Evelyn Kohl LaTorre's interracial marriage memoir Love in Any Language

Case study: US educator Evelyn Kohl LaTorre on writing her interracial marriage memoir Love in Any Language. A young Evelyn wearing her wedding dress, 1966; book cover of Love in Any Language, She Writes Press; and a portrait photo of Evelyn. Photos Evelyn Kohl LaTorre, She Writes Press — Memoir *Love in Any Language* (centre) by Evelyn Kohl LaTorre (right), She Writes Press, and wearing her wedding dress, 1966 (left). Photos Evelyn Kohl LaTorre, She Writes Press

What a 1960s Peace Corps volunteer to Peru knows about interracial relationships, love and marriage

Evelyn Kohl LaTorre’s new memoir Love in Any Language is a beautiful account about the trials and joys of blending two cultures.

The book is available from September 28 through She Writes Press and follows on from Evelyn’s popular life story Between Inca Walls.

Between Inca Walls is about her Peace Corps trip to Peru in the 1960s and falling in love with University student Antonio.

But in Love in Any Language Evelyn writes about finding out she is pregnant at age 23, marrying and moving home to California.

Here she learns to juggle full-time work and parenthood while Antonio learns English, finishes college and finds a job.

Forever Young Autobiographies recently caught up with Evelyn to find out more about sitting down to write this latest book plus her top tips for fellow life-story creators …

Evelyn Kohl LaTorre’s Love in Any Language

First book leads to second

When I finished writing my first memoir – Between Inca Walls, about coming of age in the 1960s – I’d written two chapters beyond where my developmental editor thought the book should end.

So what to do with those extra chapters?

In short, writing had been so satisfying that I just kept on typing about my life into the computer.

However, I didn’t have journals for Love in Any Language like I had for the first memoir.

Therefore I used decades of Christmas letters I’d written and saved to help me recall my life after the Peace Corps.

Motivations to keep writing

Firstly I had another question I wanted to answer.

In Between Inca Walls I wanted to know how a very Catholic girl, who had thought of becoming a nun, ended up pregnant before marriage.

But for Love in Any Language, I wanted to illustrate the joys and challenges of having married someone from another country.

So I thought that by examining my life I could discover why my marriage lasted and why the marriages of close friends and relatives hadn’t.

Friends rally support

Certainly my friends have been more impressed than my family that I’ve written two books.

Indeed my friends say they are amazed to learn about my past.

And I’ve received accolades from readers I don’t know.

Also, Between Inca Walls has won prizes for being uplifting and inspiring.

So, I was surprised when my siblings and sons had to be coaxed to read it.

In short, they said they already knew about my life so didn’t need to read about it.

Meanwhile, my husband didn’t want me to write about him.

But the first book is all about how we fell in love and the second, Love in Any Language, about how we’ve stayed married for 55 years – so I couldn’t leave him out.

However, changing his name in the books was our compromise.

Your Family Stories System. Father and girl on his shoulders with arms spread wide at the beach.

Writing journey of Love in Any Language

Getting started

The first memoir took 14 years to plan and write; the second memoir one year.

Indeed 32 years of working in education required writing psychology and budget reports.

And earning advanced degrees meant writing logical term papers and a doctoral dissertation.

So to relearn narrative writing, I took workshops and weekend seminars.

Next I joined writing groups that critiqued what I wrote.

Then I opened my boxes of memorabilia and the memories came flooding in.

Therefore, after writing the first book, I had the knowledge I needed to write Love in Any Language.

Writing through the hard parts

One of the hardest parts of Love in Any Language was deciding what to leave out.

Also it required discipline to write in ways that keep the reader wanting to continue.

And I found it a challenge to find a good story arc.

Certainly classes and books taught me how to write scenes, dialogue and backstory.

The rich rewards of writing Love in Any Language

The top reward has been readers’ responses.

For example, I receive phone calls and emails that exclaim how surprised and pleased readers are to find aspects of themselves in my writing.

Indeed many say how they enjoyed my adventures and recommend Love in Any Language to their book clubs, family and friends.

Also interacting with my readers gives me a chance to encourage them to write their own memoirs.

And I have learned a great deal about myself and the writing and publishing process.

One of my favourite parts of the book was recognising how different my path was as a new wife and mother in the early 1970s.

Certainly most didn’t work full time because their husbands earned the family’s income.

However as I wrote, I realised how fortunate I had been to obtain scholarships, low-income housing and have a strong support system.

Advice for fellow creators

Writing a memoir is so rewarding and doable, even if it isn’t published.

Firstly begin by writing down whatever you can remember.

Indeed you’ll be surprised at what bubbles up from your unconscious.

Second write your truth without embarrassment.

Certainly it’s amazing how examining past unspoken burdens and shame lifts them from your shoulders to leave you feeling freer than before.

So the process can be exhilarating.

Final say: Love in Any Language

Love in Any Language by Evelyn Kohl LaTorre is an intimate memoir that chronicles the marriage of Peruvian and American cultures.

However, it is also a powerful story about the evolution of Evelyn’s notions of success – as a woman, as a wife and as a mother.

So grab a copy for yourself at She Writes Press or wherever books are sold on and offline.

In addition, look out for Evelyn’s award-winning first memoir, Between Inca Walls, and a future book about travels with her husband.

And be sure to let her know what you think of her stories by leaving a comment at her website or a review on Amazon and Goodreads.

Happy writing!

Free gift!

Does a loved one want you to help them record their life story? Not sure where to start? Try the Your Family Stories System. It shows you step by step how to set up and hold life-story interviews plus compile notes and transcripts into a finished project. Sign up here to sample the first few sections for free.

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