My name is Laurie Pooler Pelayo. Pooler is my maiden name and just
had to be included in my writing since my family influenced so much of who I am and what I write.
I am a Cataloging
Library Technician at the Schauerman Library at El Camino College in Torrance, California where I have been for twenty-five
years. I have been working with genealogy for a little longer, off and on, until about sixteen years ago when I started dedicating a
lot more time to it. I have an A.A. in history and enough credits to continue to a B.A. if I wished...but
right now - like Lydia - I have no time for anything but my writing and my daily existence! Maybe someday...
Besides
working on my own genealogy, I have written articles on genealogical techniques, as well as spoken on vital records
and genealogy. Several years ago I completed the National Genealogical Society's distance education course entitled: NGS
American Genealogy : A Home Study Course as well as earned an Honarable
Mention for the essay: French-Canadian migrations
to Maine : the Pooler family of Brewer (this can be found through the NGS library Q 929.2 P822 P)
I have been a volunteer with South Bay Cities Genealogical Society for the past fifiteen
years. Currently I am the society' s president and past co-librarian, a position I had held for the last three years.
We have a small library of about 1,000 books and another 1000 periodicals for our members and other patrons to peruse. Just
a bit of inspiration for Lydia Proctor and her extra-curricular activities!
I am married
and have three children (one of whom is now married), all who help influence my writing. They have been all over the
country with me from California to Maine visiting relatives, cemeteries and courthouses. The nice thing about that, is that
my oldest has fond memories of our cemetery hunts: from giving her names (she was seven at the time) to find on head stones,
to watching me run screaming from another cemetery during a lighning storm. She met people who were the most friendly
and giving people on earth. People she still remembers to this day. My son on the other hand - who was only two during this
genealogical pilgrimage - remembers absolutely nothing. Probably better for me especially when I hit old age and he's looking
for things to get back at me for. My youngest who's only ten has yet to experience the thousand + mile ride in the car.
I am hoping someday she will have that to add to her memory bank too.
I wrote mysteries in middle school. I loved the Hardy Boys (I read the books first - Shawn Cassidy was just a
nice by-product of that time in my life) and tried to emulate those with my "Michael's Sisters" mysteries. I wrote
three (they're floating around the house somewhere). I wanted to write when I entered high school, but my counselor informed
me that no one made money from writing so why bother? I don't think she got the concept of writing for the love of it.
So what I have done is taken my love of writing, genealogy and mysteries and combined them into one neat little
package.
So welcome to my world. Hope you hang around for a while!
