Meet Tasche Laine | Multi-genre Author and Editor

We had the good fortune of connecting with Tasche Laine and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Tasche, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
There were many factors at play when I started my editing business. I left my job as an English teacher, relocated to the Pacific Northwest from Southern California, and needed something (a new career) I could do from home. I took a couple of online courses on proofreading and editing to update my skills, and soon got my first editing client—a referral from a fellow author at a writer’s conference I attended.

Now, I write and self-publish my own books, as well as offer editing and other book related/publishing services for independent authors all over the world, without having to leave my home office! The timing, for me, was fortuitous when the world shut down due to the recent pandemic restrictions.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?

I made the difficult decision to self-publish my first book in 2018, after receiving 28 rejection letters from agents and publishers. They wanted my book to fit neatly into a box, to be labeled “women’s fiction” or some other label/genre/category. They wanted to change and shape it into something else. But my book did not fit into any of their pre-made labels. By publishing it myself, I could market it as a fictional memoir, based on a true story. Because that’s what it was—part fiction and yet mostly true. I stayed true to myself, and I don’t regret it for a second.

Now, I’d say my brand is contemporary, realistic fiction. My stories strive to entertain while also imparting a message, moral, or lesson that is grounded in the main characters staying true to themselves. I write books for adults and young adults. I also co-write children’s picture books with my husband.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I credit Carol Snow for encouraging me to finish writing my first book, the one I’d started writing over twenty years earlier, but didn’t have enough belief in myself to see it through. She already had 6 or 7 books out in the world, an agent, and a publisher, when I met her. And yet, she didn’t start writing her first book until she was over 40.

That really resonated with me. She helped me realize that it’s never too late to start something new, to make those dreams come true . . . even in middle age! I can laugh about it now, but at the time, this was a true eye-opener for me. Carol guided me toward a local writers’ group called OC Writers. From there, I attended my first writer’s conference, which gave me the tools and the confidence to pursue my dream of writing and publishing a book.

Website: taschelaine.com

Instagram: instagram.com/tasches

Facebook: facebook.com/taschelaine

Youtube: youtube.com/@lilpeterbooks

Other: editing business is: skyebluepress.com children’s books: lilpeterbooks.com