April 26, 2025 • 61 mins
Join us for a special episode of Off The Shelf Book sas we sit down with the incredibly talented Lori Keesey! With over 40 years of experience in journalism—writing for newspapers, regional publications, and trade magazines—Lori brings a wealth of insight and storytelling expertise to the conversation.
For two decades, she also played a vital role in public outreach at NASA, blending her passion for communication with science and innovation. A proud graduate of the University of Maryland, College Park, Lori holds a B.S. in journalism.
Lori is the author of the heartfelt novel Always Think of Me and has published touching short stories like The Note and Robert’s Prayer. Don’t miss this inspiring books author chat filled with books, stories, entertainment, wisdom, and a behind-the-scenes look at her incredible journey as a writer.
🎧 Tune in—you’ll be glad you did!
For two decades, she also played a vital role in public outreach at NASA, blending her passion for communication with science and innovation. A proud graduate of the University of Maryland, College Park, Lori holds a B.S. in journalism.
Lori is the author of the heartfelt novel Always Think of Me and has published touching short stories like The Note and Robert’s Prayer. Don’t miss this inspiring books author chat filled with books, stories, entertainment, wisdom, and a behind-the-scenes look at her incredible journey as a writer.
🎧 Tune in—you’ll be glad you did!
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:01):
You're listening to the winning literary show off The Chef's
Books Talk Radio Live with host Denise Turney, author of
the books Long Walk Up, Porsche Love, More Over Me,
Spiral Love Has Many Faces, and Rosetta Us Great Hope.
Turn up your dial and get ready for a blast
of feature author interviews, four one one on book festivals,
(00:21):
writing conferences, and so much more. Ready, let's go.
Speaker 2 (00:26):
Welcome, Welcome to all those shelf books for this Saturday morning,
April the twenty six. This is the last Saturday in April,
and this is Indie Bookstore Day. And I'm not sure
if this is global or just in the United States,
but the last Saturday in April is Indie bookstor Day.
(00:46):
So I encourage you to get out. I plan to
hit the bookstore today myself, to get out and support
an indie bookstore. Whether you do it online, I know
this bookshop dot Org, Detroit Book City has things going on.
You got Alcobobby's and Philadelphia. There's so many different independent
bookstores that you can support, either online or offline, and
(01:10):
a lot of them are having special events today as well.
So this is just one day out of the year.
We know we want to always support indie bookstores and
indie authors, et cetera. They bring such wonderful stories that
we might not know about if it wasn't for them.
And another thing I love about indie bookstores they are
(01:30):
very connected to the community. They will have community events
and support the community in ways that only indie indie
bookstores and small businesses really really do. The people who
own their businesses live in the communities where their indie
bookstores operate. So hopefully I encourage you to get out
(01:53):
and explore some new books with other fellows, other people
who support indie bookstore. And now before I go any
further and we introduce today's guests, I always like to
start the show with a quote, and this quote is
by Nelson Mandela and it is it always seems impossible
(02:14):
until it's done. And I love that quote. When you
try to do something or you read history books people
who the people told the Beatles they will never get
out the front gate. They've told so many people that
different things could not happen and just don't believe in
they sayers get out there and make it happen. It
always seems impossible until it's done. And again that quote
(02:36):
is by Nelson Mandela To our loyal listeners, I have
to always stop and say thank you, thank you, thank you.
We have been on the air for eighteen years. It's
just amazing to me, it's just amazing. And then if
this is your first time tuning in to Off the
Sholf books, I say, welcome, welcome, welcome, And we have
(02:58):
a wonderful art they're on deck for you today, and
we're so excited to introduce her to you. But before
I do, I want to encourage you or ask you.
There's so much that goes on in our lives, our lives.
The longer we're here to just fill up with stuff
and and and and and our minds, and if we're
(03:20):
not careful and we don't let whatever comes up during
the day go, we could end up loaded over several
years with things we're still stewing over. We haven't processed,
we haven't worked through it mentally, emotionally, and it's maybe
even starting to show up in our body because we
carry way too much from the past, way too much.
(03:43):
Uh uh. Then it's time to heal. So I encourage you.
This is a book with short poetry, short writings, things
that you can lower your defensive defenses. Uh, you don't
have to be defensive reading. It's like a real uh again,
poetic writings, but they are geared written to help you
(04:06):
to heal and almost to your unawares. And the title
of the book is Hell Gorgeous Wisdom Within Your Notes
the Way. And if this is something that you really
value yourself and you want to make sure you're not
carrying these extra luggage of the past into the next
(04:27):
day and the next day, and every day you're picking
up more stuff and after ten twenty years you're feeling
really weighed down, I encourage you to get a copy
of Hell Gorgeous Wisdom Within Your Notes the Way, by
yours truly, Denise Turning. You can get in an e book,
you can get it in print, and you can get
it in audio book. And please again I encourage you
(04:51):
to support indie bookstores. And now let us go and
meet our very special off the Shelf guests and to
days off the Shelf guest is Lurie Kesey Mispit her neighborhome.
She corrects me and Laurie has a long writing career,
developing copy for newspapers and regional and trade magazines and
(05:14):
she has put in more than forty years of copywriting
and additionally, for twenty years Lourie worked for NASA and
public Outreach. She earned her b Bachelor of Science and
Journalism from the University of Maryland, College Park, and Laurie
is the author of the books Always Think of Me
(05:36):
and short stories she has written and published include The
Note and Robert's Prayer. I enjoyed visiting her website when
I'm researching for the guest interviews. Always am always intrigued
by different things I discovered during my research on her
website and beyond. But I encourage you I think you
(05:57):
will enjoy visiting her website to encourage you to check
Lurie out online at Llikesey dot com, l or r
I k e e s e y dot com and
again that is l h R I k e e
s e y dot com. We are just honored to
(06:18):
have Lloyd Kesey join us on Off the Shelf Books
this morning. Welcome to Off the Chef Lourie.
Speaker 3 (06:25):
Thank you, Denise, and thanks for inviting me on. I'm
looking forward to this conversation.
Speaker 2 (06:30):
Yes, I'm just so excited to have you here with us.
So and I know you've listened to prior shows, and
thank you for that, so you know how the show
kicks off. Can you tell off the shelf listeners where
you grew up, LORII, and what life was like for
you growing up and.
Speaker 3 (06:46):
My goodness, I grew up in a little place called Damascus, Maryland.
It's in Montgomery County, Maryland, which is one of the
DC suburban counties. But I didn't grow up in suburbia.
I grew up in the country. So when I was
growing up, the kids were in agriculture. You know, they
(07:07):
that the fairs were big. It was soberal and I
remember I was I don't know, maybe five when Damascus
got its first stoplight and it actually made the DC
news because it was such a small, out of the
way place formerly known as Black Ankle when it first
started because people always walked around with dirty when barefoot
(07:28):
and their feet were dirty, so.
Speaker 4 (07:31):
It was you know, it was you know what. I
had a good childhood.
Speaker 3 (07:34):
I mean it was small town with small town ideals.
People knew one another, fathers belonged to their various rotary clubs.
My dad was you know, church, We just you know,
and my friends, my best friends are still kids I
(07:55):
met when I was in school. So yeah, it's it's
kind of unusual. And that's so I know a lot
of folks who, you know, they had a best friend
and they don't know what happened to that person. Well,
I know what happened to my girls. They're still around.
Speaker 2 (08:09):
Did you have brothers and sisters or well you an
only tell.
Speaker 3 (08:13):
Oh, no, I had. I have two sisters and a
baby brother and my little brother. It was almost like
a separate family because I'm what, I'm twelve years older
than he is. My sister is fourteen. Yeah, so when
he was growing up, we were moving out, you know,
we were I was in college. Yeah, so it was very,
(08:35):
very very different for him. And you know, and at
that point, my parents had more money, so he would
get stuff we would have never gotten.
Speaker 2 (08:44):
Oh, I guess. And you know what that's You are
the third guests. And we've had hundreds on Off the Shelf.
You're the third guest. People from all over the world
have come on the show. They're the third who said
that they grew up in a town with either one
traffic light or no more than two or three. And
(09:05):
I the first time somebody came on and said that.
I said, no way, and they said yes. I couldn't
believe it.
Speaker 3 (09:14):
Yes, I'm sorry, I interrupted.
Speaker 4 (09:19):
Well, we had dirt roads too, I.
Speaker 3 (09:22):
Mean I remember when they finally paved some of these
dirt roads. It was incredible. It really, really, really was
a small town. And I remember our high school was little,
and it was compared with the high schools what they
would call down County, you know, with the richer suburbs.
(09:42):
You know, we got nothing in terms of resources. I
don't never forget. We decided to protest the county school board.
And remember one of the signs reading and which today
it just I don't know. It surprised me by its cleverness.
Paul could find Damascus, why can't you? And now I
(10:04):
thought that was pretty clever. I don't think did some
kid come up with that? I doubt it.
Speaker 2 (10:09):
Yeah, Oh so how many people I'm just trying to
in context, and then as we talk about your books,
because I do believe as an author myself our childhood.
I mean, there's no way to separate yourself from whatever
it is you create. How many people were in the town.
And I never thought of Maryland as having any I
(10:30):
always see it as urban city, I never think of it. Yeah,
so how many people in the town where you grew up.
Speaker 3 (10:36):
You know, I don't know what the population was, but
my graduating class was I think one hundred and eighty kids. Okay,
So yeah, and furthermore, we were it wasn't just Damascus proper,
we were we were pulling in kids from rural communities
surrounding Damascus. So there was like Clarksburg and you know,
(11:00):
parts of Germantown and parts of rural Gathersburg that would
be pulled into our school. So so it was it
was very I'm not kidding now, it's totally different. I'm
a good Oh, it's just it's just exploded. Everything has exploded,
you know, around the DC suburbs, So it's very different.
I'll never forget I was going, hadn't been on this road.
(11:23):
I was still living in the area at the time.
I since I've moved to Tennessee, and I was visiting
a girlfriend and you know how you'll zone out and
you just you're just you're on autopilot. And I like
came to and I did not know where I was
because the roads have been completely changed.
Speaker 4 (11:41):
Wow, you know how that happens, And.
Speaker 3 (11:43):
You know, the old landmarks are gone, and yeah, so
yeah it's changed.
Speaker 2 (11:49):
I want to I'm going to research that. You got
me interested now. Now as a kid, Lurie, what did
you want to be when you grew up? What did
your dream of becoming a writer?
Speaker 3 (11:59):
I knew. I knew when I first started to write,
you know, and I when I'm learning my letters and
learning how to spell and to read that I wanted
to be a writer. And so I'd go visit my
Nana and Poppy in Pennsylvania, you know, two weeks every summer.
And my poppy was a drug store. He was a druggist,
(12:22):
so it was an old rexhaul store and he wouldn't
he would he would compound his own drugs, so he'd
be he'd have the mortar and pestle and he's doing
all this stuff. And then you have this big roll
of paper it was, I don't know, it was like
parchment paper, and he'd wrap up the drugs in this
paper like little gifts.
Speaker 4 (12:40):
Anyway, so my cousin I would take it.
Speaker 3 (12:42):
You know, we'd roll out the paper, we would we
would fold it up into pages, scotch tape it and
then write and illustrate our little stories. That's what we
did for fun. I know, kind of geeky, huh, but
that's what we did. Cool. Cool.
Speaker 2 (12:58):
So so you, I know, you also were in journalism
and as a freelance writer for many years. Yes, in
what ways is from your perspective? In what ways is
journalism writing different from writing fiction? Oh?
Speaker 3 (13:14):
My goodness, there it's dramatically different. You really, a good
journalist does not present here his or her opinion, okay,
and in fiction, right, and you're constantly injecting your opinion
through the characters behaviors, you know, the characters thoughts, that
sort of thing. The writing is also more concise. I
(13:36):
think Hemingway did a good job because he started out
as a journalist, and his fiction it's very concise, it's
very you know, shorter sentences. You don't in journalism. You
don't have all these flowery phrases, you know, describing vegetation
for example.
