| 10/03/2007 |
| Spanish author tackling English-language market |
| By: Philip K. Jason |
Lorraine C. Ladish, a Naples resident for the past two years, has published a dozen books with traditional trade publishers, including nonfiction titles on eating disorders, pregnancy and writing, among other topics. She has published novels and short stories, as well.
If you don't know Ladish's work, it's probably because you don't look for books written in Spanish. That may change, as Ladish explores the possibility of bringing out translations of her Spanish titles and seeks publishers for new works written English.
Ladish, who moved to Naples because her husband's career as a civil engineer brought them here, essentially has two first languages. Born in Spain to a Spanish father and an American mother, she was bilingual from the start. Even while a student in Spain, she studied at a British School - King's College in Madrid.
She was also a student of English and Spanish Literature at the University of London. While still a youngster, Ladish taught English in Spain. She has worked as an interpreter and translator (including translating many television sitcoms), although one career path she hopes to return to is that of fitness instructor. She can "switch from one language to another in a nano-second," she says.
The writing bug infected her early on, perhaps because her father and grandfather were both writers. In fact, her father is a lexicographer, who, single-handedly, writes dictionaries. As one might expect, Ladish's relationship to words is quite different from his.
"In Spain," Ladish explains, "I've lived in Madrid, Málaga, Valencia, spent a long time in Barcelona and eventually moved to Seville for eight years. My daughters [now 6 and 3 years old] were born there and I love that city. I wrote many books in Seville, where I lived in a penthouse that used to be part of a convent. Very inspiring. I also taught a writing course there and this year the syllabus I designed for it was published as a book, Writing, Within Your Reach."
When Ladish was asked about her habits as a writer, she replied that she often works from outlines, especially on nonfiction projects. Early in her career she hated rewriting, but has since learned its value and now enjoys revising, although she is not compulsive about it. Since becoming a mother and moving to the states, she has shifted her writing time from late-night to whatever fits her children's schedules. But Ladish confesses that she is a long way from becoming a morning person.
She writes out of passion. "The important thing for me is to have a message to convey, something I feel I have to and need to get across. I guess that makes my writing more powerful." She adds, "I'm a passionate person, and I write passionately too. That is what keeps me in print and hopefully what is opening the door to the English-speaking market for me."
A few months ago, Ladish signed a contract with a literary agent in New York. This contract is for a book in English that she started thinking about when she moved back to the U.S. Her agent is very enthusiastic and Ladish and her coauthor are refining the proposal for U.S. publishers. She says, "I'm extremely excited, since it is next to impossible to get an agent here, and ours said 'Yes,' to my proposal, 15 minutes after receiving it by e-mail!"
While continuing her book-length projects, Ladish freelances weekly for Hispanic publications in South Florida, writing profiles, kids' sections and book articles. But books are what most fully engage her: "Each new publication is like a 'shot in the arm' that wears off ... and then you need to get another book published to get that fix.
Now I'm more relaxed about publishing, because I think I've already proven myself (to myself!), and sometimes I wish I didn't have deadlines." Her other passions include dancing and photography.
Ladish's titles, rendered in English, include I Feel Fat, Learning to Love, Voice Mail, The Challenge of Writing and Publishing, and I'm Expecting, Now What? You can find out more about this versatile writer from her bilingual Web site: www.lorrainecladish.com.
(Philip K. Jason, Ph.D., is Professor Emeritus of English from the United States Naval Academy. A poet, critic, and freelance writer with 20 books to his credit, this "Dr. Phil" chairs the annual Naples Writers' Conference presented by the Naples Press Club.)
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