LITERARY LAS VEGAS

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Yvonne Cloutier couldn't find a biography about Scott Joplin written for children, so she turned her frustration into a project. "I guess I'll have to write one myself," she concluded.

More than 20 years and almost 90 drafts later, Cloutier's children's book "Scott Joplin: King of Ragtime: Grandfather of Today's Music" is about "how his life was and some of how it may have been."

Included with the book is a CD featuring Cloutier playing six of the composer's pieces on piano.

Cloutier is one of more than 20 authors set to sign books Saturday at the 567 N. Stephanie St. Barnes & Noble Booksellers. The Henderson Writers' Group Book Expo runs from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Cloutier's signing is set for 2 to 4 p.m.

Excerpt from "Scott Joplin: King of Ragtime: Grandfather of Today's Music"

Scott Joplin decided to leave his home and family to seek his fortune in music. He decided to head toward the Mississippi River, where he had heard there was good opportunity for musicians ...

Along the way, he would sleep wherever he could. Sometimes he bunked with the ragged hobos in boxcars on the railroad trains. He trekked through the wood sleeping in old barns, dusty corn cribs or abandoned shacks. At times, he shivered from the cold and felt lonely. To call back home was not something that he could even think about. There were no telephones of any kind at that time let alone cell phones or any text messaging.

It was a new adventure, frightening, and yet, exciting at the same time. There was always danger lurking ... Scott was as scared as any person would naturally be, but his drive to compose and play his music kept him going. He kept cautious.