Speaker 4 (13:52):
You just you just don't go there.
Speaker 3 (13:54):
Your Your job is to report whatever that person is saying,
whatever has happened, who, what we're and when. So that
is the biggest difference, I think, And when when I
started writing, when I wrote this novel, always think of me,
I had to get out of that mindset, you know,
where I could take more liberties with describing the external environment,
(14:22):
you know, the what was going on the birds and
you know, whatever's going on hearing, hearing the rain or
whatever it is. So that's that was that was what
I had to I struggled with that, and I'm not
and I'm not. You know, some authors do a tremendous
job of oh, I don't know, their comparisons, their similes,
(14:46):
that kind of thing. You know. It was like, and
I'm not. I'm just not a flowery person. I just
I struggle with that, you know, you know, describing some
I don't know, comparing an emotion with what's going on externally.
I do it, but boyle, boy it takes a long
(15:08):
time for me, and I'm sure other authors just zip
it out.
Speaker 2 (15:13):
I mean, I was going to ask you how it's
working as a journalist impacted your novel writing. I know
you just said that one How how then would you say?
And you mentioned Himingway has working writing working as a
journalist helped you at strengthened your novel writing?
Speaker 3 (15:34):
Well, I think I, at least with this first book,
much a lot of it, not all of it. It's
not autobiographical, but a lot of it involves events that
really happened, So I am it is kind of reported.
I am reporting what happened with in addition to more
of the fiction writing flair. But I find it easiest
(15:58):
to use your own experiences, and I'm sure that's with
a lot of writers. But I almost see it as
journalism in the sense that I'm reporting something that really
did happen.
Speaker 2 (16:09):
Interesting. Interesting, now when it comes to fiction, when you
first started writing, first of all, when you knew you
wanted to be a writer, did you imagine yourself as
a novelist. Well, I'm a journalist.
Speaker 3 (16:26):
Both both, and I was you know, I started out
as a newspaper reporter, and then, you know, did these
various things ended up? You know, I went to started
out in Delaware, after college, went to South Carolina, went
back to the DC area and worked for McGraw hill.
That was not a fun job because I was covering
(16:47):
coal mining regulations. That was really boring. That was so boring.
I thought, oh my gosh, if I don't get out
of here, I'm going to die. And then I got pregnant,
had kids, and you know, I decided, well, you know,
I think I'm going to go into freelance, and I
started that in nineteen ninety three, and I did a
(17:07):
lot of different types of writing, marketing stuff as well
as you know, articles that are aimed to influence that kinds.
I did a lot so and I think I'm babbling here, Denise,
And am I answering your question?
Speaker 2 (17:21):
Yes you are?
Speaker 1 (17:22):
You are?
Speaker 2 (17:23):
So what inspired you to write Always Think of Me?
Speaker 3 (17:29):
Well, there's a long, sort of sad story involved there.
The main character is his name is TC, and he
is based on my son, my oldest son, and my
oldest son died and I had to write this. And
(17:50):
there was always this idea that I wanted to be
a novelist ever since I was in the tenth grade,
but I never had the story. And unfortunately this became
the basis of a story. Not that I'm not there
are no, I'm not trying to say that, you know,
because he died, you know, necessarily that's in the novel.
(18:10):
But the main character is based on my son, his personality,
and I had to work through his death, and this
was my way of working through his death because he
died at thirty three and my husband I were just
you know, have you if you've ever had your heart
broken from a first love, or you know you're the
(18:33):
person who absolutely love scorns you or whatever, that broken
heart that's what you feel, but it's it's a million
times worse when this happens.
Speaker 4 (18:43):
And I got it. I had to write this.
Speaker 3 (18:47):
I had to write a story based on him in
the hope and my hope was that people would read
this story, fall in love with this character in spite
of all of his his flaws, and maybe see themselves
in him. That was my aim. I really wanted to
share his personality with others.
Speaker 2 (19:10):
Where and when, bless you, bless you Lord, Where and
when does the story take place? Always think of me.
Speaker 3 (19:17):
The story is contemporary, it's like now, but there are
different scenes in the book. There's the scene five minutes
from my house at the river. There's there's a music
outdoor music festival, which which there's a huge music festival
in Tennessee. It is I don't name the festival, but
(19:37):
I use that festival as the basis of where this
festival takes place. Also Atlanta, Atlanta, Georgia, So it takes
place also there in a little town south of Atlanta.
Very you know a small town. So there are like
four different areas where this book takes place.
Speaker 2 (19:59):
Now is this is a work of fiction, and now
listening to it is can you give us a brief
overview of the story? And then I have other questions
I want to ask you about.
Speaker 3 (20:08):
Sure, this is an uncommon love story. It's not a
romance novel. It's a love story about you know, friendship
and do overs and people who are searching their real
purpose in life. And that's what this book is about.
Everyone has a purpose, but unfortunately sometimes you lose sight
of what your purpose is or you don't know, and
(20:31):
then your left kind of wandering around.
Speaker 4 (20:34):
And that's what this story is about. That's the over
arching theme.
Speaker 2 (20:39):
When you said that, I think that's so important because
that applies us a universal thing. And I've bet people
myself who were in their forties and older who told
me they had no idea what their purpose was. They
didn't have a clue and they wish they had known,
but they just did not have a clue. Do you
touch on that in a way, and always think of me.
(21:00):
Were readers enjoying a story, but they can come away
themselves with account of an aha A little bit that
helps them maybe figure that out. Although that might not
have been your intent for writing it, is that something
you think a reader could take away from a story.
Speaker 3 (21:17):
Well, some of my readers have told me that was.
It was the type of book that that they can't forget.
They won't, they cannot forget it because of some of
the messages in that I hope. So another thing that
was happening when I started writing this people there was
(21:39):
just this huge uptick in suicides among younger people. And
I'm thinking, this is breaking my heart. My son died accidentally,
and these people are purposely taking their lives, and it
breaks my heart because I do believe everyone has a purpose.
People are not random. They were put here for a
(22:00):
specific job, a job that only they can do. And
if you kill yourself, you're denying someone else. You might
your purpose might be, you know, to do say this
to this person. It might be so small and seemingly inconsequential,
but you could be helping someone else. No, it's like
(22:22):
we're kind of meshed now. Like a tapestry, you pull
one thread, the whole thing, the whole picture unravels. So
that's kind of what my philosophy is. I truly believe
we have a purpose?
Speaker 2 (22:39):
Yes, yes, can you interest it? And you say you
go on TC, but it's Tyris cal Can you tell
us what he's like for our listeners whos never read
the story? Okay, what's he like and what drives him?
What's really motivating and driving him?
Speaker 3 (22:55):
He doesn't understand his purpose, and he masks his insecure.
He's by this over the top persona. He is funny,
he is he's short for a man, he's a little overweight.
He drinks a lot of beer. He he he is
a amateur comedian. He does the open mic events in town.
(23:17):
So he's and he meets this girl, Jinny at this
outdoor music festival and there how they met sets the
stage for later on, just the whole whole thing. And
he's just amusing. He's sweet. He listens to people, you know,
he doesn't just talk about himself. And he couldn't care.
He's a slob, you know, he dresses sloppy. He's you know,
(23:39):
because he's camping out this this outdoor festival. The tent
is a wreck, trash is everywhere, and Ginny is a
neat nick and for reasons that the reader finds out
in the book. She is obsessed. It's something she can
control the mess around her. So she's constantly cleaning up
after him. So, but these two people couldn't couldn't have
(24:00):
been more different. But they But there's but there's a
there's a oh, I don't know, soulmate sort of thing.
They they he drags her out of her shell. She's
very shy retson because of she's she's wary of people
because of trauma that happened in her life and tc.
He's a goofball. He really is a goofball. Loves to
(24:23):
dance and sing and carry on. But he's never really
experienced the trauma that she has. In fact, he hasn't. No,
his life was relatively easy. He had, you know, two parents,
He had this huge extended family, and because of his
outgoing nature and because he's so funny, he had a
gazillion friends. So life wasn't that difficult for him.
Speaker 2 (24:50):
So how old are Tyris and Jenny at the start
of when the book opens? And what what? What is
the opening scene? Uh? And always think of me.
Speaker 3 (25:02):
I can I can it? The opening scene is at
the river and I can Uh, if you don't mind,
I can just it's it's a prologue, and I'll I
have the book in front of me. If you don't mind, just.
Speaker 2 (25:14):
Read absolutely, go absolutely, but love it.
Speaker 3 (25:18):
Okay, hold on, I gotta get to the page. Here
he goes, Here we go. Georgie, my brindled goofball of
a canine, hated the river. Despite my cajoling, he dig
in his paws and pull against his leash. Treats or
no treats, he wouldn't go into the water. I probably
should have followed his example, because the river deceived me.
(25:40):
It's there where my story begins or ends, depending on
your point of view, and sets the stage for my unexpected,
otherworldly reunion with Jinny, a special woman I fell for
a year ago. Ah.
Speaker 2 (25:55):
Great, great, great beginning. Thank you for reading that. Enjoyed that?
So you said, Jenny Is.
Speaker 3 (26:03):
She's a few years younger than TC. He's in his
early thirties. He's a bachelors he's a he's a down
and help real estate guy. You know, he's just he
doesn't know what he's supposed to do with his life,
so he bounces around from thing to thing, and nothing ever, ever,
(26:23):
ever truly satisfy them.
Speaker 4 (26:26):
Because he's in real estate yes, he's in real estate.
Speaker 2 (26:30):
Okay, okay, so she's he's a few years.
Speaker 3 (26:34):
She's a nurse, and she's a nurse.
Speaker 2 (26:36):
What so she's shy? He said, what what else can
you tell us about Jenny? And you said, soul mace.
But what would attract them? He's a funny guy, is
he is he kind of wanting to take care of her?
She seems shy? Is he wanted to Yes, I want
to take care of you.
Speaker 3 (26:56):
Well, for one thing, she's dropped dead, gorgious. He's a
he's a guy, and he's immediately attracted by her appearance. Also,
there's something about her that stands out, and that is
she doesn't she doesn't seem she doesn't. She doesn't understand
how beautiful she really is, or she doesn't she you
know how some people are always constantly taking selfies and
(27:17):
kind of this self absorbed sort of thing, almost narcissistic.
Speaker 4 (27:21):
She's not like that.
Speaker 3 (27:23):
She completely does does not understand how attractive she is.
She she doesn't have multiple piercing she is she does
not have tattoos. It's almost like she is a girl
from a different era. And that's what appeals to TC.
And TC has a sailor's mouth. So she isn't curse,
(27:43):
you know. She she's she's pretty, she's a straightened she's
a straight girl, I mean very she's also very faithful.
And he is on the fence about faith or religion
maybe let's call it religion. Religion ticks him off.
Speaker 2 (27:59):
Can you described their relationship? And it sounds like from
the beginning they have broken.
Speaker 3 (28:05):
Up, Well, you have to read the book, but they
never get together. They're falling. They fall for one another,
I mean, he's completely and through. The story is told
in first person perspective with different chapters, you know, the
TC chapters, the Giny chapters, so you get a better
(28:25):
sense of what's going through their minds as they react
to what's going on at the music festival or later
on in Atlanta. They didn't they don't break up because
they never got together. She's engaged. She is she's got
herself hitched to this man. And his name is Jacob.
(28:45):
And Jacob is not a nice guy. Oh, he's very wealthy,
very wealthy, very he's narcissistic and he all cares about himself.
Speaker 2 (28:57):
Jacob and Tyrius are nothing alike.
Speaker 3 (28:59):
It sounds like, oh, totally different. I mean in every way.
You know, ty Tyrus is short. You know this, this
Jacob guy is tall, he has movie star good looks.
