Author Interview - Florencia LaChance discusses about her books and thoughts on life

Florencia LaChance was born on August 11, 1967 and spent most of her childhood being raised in Maine.  She was given up to the State of Maine at age 13, after suffering sexual and physical abuse and became extremely rebellious and self-sabotaging.  With the help of some key mentors, she got herself together by age 16, emancipated herself and became self-supporting. At age 17 she was accepted to Boston College, an achievement after being in over 16 foster homes.  She had a son two months after turning 19, Joshua (aka Whoislogic on Soundcloud and Insta) who motivated her to truly make something of herself.  Mulatto: Daughter of America is her 8th book, first published and currently a Top-Seller in YA Bio.  

In an interview to TALKTOBLOGGER.COM, Florencia LaChance gets talking about her books, readers, roaring success, and of course her thoughts on life! Catch the interesting conversation here!

What motivates you to write?

       I write because I must.  I am filled with ideas. Stories, fantasy’s and I have to get them out.  I prefer writing to talking.  Books are my life.  Someone once said, “write the book you want to read” and that is what I do.  I have a gift and I try to use it to inspire, educate, entertain.

What was the feeling when your first book got published? How did you handle that moment of glory and self-pride, were people supportive or something else?

       Last summer, before a hater hacked my book off Amazon, and it went to Top-Seller in YA Bio in 2 weeks I was overwhelmed.  Thrilled.  Disbelief.  Grateful!  Every writer HOPES for a top-seller or bestseller but it is hard to do.  I have to thank my Twitter Tweeps and FB and Instagram Peeps for giving me so much guidance and encouragement.  I read a lot of books on keyword optimization and SEO marketing which helped me understand how to make my book stand out from the rest.

How do you take writing novels, as a career or hobby or between both?
I write for a living.  I have been a technical writer, grant-writer, Journalist my entire life.  This is my 8th book, so my first novella was written at age 20.  I first attempt at a fantasy novel age 17.

For your books you must be doing a lot of research topics and themes. How did you go about it?

       Yes, for this book I had to research what was relevant in the late 60’s and 70’s.  I love doing research.  The history channel is great for historic events, Wikipedia, YouTube, when I first started writing you went to a library.  A foreign word now.

What is the best aspect about your writing that you love most?

       I love that I can easily get into a writing groove from years of discipline writing daily.

Is getting published traditionally really tough? Share your views.

       Yes, I tried traditional publishing for my first book and got well, my fair share of rejection letters.  Some publishers gave advice which is always appreciated.  I did queries which did get me published in magazines.  I submitted once to a friend’s agent and was rejected.  The goal is to not let rejection stop you and to be determined.  I wish I’d self-published years ago, but they say everything happens when its meant to.

Tell us about your recently published book or the upcoming book?

       My book is a Generation X YA Memoir (coming-of-age story) about my experiences growing up Black in Maine during the late 70’s early 80’s.  It deals with obstacles I had to overcome, such as childhood sexual abuse (at a time when it was simply ignored!), child abuse, foster-care, bullying, self-identity.  I want to tell other survivors that we CAN transcend our experiences, be successful and use our hardships to help others. 

There are many new writers out there who are aspiring to get their work published. What would you say to them? 
If it is your passion and you have true talent, GO FOR IT!  Write and read as much as you can.  Read a book instead of watching TV.  Put aside time daily to write.  The more you read the better you will write.  Read Steven King’s book ‘On Writing’.

Check out more about Vince Nolan:

You can check out her social media pages:

• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/florencia.lachance.1
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/AuthorFlorencia
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/AuthorCial
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/florencialachance2008

     Thank you so much Florencia LaChance, for sharing your experience with us. This will definitely help others to learn from it. If you liked this interview, share it with your friends on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn  and Twitter.