Construction
Tales:Volume I
by Leslie Jasper
About The Author
Leslie
is a journeywoman electrician who works within Westchester County,
New York, Fairfield County, Connecticut, and the five boroughs of New
York City. Leslie has worked within the construction industry for the
past 17 years. She is also an evening OSHA instructor/writing coach
working part time for Empire College. Leslie recently graduated and
received an MBA with honors at Iona College in New Rochelle, New
York. She lives with her two sons, Tom and Johnny, in Lake Carmel,
New York. Leslie enjoys spending quality time with her sons such as
snowboarding and visiting haunted houses throughout New England. She
also enjoys cruise ship traveling around the world, renovating her
home, and spending time lifting weights in the gym.
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Interview:
MM: Everyone wants to
know the story behind the story...What's your story?
I became a female
electrician at the age of 20 years old back in 1995. I entered an
apprenticeship where females were not wanted on the job. Despite the
resistance, I joined the 5 ½ year apprenticeship program. My
journey to complete my apprentice program is highlighted in my book.
The different jobs I worked on were touched as well as the crazy
co-workers I met along the way. I talk about the many challenges and
the difficult people I work with over the years. My story is unique
and the jobsite encounters are fascinating and funny. I completed my
apprentice program and walked away from most situation triumphantly.
My legacy for my children would be that I paved a way for economic
freedom and never giving up. I want other women to know that it is
possible to step into the construction industry and make their
contribution to the building of America.
MM: Tell us a bit about
your writing journey. When did you realize you were a writer?
I knew that I liked
writing in my early years in school. I have a great memory and an
active imagination. I see the stories in my mind and can feel those
emotions. I run with those feelings and emotion and put them on
paper. It is not a difficult process so I knew that writing would
not be a chore. I find writing relaxing and healing. If I am stuck
on a topic, I either skip it or walk away. I come back refreshed
with a new mental roadmap on what I need to write about.
MM: Looking out the
nearest window, describe the scene you see...
I’m
sitting at my kitchen table looking out a big window. I see my big
yard, loads of leaves tossed aimlessly about, a long brown stained
fence, and my annoying neighbor’s house. The fog that is rolling in
limits my view on this chilled November morning.
MM: Do you have a
favorite writing area?
I
like to sit in my big black comfortable chair so that I may kick up
my feet and be relaxed when I write. I need to feel at ease so that
the words may flow on my laptop. I have needed to stop a few times
to get some coffee. If I have a good thought to write about, I will
spend hours getting it typed out.
MM: What is an absolute
must-have when writing?
I need to be at ease when
I am writing. Oddly enough, I do not need peace and quiet to write.
I just need to be comfortable. That just means a comfy pair of
sweatpants, big t-shirt, and a cozy chair with my feet up will be
sufficient.
MM: What is your favorite
inspiration for writing?
I had never written a book
before. I knew that it was going to be a long process that was new,
exciting, and scary at the same time. I wanted my story to be told
and my legacy to be on paper. Perhaps wanting people to know what my
career path was like was an inspiration. I believed that women
needed to know that they can embark on this journey as well was
another inspiration. My desire to turn the page in my own life and
go in a different direction was also my inspiration. Ultimately, I
am very motivated and I wanted to make my mark in history and in
society before my journey on Earth ends.
MM: What is the craziest
thing you've ever written, published or not?
I wrote about how one of
the people I was working with was pacing back and forth on a major,
world renown, trading floor, speaking loudly, about all of the sexual
encounters he wanted to have with this attractive employee. She was
working on the floor and he was not shy about letting her, and anyone
else, know of his vial intents and desires. It was rather
embarrassing yet extremely funny to witness. There are many more
stories similar to that in the book.
MM: Do you write other
genres as well, or ever thought about writing fiction?
I have not written any
other genres as of now. I want to write about my unique childhood
and those challenges. If I do, it will be from a fictional
character’s point of view. I am open to exploring most any type of
writing except science fiction. I could not write for that genre
since I would need to know the jargon and I would not feel authentic
enough to step into that realm without prior knowledge and
background.
MM: What is the book you
most want to write that you haven't started yet?