He's perfectly koyfed, his hairs in place. He would be
caught dead in cargo shorts and some stupid Hawaiian shirt
(29:20):
that's all stained from barbecue.
Speaker 2 (29:22):
You know. Okay, interesting that she's attracted to two very
different men. That is, that's intriguing as a reader. When
I think about Always think of me. Now, would you
describe the book Always think of Me as a contemporary
love story? And if so, why, Yes?
Speaker 3 (29:43):
I label as a women's fiction, contemporary women's fiction, and
it is a love story. But it's interesting. I've had
some men read it, and you know, I wrote it
for women, but it's funny. I've had a lot of men.
In fact that a friend of mine just finished reading
the book the other day and he said, I could
(30:05):
totally relate to that TC character. I've had a lot
of men tell me that I could relate to that guy,
you know, kind of like unrequited love. You know, because
when TC and Ginny separate, he's feeling horrible, he feels rejected,
and she's unsure, she's she's unsure did I make a mistake?
(30:30):
And she finds out.
Speaker 2 (30:32):
You know what this is reading made this made me
think about this super hit book movie by Nicholas Sparks.
I think the note yes I'm listening to you. Oh
my gosh, just putting me in my and popped into
my head. Now, can you you talk about Jacob, who
(30:53):
Ginny is engaged to. Can you introduce us to a
few other major, minor characters in the story who helped
the move.
Speaker 4 (31:01):
Okay, there's there's a little character.
Speaker 3 (31:04):
Her name's Amy, and she's she's she's from East Tennessee
and she has the twenty accent. She's a little hoot.
I loved her. I loved her because she is she's little,
but she's brassy and she just well she does she
just runs her mouth and she's hilarious. I loved her.
(31:25):
There's another character, Moe and Bear. These folks are chefs
and they're also at the outdoor Festival and they help
move the story on along a little bit. And then
of course Granny Smith that is Ginny's grandmother, the woman
who raised Ginny, and she is a little doll baby
(31:50):
Grannie Smith, and you get you don't see her but
through Genny's stories about her grandmother, you learn more about
her character and the big influence that this woman had
on Ginny's life because of these trauma, the trauma that
she experienced when she was just little.
Speaker 2 (32:09):
Oh. Now do readers as readers read always think, I mean,
it's something I do love about fiction. Is any elements
of historical fiction here where a reader has maybe never
been to Atlanta, or they haven't been to the other
areas where the story takes place, would they be able
(32:29):
to feel like they had learned something historically about these
areas or even feel like some authors the way they
write I feel like I'm there, would they actually feel
like they're actually there and it's based on factual something
factual about the area. Is that the way it's written
in part about the different locations that they're in.
Speaker 3 (32:51):
Well, you know, at the music festival, I had a
number of people, I'll be honest, I've never been to
an outdoor.
Speaker 4 (32:56):
Music festival never, but I a.
Speaker 3 (33:00):
Whole bunch of research and talked a whole bunch of
people who who go to these events regularly. And you know,
they said, you nailed the outdoor festival, nailed it, and
just doing a lot of research looking at photos, you know. Yeah,
so I think so. I think that, yeah, people would
be there and also along the river where how the
(33:23):
movie or the movie the book starts. Movie would be awesome,
wouldn't it, Yes, notebook, Oh man, that'd be awesome anyway,
So that's I think. So to answer your question, I
think people could put themselves and the the neighborhood in
(33:45):
Atlanta is a very posh neighborhood in Atlanta is super expensive. Yes,
in that general vicinity. What do they call it?
Speaker 4 (33:57):
Tuxedo Park?
Speaker 2 (33:58):
Okay, okay, that I haven't heard. I've no bookhead, but
I haven't heard the.
Speaker 3 (34:05):
Yeah, oh yes, and I think Tuxedo Park is a
part of it. But don't you know, I you know,
I'm just talking off the top here, but it's you know,
it's I think that's what northwestern section of the city
or something I can't remember anyway.
Speaker 2 (34:19):
Yeah, okay, now let's explore some of you and I
will say that's what we move on. This is one
thing I love about and I wish maybe before sometimes
when you I've stumbled across some books that I just
absolutely loved, and I'm like, oh my god, I never
heard of the author or the book. But when you
(34:40):
listen to like an author interview, or if I'm at
a book festival and the authors on a panel, or
they being asked questions about their story, when you hear
the inner workings, the inner makings, the inspiration behind the story,
it always makes the story tell me that much more interesting,
(35:01):
more than you could ever put in a book. Descriptions shifting,
shifting just a bit. Want to explore some of your
short stories and short stories are kind of taken off
a little bit. You can do either write them and
put them in magazines and journals and get more exposure
as an author. Or you can create enough short stories
(35:22):
to create like a compilation of a book of them
and share your short stories that way. So can you
just introduce us do and give us an overview? Well,
before I ask you this, did you start writing short
stories first or novels?
Speaker 3 (35:40):
I guess it started concurrently. I read those. I wrote
these short stories as giveaways to try to build my platform.
Speaker 2 (35:50):
Interesting, can you give us an overview of the note?
Speaker 3 (35:54):
The note that is based on a true story, again
my journalistic background, and it's about a young girl. Her
name is Dot and Dot is not very pretty, and
her whole world is rock. When her mother discovers the
note that was hidden in Dot's pocket, there too, it
is a traumatic incident that rob's Dot of her innocence completely.
(36:19):
It's a coming of age story, and it's based on
fact my grandmother, based on my grandmother and her story,
and that is and that did. That took place in
the twenties. So you know when I wrote that, I
try to I try to remain true to the cars,
the houses. It's in Pennsylvania, you know, the industrial city
(36:43):
where she is dealing with her the outcome of her
loss of innocence and that kind of thing.
Speaker 2 (36:51):
Now, how did you? How did did you? Is the uh?
I guess the beginning of this story. Did you come
across a note that your grandmother had written? And that's
what I've had authors who say they came across something
their father wrote, They came across some writings of a parent,
and that's where they turned it into a book. Did
(37:14):
you come across the note?
Speaker 3 (37:16):
I did not come across the note. It was part
of a court hearing. It was evidence in accordering. Yeah,
and my cousin provided me with the contents of that note.
Oh my gosh, she's she's our family genealogist, and she
has reams of information and she she's the one who
(37:39):
provided me with that.
Speaker 2 (37:42):
Interested are there any plans? This sounded like it could
be a novel.
Speaker 3 (37:46):
Well, you know, it's funny.
Speaker 4 (37:49):
I have just finished the well it's not finished.
Speaker 3 (37:52):
It's going through the editing phase, a sequel to always
think of me, And it's so I'm thinking, Okay, what
do I want to do next? And I was really
thinking about using the note as the underlying problem with
the third book. All right, but I'll bring it up
(38:14):
to date and use some of my own experiences growing.
Speaker 4 (38:17):
Up, you see, because there has to be that.
Speaker 3 (38:21):
Compelling moment, the thing, that event that's driving the entire story,
driving the characters. And I couldn't and I couldn't think
of anything, but then thought, what about that that that
could do it? Because that stuff happens all the time,
you know.
Speaker 2 (38:36):
Wow, that the note? Oh my god, for somebody to
that would just be you're cleaning out some your family
stuff and an attic and you come across something, either
a picture of writing or something, and it it literally
changes your life and then you got it. You're going
back trying to put the pieces together that actually happens.
(38:59):
It's very but these things actually happened. It's strange as
it sounds, and it's life changing. Have you you said
you did started writing short stories to try to build
your audience, to connect with and build your readership. How
have you found that to be And I asked questions
(39:20):
for our listeners, who themselves are authors. Have you found
that to be effective at getting out connecting with more readers?
Speaker 3 (39:28):
You know, I think initially it did, but those stories
have been available for a long time now, so I'm
not sure how effective it is now. And you know,
the writers who are listening, they know as well as
I do that it is. It's not easy, you know,
building a platform or an audience. There are so many
different voices out there. And Denise, maybe maybe you found
(39:53):
that to be as true as well.
Speaker 4 (39:55):
But it's it's hard work.
Speaker 3 (39:56):
It's not easy.
Speaker 2 (39:58):
And there's more and more books being published. Oh yeah, definitely.
When I started what is the genesis of the story
Robert's Prayer?
Speaker 3 (40:08):
Again, that's based on a true story, and Robert he's
based on my great my great grandfather never met him,
but my family were They're storytellers and you know, if
you would listen, they would tell you everything about your history,
(40:29):
your family history, if you wanted to listen. And I
like these stories, so I listened. And it's based on
him and my The Arthur character is based on my
grandfather who died in nineteen forty four, and also my
grandmother who lost her mind. And it's and the other
(40:54):
two characters in that little story, one is based on
my father and one is based on my my aunt.
And then the other character, Miriam, is based on my grandmother.
And that stuff all happened, you know, but it's fiction.
It's fiction because I took total liberty, liberty in terms
(41:14):
of but there's this thing happened, and it's always intrigued me.
When my grandmother told me about what happened to my
grandfather and how his parents reacted to that, and it
just was mind blowing.
Speaker 4 (41:32):
It's almost like you realize, this.
Speaker 3 (41:33):
Little kid man. Adults don't have it. Know, we always
look up to adults adults when we're little. We think, oh,
you know, I can't wait to be in and I
get to choose for myself. But honestly, when you're adult,
you'd rather be a kid. So you didn't have to
make these decisions.
Speaker 2 (41:49):
Yeah, now, is is Robert running from someone or something?
Speaker 3 (41:57):
He's not, No, he's he's he's trying to preserve his
broken family after this tragedy. That is what that is
his attempt. He needs to hold together his family. This
event happens and everyone falls apart, most especially his wife.
(42:19):
And this takes place in Pennsylvania as well. And they
speak and this is true too. My great grandparents spoke
Pennsylvania Dutch, which is the language the Amish speak. They
spoke English. They'd only been in the country since they're
early seventeen hundreds, but they lived in an enclave where
Pennsylvania Dutch was still spoken, little place called Pine Grove, Pennsylvania.
(42:44):
And it's kind of that has always fascinated me. How
people can even though their ancestors came over, you know,
in their late sixteen hundreds, early seventeen hundreds, they still
retain their native tongue. How you know their culture is
just by living in this these little communities where that's
(43:05):
the that's the language everyone speaks, Pennsylvania Germans, so that
they're speaking Pennsylvania Dutch. And I don't know Pennsylvania Dutch.
I just used some phrases in that story to give
it some color. I guess.
Speaker 2 (43:20):
Now introduce us to Robert. What's he like? And is
he is? He?
Speaker 3 (43:26):
No? He is not. That's what's interesting. He is not?
Speaker 4 (43:28):
No he is he is.
Speaker 3 (43:30):
I guess he would be a Lutheran, but that's not
mentioned in the story. He's. Everyone loves Robert because Robert
is good and decent. He he he's a man in
that he he provides and cares for his family. He
he's he's His grandchildren adore him. The entire community loves
(43:53):
this man. He made a bunch of money, uh, you know,
being an independent coal miner. You know, the big companies
would go in, they they mind the minds, and then
and then he would go in after them and clean
up what they missed. He made a ton of money,
has this nice, big house that he bought, and then
he retires and becomes the school janitor. He's that kind
(44:16):
of guy. You know, he doesn't he doesn't care about
all this stuff. No, he builds this nice home for
his wife. And she's she's fragile. She's very fragile emotionally,
she's not she's not you know, she's not. She's not
cooking with both burners. You know what I'm saying. She's
just said she's there was something happened to her life
(44:40):
as well, which kind of makes people, you know, things
that happened to you that. Yeah, yeah, you are completely
You're they completely affect you. They they dictate you know,
your your future behaviors in a sense, you know, because
you're always remembering that thing. And if it's not a
good thing, you need to cleanse yourself of it. If
(45:02):
especially if it seems to tell you you're not worthy,
if you're hearing that voice, you need to shut it down.
