Finding the "universal story" in memoir with Laurie James

06/28/22 • 32 min

Welcome Laurie James to The TufFish Show, a place to help writers and aspiring authors get out of their own way to leave a legacy by telling the stories they want to share through writing their own books and confidently sharing them with others. The writing process can be tough and the business side can feel scary, but TufFish makes both feel smoother and achievable. Visit https://www.jennifermilius.com/tuffish to learn more.

Laurie will tell you that her book "found her" and in doing so, she trusted and followed her inner knowing, and found the "universal story" so her readers could see themselves. Laurie and I talked about ways to allow for self-care as well as the writing journey she went on to bring this book to life, including when to hold on and when to let go. Although not all books have a subtitle, Laurie's does and she shared how this came to be too.

Laurie James is a mother, caregiver, divorcée, turned author and transformative coach. Laurie’s book, Sandwiched: A Memoir of Holding On and Letting Go is about her eight year journey when she is sent down an unwanted path after her mother has a heart attack and her husband’s lawyer delivers some shocking news. Sandwiched between caring for her parents, managing caregivers, raising four daughters, and trying to understand her husband’s choices, she is faced with reevaluating everything she thought she knew as she tries to keep her family together. Laurie is a free spirit, lover of nature, skiing and sailing. You can often find her walking by the beach or playing in mountains with her adopted husky, Lu. For more information on Laurie and her book, please visit www.laurieejames.com.

Visit - www.laurieejames.com

Book purchase link: Sandwiched: A Memoir of Holding On and Letting Go

Visit - www.laurieejames.com

Book purchase link: Sandwiched: A Memoir of Holding On and Letting Go

Previous Episode

The power of setting and character development with Pat Black-Gould

Welcome Pat Black-Gould to The TufFish Show, a place to help writers and aspiring authors get out of their own way to leave a legacy by telling the stories they want to share through writing their own books and confidently sharing them with others. The writing process can be tough and the business side can feel scary, but TufFish makes both feel smoother and achievable. Visit https://www.jennifermilius.com/tuffish to learn more.

This is a deep and powerful conversation! Pat shares how she leveraged her theatre and psychology backgrounds as well as working with writing critique groups to ensure the setting, character development and dialogue all came together in this poignant and powerful story so that she could connect with both children and adults.

Pat Black-Gould is a clinical psychologist and an author. Her short stories have appeared in literary journals and anthologies. Her children's book, The Crystal Beads, Lalka's Journey, is scheduled for publication on June 14th, 2022. She and co-author, Steve Hardiman, are currently writing a coming-of-age story based in the Vietnam era.

Visit - https://patblackgould.com/

Book purchase link: The Crystal Beads, Lalka's Journey

Next Episode

Getting through the murky middle and finish writing your book with Sita Romero

Welcome Sita Romero to The TufFish Show, a place to help writers and aspiring authors get out of their own way to leave a legacy by telling the stories they want to share through writing their own books and confidently sharing them with others. The writing process can be tough and the business side can feel scary, but TufFish makes both feel smoother and achievable. Visit https://www.jennifermilius.com/tuffish to learn more.

Sita and I had a wonderful conversation about how to finish writing your book. Getting started can be easy and so much fun when you're inspired and the ideas seem to flow, and when you're approaching the finish line, you see the light at the end of the tunnel and that helps carry you through. It's working through the murky middle that is the challenge, and Sita shared so much wisdom on how to work through the middle, finish your first draft, and how to refine and improve that draft into a manuscript.

Sita Romero received her MFA in creative writing from Queens University of Charlotte. Her work has been published in print and online literary journals. Before writing full-time, Sita worked in women’s health for 15 years. She grew up in Florida and now lives in Virginia. Her debut upmarket contemporary fiction novel, Words We Cannot Say, released April 19, 2022.

Visit - https://sitaromero.com/

Book purchase link: Words We Cannot Say