MEMBER SPOTLIGHT: Leah Eskine

LRTA Member Leah Eskine

LRTA member Leah Eskine is a life-long writer, but retirement has allowed her to further explore opportunities for her literary work. Recently, Leah was announced as the winner of the Louisiana Authors Project for 2021 for her young adult novel CC’s Road Home.

Leah began her career teaching English in Florida, then returned to Louisiana to teach in Jefferson Parish. She later transitioned to teaching special education, which turned out to be a calling for her. “I especially enjoyed working with students with learning disabilities.”

Leah started writing short stories when she retired in 2011. She submitted “A Sudden Reprieve” to the Hammond Regional Arts Writing Contest in 2014 and won second place. “That experience totally inspired me,” Leah says. Soon, the short stories started to grow and develop into longer novels. In January 2021, CC’s Road Home was published.

Taking place in 1964, sixteen-year-old CC arrives at her grandparents’ farm in Ruston, Louisiana, guarding a suitcase full of secrets and fears she’ll never feel normal again. Her grandparents offer comfort and refuge, but they are brushed aside by CC’s feelings of isolation and angst. But CC is armed with Beatle and Motown records, enough artillery and attitude to hold everyone off until she reaches her moment of reckoning, and understands that facing her own past with help from family and friends is truly the road home.

Shortly after publishing CC’s Road Home, Leah received an email from Chris Smith, Manager of Adult Programming for Jefferson Parish Libraries, announcing the Louisiana Authors Project. The Louisiana Author Project is a contest designed to recognize and help independently published novels from authors in Louisiana.

Cover of CC’s Road Home

“It didn’t cost anything to apply, and I still had the materials from my publisher,” she said. “And I thought, ‘why not?’” In addition to the Louisiana Author Project, Leah has won a Pen Craft Award for CC’s Road Home (first place in young adult coming-of-age).

Writing CC’s Road Home was sort of a labor of love for Leah. In the middle of writing the novel, she had rotator cuff surgery on her left arm. Being left-handed, the surgery created a bump in the road for Leah. “My practice was to write in long-hand, then type on the computer,” she said. “Here I am in the middle of the novel, and I can’t write.”

Leah took a break from writing after her surgery and considered making the break permanent. Fellow writers will understand the unique relationship authors develop with their characters. When Leah stopped writing she felt as though she had abandoned CC. She learned to use her right hand and completed the second half of the novel with her non-dominant hand. “I’ve always enjoyed a challenge.”

Leah hopes readers will take the time to learn more about CC’s journey and that her own story will inspire other retirees. “Even in retirement, things still happen,” Leah says. “You still have to dig deep inside and do what you have to do to keep going.”

CC’s Road Home is available at all retailers, including Amazon and other independent retailers. Click here to order CC’s Road Home on Amazon. 

To learn more about Leah and her writings, please visit her website www.leaheskine.com.