1. When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer, and what has your path looked like to get here?
I cannot remember a time in my life when I did not love books. Even as a toddler, my favorite thing was being read to by my mother.
As an older child I loved storytelling and writing. In high school I took journalism and creative writing. I dreamed of becoming a journalist.
Life had other ideas and as an adult between raising five children and a full-time career, writing got shoved to the back burner for fifty years.
I retired in 2015 and by 2016 I started writing, just for fun. I started with classes at Writer’s Ink. After a miracle happened in my life, I joined San Diego Memoir Writers (IMWA now) and began taking Marni Freedman’s and Tracy Jones’ Memoir Certificate classes. That year I began writing my first memoir.
It was during this time, I began to think of myself as a writer. I joined Writers Ink, IWWG, and then NAMW. Over the next six years, scenes from my memoir were published in six volumes of Shaking the Tree anthology. I wrote skits that were performed at IWWG conferences, and I took screenplay writing classes. During this time, I was honored to be President of San Diego Memoir Writers Association, now IMWA. I met countless writers, publicists, and publishers. Being surrounded by these different wonderful and nurturing writing organizations gave me the confidence and knowledge that helped me to publish my first memoir in 2022, You’ll Forget This Ever Happened, secrets, shame, and adoption in the 1960s.
2. What sparked the idea for this particular book?
In 2016 I had lived with a secret for fifty years. As an unwed pregnant teenager in 1967 I had been forced to leave my newborn infant at a maternity home for unwed mothers for a closed adoption. I was never able to contact or find my son for almost 5 decades and in 2016 that son who was 49 years old found me through Ancestry DNA. It was miraculous and within our first conversation I knew I wanted to tell my story, even if it was just for family and friends. I began writing and giving that frightened and sad 17-year-old girl, I had been, a voice. Once I started writing my truth, I could not stop until it was a published book.
3. If you could go back and tell yourself one thing at the beginning of this journey, what would it be?
I was lucky to be surrounded by nurturing and supportive writing communities but there were so many times I wondered, “why am I doing this?” I would tell my younger self that Writing your story, your truth is going to be one of the most courageous and important things you have ever done. Writing your book will be incredibly healing, but that is not all. It will take you places you never dreamed of and help many who read it.
4. Where can readers connect with you? (This is a good place to share website, socials, a book ordering link, and any upcoming events!)
I love connecting with others. My website is www.lauralengel.com and you can order my book there or buy it anywhere that sells books. Right now, the eBook is FREE on Kindle Unlimited. Please check my social media for upcoming events.
Find me at https://www.lauralengel.com
My social media channels are:
https://www. facebook.com/lauralengel/
Instagram @storytellerlaura
Google Laura L. Engel for various podcasts including Dani Shapiro’s Family Secrets Podcast and Adoption Network Cleveland