Speaker 2 (45:11):
Yeah, I know a hundred percent now without giving this
story away, And I just had two more questions, and
then I want to talk about your blogging. What is
Robert praying for? Without giving the story away?
Speaker 3 (45:26):
Oh my gosh, I can't remember. I can't I can't
remember what. Oh, I know what it is, I know
it is. I think I think.
Speaker 4 (45:37):
He's he is praying.
Speaker 3 (45:40):
He's praying for healing, for peace, you know, because of
this event. It's just shaken everyone to the core, and
that's what he's praying for.
Speaker 2 (45:52):
Okay, what have what have you been hearing? Well? Tell
me again, you said Pennsylvania. What time does the story
take place, and what have readers been saying about the
short story? Sounds very interesting to me?
Speaker 3 (46:05):
Well, well, that story, Robert's Prayer, takes place in the
nineteen forties. It's during World War two. Okay, so that's
when that takes place. And you know, I'm not sure
what readers think of Robert's Prayer. I had one one
person told me they thought it was depressing. But I
don't think it's depressing. I mean, yeah, but because you know,
(46:29):
bad things happen to everyone.
Speaker 4 (46:32):
It's what do you do with it?
Speaker 2 (46:34):
You know?
Speaker 3 (46:34):
Do you sit there and get mad and hate on
other people, including God because this bad thing happened? Or
do you or do you try to look for a
learning experience in it? And that was something that I
had to deal with when my son died. What was
I going to take away I had? I couldn't wallow.
(46:58):
I couldn't do that. That would have been against his
character and nothing would have been accomplished.
Speaker 2 (47:07):
Lest you who designed your book covers? LORI? And what
was it like working with your book cover designer?
Speaker 3 (47:14):
Well, my book cover designer is a guy worked with forever.
In a day, I met him when I was working
as a Beltway banded company. What we supported NASA headquarters.
We did public relations and all that sort of stuff
and helped out with the public affairs aspect of the
Astrophysics division. And he worked in the design shop. So
(47:39):
that's where I met him way back in the nineties.
His name is Dave, and Dave designed that cover. I
have worked with him for so long that I don't
even have to communicate rely. He just kind of.
Speaker 4 (47:51):
Knows and it's so easy. The publisher had.
Speaker 3 (47:56):
Provided some book covers and I really didn't like him,
so I went with my guy, and I was very
happy with the with the covered design.
Speaker 2 (48:05):
Okay, now, how did you become the accidental Blogger?
Speaker 3 (48:10):
Well, I never intended to become a blogger, that was
and because I'm writing a novel, you know again you
have to create a platform, and so I just said, well,
I can use my journalism background and and create this blog.
So it is the Accidental Blogger and it kind of
plays on the book The Accidental Tourist, if you remember that. Yes, yes,
(48:32):
so that's how that came to be. I haven't written
a blog in probably a year now. I need to
take a break from it because the blog dealt with
overcoming tragedy and after a while, you just you just
want I just I needed a break. So I don't
(48:54):
know what I'm going to be doing with that. But
you know, there's ninety blogs, you know. I for three
plus years, I put out probably two or three blogs
a month, and then I do a monthly letter called
Something to chew On. I do that isn't that's whatever
topic crosses my mind. That that is very I enjoy
(49:15):
writing that. It's it's it's fun. So and then again
I've just you know, I wrote the sequel to Always
Think of Me and so and so that's what I'm
working on that now and playing around with an idea
on you know, this third novel.
Speaker 2 (49:34):
Okay, I definitely want to get to what you're working
on now. Who are some of your favorite authors, Laurie,
and how has their work impacted you as a writer.
Speaker 3 (49:45):
Well, I was I have always, always always loved to
Kill a Mockingbird. It's on my webs. I mean, I
believe that is one of the most beautiful stories ever written.
I truly do. They're tough, tough topics, especially you know,
there's a lot of stuff going on, but a lot
of those messages in that book are totally relevant today,
(50:08):
and it is and it is a you know, it's
it's a loss of innocence type of coming of age
story where the little characters scout realize, oh my goodness,
she lives in a little bubble and out there is evil. Yeah.
You know, she thought she saw her town and it's
(50:29):
people as being basically good and then realizes, no, some
of them aren't so good. They're full of bias and
they're you know, hating on people because of how they
look or how they behave. You know, she it's a
it's a huge learning experience for her. And I've always
(50:50):
those types of stories have always appealed to me, so
that would be I would say, in fact, I just
finished reading it again. I've only read a million times,
but it's funny. Time I read it, I get something
out of it. And you know what, and Denise, there
isn't like I love the way that book is because
(51:10):
there's your You're transported to a different place in a
different time with these funny little characters. In some ways,
there's no shoot them up, there's none of that. There's
not all this this tension. You're like you know who
done it? And I wander sometimes maybe this thought has
crossed your mind. Do people are people no longer interested
(51:33):
in these stories that rely heavily on characters?
Speaker 4 (51:38):
No, instead of the.
Speaker 3 (51:41):
Formulaic types of things that always ends up on the
bestseller list. You know, good beach reads. Look, I read
them too. I just finished one. I love those books too,
But those I guess it's the literature. The literature, you know.
Do people even read that anymore?
Speaker 2 (52:00):
I think so. I think there's still literary writers out here.
I think so. They're not They've never been the as
popular they certainly were, uh generations ago, but not people
just want stuff quick, quick click click quick now. Yeah, yeah,
I want on that on that same Vein what writing process,
Laurie do you follow? Do you start with outlines, character sketches?
(52:25):
How do you take a blank page and start developing
a story?
Speaker 3 (52:29):
I mean a lot of it. It happens in my mind,
you know, like I'm I'm pacing right now, and that's
what I do. I do a lot of pacing, and
I will do a brief character sketch of the characters.
I don't really do an outline because because I'd rather
let the characters dictate how things go. I have something
(52:53):
in mind, don't get me wrong, you know, like with
with always Think of Me, There's certain things are definitely
must happen, So I kind of build the activity around
these events that I know have to happen in order
to tell the story.
Speaker 2 (53:07):
Okay, can you share As we start to come to
the close of today's show, I definitely want to talk
about what you're working on now, but before that, can
you share three to four steps that you have taken
it you personally have found to be effective at getting
the word out about your stories and your books. And
then I have a piggyback question I want to ask you.
Speaker 3 (53:29):
You know, I don't know if I can offer five. Well,
if you're an author, has to have a website, has
to have that. They also have to have some sort
of thing at least initially to get people interested in you.
And then when you publish a book, you really I'll
(53:50):
tell you what this, Go to the books togram community
and get them to read your book. They write awesome
or not awesome, but truthful reviews. Some people will like
your books, some people will love your book. You know
what I'm saying, But that's what I found to be
(54:10):
the most effective is going out and really devoting yourself
to doing do more marketing. And that's what I learned
with always think of me. You really have to, you know,
budget marketing and get and get get your name out
there as much as you possibly can. These like I said,
(54:31):
there's a million people out there.
Speaker 2 (54:33):
Yeah, you were a journalist, And I'm I'm thinking this,
and I'm wondering how many other listeners as well might
think similarly. I would think you'd have media contacts as
a journalist, even if it's just the papers you work with,
a local journal, newspaper, magazines, journals, et cetera. You work
(54:54):
with that, they would say, oh, oh, don't you worry
about it, Lloie, we'll cover your story. We'll do a
feature in it, view on you, and get it out.
You know.
Speaker 3 (55:02):
Know anyone when I when I when I was a journalist,
that was years ago, so all those folks are retired,
you know, you know what I'm saying. And then I
was a public relations or public affairs type of a
consultant for almost eighteen years something like that with NASA,
(55:23):
So I really got out of the media community. Okay, okay,
go ahead.
Speaker 2 (55:29):
No, no, no, you go ahead. You finished.
Speaker 3 (55:30):
Well, it's and then you know, when I was a journalist,
you know, I was covering Capitol Hill and again boring
coal mining regulations, and it was the wrong When I started,
I was in small newspapers, so that worked. Okay, you
know you could have maybe parlayed that. But I don't know.
Folks in the media community, I just don't.
Speaker 2 (55:51):
Let me ask you this. This was a set next question.
Attended a writers' conference years ago and I was I
covered some book morek and I said, you know, send
press releases, and there was somebody there who had worked
with newspapers and they said, they're really not as effective
as they used to be because a journalist gets so
(56:12):
many press releases. Would you would you say to or
to not send them?
Speaker 3 (56:18):
I know that.
Speaker 4 (56:19):
I went, oops, Hi, Denise, I'm still here.
Speaker 3 (56:26):
Oh okay, I heard music, so I didn't know what happened.
I don't know my publicist. No, I don't think they wrote.
Publisher wrote a press release, but I don't think it
was picked up. Yeah, probably not. I think you need
to try to get on podcasts, you know, talk with people,
(56:47):
you know, get out into the community to readers where
readers gather that sort of thing. Yeah, okay, yeah, Now.
Speaker 2 (56:54):
Tell us about the new as we wrap up, tell
us about the new books that you are working on,
and let us know when they might be ready to
hit the market.
Speaker 3 (57:04):
Oh my goodness, Denise, I don't know when it will
be ready. The second book is called Second Chance Highway,
and it follows Ginny as she goes out to reconcile
with her mother, which is the source of her issues.
And this is something that TC urged her to do.
(57:25):
She would never become whole if she walked around with
her festering unforgiveness. Okay, so that's so, that's what it's called.
And you meet, you know, a bunch of other crazy characters.
I like characters. I like having I've had fun creating characters.
And you meet Ginny's mother and you get a better
(57:47):
idea of who Jacob is. He has a you know,
he has his own separate voice. So it's called Second
Chance Highway and it's now with an editor, and I'm
not really sure when it will come out, but I
think I'm probably gonna self publishing route, so it will
be a lot faster than with Always than was with Always.
Think of me.
Speaker 2 (58:08):
Second Chance Highway, love that love that title. Where can
off the CHEF listeners get a copy of your book?
Speaker 3 (58:15):
Well, they can go to Amazon, of course, they can
go to Barnes and Noble, they can go to what's
that Book's a million? That's online. That's where it's easiest
to get the book.
Speaker 2 (58:29):
And do you have any upcoming speaking engagement that our
listeners could support you? And then also let us know
where you are on social media?
Speaker 3 (58:37):
Yes, I am on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn. Uh, those are
the three platforms I post with. I'm on Expert. I
don't post anything there really what else? Oh no, and
I'm not I don't have any speaking engagements?
Speaker 2 (58:58):
Okay, okay. We have had the absolute pleasure of speaking
with miss Laurie Kesey this morning. She has a long
writing career. Again, as we are shared at the start
of the story, she wrote copy for newspapers and regional
and trade magazines more than forty years and she is
(59:20):
twenty years and she's also worked with NASA and public outreach.
She's got a Bachelor of Science and Journalism from the
University of Maryland and she is the author of the
book Always Think of Me and Then she's working on
it's with an editor, Second Chance Highway. And I loved
(59:41):
her talking about always think of Me and her short
stories would sound like they could be developed in the
great novels, The Note and Robert's Prayer. And I encourage
you to visit Laurie online at her website Loriikeasey dot
com and that's l O r I k e E
(01:00:04):
s e y dot com. And again that's l O
r I k e E s e y dot com.
And it's always tell you if you came in you
had things to do this morning, you came in late,
no worries. After the show finished the streaming, you can
listen to it in its entirety once it finished the streaming.
(01:00:25):
You can listen to it on Google Play. You can
listen to it YouTube. You can listen to it on Speaker,
which is an iHeart radio station platform and I Heart
Radio's pretty big, and you can also listen to it
and did I say Apple, I mean it's on so
many different places that you can find off the shelf books.
We want to thank Laurie for being here with us,
(01:00:48):
taking time out of her day to share with her stories.
You come up with some great story ideas, and I
hope maybe maybe one day you will consider maybe taking
one of your stories and trying to see if you
can develop it into a film.
