Richard Emmel was an Elementary Principal for ten years and has been a teacher, mostly at the middle school level, for 27 years. He completed a doctorate in education at the University of Mississippi in 1976. Louisa is his first novel and is loosely based on the life of colonial African-American poet, Phillis Wheatley. Richard is grateful to his friend, Dr. James Levernier, who readily shared with him knowledge about early American literature and history.
Richard and Sharon, his wife of 41 years, live in a log home on 19 wooded acres near Little Rock, Arkansas. They are the parents of three sons: Joseph, Michael, and Andrew. Andrew died of T-Cell Lymphoma in 1993. When not writing or reading, Richard is woodworking, or out in his garden. Sharon and he also enjoy making weekend trips to the many beautiful places around Little Rock. Richard hopes you enjoy this story and finish it with a newfound love of learning, and for reading and writing, in particular.
Louisa is now available in both hardcover and soft cover editions! For more information about purchasing a copy of Louisa for your own, visit the Parson Place Press Bookstore online at www.parsonplacepress.com/store and save 20% off the retail price.
Louisa - A Novel 
Our school has bought several copies of this book. Several high school students in the lab have read Louisa with enough interest to comprehend the main points of the story. All the students who have read the book have passed the end of book test proving that they comprehended what they read. It perked the interest of black and white students to read a book. It held their interest until they completed reading the book. The story in my estimate is really good enough to be selected to use as the basis of a movie. There is much good history in the story. You still have time to get some copies of the book for use with the students during the black history month of February. I would encourage you to do that. It is a mighty good read!
Mr.Emmel is my teacher at Robinson Middle School and he is a genius, he is a very smart man
HI MR. EMMEL.!.!