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About the Book

LEGEND has it that the more a fish story is repeated or told time and time again, the fish tend to get bigger, and bigger, and bigger. A small child might wonder why this happens. In time, the young reader will learn that the storyteller, after the first telling of his or her story, becomes amused with his/her storytelling skill, and that the imagination can begin to “run away or run wild” with more and more interesting but untrue details. So the fish grows in size as the story grows in details and length. So get ready for the biggest fish tales ever! Reading is a journey. The stories in this book, The Lonely Mermaid, are journeys into nature, into the innocence and curiosity of childhood, into the human condition, and into the human experience. No matter how big the fish or the tales get, just enjoy the wonderful journeys while reading the stories.
In the Land of Simple Living and simple pleasures, where the summers were hot and long and the winters were mild, where cotton was king and to own land was heavenly, where fish jumped high, and the living was made by farming the land; where days by the ponds, lakes, streams, and creeks were also a simple way to survive.”

About the Author

LaVerne Johnson Baptiste was an educator for 35 years. Now retired from the educational field, she would like to think that she has certainly been a life-long instructor because she began tutoring her neighbors and other friends since she first “played school” with the kids in the Community.
After graduating from college in Texas, she lived briefly in Dallas. In a few months she found herself in sunny California where agriculture, technology, and Hollywood movies were the major money-producing industries.
After being a dilettante at a few other job choices, while still teaching school, she decided that she and the classroom were inseparable. So that is where she remained until she turned in her keys. At the same time, a passion for writing was steadily taking root, and she kept these stories and ideas in her mind and close to her heart.
She recently moved back to her native state of Texas where these stories are now coming to life in print. She has done some extensive world traveling with only two continents left to visit. With nothing but time on her hands, all day to do nothing, and seven-day weekends, she decided to test her skills at writing to pass the time.
She does volunteer work in the community and continues to counsel her former students who will have a lasting and life-long attachment to their “other mother,” godmother, and big sister.