"The man who does not read has no advantage over the man cannot read." -Mark Twain

On September 9, 2014 our class was graced with the presence of renowned author, Lesa Cline- Ransome. One of our required books during the semester was Light in Darkness written by Lesa and illustrated by her husband.

Lesa and James Ransome
Photo credit: Lesa Cline-Ransome

 Lesa was a wonderfully gracious person with a warm and open personality. She started off her presentation by saying "I enjoy writing biographies because I'm a nosey person, and I like to know what is going on in other peoples lives." This had me hooked because she was brutally honest right from the gecko. Lesa also wrote her stories in order to teach her own children lessons about famous people such as Helen Keller, Pele, and Frederick Douglass. 

Credit: Google Images

Credit: Google Images

Credit: Google Images

Since we were learning about biographies at the time, we asked Lesa in her opinion as an author, what are the best features of a biography. She swiftly responded with the following:
                 - A balanced perspective
                 - Motivation to read the story
                 - Must be relatable to the targeted age group
                 - Contemporary readers must be able to connect to it

Lesa also mentioned that while she is researching the person she is about to write about, she often weighs the failures and successes and decides what is acceptable to explain to children. Sometimes facts are too graphic for a certain audience. Lesa also said something that caught me off guard. She mentioned that she does not prefer happy endings. She explained that seeing the struggle of a character makes the reader want to go out there and achieve more.

Some people that have inspired Lesa to become a writer are: Toni Morrison and Sharon Creech  

Toni Morrison
Credit: Google Images

Sharon Creech
Credit: Google Images

Lesa does not only like to write biographies, she also enjoys writing something without it being critiqued. You can check out her blog called Winterhood. It's more of a parenting blog then one about the writing process, however I still encourage you to read how well she writes.

After Lesa's presentation she sold a few of her books and personally signed each of them! What a wonderful experience to have a private meet and greet and a book signing! I bought the book, Benny Goodman & Teddy Wilson because they were the first mixed race band to play on stage together, what a powerful story. I cannot wait to have it on display in my own classroom library one day!

Credit: Google Images