Brains, Books and Boudreaux – A techno geek’s venture into children's literature



Stephanie Purser
Photograph by Chad Purser



 Author spices up Cajun lore with 'How Hot Sauce Came to Lousianne.'



Stephanie Purser is an elementary education teacher in Slidell, Louisiana with a passion for teaching, literature and technology and she has successfully combined all three with a new e-book, How Hot Sauce Came to Lousianne.

The story is a pourqoui tale, a fictional yarn explaining how something came about. In this case, Stephanie has created a very colorful Cajun whose over-the-top temper leads to the creation of a Louisiana staple.



“This initial book idea came at a time when I least expected it,” Stephanie explains. “I was actually participating at a teacher’s technology training. We were asked to brainstorm a word bank of Louisiana terms, and then use those words to create an e-book using new educational software. I had actually just finished a reading/writing study on pourquoi tales with my fourth graders, and decided to give my story that same pourquoi twist.



“It wasn’t until September of 2005—after evacuating due to Hurricane Katrina—that I began the process of transforming this rough, short story into a children’s book. The world’s spotlight was on our little part of Louisiana. Many became intrigued about our southern traditions and way of life. With all the culture and state information I had injected into my book, I felt that it was the right time to move forward.”

While still hoping to attract a publisher, Stephanie has not let the story sit idle. She published it as an e-book and continues using it today in the classroom as a teaching device.

Synopsis:

“I’m gonna fric-a-see a salesman, me!

Wit’ cayenne, tasso, and gra-vy!”

-Mista Boudreaux

Mista Boudreaux (BOO-dro) was a giant of a man, who stood well over seven feet tall. But as big-sized as he was, he was known for being twice as mean! And if there was one thing that really cooked his goose, it was when some poor ol’ body mispronounced his name.
In this fictional Cajun tale, three traveling salesmen make that very mistake. How Hot Sauce Came to Lousianne (buy it here) depicts several comical encounters between this ill-tempered crawfish farmer and each of the three traveling salesmen. Stirred together and peppered with Cajun lingo, these chance-meetings lead to the creation of “Lousianne Hot Sauce,” which turns out to be Boudreaux’s temper, all bottled up and “swishing ‘round on the inside.”
This 6-page porquoi twist written in Cajun vernacular makes How Hot Sauce Came to Lousianne a unique addition to any library. The intended read-aloud audience for this book is readers ages 5-10, although this clever story will be enjoyed by all ages.
Although the goal of the story is to entertain, it is often utilized by educators teaching units on the Southeast. Throughout the book, there are references to the state flower, bird, crustacean, etc. Furthermore, the story's setting and Cajun lingo paint a beautiful portrait of the bayou region of Louisiana.

The Redman Writing Project (RWP) recently caught up with Stephanie for an interview.

RWP: Tell us how you came to write How Hot Sauce Came to Lousianne.

Stephanie Purser – Creative writing has been a hobby of mine, and with my experience as an elementary educator, I’ve developed a true appreciation for children’s literature. How Hot Sauce Came to Lousianne started out as a short story written entirely in Cajun dialect, making it a fun read-aloud for adults to share with little ones, but difficult for children to read independently. After several challenging revisions, I think I’ve created a child-friendly story suitable for readers of all ages, while maintaining the Cajun narration experience.

RWP: You chose to publish How Hot Sauce Came to Lousianne as an e-book. Why did you decide to go that route?

Stephanie Purser – I actually had begun the publishing process with a popular children’s book publisher. We had gone through the revision process together, and I made the final changes that were requested. As we were about to take the last step and begin the publication process however, things fell through, as they often do. I decided that I would publish online to get my work “out there” and see if this book would be unique and interesting enough to draw a reading audience. Also, with the obvious increase in the use of mobile reading devices, I believe that more authors will consider publishing their works in this easily accessible format.

RWP: While on that subject, what impact do you think e-readers will have on the future of book publishing?

Stephanie Purser – I have already begun using iBooks and Kindle books, as have other teachers within my school and district. The availability and affordability of the devices and books has actually made it more cost effective for schools to use digital books. These books are often less expensive, able to be loaded on several devices, and their “pages” don’t rip or wear out. These advantages, combined with the portability of large amounts of reading material, make digital books a viable option for 21st century reading.

