I wanted to record the unique experiences we shared as a family and to show readers what it was like to live in African countries with rich cultural traditions.
Terry A. Repak – 22 December 2023
The Back Flap
When Terry Repak and her husband moved to West Africa with two small children at the height of the AIDS epidemic in the 1990s, she seized the opportunity to connect with people of other cultures and bear witness to the ravages of the disease. Circling Home chronicles the adventures and challenges of raising children to be global citizens and trying to find home in countries as diverse as Ivory Coast, Tanzania, and Switzerland. Her memoir spotlights the complexity, struggles, and profound lessons at the heart of the expat journey.
About the book
What is the book about?
My memoir is about finding home in countries as diverse as Ivory Coast, Tanzania and Switzerland. I lived in east and west Africa (and traveled widely) at the height of the AIDS epidemic in the 1990s and 2000s. While my husband directed AIDS projects for the CDC, I wrote about the people we encountered and places where we lived and traveled. Circling Home also chronicles the adventures and challenges of raising children to be global citizens and helping them adapt in other countries. It spotlights the complexity, struggles, and profound lessons at the heart of the expat journey.
When did you start writing the book?
I started writing it when we returned to the US after our last post overseas, which was in Geneva, Switzerland. I’d filled a dozen journals with descriptions of our journeys and encounters with people of other cultures over the years, and I wanted to synthesize the lessons and insights I gained from years of living abroad.
How long did it take you to write it?
It took about four years to write and rewrite my book, although it draws upon years of journal entries and experiences. So you could say I was actually working on it over the course of three decades.
Where did you get the idea from?
I had a lot of material in my journals—including accounts of climbing Kilimanjaro with eight women and tracking lemurs in Madagascar with the US Ambassador. I wanted to record the unique experiences we shared as a family and to show readers what it was like to live in African countries with rich cultural traditions. It was also my intention to upend some of the stereotypes about Africa as a monolithic entity beset with poverty, crime and civil wars.
Were there any parts of the book where you struggled?
Yes! I’d never written a memoir and didn’t know how much to share about my family. I didn’t want to reveal anything that my children would resent later, or to betray their trust and intrude on their privacy. I cleared early drafts with them and took out some of the stories that seemed too personal.
What came easily?
Describing the amazing landscapes in Tanzania and Switzerland and writing about the endearing people we met as well as the rich cultural traditions in west African countries. As I mentioned, I had a lot of good material in my journals to draw upon.
Are your characters entirely fictitious or have you borrowed from real world people you know?
In a memoir, all the characters are based on real people. I changed a few names to protect people’s privacy, but everything that happened in the memoir was real.
We all know how important it is for writers to read. Are there any particular authors that have influenced how you write and, if so, how have they influenced you?
I read a lot of memoirs while I was writing mine, and many of them were instructive and inspiring. Kathryn Schulz’s Lost and Found and Cheryl Strayed’s Wild were standouts that resonated with me, as did memoirs by Miriam Toews, Abigail Thomas, A.M. Homes and Stephanie Foo (among others).
Then there are older books by African writers that influenced me much earlier like Nadine Gordimer’s work and Doris Lessing’s. Books by current African authors like Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie and Maaza Mengiste were also enlightening.
Do you have a target reader?
Anyone who likes to travel and is curious about other countries and cultures would gain insights from my book. I think it’s also important for people to know about the course of AIDS work over three decades; a pandemic that claimed millions of lives, particularly in African countries. In describing what we witnessed while living and working in Africa at the height of a pandemic, I hope my book contributes to the historical record and promotes understanding and compassion for people in countries that few people in the west hear about.
About Writing
Do you have a writing process? If so can you please describe it?
If starting something new, I usually write longhand first thing in the morning before the mundane tasks of the day intrude. I’m an early riser, and if I have a few hours to myself in the morning, I can write with less effort and interference from my internal editor and task master. After writing a few paragraphs or pages, I’ll take a break and do yoga stretches or chores and then return to my work and enter it on my laptop. Once I have a decent draft, I’ll go back to it every day and keep revising and rewriting.
Do you outline? If so, do you do so extensively or just chapter headings and a couple of sentences?
I’m able to outline in my head after working at essays and travel writing for decades. With nonfiction work, once I identify the focus or purpose of the piece, I can do a rough outline with just a few key phrases and then jot down notes about points or events when ideas come to me. For fiction, I prefer not to plan or outline and just let the characters surprise me as they take on lives of their own.
Do you edit as you go or wait until you’ve finished?
I edit endlessly and am always happy to rewrite, revise and improve my drafts.
Did you hire a professional editor?
I worked with Brooke Warner, the publisher of She Writes Press who specializes in memoir and agreed to help me rewrite my manuscript. She has a coaching business on the side and is a master at reshaping drafts into compelling narratives.
Do you listen to music while you write? If yes, what gets the fingers tapping?
No! I prefer the sounds of silence, or birdsong if I happen to be working outdoors.
About Publishing
Did you submit your work to Agents?
I sent out numerous queries and did an email blast to agents with mixed results. The process was going too slowly for me, and I found rejections to be disheartening. I wanted to get my book out after working on it for four years and decided to go with an Indie publisher.
What made you decide to go Indie, whether self-publishing or with an indie publisher? Was it a particular event or a gradual process?
I have a friend who shared her writing and marketing experiences with me. She had one book published by a traditional press and another by self-publishing it. She published her third book with She Writes Press and was happiest with that option.
Did you get your book cover professionally done or did you do it yourself?
She Writes Press has professional book designers who do fantastic work.
Do you have a marketing plan for the book or are you just winging it?
Both. I hired a publicist (Mindbuck Media) to help with advance publicity—which usually starts six months before the publication date—and then learned from other authors about news sources and outlets for interviews, podcasts, online journals, etc.
Any advice that you would like to give to other newbies considering becoming Indie authors?
It’s not as onerous and daunting if you find mentors and befriend other indie authors who are willing to share their experiences. At She Writes Press, the editors encourage authors who are publishing at the same time (with SWP) to form a cohort and meet with each other regularly. I gained so many insights and tips from my fellow/sister authors during the publication journey.
About You
Where did you grow up?
In Bethesda, Maryland, just outside of Washington, D.C.
Where do you live now?
Seattle, Washington
What would you like readers to know about you?
That I loved living and traveling in other countries and getting to know people of other cultures. Seeing many foreign places and meeting people who are unlike me was incredibly enriching, and I enjoy sharing what I’ve learned and witnessed.
What are you working on now?
I’m rewriting a novel that I started 15 years ago when we were living in Tanzania. It’s tentatively titled Drowning in Zanzibar.
End of Interview:
For more from Terry Repak, visit her website and follow her on Facebook and Instagram.
