Many life lessons and experiences lead to writing a young adult novel

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Every microsecond of our life’s experiences has an affect on something else in
our lifetime. That’s not some great philosopher, that’s just me. It’s what I believe and if it sounds like something you studied in college philosophy then maybe that’s where I got it. That being said, as I think about Mary Marcotte of Evergreen, this week’s topic, I see how I can apply that belief of mine to her. She is a creative person, has been a very skillful quilter for “a long time, 40 years,” she said, “been in the teaching profession 30+ years” and an author for six years. All that experience adds up to a life thrown into a blender, poured out with parts being folded into another. Where does one end and the other begin? Lets start at the end like something they’d do in “Alice In Wonderland.” In 2020 Mary published her first young adult novel. ‘This World So Fierce.’ “There was a story in my head,” she began, “and once I wrote it down, I had to share it.” The book that takes place, where else? Louisiana, is about foster children with loving foster parents. The story takes a twist when a new foster boy comes in and upsets the peaceful dynamic. A sequel quickly came about because those who had read the first book would ask, “what happens next?” There will be a third, according to Mary; she said she could make a series because there’s so much in her head. What Mary probably means that after teaching English for 30 years she not only has the writing ability she has the experience from classrooms full of different situations. Situations=students. “I’ve absorbed and ob- served a lot,” she remarked. “There was a troubled teen
when I was a new teacher. Everything he did wrong has stayed in my head. I remember incidents I’ve had with students and I also have the experience of raising three sons.” As a high school English teacher, and some time at
LSUA as well as a high school librarian, Mary has interacted with teens and young adults for a long time. “I’ve gotten to know how young people are,” she remarked. This kind of background had jump started the story that’s been in her head.
Being an English teacher has also enhanced her ability to write a novel. Mary knows tenses and grammar and spelling and descriptive phrases. In writing about the characters in her books, Mary commented, “I take habits from a person and another person and build a person.” She said, “I write when the spirit moves or I’ll start writing because I want to get it down. I’m always thinking about characters and the ‘what ifs.’” Teaching, Mary’s gift, has also spilled over into her other self, the quilter. As a “sewist” (new modern term) and a quilter for most of her life, the skill to take fabric and make something has morphed into teaching others how to do the same. Her quilting guild is the one located at the Cottonport Museum where the ladies meet, sew together and visit. Like the old fashioned quilting bee, it’s not just a time to learn and get stitches in, it’s socializing. Mary started sewing
under the careful eye of her mother, Ellen Bourque and grandmother Volcie Lacombe. She said she “sewed all her clothes,” and remembers her grandmother’s quilt hanging from the ceiling. When it was down with ladies working around it, the quilt and frame became something fun to crawl under. Quilters have shows
where they display their amazing work and often at big state and national conventions. Mary is one of the scheduled teachers for the Houston Quilt Show in November, where she will teach two workshops on a facet of quilting. She has taught all over Louisiana, Texas, Florida and the South. Her pleasant personality and ability to laugh easily have been the cornerstones of her success in the classroom and over a quilting frame. There’s a copy of her book in many of the Avoyelles Parish library branches and for sure one in the Marksville library,,, as soon as I return it. Her books are available for purchase at marymar-cotte.com