(Young Adult version) Construction Tales: A Young Person's Guide to Accomplish Anything in Life

Hello everyone! I neglect to let people know that I have a young adult version of my book. It has the same cover. It is named a little differently. It is entitled, Construction Tales: A Young Person's Guide to Accomplish Anything in Life. The stories are the same. However, I felt uncomfortable having young people read my book. I edited bar and drinking references in the book. I tamed down some of the crazy antics by my coworkers. Despite editing the book, I think it delivers a positive message to young people. I entered a field of work at a young age not really knowing that I would encounter such pushback from some male coworkers. I didn't deal with that type of negativity in the military as a constructionman electrician in the U.S. Navy Seabees. Despite a few people who didn't think I belong, I continued to learn the trade from some good men willing to teach me. The book should give young people following in my footsteps a guide on how to survive the construction business. I know my book can encourage other women and minorities to step into a trade apprenticeship and learn to work with the tools. My job experiences have made me catch a small sliver of understanding of what minorities endure by people who discount them daily. In the beginning, I had to work unbelievably hard to earn an ounce of respect in the trade. Over almost 20 years, I finally have earned a great reputation. I can only understand a small portion of what it must be to be a minority. It is not easy being discounted based on your physical appearance and not by what you have or have not done. It used to burn me that people I worked with thought I was useless the moment I stepped onto the job. It wasn't until I showcased my strength, eagerness to learn, and smarts that I was given a chance for respect. I was willing to carry twice the amount of material and work as fast as possible just so I could earn the right to be on the job. Trying to earn my worth at work has taken its toll on my body. As a newly approaching 40 year old, I have more aches and pain than usual for my age. Despite the body aches, I am satisfied with my accomplishments in the trade. In retrospect, I would have used the same methods to work and earn respect. I may have used knee pads and other means to help protect my body. Should have wore ear plugs and masks to protect my hearing and lungs. I felt it was a weakness to have to use any of those supplies. My book is available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble. I am trying to get it ready for iTunes and the audio version soon. It is time to rest and gear up for my work week. Enjoy your week and make it a safe one! Cheers! Leslie M Jasper

Maryland and Delaware Library Association Book Fair May 6-7, 2015

Hi everyone! I just remembered that my teen version of my book was at the Maryland and Delaware Library Association book fair. It was held at the Clarion Resort Fontainbleau Hotel in Ocean City, Maryland. It went down May 6-7, 2015. I was offered to put my book in the exhibit for free. I am happy for the opportunity to showcase my book. The book is intended to encourage young people from any background to go for their goals and do not let anyone stop them from achieving their goals! I am working on making the book available for iTunes as well. The book fair report can be found at www.mdlib.org The book and book trailer was at the ALA Book Conference in San Francisco, CA last weekend. I was very active on Twitter promoting the book. I think I went into overdrive since that is my speed when I want to accomplish a goal. I may have upset people by my overzealous approach to marketing. I do apologize but it was not done to upset anyone. I am going to try to finish the last 2 chapters of the book Hard Hatted Women and then blog about it. I will then announce the name of my next book I plan to read in my downtime. I must go and get some stuff accomplished. As always, thanks for stopping by and reading! Have a great holiday!! Cheers! Leslie M Jasper (Stakley)