Speaker 3 (01:01:06):
Well, Denise, you'll be the first person I let now,
okay you have. I really enjoy talking with you so.
Speaker 2 (01:01:16):
Yeah and enjoyed you as well. Thank you so much.
And to our listeners, as I always tell you, and
I mean this, it's the truth. You are just incredible.
You are absolutely phenomenal. Go out and create a wonderful
day for yourself. See you're back here next Saturday on
Off the Shelf Books. Book Lovers everywhere to tune in
(01:01:39):
to Off the Shelf Books Lori. I'll send you a
link to the show when it finishes streaming. Thank you,
thank you. Bye,
You're listening to the winning literary show off The Chef's
Books Talk Radio Live with host Denise Turney, author of
the books Long Walk Up, Porsche Love, More Over Me,
Spiral Love Has Many Faces, and Rosetta Us Great Hope.
Turn up your dial and get ready for a blast
of feature author interviews, four one one on book festivals,
(00:21):
writing conferences, and so much more. Ready, let's go.
Speaker 2 (00:26):
Welcome, Welcome to all those shelf books for this Saturday morning,
April the twenty six. This is the last Saturday in April,
and this is Indie Bookstore Day. And I'm not sure
if this is global or just in the United States,
but the last Saturday in April is Indie bookstor Day.
(00:46):
So I encourage you to get out. I plan to
hit the bookstore today myself, to get out and support
an indie bookstore. Whether you do it online, I know
this bookshop dot Org, Detroit Book City has things going on.
You got Alcobobby's and Philadelphia. There's so many different independent
bookstores that you can support, either online or offline, and
(01:10):
a lot of them are having special events today as well.
So this is just one day out of the year.
We know we want to always support indie bookstores and
indie authors, et cetera. They bring such wonderful stories that
we might not know about if it wasn't for them.
And another thing I love about indie bookstores they are
(01:30):
very connected to the community. They will have community events
and support the community in ways that only indie indie
bookstores and small businesses really really do. The people who
own their businesses live in the communities where their indie
bookstores operate. So hopefully I encourage you to get out
(01:53):
and explore some new books with other fellows, other people
who support indie bookstore. And now before I go any
further and we introduce today's guests, I always like to
start the show with a quote, and this quote is
by Nelson Mandela and it is it always seems impossible
(02:14):
until it's done. And I love that quote. When you
try to do something or you read history books people
who the people told the Beatles they will never get
out the front gate. They've told so many people that
different things could not happen and just don't believe in
they sayers get out there and make it happen. It
always seems impossible until it's done. And again that quote
(02:36):
is by Nelson Mandela To our loyal listeners, I have
to always stop and say thank you, thank you, thank you.
We have been on the air for eighteen years. It's
just amazing to me, it's just amazing. And then if
this is your first time tuning in to Off the
Sholf books, I say, welcome, welcome, welcome, And we have
(02:58):
a wonderful art they're on deck for you today, and
we're so excited to introduce her to you. But before
I do, I want to encourage you or ask you.
There's so much that goes on in our lives, our lives.
The longer we're here to just fill up with stuff
and and and and and our minds, and if we're
(03:20):
not careful and we don't let whatever comes up during
the day go, we could end up loaded over several
years with things we're still stewing over. We haven't processed,
we haven't worked through it mentally, emotionally, and it's maybe
even starting to show up in our body because we
carry way too much from the past, way too much.
(03:43):
Uh uh. Then it's time to heal. So I encourage you.
This is a book with short poetry, short writings, things
that you can lower your defensive defenses. Uh, you don't
have to be defensive reading. It's like a real uh again,
poetic writings, but they are geared written to help you
(04:06):
to heal and almost to your unawares. And the title
of the book is Hell Gorgeous Wisdom Within Your Notes
the Way. And if this is something that you really
value yourself and you want to make sure you're not
carrying these extra luggage of the past into the next
(04:27):
day and the next day, and every day you're picking
up more stuff and after ten twenty years you're feeling
really weighed down, I encourage you to get a copy
of Hell Gorgeous Wisdom Within Your Notes the Way, by
yours truly, Denise Turning. You can get in an e book,
you can get it in print, and you can get
it in audio book. And please again I encourage you
(04:51):
to support indie bookstores. And now let us go and
meet our very special off the Shelf guests and to
days off the Shelf guest is Lurie Kesey Mispit her neighborhome.
She corrects me and Laurie has a long writing career,
developing copy for newspapers and regional and trade magazines and
(05:14):
she has put in more than forty years of copywriting
and additionally, for twenty years Lourie worked for NASA and
public Outreach. She earned her b Bachelor of Science and
Journalism from the University of Maryland, College Park, and Laurie
is the author of the books Always Think of Me
(05:36):
and short stories she has written and published include The
Note and Robert's Prayer. I enjoyed visiting her website when
I'm researching for the guest interviews. Always am always intrigued
by different things I discovered during my research on her
website and beyond. But I encourage you I think you
(05:57):
will enjoy visiting her website to encourage you to check
Lurie out online at Llikesey dot com, l or r
I k e e s e y dot com and
again that is l h R I k e e
s e y dot com. We are just honored to
(06:18):
have Lloyd Kesey join us on Off the Shelf Books
this morning. Welcome to Off the Chef Lourie.
Speaker 3 (06:25):
Thank you, Denise, and thanks for inviting me on. I'm
looking forward to this conversation.
Speaker 2 (06:30):
Yes, I'm just so excited to have you here with us.
So and I know you've listened to prior shows, and
thank you for that, so you know how the show
kicks off. Can you tell off the shelf listeners where
you grew up, LORII, and what life was like for
you growing up and.
Speaker 3 (06:46):
My goodness, I grew up in a little place called Damascus, Maryland.
It's in Montgomery County, Maryland, which is one of the
DC suburban counties. But I didn't grow up in suburbia.
I grew up in the country. So when I was
growing up, the kids were in agriculture. You know, they
(07:07):
that the fairs were big. It was soberal and I
remember I was I don't know, maybe five when Damascus
got its first stoplight and it actually made the DC
news because it was such a small, out of the
way place formerly known as Black Ankle when it first
started because people always walked around with dirty when barefoot
(07:28):
and their feet were dirty, so.
Speaker 4 (07:31):
It was you know, it was you know what. I
had a good childhood.
Speaker 3 (07:34):
I mean it was small town with small town ideals.
People knew one another, fathers belonged to their various rotary clubs.
My dad was you know, church, We just you know,
and my friends, my best friends are still kids I
(07:55):
met when I was in school. So yeah, it's it's
kind of unusual. And that's so I know a lot
of folks who, you know, they had a best friend
and they don't know what happened to that person. Well,
I know what happened to my girls. They're still around.
Speaker 2 (08:09):
Did you have brothers and sisters or well you an
only tell.
Speaker 3 (08:13):
Oh, no, I had. I have two sisters and a
baby brother and my little brother. It was almost like
a separate family because I'm what, I'm twelve years older
than he is. My sister is fourteen. Yeah, so when
he was growing up, we were moving out, you know,
we were I was in college. Yeah, so it was very,
(08:35):
very very different for him. And you know, and at
that point, my parents had more money, so he would
get stuff we would have never gotten.
Speaker 2 (08:44):
Oh, I guess. And you know what that's You are
the third guests. And we've had hundreds on Off the Shelf.
You're the third guest. People from all over the world
have come on the show. They're the third who said
that they grew up in a town with either one
traffic light or no more than two or three. And
(09:05):
I the first time somebody came on and said that.
I said, no way, and they said yes. I couldn't
believe it.
Speaker 3 (09:14):
Yes, I'm sorry, I interrupted.
Speaker 4 (09:19):
Well, we had dirt roads too, I.
Speaker 3 (09:22):
Mean I remember when they finally paved some of these
dirt roads. It was incredible. It really, really, really was
a small town. And I remember our high school was little,
and it was compared with the high schools what they
would call down County, you know, with the richer suburbs.
(09:42):
You know, we got nothing in terms of resources. I
don't never forget. We decided to protest the county school board.
And remember one of the signs reading and which today
it just I don't know. It surprised me by its cleverness.
Paul could find Damascus, why can't you? And now I
(10:04):
thought that was pretty clever. I don't think did some
kid come up with that? I doubt it.
Speaker 2 (10:09):
Yeah, Oh so how many people I'm just trying to
in context, and then as we talk about your books,
because I do believe as an author myself our childhood.
I mean, there's no way to separate yourself from whatever
it is you create. How many people were in the town.
And I never thought of Maryland as having any I
(10:30):
always see it as urban city, I never think of it. Yeah,
so how many people in the town where you grew up.
Speaker 3 (10:36):
You know, I don't know what the population was, but
my graduating class was I think one hundred and eighty kids. Okay,
So yeah, and furthermore, we were it wasn't just Damascus proper,
we were we were pulling in kids from rural communities
surrounding Damascus. So there was like Clarksburg and you know,
(11:00):
parts of Germantown and parts of rural Gathersburg that would
be pulled into our school. So so it was it
was very I'm not kidding now, it's totally different. I'm
a good Oh, it's just it's just exploded. Everything has exploded,
you know, around the DC suburbs, So it's very different.
I'll never forget I was going, hadn't been on this road.
(11:23):
I was still living in the area at the time.
I since I've moved to Tennessee, and I was visiting
a girlfriend and you know how you'll zone out and
you just you're just you're on autopilot. And I like
came to and I did not know where I was
because the roads have been completely changed.
Speaker 4 (11:41):
Wow, you know how that happens, And.
Speaker 3 (11:43):
You know, the old landmarks are gone, and yeah, so
yeah it's changed.
Speaker 2 (11:49):
I want to I'm going to research that. You got
me interested now. Now as a kid, Lurie, what did
you want to be when you grew up? What did
your dream of becoming a writer?
Speaker 3 (11:59):
I knew. I knew when I first started to write,
you know, and I when I'm learning my letters and
learning how to spell and to read that I wanted
to be a writer. And so I'd go visit my
Nana and Poppy in Pennsylvania, you know, two weeks every summer.
And my poppy was a drug store. He was a druggist,
(12:22):
so it was an old rexhaul store and he wouldn't
he would he would compound his own drugs, so he'd
be he'd have the mortar and pestle and he's doing
all this stuff. And then you have this big roll
of paper it was, I don't know, it was like
parchment paper, and he'd wrap up the drugs in this
paper like little gifts.
Speaker 4 (12:40):
Anyway, so my cousin I would take it.
Speaker 3 (12:42):
You know, we'd roll out the paper, we would we
would fold it up into pages, scotch tape it and
then write and illustrate our little stories. That's what we
did for fun. I know, kind of geeky, huh, but
that's what we did. Cool. Cool.
Speaker 2 (12:58):
So so you, I know, you also were in journalism
and as a freelance writer for many years. Yes, in
what ways is from your perspective? In what ways is
journalism writing different from writing fiction? Oh?
Speaker 3 (13:14):
My goodness, there it's dramatically different. You really, a good
journalist does not present here his or her opinion, okay,
and in fiction, right, and you're constantly injecting your opinion
through the characters behaviors, you know, the characters thoughts, that
sort of thing. The writing is also more concise. I
(13:36):
think Hemingway did a good job because he started out
as a journalist, and his fiction it's very concise, it's
very you know, shorter sentences. You don't in journalism. You
don't have all these flowery phrases, you know, describing vegetation
for example.
Speaker 4 (13:52):
You just you just don't go there.
Speaker 3 (13:54):
Your Your job is to report whatever that person is saying,
whatever has happened, who, what we're and when. So that
is the biggest difference, I think, And when when I
started writing, when I wrote this novel, always think of me,
I had to get out of that mindset, you know,
where I could take more liberties with describing the external environment,
(14:22):
you know, the what was going on the birds and
you know, whatever's going on hearing, hearing the rain or
whatever it is. So that's that was that was what
I had to I struggled with that, and I'm not
and I'm not. You know, some authors do a tremendous
job of oh, I don't know, their comparisons, their similes,
(14:46):
that kind of thing. You know. It was like, and
I'm not. I'm just not a flowery person. I just
I struggle with that, you know, you know, describing some
I don't know, comparing an emotion with what's going on externally.
