Reaching Your Audience
Yesterday, I had one of those moments that made me happy to be a writer. I received an e-mail from an individual who read my book, Three Slovak Women. While I will not identify the reader by name, I would like to share the body of the message here in this posting.
“Wow! “Three Slovak Women” is a winner.
I am a third generation American Slovak and your book aptly puts into words many of the memories I have of my Grandparents and Parents that still rattle around in my mind. You have nicely captured the spirit and meaning of life as lived in America by the early Slovak immigrants.
Your book goes one step further in confirming that a strong work ethic is one of the legacies passed down from our Slovak ancestors.
There are probably thousands of Verona Straka/Janos Figlyar stories yet to be told. Going forward … you might want to consider collecting the memoirs, stories, customs, etc. from other third generation American Slovaks. Like you, they too have meaningful stories and fortunately you are blessed with the skills to turn them into a lasting memorial of those who came before us … before it’s too late.”
From the day I began writing Three Slovak Women I always viewed it as my “Labor of Love.” The book took me over six years to research and another five of writing and rewriting. In 2001, I finally had the draft that I wanted to publish. Messages such as the one above reaffirm that all of the time and effort I put in was worth it. As a writer, I find that the biggest compliment someone can pay me is when they say, “If you change the names, dates, and places, this could be MY story.” This means they get it. If my words strike a familiar chord with readers, then I’ve done my job as an author.
Following up on the commentary above, I am very interested in continuing to collect the memoirs, stories, customs, etc. from other third generation American Slovaks. So, if you are Slovak-American, and would like to share your story here, or with me via e-mail, I would love to hear from you. I would welcome the opportunity to turn your family history or remembrances into lasting memorials to your ancestors, perhaps as part of a future article or book.
Click here for more details about Three Slovak Women. For information on how to purchase a copy of TSW or any of my other books, visit my Web site.
