Former Milford resident shares story through literature

MILFORD – A former longtime Milford resident is coming back to town to share her story through a newly published book.

Tommye Staley lived in Milford for 41 years where she was a teacher a Milford High School until she retired and taught crime scene investigation and forensics at Wesley College for about 12 years.

Her book is entitled “Washing Worms: Memories of a Southern Girl.” It is about some of the biggest memories she has from growing up in southern Arkansas.

Growing up on a small island that is no longer there, she was inspired by man, through which she learned many life lessons, including how to fish. But to her, he meant so much more.

“Joe is one of my central characters in the beginning book,” said Ms. Staley. “He was an elderly gentleman in probably his late 70s when I was born. He always worked on the farm.”

He spent much time with Ms. Staley.

“He had the time to put up with a bratty and crazy child,” she said. “I was one of the youngest kids on our half of the island and I just stuck to Joe when I was young.

“Me holding on to his overalls was a common site. So wherever he would go, I would go.”

Her fishing lessons are what inspired the title of the book.

“The lake was full of cottonmouths (snakes) and alligators, and I was down at the edge of the water, messing around,” said Ms. Staley. “He was talking to another gentleman and all of sudden he was like ‘Hey child, what are you doing down there?’ and I said, ‘I’m just washing the worms. They are dirty.’”

What he said next stuck with her for the rest of her life.

“His comment was ‘The fish don’t mind eating a bit of dirt every now and then,’” said Ms. Staley. “Later on in life, I let that be one of my life lessons. Don’t spend too much time worrying about something that doesn’t need to be done or something you can’t do anyway.”

She shared many of these stories with her students and they thought writing a book would be perfect for her. She never really thought about it until she moved to Arizona, which is where she currently resides.

“When I retired from Welsey right before I moved out here, I thought ‘Maybe I should write this down,’” said Ms. Staley. “I wrote a couple of short competition plays and won a couple of first places.”

A screenplay entitled “Christmas Journey” is available on Amazon. After some success in writing the screenplays, she decided to listen to those who told her to write about her experiences in a book.

“I put in the preface ‘I did this for you guys. You know who you are,’” said Ms. Staley. “And that was the ones who told me I should write this down.”

This is the first part of what will be a four-book series. She is working on a second one which she hopes to have out by Thanksgiving.

She wants people to know that her books are more than a memoir of her life. It gives stories with valuable life lessons.

In August, she will be doing a book tour in Delaware. On Aug. 12, she will be at Dolce Bakery & Coffee Shop on Walnut Street at 7:30 a.m. then Milford Senior Center on Park Avenue at 12:30 p.m..

She will then be in Dover on Aug. 13 at Dover Christian Church at 1738 Forrest Ave. at 6 p.m..

She will also be at two local theaters with the first at Possum Point Players’ Possum Hall in Georgetown on Aug. 15 at 6 p.m.. The tour will round out at the Riverfront Theater in Milford on Aug. 16 at 7 p.m..

Ms. Staley is eager to share her story with the people and place she calls home.

“My husband said he doesn’t want us to use the word ‘memoirs’ anymore, even in our publicity,” said Ms. Staley. “Because so many people think this is going to be somebody talking about ‘I was 1, I was 2, I was 3 and so on,’”

“I spent over half my life in Delaware and that is what I consider home,” said Ms. Staley. “And I want to share this with people I consider my family, my Delaware people.”

The book can be purchased online at Amazon, Barnes and Noble and bookstores. She will also be selling signed copies of the book on the tour.