Tiffany McDaniel on the ways her mother inspires her literary career

Tiffany McDaniel's mother made her an eager reader, and now she's the subject of her latest novel. In Betty, the author traces her mother's childhood and the Cherokee heritage that defined it. Below, the author tells us her trade secrets, from her earliest attempts to put pen to paper to why it meant so much to write about her own family.

What is the first thing ever that you remember writing?

I've been writing since I was a kid old enough to grasp the pen, so I can't remember the very first thing I ever wrote. But one of those very early books would have been The Big Bad Toothbrush. I wrote it when I was six. It was about two toothbrushes who were twins, one of which was evil. I still have the book on my shelf, and always remember the opening lines, “Once there was a toothbrush I was a mean one, it was.” The evil toothbrush would do things like turn people's teeth black. The story ended with the toothbrush going to toothbrush heaven.

What is the last book that made you cry?

I have a pretty high tolerance level, so I've never cried during a novel, but children's picture books that feature the loss of animals are ones that stay with me like The Day Tiger Rose Said Goodbye And books like The Giving Tree and Donkey, Donkey.

Which book is at the top of your current To-Read list?

I read more non-fiction than I do fiction. Among those to read is a book about the 1906 San Francisco earthquake and another book about the birth and final fate of the sun. Science, and planetary science, in particular, is fascinating to me.

Which book made you a forever reader?

Growing up, my mother Betty made sure books and reading were part of our lives. From the time my sisters and I were born, Mom was reading to us. And it became a bedtime habit as we grew older. That's what made me a forever reader. Having had a mother who made sure that from the time we were kids, we understood the importance of story.

What is your favorite part of this Betty?

My favorite part is that it features my mother Betty and her story. I wrote Betty to celebrate the voices of my family, and in particular the voices of the women in my family. This book is a personal journey for me and the generations who have come before me. It's why this book will always cast ripples in my life.

Picture a proposal (求婚) and romance, and rings come to mind - not a conversation about organs. But when Craig asked Sadie to marry him in Naples in 2018, it was kidneys that resulted in the talk of marriage.

It had all started with snoring. When the couple moved in together in 2010, Sadie realized Craig's night-time noises were a problem. At first it didn't seem to be serious. But after months of examinations, he was diagnosed as IgA Nephropathy, a chronic kidney disease, says Sadie. “It was incurable and would have a long-term impact on his health. “The diagnosis was a bomb - we were facing the fact that this would change his life.”

Unfortunately, by 2016 his condition was worsening. Craig recalls: “I was getting incredibly tired. I'd come home from work and fall on the sofa, asleep for hours." Still, it came as a huge shock to them both when in March 2019 the couple were told that Craig had two options: a kidney transplant or dialysis.

Sadie remembers. “This wasn't a decision for five years' time - he had to make it now. He's Australian, So all his family were on the other side of the world. My response was clear and immediate - you can have one of mine.”

Craig says: “When I saw her reply, I was struck with guilt. Sadie is such a selfless person, I wasn't surprised that she wanted to help.” After witnessing the terrifying reality of dialysis, Sadie became more determined to do so.

Sadly, because they had different blood types, Sadie couldn't be a direct donor but then they learned about the Kidney Sharing Scheme. “It's a bit like a kidney swap-shop based on blood, tissue and antibody tests,” says Sadie. Then finally, with the help of the scheme, in May 2019, they were matched. On July 10, 2019, they both checked into hospital and both operations went smooth.

“Sadie is the most amazing, selfless person I’ve ever met. Now we can live life again, together, and it’s all because of her.” Craig says.

Although a rich literature exists documenting the negative relationship between air pollution and physiological (生理的) health, little has been done to examine the role of air pollution in psychological heath. In the study, titled “Air Pollution Reduces Interpersonal Trust” researchers used three different experimental designs to test their theory that air pollution would reduce one's level of trust in others.

In Study 1, participants were presented with landscape photos that showed either polluted scenes or clear scenes. Those who viewed photos of polluted scenes reported lower scores when completing a questionnaire measuring social trust.

In Study 2, researchers used a “big data” approach, collecting mass information from social media platforms and analyzing it in connection with weather monitoring data. Their analysis showed that polluted conditions were associated with reduced expressions of positive emotions on social media sites, while clearer conditions were associated with stronger positive emotional expressions.

Finally, in Study 3, participants who were asked to read social media posts about poor air quality reported less social trust than those who read posts unrelated to pollution. This makes sense---as air pollution causes negative emotions, people are more likely to focus on others' negative characteristics and find them less trustworthy.

The effects of this study are far-reaching. By reducing trust in others, this study suggests that air pollution can have negative effects on social unity and harmony. Considering widespread air pollution throughout the globe, any effect between pollution and human psychology should be given serious attention.