Conversation with Roger Leslie was very uplifting. Roger was comfortable with the podcast. He expressed himself, and he kept it real with me. Roger spent his childhood in Michigan, loving books & movies. The age of 13 creative diversions ignited an idea for him that he would become an author. He took inspiration to action and wrote his first novella. Roger sensed to his very soul that he was on his journey of a lifetime. After Roger moved to Texas with his family when he was a teenager, he set his sights on being a novelist. At the time, he didn’t know if he would have the talent to achieve his dreams. But the passion that Roger felt to succeed ran deep enough to sustain him through years of disappointing rejections and fateful detours. Roger writing throughout his high school years was empowering. Roger was setting a goal to write his first novel before graduation. This gave Roger's life, a driving purpose, and created his first social identity. To all of his peers, he became “the guy who wrote the book.” Roger undergraduate degree focused exclusively on creative writing. Roger received advice from a career counselor, and he changed his major to English education, which expanded his professional prospects to include decades as a teacher, professor, and school librarian. Roger earned a Master’s degree in creative writing and a doctorate in education. Roger kept writing and submitting, and over time, he expanded what he wrote. Finally, multiple publishing successes converged to create a career-paving direction. In a single year, Roger became a reviewer for Booklist and received contracts from different publishers for a novel and three nonfiction books. He became open to writing in an array of genres, both nonfiction and fiction. As a result, he found more publishing success through large, medium, and small publishing houses. Roger even won multiple local, state, and national awards. Years as an award-winning educator paved the way for international speaking engagements. Dr. Roger Leslie, scholar in the fields of success and education. Leslie has won numerous national awards, including ForeWord Book of the Year, The Ben Franklin Award, and Writer’s Digest’s #1 Inspirational Book of the Year. Roger received the Houston Literary Award for his body of work. Roger demands as a teacher, coach, and keynote speaker. He leads FLY (First Last Year) courses based on his blockbuster memoir, "My First Last Year." He draws from decades as an author, editor, and publisher to coach writers in groups and individually. He is also a sought-after speaker for his lively, entertaining keynotes relating award-winning movies to any topic or group. In every book and presentation. Leslie entertains, inspires, and empowers people to live the life they dream and soar toward their own ideal of success. He has written approximately 20 books. His books like "Light Come Out of the Closet" is a memoir of a gay man's struggle to reconcile his sexuality with his faith. It explores his journey of rediscovering the God of love he learned about as a child and how being gay became a gift that helped him find his soul. This book is a powerful testament to hope, healing, and self-discovery in the face of prejudice and adversity. His recent book

"No Stranger Christmas" is a fight against gay discrimination and a story of love and insight. While trying to save Christmas for his financially struggling family, 14-year-old Frankie Lincoln finds the courage to explore his artistry, stand up to gay discrimination, and pursue first love. You can find all of Roger's books and social media links by going to his website at www.RogerLeslie.com and you can find his books "Light Come Out of the Closet" and "No Stranger Christmas" or Amazon-Amazon.ca- Kindle. Thank you for listening to and supporting the podcast. If you want to be heard, email [email protected] or follow me on Instagram @mscaramellucas - TikTok @caramellucas - Facebook - Caramel Lucas