Interview with Author Louise Szabo

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Louise-Szabo

Author Louise Szabo

Louise, thanks for taking the time to talk with us about your latest book.

How would you describe it to someone who has not yet read it?

Lucy’s Toad Trip is about our travels across Canada in an old RV we named Lucy.  I wrote about the unforeseen mechanical breakdowns, living in the confined spaces of an RV and how my husband Charlie and I were adjusting to hours of togetherness.

It is about driving through the diverse landscapes of Canada and being amazed at this fast country’s beauty.
We also found that across Canada – although each campground had its differences – campers were friendly, fun loving people and seemed to follow a set routine as if it was a cross-country rule.

 

Is there a message in your book that you want your readers to grasp?
For anyone interested in buying an RV this book gives a good glimpse of what this type of travel entail. Many previous RV owners will relate to our experiences and for those who can only dream of travelling in an RV the adventures will make them feel as if they are right there with us.
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What inspired you to start writing?
I have always been interested in writing but not until I retired did I find the time to immerse myself fully and indulge my passion for writing. I find writing very therapeutic and at first I wrote my memoirs which is a forever-ongoing project.  I always write a journal when we travel and on my return home I like to take my very disorganized scribbled notes and re-write them in an orderly fashion.  Since our RV adventure was a once in a lifetime trip the only way for Charlie and I to remember and re-live our journey was for me to convert the journal into a book.
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How much of the book is based on real life?
Often, what happens in my own life becomes the base of a short story.  In this case, all that I wrote in the book actually happened to us.

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What would/could a reader or reviewer say about this book that shows they “get” you as an author?
My style of writing is simple and fluid.  I don’t have long description but try to write in a very compact form so as not to bore the reader.  I also have a funny streak and I try to incorporate humour in my writing whenever possible.
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Thinking way back to the beginning, what is the most important thing you’ve learned as a writer from then to now?
Writing is a very personal journey.  It isn’t enough to write about a situation, you have to write how you feel about it.  At the beginning I held back on my emotions and my stories didn’t draw people in.  Over the years I have been able to let go and reach deep enough into my soul to write honestly about my feelings whether they are good or bad.  I’ve learned that it is okay to feel vulnerable.  It makes me a better writer.
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Considering a book from the first word you write to the moment you see it on a bookstore shelf, what is your favorite part of the process?
It is exhilarating to finish that first draft.  What I enjoy is going over it again and again and revising it.  The more often I do this the deeper go my feelings.  The best part is when I declare to myself that it is done.  It brings a sense of accomplishment. Seeing the actual book makes me proud of myself.  Not only because I wrote it, but because I have something for my family to hold and to keep forever.  It is part of my legacy.
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What’s your least favorite?
The least favorite chore is the struggle I have when I can’t find the word to say what I mean. Thank goodness for a good thesaurus.
I am a slow writer and it takes me at least fifteen revisions before I declared the book finished to my satisfaction.  Even then I worry about the words and sometimes I thinks that my writing is so bad that I want to delete it all and start all over again.  There comes a time when your heart knows it is done but your head wants to make it more perfect. In reality it is never perfect.
When the publisher received the manuscript, I waited, impatient and with a bit of fear, for his comments and constructive critique.  It came as a surprise that I grieved the end of the project. It also frightened me that the book was now out of my control and I couldn’t change any of it.
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What scene or bit of dialogue in the book are you most proud of, and why?
Some of the places we have been in Canada moved me deeply and I hope that I expressed my feelings about them properly.  The part I enjoyed writing the most was when we were in Dawson City in the Yukon and I recount the time my father was stationed there as an RCMP recruit.  My father was a writer and most of his stories were about his stay in the north.  I could visualize him in that setting and the writing came easy.
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Lucy's-Road-Trip

Lucy’s Road Trip RV-ing Across Canada

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If you had to do it all over again, would you change anything about your book?
I would change the printing on the cover so that you could read ‘ Across Canada’ better.  There is always something I would like to change, add more details, change some of the wording.  There is always room for improvement.
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What genre have you not yet written but really want to try?
I would like to write a psychological novel.
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What general advice to you have for writers?

  • Don’t give up. Sometimes I got so fed-up with the process that I almost quit writing.  Instead, I left it for a while, sometimes a couple of days, sometimes a couple of weeks and did something else.  If you have a passion for writing you will get back to it.  Do it for the fun of it and don’t let it stress you out and don’t give up on it.
  • Join a writing group.  Since writing is a lonely pastime I found it useful to join a writing group.  You must find one that suits your genre and a group of people who will give you honest critique.
  • Learn the craft.  At the beginning my writing was so bad that even my husband refused to read it as he didn’t want to upset me with his critique.  I knew I could write, I wanted to write, but I didn’t know how to write.  Like any other craft it must be learned.  I took courses and eventually development my own style of writing. Now my husband looks forward to reading my work.
  • Be proud of your accomplishment. Don’t be too hard on yourself.  Everyone has their own style and most people aren’t crazy enough to write let alone publish a book.
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What is the best part of being a writer?
Writing is very therapeutic.  I can express myself better by writing than by speaking.  Probably because by revising so often I can find the right word to say what I mean.  By looking inside myself and got to know myself better.  Writing has made me a better, calmer, happier person.  I am at peace with myself.

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What’s the most challenging part of being a writer?
Sometimes I procrastinate.  I sit at my computer and read my emails, play a computer game, check my Facebook account and do anything to keep me away from writing.  This has nothing to do with the pleasure I get when I do write.  I often get overwhelmed with this feeling that I need and have to write.  The most challenging part is finding the right story or idea to write about.  Sometimes it doesn’t come easily.  Sometimes the idea is there but I can’t find the words.
Now that my book is done I am still searching for the next idea inside of me that wants to come out on paper. I am in transition and since I know it is there I need to let it take root. One day it will pop into my consciousness and I will be off again. In the meantime, I wait.

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How would a close friend describe you?
They would describe me as a fun person, organized, steady and honest. They might also find me at times distant which is a mask for my shyness.  I am more of a listener than a talker and when I join a conversation I stumble over my words.  Even in my speech I can’t find the right words to express myself.  Yet, I have been told that I am a great public speaker.  On those occasions when I must give a speech, I am prepared and know what I want to say and how to say it.  Always with humour.
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What’s one thing that your readers would be surprised to know about you?
I didn’t read much in my childhood and I don’t think I have much of an imagination, although my husband might debate that statement.

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Follow Louise Szabo on her website to find her books.

Lucy’s Road Trip can be bought from chapters.indigo.ca at the following link:
http://bit.ly/1vGjta1

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