J.P. Lachs - Author Life

J.P. Lachs, author of An Accidental Memoir, released her debut book in March 2018. We decided to catch up with the author and see how life had changed since becoming an author.

Did you always dream of becoming an author?

Quietly so. I kept diaries most of my adult life and found solace in writing down my thoughts, observations and the mundane daily happenings.

What was your first job?

It is hard to tell; my first jobs were in my student years, working in a simple casual restaurant or a cafe. I did a lot of waitressing while in transit between my country of origin, Poland, and my current home, Australia.

How did you come about writing your book? Was that your intention or did you start writing for fun?

My children were my inspiration. When very young, they asked me to tell them stories from my childhood; they listened with surprising attention. This led me to start writing the stories down for their future reference. These stories are a large part of my book. When I went to Florence, it was mainly to put all the stories and notes from my family research together and in some order. Initially, it was going to be for my daughters only, but as the whole thing grew, friends and my daughters kept encouraging me to persevere and turn it into a book which could be published.

What was your life like before you became an author?

I don’t think it was much different from my life now. I suppose it doesn’t really register with me, the word ‘author’. But yes, it is exciting when friends talk to me about the book in a positive way.

Did you face any struggles before becoming an author? If so, how did you overcome them?

The struggles were mainly with my time; I write at various times. This means I really need to be alone to be able to write, be it at 5am or till 3am.

One difficulty I faced was the language. English is my second language and even though I am fluent, I am not always confident.

Another challenge was to stop editing myself. Each time I received the manuscript for accepting the changes, I wanted to re-write the whole thing. It took a lot of self-control, otherwise I would be still writing it.

Now that you are a published author, how has your life changed, if at all?

I don’t think my life has changed. Not yet anyway.

Can you please describe a typical day in your life now?

It is not worth describing. Every day I write what happened, be it nothing interesting or a major event. My days are recorded. I make time to write as well as time to read. I don't have strict routine; my days are sometimes chaotic.

What is your most memorable moment of your life as an author?

My first assessment of the manuscript, which I had done before considering further work on it as a book. It was very rewarding to have a positive feedback from someone professional. It gave me some confidence.

Later, I was terrified what my friends will think about me once they read my book, so it was a great relief when my friend read half the book in one day and called me twice with excitement and praise. Very uplifting.

In a few words, how would you review your experience with Pegasus Publishers?

I found my experience with Pegasus Publishers a very pleasant one. From day one, they were professional, efficient and friendly. The whole team made me feel welcome and well looked after. I especially appreciated their communication and their responses to my many e-mails. Their response often reached me quicker than I expected. You could almost say they responded to my queries before I asked the question.  The publicity team was excellent in launching the book on many internet sites at once and in prominent position. The whole process of publishing was new to me and ended up being a fantastic experience. I learned a lot and even if the book doesn't succeed, it was all worth it. Very, very happy. So, a big thank you to the whole team of Pegasus Elliot Mackenzie Publishers.