I do it, but boyle, boy it takes a long
(15:08):
time for me, and I'm sure other authors just zip
it out.
Speaker 2 (15:13):
I mean, I was going to ask you how it's
working as a journalist impacted your novel writing. I know
you just said that one How how then would you say?
And you mentioned Himingway has working writing working as a
journalist helped you at strengthened your novel writing?
Speaker 3 (15:34):
Well, I think I, at least with this first book,
much a lot of it, not all of it. It's
not autobiographical, but a lot of it involves events that
really happened, So I am it is kind of reported.
I am reporting what happened with in addition to more
of the fiction writing flair. But I find it easiest
(15:58):
to use your own experiences, and I'm sure that's with
a lot of writers. But I almost see it as
journalism in the sense that I'm reporting something that really
did happen.
Speaker 2 (16:09):
Interesting. Interesting, now when it comes to fiction, when you
first started writing, first of all, when you knew you
wanted to be a writer, did you imagine yourself as
a novelist. Well, I'm a journalist.
Speaker 3 (16:26):
Both both, and I was you know, I started out
as a newspaper reporter, and then, you know, did these
various things ended up? You know, I went to started
out in Delaware, after college, went to South Carolina, went
back to the DC area and worked for McGraw hill.
That was not a fun job because I was covering
(16:47):
coal mining regulations. That was really boring. That was so boring.
I thought, oh my gosh, if I don't get out
of here, I'm going to die. And then I got pregnant,
had kids, and you know, I decided, well, you know,
I think I'm going to go into freelance, and I
started that in nineteen ninety three, and I did a
(17:07):
lot of different types of writing, marketing stuff as well
as you know, articles that are aimed to influence that kinds.
I did a lot so and I think I'm babbling here, Denise,
And am I answering your question?
Speaker 2 (17:21):
Yes you are?
Speaker 1 (17:22):
You are?
Speaker 2 (17:23):
So what inspired you to write Always Think of Me?
Speaker 3 (17:29):
Well, there's a long, sort of sad story involved there.
The main character is his name is TC, and he
is based on my son, my oldest son, and my
oldest son died and I had to write this. And
(17:50):
there was always this idea that I wanted to be
a novelist ever since I was in the tenth grade,
but I never had the story. And unfortunately this became
the basis of a story. Not that I'm not there
are no, I'm not trying to say that, you know,
because he died, you know, necessarily that's in the novel.
(18:10):
But the main character is based on my son, his personality,
and I had to work through his death, and this
was my way of working through his death because he
died at thirty three and my husband I were just
you know, have you if you've ever had your heart
broken from a first love, or you know you're the
(18:33):
person who absolutely love scorns you or whatever, that broken
heart that's what you feel, but it's it's a million
times worse when this happens.
Speaker 4 (18:43):
And I got it. I had to write this.
Speaker 3 (18:47):
I had to write a story based on him in
the hope and my hope was that people would read
this story, fall in love with this character in spite
of all of his his flaws, and maybe see themselves
in him. That was my aim. I really wanted to
share his personality with others.
Speaker 2 (19:10):
Where and when, bless you, bless you Lord, Where and
when does the story take place? Always think of me.
Speaker 3 (19:17):
The story is contemporary, it's like now, but there are
different scenes in the book. There's the scene five minutes
from my house at the river. There's there's a music
outdoor music festival, which which there's a huge music festival
in Tennessee. It is I don't name the festival, but
(19:37):
I use that festival as the basis of where this
festival takes place. Also Atlanta, Atlanta, Georgia, So it takes
place also there in a little town south of Atlanta.
Very you know a small town. So there are like
four different areas where this book takes place.
Speaker 2 (19:59):
Now is this is a work of fiction, and now
listening to it is can you give us a brief
overview of the story? And then I have other questions
I want to ask you about.
Speaker 3 (20:08):
Sure, this is an uncommon love story. It's not a
romance novel. It's a love story about you know, friendship
and do overs and people who are searching their real
purpose in life. And that's what this book is about.
Everyone has a purpose, but unfortunately sometimes you lose sight
of what your purpose is or you don't know, and
(20:31):
then your left kind of wandering around.
Speaker 4 (20:34):
And that's what this story is about. That's the over
arching theme.
Speaker 2 (20:39):
When you said that, I think that's so important because
that applies us a universal thing. And I've bet people
myself who were in their forties and older who told
me they had no idea what their purpose was. They
didn't have a clue and they wish they had known,
but they just did not have a clue. Do you
touch on that in a way, and always think of me.
(21:00):
Were readers enjoying a story, but they can come away
themselves with account of an aha A little bit that
helps them maybe figure that out. Although that might not
have been your intent for writing it, is that something
you think a reader could take away from a story.
Speaker 3 (21:17):
Well, some of my readers have told me that was.
It was the type of book that that they can't forget.
They won't, they cannot forget it because of some of
the messages in that I hope. So another thing that
was happening when I started writing this people there was
(21:39):
just this huge uptick in suicides among younger people. And
I'm thinking, this is breaking my heart. My son died accidentally,
and these people are purposely taking their lives, and it
breaks my heart because I do believe everyone has a purpose.
People are not random. They were put here for a
(22:00):
specific job, a job that only they can do. And
if you kill yourself, you're denying someone else. You might
your purpose might be, you know, to do say this
to this person. It might be so small and seemingly inconsequential,
but you could be helping someone else. No, it's like
(22:22):
we're kind of meshed now. Like a tapestry, you pull
one thread, the whole thing, the whole picture unravels. So
that's kind of what my philosophy is. I truly believe
we have a purpose?
Speaker 2 (22:39):
Yes, yes, can you interest it? And you say you
go on TC, but it's Tyris cal Can you tell
us what he's like for our listeners whos never read
the story? Okay, what's he like and what drives him?
What's really motivating and driving him?
Speaker 3 (22:55):
He doesn't understand his purpose, and he masks his insecure.
He's by this over the top persona. He is funny,
he is he's short for a man, he's a little overweight.
He drinks a lot of beer. He he he is
a amateur comedian. He does the open mic events in town.
(23:17):
So he's and he meets this girl, Jinny at this
outdoor music festival and there how they met sets the
stage for later on, just the whole whole thing. And
he's just amusing. He's sweet. He listens to people, you know,
he doesn't just talk about himself. And he couldn't care.
He's a slob, you know, he dresses sloppy. He's you know,
(23:39):
because he's camping out this this outdoor festival. The tent
is a wreck, trash is everywhere, and Ginny is a
neat nick and for reasons that the reader finds out
in the book. She is obsessed. It's something she can
control the mess around her. So she's constantly cleaning up
after him. So, but these two people couldn't couldn't have
(24:00):
been more different. But they But there's but there's a
there's a oh, I don't know, soulmate sort of thing.
They they he drags her out of her shell. She's
very shy retson because of she's she's wary of people
because of trauma that happened in her life and tc.
He's a goofball. He really is a goofball. Loves to
(24:23):
dance and sing and carry on. But he's never really
experienced the trauma that she has. In fact, he hasn't. No,
his life was relatively easy. He had, you know, two parents,
He had this huge extended family, and because of his
outgoing nature and because he's so funny, he had a
gazillion friends. So life wasn't that difficult for him.
Speaker 2 (24:50):
So how old are Tyris and Jenny at the start
of when the book opens? And what what? What is
the opening scene? Uh? And always think of me.
Speaker 3 (25:02):
I can I can it? The opening scene is at
the river and I can Uh, if you don't mind,
I can just it's it's a prologue, and I'll I
have the book in front of me. If you don't mind, just.
Speaker 2 (25:14):
Read absolutely, go absolutely, but love it.
Speaker 3 (25:18):
Okay, hold on, I gotta get to the page. Here
he goes, Here we go. Georgie, my brindled goofball of
a canine, hated the river. Despite my cajoling, he dig
in his paws and pull against his leash. Treats or
no treats, he wouldn't go into the water. I probably
should have followed his example, because the river deceived me.
(25:40):
It's there where my story begins or ends, depending on
your point of view, and sets the stage for my unexpected,
otherworldly reunion with Jinny, a special woman I fell for
a year ago. Ah.
Speaker 2 (25:55):
Great, great, great beginning. Thank you for reading that. Enjoyed that?
So you said, Jenny Is.
Speaker 3 (26:03):
She's a few years younger than TC. He's in his
early thirties. He's a bachelors he's a he's a down
and help real estate guy. You know, he's just he
doesn't know what he's supposed to do with his life,
so he bounces around from thing to thing, and nothing ever, ever,
(26:23):
ever truly satisfy them.
Speaker 4 (26:26):
Because he's in real estate yes, he's in real estate.
Speaker 2 (26:30):
Okay, okay, so she's he's a few years.
Speaker 3 (26:34):
She's a nurse, and she's a nurse.
Speaker 2 (26:36):
What so she's shy? He said, what what else can
you tell us about Jenny? And you said, soul mace.
But what would attract them? He's a funny guy, is
he is he kind of wanting to take care of her?
She seems shy? Is he wanted to Yes, I want
to take care of you.
Speaker 3 (26:56):
Well, for one thing, she's dropped dead, gorgious. He's a
he's a guy, and he's immediately attracted by her appearance. Also,
there's something about her that stands out, and that is
she doesn't she doesn't seem she doesn't. She doesn't understand
how beautiful she really is, or she doesn't she you
know how some people are always constantly taking selfies and
(27:17):
kind of this self absorbed sort of thing, almost narcissistic.
Speaker 4 (27:21):
She's not like that.
Speaker 3 (27:23):
She completely does does not understand how attractive she is.
She she doesn't have multiple piercing she is she does
not have tattoos. It's almost like she is a girl
from a different era. And that's what appeals to TC.
And TC has a sailor's mouth. So she isn't curse,
(27:43):
you know. She she's she's pretty, she's a straightened she's
a straight girl, I mean very she's also very faithful.
And he is on the fence about faith or religion
maybe let's call it religion. Religion ticks him off.
Speaker 2 (27:59):
Can you described their relationship? And it sounds like from
the beginning they have broken.
Speaker 3 (28:05):
Up, Well, you have to read the book, but they
never get together. They're falling. They fall for one another,
I mean, he's completely and through. The story is told
in first person perspective with different chapters, you know, the
TC chapters, the Giny chapters, so you get a better
(28:25):
sense of what's going through their minds as they react
to what's going on at the music festival or later
on in Atlanta. They didn't they don't break up because
they never got together. She's engaged. She is she's got
herself hitched to this man. And his name is Jacob.
(28:45):
And Jacob is not a nice guy. Oh, he's very wealthy,
very wealthy, very he's narcissistic and he all cares about himself.
Speaker 2 (28:57):
Jacob and Tyrius are nothing alike.
Speaker 3 (28:59):
It sounds like, oh, totally different. I mean in every way.
You know, ty Tyrus is short. You know this, this
Jacob guy is tall, he has movie star good looks.
He's perfectly koyfed, his hairs in place. He would be
caught dead in cargo shorts and some stupid Hawaiian shirt
(29:20):
that's all stained from barbecue.
Speaker 2 (29:22):
You know. Okay, interesting that she's attracted to two very
different men. That is, that's intriguing as a reader. When
I think about Always think of me. Now, would you
describe the book Always think of Me as a contemporary
love story? And if so, why, Yes?
Speaker 3 (29:43):
I label as a women's fiction, contemporary women's fiction, and
it is a love story. But it's interesting. I've had
some men read it, and you know, I wrote it
for women, but it's funny. I've had a lot of men.
