The Latina Book Club congratulates Linda LaRoche on her
first book.
DUST UNTO SHADOW is the
story of immigrants returning to their homeland and not being as welcomed as
they thought they’d be.
Linda has
gracious shared an excerpt with us via video.
Enjoy!
EXCERPT! To hear an
excerpt read by the author, click here.
Q: Congratulations on your first book. We
understand your grandmother and mom inspired the book. Tell us how? What is the
book about?
LINDA LAROCHE: My mother inspired the book and her immediate
family. From the time I was a child I had an interest in genealogy and would
ask my parents and grandmothers questions about their growing up years. In the
early 1990's while living in Berlin, I had the opportunity to explore my
creativity- I trained as a method actor and made a living from having a small
part on a television series and commercials, A friend suggested that we do our
genealogy through the LDS church. I thought it was far-fetched that the Mormon
Church, a young American Institution would have records from Mexico. It wasn't
until 2010, when I watched the reality show, "Who Do You Think You
Are," that for the fun of it, I went online and by chance found my mother’s
paternal grandparents wedding certificate. That got me started on a genealogy
search that was facilitated through baptism certificates. It’s then when I realized that no matter how
humble one's circumstances, one wanted to ensure their child's soul a passage
to heaven.
The search culminated in my finding
that my mother wasn't Mexican as she had claimed. She was descended from
Criollos and contrary to what she has said her family had not been in Mexico
long. As I asked her questions, she slowly opened up to the past. She had
always been an intensely private woman.
Perhaps it was her age or the timing, but as she opened up I heard
stories unknown to me. As she spoke I knew the trust she placed in me was
sacred and I was compelled to chronicle.
Her parents had left Guadalajara and
came to the United States, setting in northern California, had children and my
grandfather who was well-educated made a living as a telegrapher. However, he
took to drink and abused my Grandmother. My grandmother fearing for her life
had 6 children in the span of 8 years that depended on her, fled to her
hometown for safety. But she miscalculated and encountered a living hell in Mexico.
All comfort and modernity was gone and they leaped back time living more
violence, the bleakness of poverty, cultural displacement, and
color-consciousness. The book explores
the dark underbelly of life in Mexico in the 1930's and 1940's.
Q:
Children of two cultures are often caught between two worlds, unwelcome
in either. Is there a way to make them feel more at home, wherever that
home is -- in Mexico or in US? Is assimilation the key to survival in "new
land"? Is there a way to be part of the new home without losing one's
culture?
LINDA LAROCHE: My mother in Mexico constantly yearned to
return to the States. Her transition coming to Los Angeles, with her young son
was a city that was not familiar to her and she acclimated; she held onto her
conventional beliefs and embraced the American life aspects of life she
admired. She also instilled into her children Latino sensibilities (etiquette,
manners, hospitality, etc.) not found in American culture. While I wrote this book, I realized my
grandmother felt rootless without a home.
I myself never felt American and Mexico
doesn't hold my interest either. So where is home? Is it a geographical place,
a place in time, or a state of mind? Whatever it is, it is a human dilemma
which consumes emotion and contemplation. And transplants like me who go to
Berlin, New York, San Francisco and float around seeking this elusive
refuge. Mystics would say home is within you. If I were to apply that
statement to the concept of home, there would be no need to question because
home can be anywhere one claims it to be.
Q:
You are a journalist by profession. Did that experience help you write
faster? Better? Any advice for new Writers eager to pen their story?
LINDA LAROCHE: I have a diverse background in the media,
although of the many things I've done, I was in tune with journalism because I
had equal parts of solitude and time with others. As a journalist, I worked
freelance which gave me the opportunity to write about topics I cared about it.
This empowerment and authenticity was and remains important to me. As a
creative writer, I imagined the time and setting in DUST UNTO SHADOW since I
have never been to where my mother grew up. Although we had the means to
travel, we were shielded from trips to Mexico.
As a young woman, I made the voyage but an accident prevented me from
visiting the village thus cutting my trip short. I used my imagination to add dialogue
and give the story richness and texture.
However, like a journalist, I remain
objective to the storyline and took a step back, only adding my thoughts at the
end, including what I perceived to be at the root of the social injustice and
the redemptive power of Love. A writer
first and foremost needs passion to sustain their goal. They should start with
what they know, not talk about it, but write, be open to re-writes (there will
be many more than you can imagine) have steely determination and most of all,
fulfill their self-promises!
I wrote the book in 2010 while I was
teaching creative writing at the College of Southern Nevada; my goal was to
have it published the traditional way. I never gave up. Then on New Year’s Eve,
saying good-bye to 2016, I said, that's it Linda, what are you waiting for. You
see the value in this, don't wait for anyone else, and do it now! I then edited
the copy, compiled the photos, started to research art, fonts, etc. and
thoroughly enjoyed the process. I'm highly organized so publishing was
natural for me but when something technical went wrong, ordinarily I get
frustrated, but I embraced it as you would a child I had given life to.
My maternal grandmother’s spirit was
with me every-day. Other family members who I never met; literally jumped
off the page. I knew their flaws and attributes and fell in love with all of
them and was honored that we had this time. When it was time to say good-bye, I
knew it wasn’t final, only a matter of time until we meet again. ###
DUST UNTO SHADOW SUMMARY: Benilde and her family lives
are readjusted when they return to their homeland in Mexico. There is ritual and routine, as it has been
for generations. Having encountered a modern life in Northern California, the family
shares the customs of Mexican life and rejects the insular rules that shape
village existence. They are viewed as
outsiders and remain in the minority and despite trying to make a happy home
life they find hostility that has molded their family's destiny for generations. A
powerful story about a family bonded by honor and separated by circumstances
and culture. Dust unto Shadow celebrates the bond of love that connects families while painting
an unforgettable portrait of a dark period in Mexican history.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Linda
LaRoche is a writer with extensive experience in screenwriting, journalism, public
relations, teaching, and short stories. While
working in the film industry, she produced The Trouble with Tonia,
starring Lupe Ontiveros, and won the Silver Star Award for Producer in the
Houston Film Festival. It also won best
film award in the San Sebastian Film Festival in Spain and is listed as one of
the top 100 Hispanic-American films, on Chon A. Noriega’s, Aztlán Film
Institute's Top 100 List.
As a journalist, her work appeared in many periodicals
including The Los Angeles Times Sunday arts section, In Style magazine,
and the Pasadena Star News. Her
fictional short stories have been published in literary magazines such as Glimmer
Train Press and the Missouri Review.
She taught creative writing at the College of Southern Nevada
mentoring budding writers, and helped others nurture their creative ideas from
the abstract into polished execution. Currently,
she is an independent public relations consultant representing clients in the arts
and personal development. DUST
UNTO SHADOW is her
first novel.
To learn more about Linda LaRoche visit her on the
following platforms:
READ LATINO !