Pump Up Your Book Chats with Lisa Boucher, author of ‘Jesus, Mo,and Cheese Puffs’

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ABOUT JESUS, MO, AND CHEESE PUFFS

Flo’s deformed eye doesn’t bother her a bit. Nope. Never mind the eye patch or her aversion to mirrors. But when she wins $40,000 in the lottery, she decides to get one of those “TV doctors” to fix her bad eye. It’s a long way from Indiana to California, so she and Mo, pack along some extra bags of cheese puffs for the trip.

Funny thing about life, it doesn’t always follow a plan. Flo and Mo, primed for an adventure, get sidetracked at every turn. For one, there’s the young family with the broken-down car they stop to help only two hours into the trip. Turns out there’s more to the young family than either of them could ever imagine. On to Hooker, Oklahoma, where they stumble into a wake for the town hero—High Henry, a Clydesdale horse, who shows the town it’s not the package but the heart inside that matters.

At a farmer’s market in Pasadena, Jostlin’ Jack and Angel—a happy if homeless couple, suggest Flo “wear the world like a loose garment.” Angel’s words come back to Flo when the plastic surgeon wants to rework her whole face and make her into something she’s not. Realizing at last the only limitations in life are the ones she puts on herself, Flo opens her heart to the possibilities.

Jesus, Mo and Cheese Puffs is the kind of story that asks you to look and find the magic in every single encounter.

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Q: Does your book have an underlying message that readers should know about?

Yes, First of all there are a few parallels to the book of Luke that none of my readers have picked up on yet! They are small parallels, but none the less, they are there. Should I tell?

Q: Do you remember when the writing bug hit?

I was standing in my kitchen at my old house. I had just finished nursing school, and out of the blue it was like someone whispered in my ear, “ Ok, now I want you to write!” I had no idea what was going on but I went out and bought a computer, had to take a night class to learn how to use the darn thing … and then I said, Ok, God if you want me to write then you need to give me a story. Well, a few months passed and I had a book bouncing around inside my head. I’ve been writing ever since.

Q: Besides books, what else do you write? Do you write for publications?

I used to write hotel brochures and had a general interest column in a few suburban newspapers. I don’t do either of them anymore. The hardest part about writing for me was finding time. I raised twin boys, and have and continue to work as an RN. Time is precious, so no, I don’t write near as much as I would like to.

Q: Do you have a writing tip you’d like to share?

I think if you can discipline yourself to write every day things really do go smoother. I have yet to take that well heeded advice that was passed to me a long time ago by someone far wiser than me.

Q: Would you like to tell us about your home life? Where you live? Family? Pets?

I’ve been married to the same man for 28 years. We have twin sons who are seniors in college this year and they play college football. I have two dogs, Vinney, who I inherited from my sister when she moved and a 14 year old Maltese named Sugar. We just moved, and I’m here to tell you, moving is not for the faint of heart. Talk about uprooting your life! I know some people handle life’s transitions without a glitch, but I find the whole thing completely disorienting!

Q: Can you tell us a little about your childhood?

My childhood is something I should write about. My mother was an alcoholic and my father was a rage- aholic. I have two older sisters and a younger brother and we all pretty much ran wild. My saving grace for a number of years was my Quarter horse Golden Sham. I had idyllic places to ride and I spent a lot of time on that horse. My mother sobered up when I was twenty-one. She died two years ago with thirty years of sobriety under her belt. She was a special woman. To sum it all up, my childhood was a brand of chaotic dysfunction that I wouldn’t wish on anyone.

Q: Where’s your favorite place to write at home?

In my office/writing room.

Q: What do you do to get away from it all?

I love to travel and recently went to Sicily in May. I found a long lost relative in a small town right outside of Corleone! When I can’t travel, I like to walk and just spending time in nature is like a mini vacation.

Q: What was the first thing you did as far as promoting your book?

Social media of course! First thing I did was post on FB.

Q: Are you familiar with the social networks and do you actively participate?

I am familiar with most of them but here again, time is a factor. It takes an enormous amount of time to stay current on all social media sites. Then it comes down to, do I write? Or, do I promote? Thank God for blog tours and such. It’s awesome to connect with readers and doing a blog tour helps you do just that.

Q: How do you think book promotion has changed over the years?

It’s all social media. Now that ebooks are here to stay, the usual way of reaching your audience has forever changed. When I published my first book “Imperfect Souls” in 2001, I sent out a beautiful newsletter and did a bulk mailing! I also did a lot of local book signings. My book made the local best seller list and the tristate best seller list. Would a bulk mailing work today? I doubt it would have the same impact.

Q: What is the most frustrating part of being an author?

The uncertainty of it all! People will either like your book, or they won’t. Even publishers who have been in business for decades cannot predict for certain what books will make it and which ones will fall flat. It’s all subjective.

Q: What is the most rewarding?

I love getting reader’s feedback. I love hearing that maybe even one sentence I wrote spoke to their heart. It’s a great feeling to give to the reader.

Q: How do you think book publishing has changed over the years?

It’s not even the same animal. And don’t even get me started on those writer’s conferences! Like I said, ebooks have changed the face of publishing. The down side is there are millions of people putting books on Kindle and other ebook sites that can’t weave a story. Nonetheless, they have every right to try too, but it makes it harder for the reader to pick out a winner when they have thousands of books to scroll through in order to find one they want to spend their hard earned money on.

Q: If you had one wish, what would that be?

That my family would all have quiet minds and peaceful hearts. Happiness is an inside job and there is nothing in the world that can buy happiness!

Q: If you could be anywhere in the world other than where you are right now, where would that place be?

Italy for sure. I love everything about the country. I felt totally at home there.

Q: Your book has just been awarded a Pulitzer. Who would you thank?

I would thank God. Period.

Q: Thank you so much for this interview, Lisa Boucher. Do you have any final words?

Thank you for your interest and I wish everyone reading this that they too will be blessed with a quiet mind and a peaceful heart.

ABOUT LISA BOUCHER

Lisa Boucher has Sicilian roots and thinks about cooking and food about as often as she thinks about writing more books! In her spare time she travels, holds a BA in English, works part-time as a nurse, and makes pesto and homemade granola, naming her local cottage product line (Simple Grace). Lisa is married, and has twin sons that play college football.

Next book in the pipeline: “Black Butterflies White Fences,” an interracial love story. Coming late spring or early this summer.

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Question of the Day

How do you make sales happen for you?

A lot of hard work! I sponsor a lot of on line parties, festivals and contests. Book sales don’t magically happen, believe me. An author has to work hard to earn her readers. And then she has to work hard to keep them by giving them something they’ll enjoy reading. I try hard to make my books worth a reader’s time.

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