Author Libby Keatinge has just come in from a long day on the golf course, sitting on her veranda sipping on an ice cold Arnold Palmer from her Waterford glass, with a big smile one her face, enjoying the cool breeze.
“Doesn't life feel like a great big vacation?” she says, smiling, as she offers me a drink.
Looking through the French doors at her desk, she clearly needs a vacation. The desk is piled high with papers, files, dictionaries, encyclopedias, old novels with worn covers. She is vigorously working on her next novel and working as an associate publisher of Brentwood Media Group's Health, Beauty and Fitness section.
Her first novel, Beverly Hills Tutor, has recently been optioned for a feature film. This novel is based on her experiences working as a tutor while attending UCLA, where she graduated with an English degree. The novel is about the life of Ava Fleet, working as a tutor in Beverly Hills, Bel-Air, and the encompassing Westside areas.
“Beverly Hills Tutor should not be interpreted solely based upon its title, similarly illustrating not to judge a book by its cover, both literally and in life in general. I tutored a rap star who I thought would cause great trouble and would not want to learn anything, but to my surprise, he was one of the most enthusiastic and enjoyable students I ever worked with. Then, of course, there were also some disappointments. One family offered me a large sum of money to cheat on the SAT for their child. This really upset me because I wanted to help these children and to teach them not only their schoolwork but of the path of making the right choices in life.”
Beverly Hills Tutor shows how making the right choices can be difficult, and wanting to always take the easy way out, which seems more desirable, but realizing that through overcoming those challenges you are always rewarded when navigating yourself through the many temptations you are faced with everyday in Los Angeles.
Libby Keatinge grew up in the Pacific Palisades Highlands, the daughter of a prominent physician and a nurse.
“Now that I am an adult, I realize how valuable growing up in the Palisades was. I appreciate all the things I was blessed to have even more than I did before. The other kids I grew up with were all family oriented; we went to the same stable to ride horses and played tennis at the same tennis camp. I even go to the same nail salon where I first got my nails done at the age of fourteen. Every time I walk into my favorite boutique, Sara Jo, in the village, Sara Jo is always there remembering me and what I like. It is a great, priceless feeling to have such a sense of community in a big city.”
Beverly Hills Tutor is Keating's first novel. Books have always been a big part of her life since she was a little girl. She would always read books on her free time and would run to her mother telling her of her new adventure.
“I can remember my mother reading Good Night Moon to me when I was younger. Ever since then, I was obsessed with books and the library. It brought so much joy to my life. I was amazed by the fact that you could take a book and could be in the worst place, but to open that book and enter a world where anything is possible and where you can escape into this magical place. I could not imagine living without this gift that had been given to me by my mother.”
After working as a special education teacher at Warner Avenue School in Westwood, Libby wanted to continue her work with children and to share with them this wonderful gift. She began working with Rolling Readers, a Los Angeles based organization that sends volunteers to underprivileged schools to read books out loud.
“The first classroom I worked with was in downtown Koreatown. I was so nervous that the kids would be bored or not be interested in the books I picked, but by the third time, they were bringing in their own books, excitedly screaming, “Can we read my book Ms. Keatinge?? I was overjoyed and pleased that they were so eager to learn.”
“They all come from a different world, but everyone has to face the same issues and has the same lessons to learn. Life through each of their eyes is very different, yet they all share the same need for education, love, and guidance. After we read The Giving Tree we talked about respect and disrespect and I asked the class if anyone could tell us a story about being disrespected. One little boy jumped up and said, "Michael disrespected me. He came over to my house, my mom made him spaghetti, and he saw where we hide our food stamps. When mama was washing the dishes, Michael took our food stamps. That was disrespectful right?" The whole class nodded in agreement and said yes.”
