Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Lucia Girolamo. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Lucia, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Let’s jump right into how you came up with the idea?
Pursuing a creative path professionally was never my dream as a child. Since English was my second language, reading and writing was a struggle for me. In high school, I finally became a fluent reader, and I became comfortable with my writing abilities in college. One of my collegiate writing classes required a short story. I wrote about my dad’s civil justice fight in Cuba. My professor said it was a great story and that I should write a book. I was shocked, not realizing I had that potential, and said, “Thank you!” but I was not interested in writing anything other than what was required to receive my degree.
Years later, my children would ask me many questions about their grandfather. We often had conversations about my dad’s years as a political prisoner at family gatherings. My children could not understand why their beloved grandfather was in jail. I then decided to write my father’s memoir, so my children would understand their heritage. Later I realized I needed to educate people about the struggles of my fellow Cubans, so I finished my book as creative nonfiction.
I got hooked on the writing process, and now I’m working on a book about my son’s perseverance with Epilepsy.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
I immigrated to the United States from Cuba at eight years old with my parents and two sisters. I received bilingual education in Miami and English Language support in Chicago. Learning the English language and academic content was a struggle, but I persevered.
I received my Master’s in Teaching and became an English as a Second Language teacher. I continued taking courses and received my endorsement to become a Special Education teacher.
Initially, I wanted to preserve my father’s story for my children as well as his other grandchildren. As the process evolved, sharing thoughts and stories with family and friends, I was encouraged to preserve the stories in a book format. In March 2020, I published my book “To the Pastures” and had it translated into Spanish during the summer of that year.
I am currently working on my next book about living with Epilepsy to educate others, and I plan to write about other similar topics.
Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?
With my first version, I sent my manuscript to many agents and publishers and received no response. With the support of my writer’s group, I revamped my memoir into creative fiction. With my next submission, I received several responses noting that my story was too short. I appreciated the feedback but wanted only these specific events and details about my father’s story in my book because I promised my father to protect the identities of other characters in his story. I decided to go with Moment For Me Branding and Publishing LLC, a hybrid publisher, to bring my dream to life.
What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?
As a teacher, it is rewarding to see my students get excited about their teacher having a published book. I hope my experience helps to promote better readers and future writers.
As a professional, I treasure the talented writers that have supported me along the way. I found a group, Geneva Night Writers Workshop, which helped me polish my craft. I have met many individuals, and I’m grateful for all of my new connections.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.lucygirolamo.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lucy.girolamo/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lgirolamoauthor/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lucy-girolamo-9bb30b3a/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/lucygirolamo