>> I'M KAREN ADAMD WITH LAVERNE
LINCOLN WHO IS THE AUTHOR OF "MY
LIFE IN CHARLESTON."
THE BOOK HAS JUST BEEN PUBLISHED
THIS MONTH AND WE HAVE THE
AUTHOR IN RIGHT HERE, RIGHT NOW
TO TALK ABOUT IT WITH US RIGHT
HERE ON "LOOK LOCAL."
WELCOME, LAVERNE.
YOU KNOW, THERE'S A GREAT FAMILY
HISTORY WHICH CAUSED YOU TO
WRITE THIS BOOK.
TELL US A LITTLE BIT ABOUT
YOURSELF AND WHAT WAS YOUR
MOTIVATING FACTOR?
>> I'M A NATIVE OF CALIFORNIA.
I JUST RECENTLY MOVED HERE TO
JACKSONVILLE IN 2013 BECAUSE MY
DAUGHTER ATTENDED COLLEGE AND I
REALIZE SHE WASN'T GOING TO
RETURN HOME AND I WANTED TO
SPEND TIME WITH HER AND MY
GRANDKIDS.
THAT WAS THE INITIAL REASON FOR
MOVING TO JACKSONVILLE.
>> YOU MOVED FROM CHARLESTON TO
JACKSONVILLE TO BE WITH YOUR
FAMILY, YOUR DAUGHTER.
>> AND MY GRANDKIDS.
UH-HUH.
>> OKAY.
THEN WHERE ALONG THE LINE DID
SOMEBODY SAY, HEY, LAVERNE,
WRITE A BOOK?
>> OKAY.
I MOVED HERE IN 2013.
PRIOR TO MOVING HERE IN 2013, I
LIVED IN CHARLESTON, SOUTH
CAROLINA AND I HAD A FRIEND
RECOMMEND, A MALE FRIEND
RECOMMEND TO ME THAT MAYBE I
SHOULD WRITE A BOOK.
HE TOLD ME THAT I REALLY LAUGHED
AT HIM BECAUSE I'VE NEVER
WRITTEN A BOOK IN MY LIFE.
ABOUT 12, 13 WEEKS AGO WE WERE
AROUND MY APARTMENT HERE IN
JACKSONVILLE AND BECAUSE I HAD A
SISTER, OLDER SISTER AND A
BROTHER, I JUST THOUGHT TO
MYSELF, WELL, MAYBE IT RUNS IN
THE FAMILY.
SO I JUST SAT DOWN IN MY
APARTMENT AND STARTED WRITING.
WHAT MADE IT EASY, BECAUSE IT'S
MY FAMILY HISTORY.
I'M WRITING ABOUT HOW MY LIFE
WAS AS I GREW UP IN CHARLESTON,
SOUTH CAROLINA.
AND ALSO I FIND WHENEVER YOU
WRITE A BOOK, I FEEL IT'S EASIER
TO USE AN OUTLINE.
I KIND OF USED AN OUTLINE AND IT
MADE IT MUCH EASIER.
>> THE THING I WANT TO TALK
ABOUT, TOO, ONE THING ABOUT
LAVERNE, SHE COMES FROM A LARGE,
CATHOLIC FAMILY.
SHE'S ONE OF 16 CHILDREN WHICH
YOU TOLD ME THAT EARLIER AND I
WAS LIKE -- IT BLEW ME AWAY.
16.
>> YEAH.
>> WOW.
OKAY.
SO AS OF TODAY, SOME OF THEM
HAVE UNFORTUNATELY PASSED ON BUT
WE STILL HAVE FIVE LEFT.
AND YOU'RE CLOSE WITH THEM AND
YOU SAW THEM WRITING BOOKS AND
YOU THOUGHT, YOU KNOW, MAYBE
LIKE YOU SAY, IT RUNS IN THE
FAMILY.
TELL US WHAT WE'LL FIND WHEN WE
GET THIS BOOK AND READ IT.
WHAT WILL WE LEARN ABOUT LAVERNE
LINCOLN AND ABOUT YOUR HISTORY?
I KNOW THERE'S A LOT ABOUT BEING
RAISED POOR IN THE SOUTH.
I KNOW SOME OF THE THINGS THAT
WE GET INTO ARE HOW YOU GREW UP
AS A LITTLE GIRL AND YOUR
PARENTS WOULD CUT WOOD AND SELL
THE WOOD FOR PEOPLE WITH
FURNACES TO KEEP WARM SO YOU
KIND OF HAD SORT OF A SOCIO
ECONOMICALLY DIFFERENT
BACKGROUND.
IT WAS A STRUGGLING UPBRINGING
BUT YOU MADE IT.
>> YES.
MY BACKGROUND WAS BACK IN 1950s
AND 1960s, I WAS RAISED DURING
THAT TIME.
AND MY FAMILY WAS A MIDDLE CLASS
CATHOLIC FAMILY.
MYSELF AND ALL MY SIBLINGS WERE
BAPTIZED AS BABIES.
AS SOON AS WE WERE BORN, OUR
PARENTS BAPTIZED US AND WE
ATTENDED A CATHOLIC CHURCH AND
MY MOM WOULD PUT ALL OF US KIDS
IN A LINE EVERY SUNDAY AND WALK
US TO CHURCH.
