor Frankel.
These authors are very inspiring because they are out-of-the-box thinkers in many ways.

I have dipped into the Paranormal Romance genre. I enjoy it; it’s a great way to wind down from a hectic day.

But to be honest, regarding “Text Messages To My Sons,” as I was learning and looking inward, I wanted to share this with my sons and develop a more meaningful way of interacting with them.

Tell us a little about your latest book?

“Text Messages to My Sons: Connecting Deeply In A World of Devices” came about from a practice I started during the pandemic. I decided to communicate with my sons in a way that would reach and resonate positively with them. Everyone is continuously plugged into devices, and in-person communications are just not happening like when I was younger.
To me, devices are neither good nor evil; they exist, and the type of message sent makes the difference.

When my sons were younger, I noticed that my mindset wasn’t always good; I was unhappy and had my own limiting beliefs.
Most of my messaging to them was either reminders, commands, or reprimands.

I wanted to change the tone of my communications. Much of the information I started to share was from what I was learning or noticing as I was taking steps to evolve and engage in personal development and growth. I became more present and in the flow, and that energy flow propelled me on this journey of connection and engagement positively.

I spent 2 years texting my sons daily from Monday- to Friday. Friends were intrigued by what I was doing and said I should put it in a book. It took about 8 months of working with a great company that knows the entire publishing process, and that is how I got Text Messages to My Sons to market.

However, it was not until the events of 10/7 that I realized messaging love, inspiration, encouragement, support, positivity, and knowledge to our kids, family, friends, and community is the way to bring more light into our world.

Imagine the different world we would live in if those who are raised in hate, propaganda, indoctrination, and incitement received entirely different messages from their family, friends, and community?

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