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News Release

LCSC student publishes children's book

LEWISTON, Idaho - Lewis-Clark State College freshman Larry Warren recently had his first children’s book published and will have a second one published soon.

Warren’s book “A Flash of Jammies” was published under the pseudonym Geoffrey Bounds.  The 24-page paperback was published by CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform right after Christmas.  The book features a family that has a mystery in their house.  Things keep disappearing and the book takes the reader on a journey to find out who the culprit is.

Writing is in Warren’s blood, which is why he uses the pseudonym.  Both his uncle and mother are published writers and Warren didn’t want to get the names confused.  Although Warren enjoyed writing, he really didn’t have a passion for it.  At least not that he realized.

“I really never gave writing much thought,” says Warren, who earned his GED at LCSC and is now majoring in Creative Writing.  “But in my first English class (at LCSC) we had to write something and have a peer review it.”

Scott Grimm was the student who reviewed Warren’s writing and was brutally honest with his critique.

“I got upset about it (the critique) and then started to ask myself why am I so upset?” Warren said. “I realized I was passionate about it and had found my passion.  It caused me to change my major and submit the book.”

That writing passion continues.  Warren has submitted a second book called “The Groovy Tree” that is expected to be published soon.  Lewiston’s Nikki Weeks, who did the illustration for the first book, is again the illustrator.

Warren said he began writing his first book about three years ago, but sat on it for a while because he really didn’t think he wanted to be a writer and because he didn’t have an illustrator.  That all changed because of what happened in his class at LCSC.

Warren said he uses names from some of his family members in his book, and also draws from family experiences to help craft his stories.  He used the name of his grandmother and one of his daughters in his work.

Family has always been important for Warren, age 31.  He grew up in the Orofino area and then moved to St. Maries where he spent four years in law enforcement.  He then became a truck driver and stayed in that profession until last fall when he decided to enroll at LCSC.

“I’ve just always been a blue collar worker,” Warren said. “Writing is more of a creative talent.  I used to write with my mom but I never gave it much thought.  Now, I’m very excited about what I have done.”

Warren and his wife, Stacey, live in Lewiston.   They are the parents of five children: Landon age 9, Donna age 5, Rebekah age 4, Gabriel age 2, and Josh 8 months.

Warren is one of 160 students at LCSC receiving help from the college’s Student Support Services, a federal TRiO program.  The SSS program at LCSC identifies and provides services for individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds.  The program increases student retention and graduation rates by offering free academic services and support to eligible students.

For more information on Larry Warren or TRiO, contact Traci Birdsell, Director of LCSC’s TRiO Programs, at [email protected] or 208.792.2848.