>> IN A LINE.
>> YES.
LITERALLY LINED ALL 14 OF US.
>> I GUESS WHEN YOU HAVE THAT
MANY KIDS, YOU KNOW, YOU HAVE TO
COME UP WITH SOM -- I MEAN,
SOMETIMES THERE'S A ROPE.
I'M SURPRISED YOU DIDN'T ALL
HOLD A ROPE HEADING TO CHURCH.
YOU SEE KIDS IN DAYCARE DOING
THAT SOMETIMES.
BUT GETTING YOU ALL TO CHURCH.
YOU HAD A CHRISTIAN UPBRINGING.
THEN TELL US ABOUT LIKE THE
MIDDLE PART OF YOUR LIFE.
WHAT HAPPENED DURING -- YOU
KNOW, FROM THE START OF BEING A
LITTLE GIRL, YOU KNOW, TO YOU
BECOMING AN ADULT?
>> OKAY.
I WAS TELLING -- LIKE I SAY, MY
MOM HAD 16 KIDS AND MY SIBLINGS
WERE A LOT OF FUN.
IT WAS REALLY A LOT OF FUN GROWS
UP AS A CHILD BECAUSE I HAD
SIBLINGS THAT WOULD TEASE YOU
FOR SO LONG, YOU WOULD BE
LAUGHING.
IT WAS A LOT OF FUN GROWING UP.
AS A CHILD, I WAS A VERY
INTROVERTED CHILD.
I WOULDN'T GO VISIT OTHERS
BECAUSE I WAS AFRAID I WOULDN'T
HAVE ANYTHING TO SAY.
AS I GREW UP AND BECAME AN ADULT
AND LIVING IN MY MOM'S HOUSE, I
BEGAN TO BE MORE TALKATIVE.
AND NOW YOU CAN'T SHUT ME UP.
LITERALLY.
>> OKAY.
>> UNLESS IT'LL TOLD, I GO ON
AND ON.
>> THAT'S GOOD.
THAT'S GOOD.
>> SO ONCE I MOVED MY MOM'S
HOUSE -- WELL, I HAD MY SON IN
MY TEENS.
WHEN I MOVED IN MY HOUSE AND I
GOT AN APARTMENT FOR MYSELF AND
MY SON, YOU KNOW, I GOT MY OWN
APARTMENT, I GOT MARRIED.
I WAS MARRIED FOR LIKE TWO
YEARS.
AFTER I SEPARATED WITH MY
HUSBAND, THE ONLY JOB I'VE HAD
PRIOR TO GETTING MARRIED, I WAS
A WAITRESS.
I DECIDED AFTER WORKING, BEING A
WAITRESS, I DECIDED TO GO TO
COLLEGE.
I TRIED TWO DIFFERENT MAJORS.
>> TECHNICAL COLLEGE?
>> BACK IN CHARLESTON, SOUTH
CAROLINA.
AND TWO DIFFERENT MAJORS, FOR
MEDICAL SECRETARY AND OFFICE
SECRETARY.
AND HOSPITAL WORKER, WORK IN A
HOSPITAL WARD AND GENERAL
OFFICE.
AFTER I COMPLETED THAT, I
STARTED WORKING IN A HOSPITAL, A
COUNTY HOSPITAL FOR LIKE FIVE
YEARS.
AND AFTER THAT I KIND OF PRETTY
MUCH WORKED IN THE CLERICAL
BUSINESS FOR 16 YEARS.
>> YOU'VE HAD AN INTERESTING
BACKGROUND WITH DIFFERENT --
>> YEAH.
MY RESUME IS S PAGES LONG.
>> AND NOW YOU CAN PUT THIS ON
THERE AS WELL
GO AHEAD.
>> AND AS FAR AS M BOOK, YOU
KNOW, I NEVER THOUGHT -- IF
SOMEBODY TOLD ME I WAS GOING TO
WRITE A BOOK, I WOULD SAY NO
WAY.
THAT JUST GOES TO SAY, NEVER SAY
NEVER.
YOU NEVER KNOW WHAT YOUR LIFE --
WHAT DIRECTION YOUR LIFE MAY GO.
>> YOU JUST DID THIS AT YOUR AGE
AND I THINK THAT'S GREAT.
IT ONLY TOOK HER TWO OR THREE
MONTHS TO DO IT AND THE BOOK IS
NOW AVAILABLE.
IT'S JUST NOW PUBLISHED AS OF
THIS MONTH.
AND IF YOU LOOK ON YOUR SCREEN,
THIS IS WHERE YOU CAN GET IT.
THAT'S THE PUBLISHER.
AMAZON.COM AND BARNES & NOBL
NOBLE.COM.
YOU DEFINITELY WANT TO CHECK IT
OUT.
IT'S AN INTERESTING READ AND
FIND OUT A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT
LAVERNE LINCOLN AND HOW SHE
OVERCAME THE OBSTACLES OF BEING
RAISED IN THE SOUTH DURING THE
TIME OF SEGREGATION AND IT'S