An Interview with Anne Lacourrege, author of The Greatest Treasure

Three-time award-winning author, Anne Lacourrege, was raised in New Orleans. There has always been the desire to do creative writing and The Greatest Treasure was Anne’s first attempt. The story was written and forgotten until Hurricane Katrina ravaged New Orleans. For all that New Orleans means to the author, this story was written.

Who/what made you want to write? Was there a particular person, or particular writers/works/art forms that influenced you?

This story was my first published piece of work. It was written from the heart rather than some literary art. My dad was my inspiration for this story.

What inspired you to start writing this book?

My father was the inspiration. He was such a happy, go-lucky guy that loved life. Unfortunately, he ended up with Alzheimer’s. With those sad days of losing him, I remembered all the good times we had and this story was born from those very good times.

Tell us the story of your book’s title. Was it easy to find, or did it take forever?

The storyline drove the title, so it was very easy in fact.

If your book had a soundtrack, what are some songs that would be on it?

New Orleans is all about music. So there are 3 songs that come to mind:

1. Dr. John singing “Down in New Orleans” (from Disney’s The Princess and the Frog)

2. Main Theme from Disney’s Pirates of the Caribbean

3. “Secret Garden” song from A Secret Garden movie

Describe your dream book cover.

Something showing the beauty of New Orleans with the Mississippi River levees and our “shotgun” creole homes (houses with all the rooms in direct line with each other from front to back).

What other professions have you worked in? What’s something about you that your readers wouldn’t know?

I’ve worked for a very long time starting my teens starting as a retail clerk, moving along to Operations manager to various accounting jobs. As far as a tidbit about myself, I so love Mardi Gras and collecting doubloons. It is so uniquely New Orleans. This book was set in New Orleans. The book is a tribute to the city that I love.

What is one thing you hope readers take away from reading your book? How do you envision your perfect reader?

Adventure is found in unlikely places and to treasure the special people you have here and now. Also, a little curiosity may not be such a bad thing after all. Hard to say who is a perfect reader as I have adults (especially ones that are expecting their first child) enjoy it as much as younger children. If you love a good old fashion tale with a twist of mystery, you are a perfect reader of this book.