In fact that a friend of mine just finished reading
the book the other day and he said, I could
(30:05):
totally relate to that TC character. I've had a lot
of men tell me that I could relate to that guy,
you know, kind of like unrequited love. You know, because
when TC and Ginny separate, he's feeling horrible, he feels rejected,
and she's unsure, she's she's unsure did I make a mistake?
(30:30):
And she finds out.
Speaker 2 (30:32):
You know what this is reading made this made me
think about this super hit book movie by Nicholas Sparks.
I think the note yes I'm listening to you. Oh
my gosh, just putting me in my and popped into
my head. Now, can you you talk about Jacob, who
(30:53):
Ginny is engaged to. Can you introduce us to a
few other major, minor characters in the story who helped
the move.
Speaker 4 (31:01):
Okay, there's there's a little character.
Speaker 3 (31:04):
Her name's Amy, and she's she's she's from East Tennessee
and she has the twenty accent. She's a little hoot.
I loved her. I loved her because she is she's little,
but she's brassy and she just well she does she
just runs her mouth and she's hilarious. I loved her.
(31:25):
There's another character, Moe and Bear. These folks are chefs
and they're also at the outdoor Festival and they help
move the story on along a little bit. And then
of course Granny Smith that is Ginny's grandmother, the woman
who raised Ginny, and she is a little doll baby
(31:50):
Grannie Smith, and you get you don't see her but
through Genny's stories about her grandmother, you learn more about
her character and the big influence that this woman had
on Ginny's life because of these trauma, the trauma that
she experienced when she was just little.
Speaker 2 (32:09):
Oh. Now do readers as readers read always think, I mean,
it's something I do love about fiction. Is any elements
of historical fiction here where a reader has maybe never
been to Atlanta, or they haven't been to the other
areas where the story takes place, would they be able
(32:29):
to feel like they had learned something historically about these
areas or even feel like some authors the way they
write I feel like I'm there, would they actually feel
like they're actually there and it's based on factual something
factual about the area. Is that the way it's written
in part about the different locations that they're in.
Speaker 3 (32:51):
Well, you know, at the music festival, I had a
number of people, I'll be honest, I've never been to
an outdoor.
Speaker 4 (32:56):
Music festival never, but I a.
Speaker 3 (33:00):
Whole bunch of research and talked a whole bunch of
people who who go to these events regularly. And you know,
they said, you nailed the outdoor festival, nailed it, and
just doing a lot of research looking at photos, you know. Yeah,
so I think so. I think that, yeah, people would
be there and also along the river where how the
(33:23):
movie or the movie the book starts. Movie would be awesome,
wouldn't it, Yes, notebook, Oh man, that'd be awesome anyway,
So that's I think. So to answer your question, I
think people could put themselves and the the neighborhood in
(33:45):
Atlanta is a very posh neighborhood in Atlanta is super expensive. Yes,
in that general vicinity. What do they call it?
Speaker 4 (33:57):
Tuxedo Park?
Speaker 2 (33:58):
Okay, okay, that I haven't heard. I've no bookhead, but
I haven't heard the.
Speaker 3 (34:05):
Yeah, oh yes, and I think Tuxedo Park is a
part of it. But don't you know, I you know,
I'm just talking off the top here, but it's you know,
it's I think that's what northwestern section of the city
or something I can't remember anyway.
Speaker 2 (34:19):
Yeah, okay, now let's explore some of you and I
will say that's what we move on. This is one
thing I love about and I wish maybe before sometimes
when you I've stumbled across some books that I just
absolutely loved, and I'm like, oh my god, I never
heard of the author or the book. But when you
(34:40):
listen to like an author interview, or if I'm at
a book festival and the authors on a panel, or
they being asked questions about their story, when you hear
the inner workings, the inner makings, the inspiration behind the story,
it always makes the story tell me that much more interesting,
(35:01):
more than you could ever put in a book. Descriptions shifting,
shifting just a bit. Want to explore some of your
short stories and short stories are kind of taken off
a little bit. You can do either write them and
put them in magazines and journals and get more exposure
as an author. Or you can create enough short stories
(35:22):
to create like a compilation of a book of them
and share your short stories that way. So can you
just introduce us do and give us an overview? Well,
before I ask you this, did you start writing short
stories first or novels?
Speaker 3 (35:40):
I guess it started concurrently. I read those. I wrote
these short stories as giveaways to try to build my platform.
Speaker 2 (35:50):
Interesting, can you give us an overview of the note?
Speaker 3 (35:54):
The note that is based on a true story, again
my journalistic background, and it's about a young girl. Her
name is Dot and Dot is not very pretty, and
her whole world is rock. When her mother discovers the
note that was hidden in Dot's pocket, there too, it
is a traumatic incident that rob's Dot of her innocence completely.
(36:19):
It's a coming of age story, and it's based on
fact my grandmother, based on my grandmother and her story,
and that is and that did. That took place in
the twenties. So you know when I wrote that, I
try to I try to remain true to the cars,
the houses. It's in Pennsylvania, you know, the industrial city
(36:43):
where she is dealing with her the outcome of her
loss of innocence and that kind of thing.
Speaker 2 (36:51):
Now, how did you? How did did you? Is the uh?
I guess the beginning of this story. Did you come
across a note that your grandmother had written? And that's
what I've had authors who say they came across something
their father wrote, They came across some writings of a parent,
and that's where they turned it into a book. Did
(37:14):
you come across the note?
Speaker 3 (37:16):
I did not come across the note. It was part
of a court hearing. It was evidence in accordering. Yeah,
and my cousin provided me with the contents of that note.
Oh my gosh, she's she's our family genealogist, and she
has reams of information and she she's the one who
(37:39):
provided me with that.
Speaker 2 (37:42):
Interested are there any plans? This sounded like it could
be a novel.
Speaker 3 (37:46):
Well, you know, it's funny.
Speaker 4 (37:49):
I have just finished the well it's not finished.
Speaker 3 (37:52):
It's going through the editing phase, a sequel to always
think of me, And it's so I'm thinking, Okay, what
do I want to do next? And I was really
thinking about using the note as the underlying problem with
the third book. All right, but I'll bring it up
(38:14):
to date and use some of my own experiences growing.
Speaker 4 (38:17):
Up, you see, because there has to be that.
Speaker 3 (38:21):
Compelling moment, the thing, that event that's driving the entire story,
driving the characters. And I couldn't and I couldn't think
of anything, but then thought, what about that that that
could do it? Because that stuff happens all the time,
you know.
Speaker 2 (38:36):
Wow, that the note? Oh my god, for somebody to
that would just be you're cleaning out some your family
stuff and an attic and you come across something, either
a picture of writing or something, and it it literally
changes your life and then you got it. You're going
back trying to put the pieces together that actually happens.
(38:59):
It's very but these things actually happened. It's strange as
it sounds, and it's life changing. Have you you said
you did started writing short stories to try to build
your audience, to connect with and build your readership. How
have you found that to be And I asked questions
(39:20):
for our listeners, who themselves are authors. Have you found
that to be effective at getting out connecting with more readers?
Speaker 3 (39:28):
You know, I think initially it did, but those stories
have been available for a long time now, so I'm
not sure how effective it is now. And you know,
the writers who are listening, they know as well as
I do that it is. It's not easy, you know,
building a platform or an audience. There are so many
different voices out there. And Denise, maybe maybe you found
(39:53):
that to be as true as well.
Speaker 4 (39:55):
But it's it's hard work.
Speaker 3 (39:56):
It's not easy.
Speaker 2 (39:58):
And there's more and more books being published. Oh yeah, definitely.
When I started what is the genesis of the story
Robert's Prayer?
Speaker 3 (40:08):
Again, that's based on a true story, and Robert he's
based on my great my great grandfather never met him,
but my family were They're storytellers and you know, if
you would listen, they would tell you everything about your history,
(40:29):
your family history, if you wanted to listen. And I
like these stories, so I listened. And it's based on
him and my The Arthur character is based on my
grandfather who died in nineteen forty four, and also my
grandmother who lost her mind. And it's and the other
(40:54):
two characters in that little story, one is based on
my father and one is based on my my aunt.
And then the other character, Miriam, is based on my grandmother.
And that stuff all happened, you know, but it's fiction.
It's fiction because I took total liberty, liberty in terms
(41:14):
of but there's this thing happened, and it's always intrigued me.
When my grandmother told me about what happened to my
grandfather and how his parents reacted to that, and it
just was mind blowing.
Speaker 4 (41:32):
It's almost like you realize, this.
Speaker 3 (41:33):
Little kid man. Adults don't have it. Know, we always
look up to adults adults when we're little. We think, oh,
you know, I can't wait to be in and I
get to choose for myself. But honestly, when you're adult,
you'd rather be a kid. So you didn't have to
make these decisions.
Speaker 2 (41:49):
Yeah, now, is is Robert running from someone or something?
Speaker 3 (41:57):
He's not, No, he's he's he's trying to preserve his
broken family after this tragedy. That is what that is
his attempt. He needs to hold together his family. This
event happens and everyone falls apart, most especially his wife.
(42:19):
And this takes place in Pennsylvania as well. And they
speak and this is true too. My great grandparents spoke
Pennsylvania Dutch, which is the language the Amish speak. They
spoke English. They'd only been in the country since they're
early seventeen hundreds, but they lived in an enclave where
Pennsylvania Dutch was still spoken, little place called Pine Grove, Pennsylvania.
(42:44):
And it's kind of that has always fascinated me. How
people can even though their ancestors came over, you know,
in their late sixteen hundreds, early seventeen hundreds, they still
retain their native tongue. How you know their culture is
just by living in this these little communities where that's
(43:05):
the that's the language everyone speaks, Pennsylvania Germans, so that
they're speaking Pennsylvania Dutch. And I don't know Pennsylvania Dutch.
I just used some phrases in that story to give
it some color. I guess.
Speaker 2 (43:20):
Now introduce us to Robert. What's he like? And is
he is? He?
Speaker 3 (43:26):
No? He is not. That's what's interesting. He is not?
Speaker 4 (43:28):
No he is he is.
Speaker 3 (43:30):
I guess he would be a Lutheran, but that's not
mentioned in the story. He's. Everyone loves Robert because Robert
is good and decent. He he he's a man in
that he he provides and cares for his family. He
he's he's His grandchildren adore him. The entire community loves
(43:53):
this man. He made a bunch of money, uh, you know,
being an independent coal miner. You know, the big companies
would go in, they they mind the minds, and then
and then he would go in after them and clean
up what they missed. He made a ton of money,
has this nice, big house that he bought, and then
he retires and becomes the school janitor. He's that kind
(44:16):
of guy. You know, he doesn't he doesn't care about
all this stuff. No, he builds this nice home for
his wife. And she's she's fragile. She's very fragile emotionally,
she's not she's not you know, she's not. She's not
cooking with both burners. You know what I'm saying. She's
just said she's there was something happened to her life
(44:40):
as well, which kind of makes people, you know, things
that happened to you that. Yeah, yeah, you are completely
You're they completely affect you. They they dictate you know,
your your future behaviors in a sense, you know, because
you're always remembering that thing. And if it's not a
good thing, you need to cleanse yourself of it. If
(45:02):
especially if it seems to tell you you're not worthy,
if you're hearing that voice, you need to shut it down.
Speaker 2 (45:11):
Yeah, I know a hundred percent now without giving this
story away, And I just had two more questions, and
then I want to talk about your blogging. What is
Robert praying for? Without giving the story away?
Speaker 3 (45:26):
Oh my gosh, I can't remember. I can't I can't
remember what. Oh, I know what it is, I know
it is. I think I think.
Speaker 4 (45:37):
He's he is praying.
Speaker 3 (45:40):
He's praying for healing, for peace, you know, because of
this event. It's just shaken everyone to the core, and
that's what he's praying for.
Speaker 2 (45:52):
Okay, what have what have you been hearing? Well? Tell
me again, you said Pennsylvania. What time does the story
take place, and what have readers been saying about the
short story? Sounds very interesting to me?