I have not written out
Construction Tales: Volume II yet. I really want to find time to get
started on that book. I have many more funny stories to tell and I
would love to get them down on paper. I have a fear of waking up one
day and not remembering those stories any more.
MM: Using the letters in
the word SUMMER, describe your book.
Strength, Undermine,
Mighty, Musclebound, Enduring, Real
MM: How would friends and
family describe you?
My friends and family
would describe me as strong, determined, and not afraid of many
things. I think they would say that despite my strong energy and
drive, I am a good person who is honest and full of positive energy.
I am fun and can be considered the life of the party. They would say
that I am a good mother who takes care of my child and handles their
needs before my own. It’s a fair guess to say that they all like
me too!
MM: What message do you
hope readers will take away from your book?
It is my desire to let the
readers know that my story is not coming from a victim but a victor.
I entered the industry on my own free will. I had absolutely no idea
the extreme level of challenges that I would face when I became an
apprentice. That was mostly due to my young age and lack of street
smarts. I love my job and I can now say that I am good at what I do.
I had encountered many skilled craftsmen who taught me my trade. If
I leave the trade, it would be due to new ventures and opportunities.
I would never get pushed out or quite my trade. The book was
intended to illustrate a journey while showing what it is like to
work with my crazy co-workers on a daily basis. Despite being crazy,
my co-workers are good people and lots of fun!
MM: What can we expect in
the future from Leslie M. Jasper?
I plan to find time to
write Construction Tales: Volume II this winter. I have already
started brainstorming on what I want to write. There are more funny
stories to tell. I will cover my newly minted journeywoman
experience that I will pick up after the last story from Volume I. I
talk about being pregnant in construction. I also talk about my
stint working in jail and the interaction with inmates. I also
intend to get a collection of stories from a group of old timers
(from all construction trades) from the business who want to get
their stories on paper.
About
The Book
Genre:
Self Improvement
Publisher:
Self-Published at CreateSpace
Release
Date: August 6, 2013
Strap
on your work boots and put on your hard hat. Let me take you on a
sheetrock dusted journey to
Excerpt
Chapter 3- The Big Job
Construction Tales: Volume
I: A Woman’s Journey To Become An Electrician
I
was sent to work on a brand new job coming out of the ground in
Connecticut. This job would provide massive amounts of overtime and
help my living situation tremendously. I learned real quickly that
the pace on this job was very different from my last job. It was
more of a laid back, easy-going work environment. I would have never
guessed that I was about to meet a whole group of characters on this
very large job.
I
set foot on the largest construction job I had ever witnessed at this
point in my apprenticeship. By this moment in time, the country was
coming out of a recession and this massive deck job was going to
catapult many trades’ people into a good financial position. My
first day was in a giant room that was in the process of becoming the
data center for a very large trading floor. As an apprentice, my
first three hours of the day were all about getting coffee for a
third of the crew of roughly 100 electricians. There were no
elevators so two other apprentices and I had to walk up a minimum of
six (up to thirteen) flights of stairs and provide coffee for the
group of hungry and hung-over electricians each day.
The
coffee trek was a half-mile walk to the deli each morning. I placed
my order and sat there with the other apprentices until the order was
ready. I had to make sure I had proper change for each person who
ordered and double-checked all orders for accuracy. Coffee was the
most important part of the day and screwing up the order could ruin
the entire day. This was especially true when we went into overtime.
If you got the coffee order wrong, plenty of these guys would react
like spoiled children and have an actual temper tantrum. I started
to get to know two fellow apprentices, Ryan and Todd, very well while
getting our daily orders of coffee. I will never forget my
friendship with these two fellow apprentices.
Ryan
was a tall, dark-haired, and very hairy guy from a community normally
filled with rich and upper-class folk. Ryan often reeked of body
odor, cigarette smoke, or booze from the night before. He was and
probably still is clearly a fish out of water in his community, yet
he fit right in on a construction site. Ryan played in a band. He
was very rough around the edges, with plenty of piercings all over
his face. Ryan came in to work on a regular basis hung-over, often
stinking as if a keg of beer had been splashed all over him.
1 comments:
Thanks for sharing this interview!
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