Historical Fiction Based on Family Stories
Who are you?
Jane Lawler Smith
What is your project?
My project is the writing of a story (short story? novella? book?) that will honor my parents’ lives. It is definitely historical fiction as I am not looking to retell the story of their lives as much as write something that honors who they were, their challenges, and their simple triumph of building good lives.
Can we see some photos?
My dad, who was surrendered to an orphan asylum when he was 4, is singing in Rome for Pope John Paul II.
My mom, who grew up in a town that no longer exists, was widowed with 4 children in the early 1960s.
One of four photos I obtained through research as part of this project – my siblings and I had never seen the photos before! (and oh yeah, my dad was studying to be a priest)
Where can we find your work?
Here I am sharing chapters one through eight.
Show us your work in progress
What will you ship at the end of 6 months?
My goal is to complete the entire draft. I have 43 chapters, all are at least in outline form but many are close to fully drafted.