Eleven Things You (probably) Don't Know About Me

Welcome, author Lori Leger, who's here to share a few of her secrets....

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Here it is, Sunday night...or actually, Monday morning, since it’s 12:06 a.m. CST. I’m exhausted because, at this time last night I had my two youngest grandsons here for the night—ages 2 and 3 years old. Took my shower and was all ready to climb into bed and read until I fell asleep, which shouldn’t have taken long. So, I decide to check my Amazon sales and open my laptop, right?  I Look down at the bottom right corner and see 03/10/2014. March 10th...hmm...besides it being my parents’ anniversary—it would have been their 70th—what else am I not remembering? Then it dawned on me. It’s my turn to post on the Beach Read Authors blog.

Despite my determination, after my last ‘late’ posting, that I would get this one written early and come up with something fabulous for you ladies—eh—sorry, but I’ve got nothing—literally nothing.

So, I’m going to take the lazy writer’s way out and cheat a little. I’m stealing something from Social Media, Facebook to be exact. I admit, this is taking very little effort on my part, so I’m begging your forgiveness. There’s always hope for next time, right?

11 THINGS YOU (Probably) DON’T KNOW ABOUT ME: 
The Expanded Version

My book, Megan's Marine,
on Amazon today.

1. I’m a southern girl, born and raised deep in Cajun Country of south Louisiana. I’m from a tiny town in Vermilion Parish called Gueydan...and proud of it, I might add. I did not grow up near a swamp and paddle around in a pirogue, which is a type of canoe. We had paved roads, and carpet in our homes, and air-conditioning and everything.  We all wore decent clothes and shoes. Please don’t assume from the ‘charming’ way Hollywood and ‘reality’ programs depict Cajuns, that I’m ignorant. Sure, we have our share of ignorance, but no more than other states do. The majority of families in the area farmed and raised cattle.

My father farmed rice, until he was disabled and couldn’t any longer. Our land is flat, very flat, but rich and fertile, and though we weren’t below sea level, we were only 9 feet above.  No, I could not see the Gulf of Mexico from our place and our home never flooded. We lived out in the country and I loved it.

2. I’m one of eight children. Yes, my parents were Catholic, but they weren’t trying for eight. Mom discovered years after we were born that she ovulated opposite of when her OB told her she did. Although my parents only wanted two, the last six of us are grateful for the error.

3. My mother taught me to read at 4 years old. Although she took me to what was called pre-school round-up back then to get into the ‘optional’ Kindergarten program, the teacher told her to take me home because I’d be bored. The next year I started first grade at 5 years old with no trouble at all. My grandson has been reading since he was three, and I’m choosing to believe he gets his ability from me, whether it’s true or not.

4. Just after my 8th birthday, my family moved to East Texas, to an even tinier town than Gueydan. I spent four years there, and then moved to south central Texas, just in time for me to attend a massive Jr. High school.  It was traumatizing, since I was so shy. I remember my mother driving me over to the school before it started, which was clear across town, just so I wouldn’t be so terrified my first day. Luckily, as soon as I stepped on the bus and sat down, a girl came and introduced herself to me. She was also attending the same school, and we were close friends for the next two years, along with another girl who rode my bus to Jr. High school. That was my first taste of ethnic diversity, as the city was a good mixture of blacks, Mexicans, and whites with everything from French, to German, and Bohemian backgrounds and everything in between.  I’m still thankful for that experience.

5. The summer before my Freshman year of high school, we moved back to our hometown in Louisiana. The first day of school was like coming home—getting to see all the students I’d started school with nine years earlier. I was happy about the move, even though it broke Dennis McDonald’s heart back in El Campo, Texas.

6. I graduated high school in 1976, married my first husband just after I turned 18, and had three beautiful children with him, a son and twin daughters. We stayed together for 17 years, then divorced, but are still friends. I married my current husband a year later and we just made our 19th anniversary in December of 2013. It’s because of him that I moved from Cajun country to Kinder, LA. , the “Crossroads of Louisiana”. We have a little bit of everything here, from people who speak Cajun French, to people who possess the east Texas and Northern Louisiana twang. All five of our adult children, my three, as well as my two step-children (the hubby’s from his first marriage), live here in the same town. We have TEN beautiful grandchildren, ranging from 19 to 2 years old.

7. I went back to college when I was 32 years old and received an Associate’s degree in drafting technology.

8. I worked 18 ½ years for the state of Louisiana, drafting and designing road plans for the Department of Transportation and Development. I worked mainly on designing plans to resurface the Interstate systems in Calcasieu and Jefferson Davis Parishes.

9. I wrote my first novel at 49, six years ago, and self-published it in August of 2011, after rewriting it several times over. Since then, I’ve written and published six more full length novels, one novella, and contributed to four anthologies, both as an author and publisher.

10. I’m a Libra, so I always try to see both sides of an argument. I cannot stand it when people act pretentious, and stand by my favorite quote—“Daddy always said, an ounce of pretention is worth a pound of manure.” I didn’t bend to peer pressure in high school, and I refuse to follow trends just because it’s the ‘cool’ thing to do. I think it comes from hearing my father say “If your friends jumped off a cliff, would you do the same thing?” at least a hundred times over the years. Then my mom would add, “Be a leader, not a follower.” Those words have served me well over the years.

11. I’ve got THREE books eligible for the RONE’ awards...need your help to get past this stage to final and be judged by experts. If you don’t already receive InD’tale’s fabulous review magazine in your inbox every month, please register for it now, so you can vote. http://www.indtale.com   It only takes a minute to register. Today, March 10th, my book MEAGAN’S MARINE, is up against several others in the Cops, Jocks & Cowboys genre.  In week four of the voting, two of my anthology series, SPRING PROMISE and CHRISTMAS BY CANDLELIGHT, will both be up in the anthology category.  Fellow BRA member, Kim Hornsby, is also a contributor to the CHRISTMAS BY CANDLELIGHT book. So please help us to get to those finals by logging in and voting for us.

Thanks for letting me vent! Until next time...
Lori Leger

Visit my web site at: http://www.LoriLegerAuthor.com

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Or email and say boo: lleger641@yahoo.com
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