Hebron Journal Register Article
Nancy McGill created an excellent summation of my work on not only Reclamation, but my relationship to writing and creativity. After my tour of local libraries, Nancy and I were able to correspond about the creation of Reclamation, my collaboration with other female writers, and the ReWrite community. Thank you to the Hebron Journal Register for this fantastic feature!
Read the article below!
—————————————————————————-
“Hebron graduate discusses novel” by Nancy McGill for the Hebron Journal Register
The short story is author Lisa Clonch Tschauner has found her niche—writing about real issues using relatable characters.
The long story isn’t over—Tschauner is currently working on a couple of projects since her novel “Reclamation” was published.
Tschauner, a 1990 graduate of Hebron High School, returned home to discuss the book July 31 in front of family friends and former teachers at Hebron Secrest Library.
“Reclamation” is about two best friends who fall victim to human sex trafficking.
She’s a professor in business at Doane University and has always been a writer, but had never finished a novel. Tschauner wrote pieces about business and a nonfiction book on customer service released in 2011.
For Reclamation, she took an alternative path.
The title of the novel begins with “Re,” the first two letters of Tschauner’s online writing community, rewrite.org.
“It is in the early stages, but the premise is to have other authors, writers and creatives share their works as inspired by words that start with the letters, ‘RE,’’ she told listeners at the library. “The title of the book stuck and it is also very fitting considering the content. Reclamation is really a book about relationships. The trafficking came in as a plot line.”
First, Tschauner wanted to explore relationships between friends, parents, children and self, and how they change, grow and evolve based on life’s uncertainties.
Best friends in Reclamation, Mallory and Jenna, struggled together with the effects of their harrowing experience. Those closest to them were also wrangling.
Second, Tschauner had a variety of inspirations to guide her writing. One of them was her daughter’s travels to Africa and Thailand. Although her daughter’s trips were safe adventures, it is not uncommon for women and children overseas to be sex trafficked to brothels, massage parlors, bars, karaoke lounges, hotels and private residences, according to last year’s report on trafficking by the U.S. State Department.
“Human trafficking is one of those horrific realities and in order to change it, mitigate it and eventually eliminate it, we have to be aware of it and have conversations about it,” Tschauner said. She also reminded her listeners trafficking can involve labor as well as sex.
Third, Tschauner wrote the initial draft for Reclamation in two months and then reached out for research on trafficking. She learned from three women who participated in rescue missions in Cambodia.
The women who assisted victims and survivors shared insights with Tschauner and also encouraged her.
Fourth, Tschauner found her writing sweet spot.
“I realized my niche or focus as a fiction author is to address societal issues through the lenses of relatable characters,” she explained. “This is how I can create awareness within audiences and readers similar to me.”
Characters Mallory and Jenna are from the Midwest, like Tschauner. They discover returning to their “idyllic lives” is more difficult than they thought.
Moving forward, Tschauner is involved in a couple of projects. Her next novel is planned and she has started developing the characters. Her second novel may take more time to write and she isn’t ready to share its plot.
“The story will address another big societal issue, especially one that is pretty controversial not only nationwide, but specifically in Nebraska,” she hinted.
She is also working on a collection of short stories with other authors inspired by the paintings of Hebron High graduate Deanna (Branting) Amador, who worked in an Intensive Care Unit during the Covid-19 Pandemic. Many healthcare workers were traumatized by the pandemic and to work through her stress, Amador painted portraits.
“She turned to her creativity and painted beautiful and alluring portraits. She began posting these paintings on her social media accounts and the response was overwhelming. She really captured something and it inspired me to write the stories of these people,” Tschauner said. Amador currently lives in Arizona and is a nursing instructor.
Tschauner said 12 to 15 Amador paintings will be featured in a book with stories written by three to five Nebraska authors after each painting.
“We hope to have it out within the year,” Tschauner said.
While at the library, Tschauner read a couple passages from Reclamation and visited with those in attendance. She was delighted to see the Hebron library is thriving.
“It was wonderful to see this library I used to frequent as a young girl. Kelly and Veronica have done an amazing job keeping it going and hosting events like this,” she said.
For more information on Reclamation, visit https://www.lisatschauner.com/bookswriting.