Speaker 3 (46:05):
Well, well, that story, Robert's Prayer, takes place in the
nineteen forties. It's during World War two. Okay, so that's
when that takes place. And you know, I'm not sure
what readers think of Robert's Prayer. I had one one
person told me they thought it was depressing. But I
don't think it's depressing. I mean, yeah, but because you know,
(46:29):
bad things happen to everyone.
Speaker 4 (46:32):
It's what do you do with it?
Speaker 2 (46:34):
You know?
Speaker 3 (46:34):
Do you sit there and get mad and hate on
other people, including God because this bad thing happened? Or
do you or do you try to look for a
learning experience in it? And that was something that I
had to deal with when my son died. What was
I going to take away I had? I couldn't wallow.
(46:58):
I couldn't do that. That would have been against his
character and nothing would have been accomplished.
Speaker 2 (47:07):
Lest you who designed your book covers? LORI? And what
was it like working with your book cover designer?
Speaker 3 (47:14):
Well, my book cover designer is a guy worked with forever.
In a day, I met him when I was working
as a Beltway banded company. What we supported NASA headquarters.
We did public relations and all that sort of stuff
and helped out with the public affairs aspect of the
Astrophysics division. And he worked in the design shop. So
(47:39):
that's where I met him way back in the nineties.
His name is Dave, and Dave designed that cover. I
have worked with him for so long that I don't
even have to communicate rely. He just kind of.
Speaker 4 (47:51):
Knows and it's so easy. The publisher had.
Speaker 3 (47:56):
Provided some book covers and I really didn't like him,
so I went with my guy, and I was very
happy with the with the covered design.
Speaker 2 (48:05):
Okay, now, how did you become the accidental Blogger?
Speaker 3 (48:10):
Well, I never intended to become a blogger, that was
and because I'm writing a novel, you know again you
have to create a platform, and so I just said, well,
I can use my journalism background and and create this blog.
So it is the Accidental Blogger and it kind of
plays on the book The Accidental Tourist, if you remember that. Yes, yes,
(48:32):
so that's how that came to be. I haven't written
a blog in probably a year now. I need to
take a break from it because the blog dealt with
overcoming tragedy and after a while, you just you just
want I just I needed a break. So I don't
(48:54):
know what I'm going to be doing with that. But
you know, there's ninety blogs, you know. I for three
plus years, I put out probably two or three blogs
a month, and then I do a monthly letter called
Something to chew On. I do that isn't that's whatever
topic crosses my mind. That that is very I enjoy
(49:15):
writing that. It's it's it's fun. So and then again
I've just you know, I wrote the sequel to Always
Think of Me and so and so that's what I'm
working on that now and playing around with an idea
on you know, this third novel.
Speaker 2 (49:34):
Okay, I definitely want to get to what you're working
on now. Who are some of your favorite authors, Laurie,
and how has their work impacted you as a writer.
Speaker 3 (49:45):
Well, I was I have always, always always loved to
Kill a Mockingbird. It's on my webs. I mean, I
believe that is one of the most beautiful stories ever written.
I truly do. They're tough, tough topics, especially you know,
there's a lot of stuff going on, but a lot
of those messages in that book are totally relevant today,
(50:08):
and it is and it is a you know, it's
it's a loss of innocence type of coming of age
story where the little characters scout realize, oh my goodness,
she lives in a little bubble and out there is evil. Yeah.
You know, she thought she saw her town and it's
(50:29):
people as being basically good and then realizes, no, some
of them aren't so good. They're full of bias and
they're you know, hating on people because of how they
look or how they behave. You know, she it's a
it's a huge learning experience for her. And I've always
(50:50):
those types of stories have always appealed to me, so
that would be I would say, in fact, I just
finished reading it again. I've only read a million times,
but it's funny. Time I read it, I get something
out of it. And you know what, and Denise, there
isn't like I love the way that book is because
(51:10):
there's your You're transported to a different place in a
different time with these funny little characters. In some ways,
there's no shoot them up, there's none of that. There's
not all this this tension. You're like you know who
done it? And I wander sometimes maybe this thought has
crossed your mind. Do people are people no longer interested
(51:33):
in these stories that rely heavily on characters?
Speaker 4 (51:38):
No, instead of the.
Speaker 3 (51:41):
Formulaic types of things that always ends up on the
bestseller list. You know, good beach reads. Look, I read
them too. I just finished one. I love those books too,
But those I guess it's the literature. The literature, you know.
Do people even read that anymore?
Speaker 2 (52:00):
I think so. I think there's still literary writers out here.
I think so. They're not They've never been the as
popular they certainly were, uh generations ago, but not people
just want stuff quick, quick click click quick now. Yeah, yeah,
I want on that on that same Vein what writing process,
Laurie do you follow? Do you start with outlines, character sketches?
(52:25):
How do you take a blank page and start developing
a story?
Speaker 3 (52:29):
I mean a lot of it. It happens in my mind,
you know, like I'm I'm pacing right now, and that's
what I do. I do a lot of pacing, and
I will do a brief character sketch of the characters.
I don't really do an outline because because I'd rather
let the characters dictate how things go. I have something
(52:53):
in mind, don't get me wrong, you know, like with
with always Think of Me, There's certain things are definitely
must happen, So I kind of build the activity around
these events that I know have to happen in order
to tell the story.
Speaker 2 (53:07):
Okay, can you share As we start to come to
the close of today's show, I definitely want to talk
about what you're working on now, but before that, can
you share three to four steps that you have taken
it you personally have found to be effective at getting
the word out about your stories and your books. And
then I have a piggyback question I want to ask you.
Speaker 3 (53:29):
You know, I don't know if I can offer five. Well,
if you're an author, has to have a website, has
to have that. They also have to have some sort
of thing at least initially to get people interested in you.
And then when you publish a book, you really I'll
(53:50):
tell you what this, Go to the books togram community
and get them to read your book. They write awesome
or not awesome, but truthful reviews. Some people will like
your books, some people will love your book. You know
what I'm saying, But that's what I found to be
(54:10):
the most effective is going out and really devoting yourself
to doing do more marketing. And that's what I learned
with always think of me. You really have to, you know,
budget marketing and get and get get your name out
there as much as you possibly can. These like I said,
(54:31):
there's a million people out there.
Speaker 2 (54:33):
Yeah, you were a journalist, And I'm I'm thinking this,
and I'm wondering how many other listeners as well might
think similarly. I would think you'd have media contacts as
a journalist, even if it's just the papers you work with,
a local journal, newspaper, magazines, journals, et cetera. You work
(54:54):
with that, they would say, oh, oh, don't you worry
about it, Lloie, we'll cover your story. We'll do a
feature in it, view on you, and get it out.
You know.
Speaker 3 (55:02):
Know anyone when I when I when I was a journalist,
that was years ago, so all those folks are retired,
you know, you know what I'm saying. And then I
was a public relations or public affairs type of a
consultant for almost eighteen years something like that with NASA,
(55:23):
So I really got out of the media community. Okay, okay,
go ahead.
Speaker 2 (55:29):
No, no, no, you go ahead. You finished.
Speaker 3 (55:30):
Well, it's and then you know, when I was a journalist,
you know, I was covering Capitol Hill and again boring
coal mining regulations, and it was the wrong When I started,
I was in small newspapers, so that worked. Okay, you
know you could have maybe parlayed that. But I don't know.
Folks in the media community, I just don't.
Speaker 2 (55:51):
Let me ask you this. This was a set next question.
Attended a writers' conference years ago and I was I
covered some book morek and I said, you know, send
press releases, and there was somebody there who had worked
with newspapers and they said, they're really not as effective
as they used to be because a journalist gets so
(56:12):
many press releases. Would you would you say to or
to not send them?
Speaker 3 (56:18):
I know that.
Speaker 4 (56:19):
I went, oops, Hi, Denise, I'm still here.
Speaker 3 (56:26):
Oh okay, I heard music, so I didn't know what happened.
I don't know my publicist. No, I don't think they wrote.
Publisher wrote a press release, but I don't think it
was picked up. Yeah, probably not. I think you need
to try to get on podcasts, you know, talk with people,
(56:47):
you know, get out into the community to readers where
readers gather that sort of thing. Yeah, okay, yeah, Now.
Speaker 2 (56:54):
Tell us about the new as we wrap up, tell
us about the new books that you are working on,
and let us know when they might be ready to
hit the market.
Speaker 3 (57:04):
Oh my goodness, Denise, I don't know when it will
be ready. The second book is called Second Chance Highway,
and it follows Ginny as she goes out to reconcile
with her mother, which is the source of her issues.
And this is something that TC urged her to do.
(57:25):
She would never become whole if she walked around with
her festering unforgiveness. Okay, so that's so, that's what it's called.
And you meet, you know, a bunch of other crazy characters.
I like characters. I like having I've had fun creating characters.
And you meet Ginny's mother and you get a better
(57:47):
idea of who Jacob is. He has a you know,
he has his own separate voice. So it's called Second
Chance Highway and it's now with an editor, and I'm
not really sure when it will come out, but I
think I'm probably gonna self publishing route, so it will
be a lot faster than with Always than was with Always.
Think of me.
Speaker 2 (58:08):
Second Chance Highway, love that love that title. Where can
off the CHEF listeners get a copy of your book?
Speaker 3 (58:15):
Well, they can go to Amazon, of course, they can
go to Barnes and Noble, they can go to what's
that Book's a million? That's online. That's where it's easiest
to get the book.
Speaker 2 (58:29):
And do you have any upcoming speaking engagement that our
listeners could support you? And then also let us know
where you are on social media?
Speaker 3 (58:37):
Yes, I am on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn. Uh, those are
the three platforms I post with. I'm on Expert. I
don't post anything there really what else? Oh no, and
I'm not I don't have any speaking engagements?
Speaker 2 (58:58):
Okay, okay. We have had the absolute pleasure of speaking
with miss Laurie Kesey this morning. She has a long
writing career. Again, as we are shared at the start
of the story, she wrote copy for newspapers and regional
and trade magazines more than forty years and she is
(59:20):
twenty years and she's also worked with NASA and public outreach.
She's got a Bachelor of Science and Journalism from the
University of Maryland and she is the author of the
book Always Think of Me and Then she's working on
it's with an editor, Second Chance Highway. And I loved
(59:41):
her talking about always think of Me and her short
stories would sound like they could be developed in the
great novels, The Note and Robert's Prayer. And I encourage
you to visit Laurie online at her website Loriikeasey dot
com and that's l O r I k e E
(01:00:04):
s e y dot com. And again that's l O
r I k e E s e y dot com.
And it's always tell you if you came in you
had things to do this morning, you came in late,
no worries. After the show finished the streaming, you can
listen to it in its entirety once it finished the streaming.
(01:00:25):
You can listen to it on Google Play. You can
listen to it YouTube. You can listen to it on Speaker,
which is an iHeart radio station platform and I Heart
Radio's pretty big, and you can also listen to it
and did I say Apple, I mean it's on so
many different places that you can find off the shelf books.
We want to thank Laurie for being here with us,
(01:00:48):
taking time out of her day to share with her stories.
You come up with some great story ideas, and I
hope maybe maybe one day you will consider maybe taking
one of your stories and trying to see if you
can develop it into a film.
Speaker 3 (01:01:06):
Well, Denise, you'll be the first person I let now,
okay you have. I really enjoy talking with you so.
Speaker 2 (01:01:16):
Yeah and enjoyed you as well. Thank you so much.
And to our listeners, as I always tell you, and
I mean this, it's the truth. You are just incredible.
You are absolutely phenomenal. Go out and create a wonderful
day for yourself. See you're back here next Saturday on
Off the Shelf Books. Book Lovers everywhere to tune in
(01:01:39):
to Off the Shelf Books Lori. I'll send you a
link to the show when it finishes streaming. Thank you,
thank you. Bye,
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