RWP: Had you written anything previous to How Hot Sauce Came to Lousianne?

Stephanie Purser – I had actually published Louisiana Educational Assessment Program (LEAP) standardized test practice material and I’m writing a how-to book about teaching with technology, but this is my first literary work.

RWP: I understand you are working on another book. Please tell us about it.

Stephanie Purser – Well, without giving too much away, I’ll say that the spice salesman who you met in How Hot Sauce Came to Lousianne attempts to take his new product on the road, when he ends up stranded among an eerie group of settlers in a remote part of the swamp. Don’t worry, though. It looks like the spice salesman may stir up this community and make something bitter into something tasty in the end—and profitable, too!

RWP: Let’s go back to when you were a kid, a teenager, did you write when you were younger? Did you enter any writing or poetry contests in school? What did you do to foster the writing bug?

Stephanie Purser – I actually wrote my first poem as a fourth grader. My teacher submitted it to the Baton Rouge The Advocate daily newspaper, where it was published. This was probably the jump-start to my aspirations of one day becoming a published author. In high school, I continued writing poetry and short stories while serving on the school newspaper’s staff.

RWP: What are your interests? How do you incorporate your interests into your writing or how have they influenced your writing?

Stephanie Purser – I am a teacher by occupation, but also by choice. I am passionate about finding “out-of-the-box” ways to present information and engage my students. I love to read just about anything, I’m goal-driven in all that I do, and I enjoy working with and learning about the latest technology.
I think I closely relate to the spice salesman in my book. He is an original thinker who comes up with an out-of-the-box solution to that mean Mista Boudreaux’s temper. And his sense of accomplishment at the end of the story reminds me of that competitive side of myself—that victorious feeling of accomplishing a goal.

RWP: List five of your favorite authors:

Stephanie Purser: I’m going to go with children’s book authors:
1. Rick Riordan
2. Lemony Snicket
3. Robert San Souci
4. Max Lucado
5. C.S. Lewis

RWP: List ten books you’ve read that you’ll never forget:

Stephanie Purser:
1. Diary of Anne Frank
2. Gone With the Wind
3. I Know this Much is True
4. The Five People You Meet in Heaven
5. To Kill a Mockingbird
6. A Child Called It
7. Where the Heart Is
8. Tara Road
9. Redeeming Love
10. The Bible

RWP: What are you reading right now?

Stephanie Purser – I am actually just beginning a juvenile fiction series that is very popular, called The Sisters Grimm, by Michael Buckley. These books are a twist of mystery and fairytale. I try to weave juvenile literature into my reading time so that I can keep abreast of the latest, most popular works available. This is advantageous to me as an elementary teacher and a children’s author, as well.

RWP: Where can people find your work and where can they follow you?

Stephanie Purser – My book can be found at www.amazon.com (here) and at http://www.bn.com/ (here). I plan to begin an author website in the near future, which will have activities for children, and lesson plan units for teachers to use along with my book.


More About The Author: Stephanie Purser currently teaches a class of fourth graders at Bonne Ecole Elementary School, and also leads the St. Tammany Parish School Board’s writing curriculum – “Write...from the Beginning” – and INTECH, an instructional technology course offered to teachers. A veteran educator with more than a decade of experience in Louisiana, Stephanie’s professional work and dedication to her field have been widely heralded across the state. She’s been named St. Tammany Parish Teacher of the Year; Louisiana Association of Computer Using Educators (LACUE) Educator of the Year; and PTA Educator of Distinction.

She resides in Slidell, Louisiana with her husband Chad Purser and their two children.

About The Photographer: Chad Purser is an aerospace engineer, but his passion is photography. He created the cover art for How Hot Sauce Came to Lousianne from an old boathouse he captured in his lens years ago. His photography has appeared on two other book covers, a CD album, and on a popular ABC sitcom. More of his images can be found at http://www.chadpurser.com/.

Copyright 2011 Donald G. Redman. All rights reserved. Photo copyright 2011 Chad Purser. Reprinted here with permission.