Join us as we welcome authors Leah Ades Cooper and Elaine A. Clark to St Francisville to discuss and sign their newest books

Mark Couhig will moderate a discussion with Centenary College friends Elaine A. Clark and Leah Ades Cooper. Each of these two sisters has authored a recently published book. Elaine’s “Speak to Achieve,” is subtitled “How to Build Connection, Deepen Trust, Captivate Audiences, and Achieve Results.” Leah coauthored “Reflections of a Life Well-Lived” with their father; it is both a biography and an autobiography of LeRoy Perry Ades. At first, these two books may seem to be a strange pairing. That thought is dispelled when reading Elaine’s Dedication in her book. “As I reflect on my entrepreneurial career choices to speak, coach, perform, teach, and write, I realize what a profound influence my parents played. My dad with his military officer West Point training had a commanding voice, an ability to speak different languages, and a talent for storytelling. My mother was a librarian who loved words, both written and spoken.” Roy Ades, in the words of one reviewer, was an ordinary and an extraordinary man. He was a child of the Great Depression, spending four of his formative years in foster care. He fulfilled his life’s ambition of attending the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, NY, graduating in 1953. In “Recollections of a Life Well-Lived,” he tells of trials that formed his character, experiences with royalty and with Army privates, foreign cultures, reflections on combat, and how he came to terms with his placement in a foster home. His 20-year military career included two tours in Germany (first during the Allied occupation after World War II and later during the Cold War), two tours in Saudi Arabia (1958 and 1971), and three tours at Fort Polk, Louisiana. Using family photos, newspaper clippings and personal knowledge, Leah worked with her father during the last two years of his life to weave his stories into an integrated account of his life and personality. The result is a book filled with inspiring, humorous, informative and interesting stories.

Speak to Achieve – How to Build Connection, Deepen Trust, Captivate Audiences, and Achieve Results

by Best Selling Author, Elaine A. Clark

The power of speaking goes beyond words and information. It’s how we use our history, experiences, point of view, emotions, prior moment, and purpose to motivate an audience of one or more to hear, feel, and take action. Speak to Achieve is the third book in Clark’s [Allworth Press/Skyhorse Publishing] speech communication trilogy alongside There’s Money Where Your Mouth Is (voice-overs) and Voice-Overs for Podcasting.  Speak to Achieve is a uniquely insightful interactive speech communication workbook for anyone who wants to improve the sound of their voice, the story arc of how they speak, and their message’s impact. The powerful and effective techniques in this book are useful in civic and social meetings, committees, business presentations, sales calls, delivering a sermon, ministering and counseling others, on a date, speaking with friends, teaching children and adults, attorney client meetings and courtroom presentations, mock trial clubs, news reporting, sportscasting, job interviews, educational games for children and the neurodiverse community, and more.  Speak to Achieve is divided into five sections: 

Part One: Connecting with Your Audience

·      Relationship and Relatability; Structure; Connection; Inspire Action; Create a Bridge; Rhetorical Appeals; Audience Checklist

Part Two: Techniques to Achieve

·      Making It M.I.N.E.™ Overview and Performance Application; Speaker’s Power Box; Storytelling

Part Three: Overcoming Obstacles

·      Performance Pitfalls; Changing a Negative to a Positive; Movement Adjustments; Procrastination; High-Pitched Voice; Disorganization; Overthinking; Fear of Public Speaking; Uptalk; Fast Talking; Slow Talking; Confidence

Part Four: Adapting to Specific Audiences

·      Three Ways to Engage the Audience; Interview Tips, Techniques, and Trends; Business; Personal; Podcasting; Presentations; Speeches; Politics; Job Interviews; TV or Social Media Hosting and Guesting; Sales; Legal; Religion; News; Sports; Social Media Influencers; Voice-Overs; Gaming; Disabilities and Additional Needs

Part Five: Moving Forward with Excellence

·      Personalizing Your Message; Developing Your Style; Storytelling; Dividing the Workload into Three Sections; Emotional Colors of Speech; Truth or “Tell”; Trusting the Techniques; Practicing: Body Language - Gestures and Movements - Logic, Emotion, and Authority -  Voice and Speech - Script Techniques; Defining Your Authority; Scoring Your Speech Success .  Elaine A. Clark is a Theatre/Speech Communication/Secondary Education graduate of Centenary College of Louisiana. After graduation, she moved to the San Francisco/Bay Area where she still resides with her husband. Clark founded what many believe to be the first voice-over acting school and sold it 32 years later. Elaine continues to act, coach clients in all areas of speaking, and is the co-author of the play R3* - Actor You’re Killing Me… a farce that will be produced at the Marines’ Memorial Theater in San Francisco in Feb/Mar 2027.

National and International Press about the author:

“Elaine Clark sets herself apart from other industry experts…”                                                     – International Business Times

“Elaine emphasizes the significance of emotion, storytelling, content organization, and performance techniques to captivate audiences and guarantee engagement. Her methodology focuses on creating an engaging narrative, structured content, compelling audio format, and an immersive auditory experience.”                                                                                                       – USA Today

Elaine A. Clark, a communication expert, author and performance coach observes a paradox in modern communication. “Digital tools have expanded access to messaging, script and content creation, but people still hesitate when it’s time to speak in front of others,” she says.               – Readers Digest

“[Speak to Achieve] explores how effective communication extends beyond just voice, incorporating body language, movement, and storytelling to create a deeper audience connection… These techniques empower readers to communicate with greater authenticity and impact in any setting.”                                                                                                                        – Success Magazine

“Unknown to many, effective communication is less about delivering a message and more about establishing a connection. Elaine A. Clark, one of the leading experts in voiceover and communication, states that when speakers share not only the polished parts of their experience but also the vulnerabilities, fears, and setbacks, they build a bridge of understanding. This bridge, founded on shared human experiences, allows the audience to relate more personally.”                 – New York Weekly

Elaine A. Clark is the middle child of Marcia and LeRoy Ades. Her mother, a librarian, imparted her love of books and words. Her father, a gifted storyteller, demonstrated the voice’s impact and how to deliver a compelling message. Clark is pleased to share this book author event with her older sister, Leah Cooper who took their father’s life stories and compiled them into “Recollections of a Life Well-Lived.”

Roy’s wife gave him clear instructions when he was first assigned to Fort Polk. “Whatever you do, do not buy a house. I am not staying in Louisiana more than a year.” But housing options were slim in 1966, a time of troop buildup for the Vietnam War. Roy bought a house in DeRidder, Louisiana There, Roy and Marcia raised Leah, Elaine, and their brother Mark. Roy died in that house last year, and Marcia lives there still.