Interview with Eileen (Harrison) Sanchez

Author of Freedom Lessons – A Novel

Where are you from originally and where do you reside now?

I’m a Jersey Girl! I’ve lived here my entire life with the exception of the one year I lived in Louisiana. That year provided the events and experiences that my book is based on.

If you currently reside somewhere besides where you were born, what’s the story that lead from there to here?

I was born in St. Louis, Missouri but only lived there until I was 9 months old. My parents were living there for my father’s job. They moved back to NJ and that’s where I was raised, attended school and college.

What made you decide to write and publish your first book?

Ten years ago, I was at a professional educational conference in New Orleans, LA. After a long day of presentations, we went out to Pat O’Brien’s, a great bar in the French Quarter. If you ever visit NOLA be sure to go there to have a Hurricane and request your favorite song to be played by the dueling pianos. In between the drinks and entertainment, I surprised the people I was with when I told them I had taught in a small rural town in Louisiana. It was during the mandated integration that followed the October 29, 1969 Alexander v Holmes Supreme Court decision which ordered schools across the county to desegregate. I had rarely shared that experience. I explained how a 22-year-old young woman from NJ wound up in the middle of the poorly planned mandated integration of the public schools. My husband was in the Army and we lived there for the last year of his service.

I always knew the impact it had on my personal history, but that revelation made me realize how significant the event was in the history of our country. I was a witness and felt a responsibility to share it. At the time, our first grandchild was two years old and a friend challenged me to write about my life during that year so that my granddaughter would learn about it.

How would you describe your books to first time readers?

Freedom Lessons begins in Louisiana 1969 as Colleen, a white northern teacher, enters into the unfamiliar culture of a small Southern town and its unwritten rules as the town surrenders to mandated school integration. She meets Frank, a black high school football player, who is protecting his family with a secret. And Evelyn, an experienced teacher and prominent member of the local black community, who must decide whether she’s willing to place trust in her new white colleague. Told alternately by Colleen, Frank, and Evelyn, Freedom Lessons is the story of how the lives of these three purportedly different people intersect in a time when our nation faced, as it does today, a crisis of race, unity, and identity.

Who do you feel is most likely to connect with the topics you write about?

Readers interested in the history of our country. Educators,and people interested in civil rights will find my book interesting.

What unexpected or surprising thing did you learn during the process of writing and publishing?

I learned how challenging it is to let the story unfold as the reader learns about the characters. The characters tell the story. I had to work hard at making that happen. “Show, don’t tell” is common advice for new writers. I believed that I was doing that but learned it could be done better. Many edits and revisions later I believe I’ve allowed the characters to tell the story.

If you could, what advice would you give to your past self before embarking on this journey?

Start sooner.

How many people would you ideally like to reach with your books?

It’s important to me to have readers gain empathy for the characters in the book and that understanding will help them to be more open to all people. Of course I’d like as many readers as possible but if one person comes away with a new perspective that’s a win for me. Because that person can impact another person, and so it can go, on and on. That’s what I hope will happen.

What has been the biggest challenge and frustration during the process to date?

Maintaining a writing life while launching this book. Another quote is “writing The End, is not the end.” Gaining exposure and finding readers is possible but it takes a good deal of time.

What’s your biggest strengths when it comes to book a) writing, b) publishing and c) marketing?

Of the three, writing is my strength. But I can’t discount the learning curve of writing fiction. Writing workshops, writing groups and a fabulous mentor and generous published authors who encouraged me and helped me along this journey.

What’s your biggest weakness when it comes to book a) writing, b) publishing and c) marketing?

Publishing is something I knew nothing about. Finding a publisher who guided me through the process was essential.

When do you think you will write your next book?

There is a lot of life left in this book. I have numerous events scheduled and others in the planning stages. With that said I’ve got two very different books in mind as possibilities for my next book and would like to start on it in the Spring.

Are you self published or did you use a hybrid publisher, or a traditional publisher?

I used a hybrid publisher, She Writes Press 2019 Indie Publisher of the Year. The process started with vetting the authors through a submission process. If your book is accepted they take over that part of Publishing, and guide you through the stages of copy editing, proofreading, cover selections, title, layout, finding endorsements, book distribution. She Writes Press distributes books through Ingram Publishing Services just as traditionally published books are distributed. That means that readers can order your book from wherever they like to get their books from online sites to brick and mortar stores and even libraries.