Today, The Daily Advertiser in Lafayette ran Jodi Belgard’s piece about Angola to Zydeco: Louisiana Lives. They also ran a very fine piece by Cheré Dastugue Coen, which also appeared in the Monroe News-Star. Cheré is an author and journalist who runs Louisiana Book News. What struck me about her piece was how she chose to focus on my book talk at the Louisiana Book Festival and how integral my family was in that. Check it out, and you’ll see what I mean.
And I guess that’s what’s been so fascinating to me during this journey of publishing. Yes, there have been several hiccups along the way, but it’s the people I’m meeting and re-meeting again that I still find intriguing.
I was signing books at Julia’s Mexican Restaurant in Alexandria last night, and Mrs. Munger, my first grade teacher from Lessie Moore Elementary School came there to see me. How cool is that? She says I was a good kid then, but I don’t recall it that way. Now that I think about it, I think she even paddled me once for sticking a Jolly Rancher in a kid’s hair that dried and they had to cut out. Perhaps time has a way of whitewashing our memories.
My first book last night was for a 7th grade girl who attended Alexandria Country Day School where she was working on a school project. Ironically, that’s where I went to school from 2nd through 5th grade.
I saw my siblings and my mother and old friends from high school and church and in-laws and outlaws and hung out with my Aunt Ellen and Uncle Ken and my sister-in-law Ashley as we watched the LSU & Alabama game.
It was just an all-around great time, and I’m really thankful for it. All of it.
Reese, congrats on the sucess with the book. I wish I could’ve been one of those “old friends” that you reconnected with in Alexandria, but alas I couldn’t come to town that weekend. If you ever come to Baton Rouge for a book signing, let me know. I will be first in line!
Good job and can’t wait to read it,
Robby