Christmas Blogfest... Dozens of Opportunities to Win

Celebrate the holidays with Long and Short Reviews -- and fill your stockings with books and other gifts!

From 12/17/12 - 12/21/12 dozens of authors in all genres will be blogging and you can win!

Every post will be offering a goodie... all you have to do is leave a comment.  One comment will be chosen at random at every blog to win -- it might be you!

Our own Jacqueline Horsfall is one of the exciting lineup of bloggers, and she'll be offering a free copy of her book, For the Love of Strangers. You may select your choice of a paperback or ebook.

To enter, head to the YA Blogfest, and comment on all the blogs to increase your chances of being a winner. And to read Jackie's blog, here's the link.

For another chance to win great prizes, Jackie is also doing a giveaway through MTG Reviews in January. Stay tuned for more details!

Win a Free Book!

The Southeast Steuben County Library in Corning, NY, has a challenge for booklovers:

Submit, in 140 words or less, your impression of the front cover of the book For the Love of Strangers. “Who is the woman on the cover, and why does she wear deer antlers?” Email your response to mcconnells@stls.org by December 31, 2012. Please put For the Love of Strangers in the subject line.

Here's a copy of the book cover:

And if you can't wait until Dec. 31 to read this, you can get a copy for 40% OFF from the Leap Bookstore.

Here's what people are saying about For the Love of Strangers:

"For the Love of Strangers instantly drew me into this poignant tale of a Russian adoptee, then continued to intrigue as it masterfully interwove threads of past and present into a haunting, lyrical novel that echoes in the heart and mind long after the pages are closed."

~Patricia Hermes, award-winning author of You Shouldn't Have to Say Goodbye, Mama, Let's Dance, and Dear America/My America series

"For the Love of Strangers is a thoughtful and exciting read, making for a top pick. Highly Recommended."

~Midwest Book Review

"Darya, powerfully drawn to these animals who communicate with her and see in her the reincarnation of the deer goddess of ancient Siberia, is determined to feed and protect them, in spite of Tee-Tee's insistence that she concentrate on the human victims who need their help instead. The author has worked in social services, so that part of her story is firmly rooted in reality. The addition of a romantic element in a new student, another loner like Darya, is a nice touch."

~Voya

"While the deer's connection to Darya is poetic and the mythological detail is beautifully inserted, it is the safe house and its residents that are the most compelling part of the book. The story moves along at a good pace, and reluctant readers will find this to be a book they can take in. The simple black-and-white illustrations accentuate the magical realism."

~School Library Journal

"Well written, this book is an engrossing read. It kept me reading to find out what happened next and by the last page, which was left open for a sequel, I was interested in finding out what happens after the end." ~Aurora Reviews

Read more about it at Sue McConnell's YA Book Recommendations.

Teen Interview: Jacqueline Horsfall

Our teen interviewer, Anna, poses a series of questions for author, Jacqueline Horsfall.

What was your inspiration For The Love of Strangers?

FLOS originally came about as a gut punch, one that wouldn’t let up. A relative told me about her single, professional, middle-aged friend who traveled to Russia to adopt a baby, but came back with a baby and an older sibling (who had adjustment problems). I couldn’t get the story out of my head, and blabbed it to everyone I knew. When an idea is that strong, it practically writes itself. I had spent time in Russia years before, so I drew on my visit for the backstory setting.

· How did you develop your characters?

Each human character is a little part of me. The animal characters are based on my observations and interactions with local wildlife. But all the characters, human and animal, are grounded in goddess mythology, specifically from the ancient Russian deer cults.

· Did you have to change the length of your story considerably during editing?

The length doubled! I’m basically a short story writer, so I always practice writing “tight.” Crafting a YA novel at 50,000 – 60,000 words gave me the freedom to expand scenes, develop characters, and add backstory – story elements lacking in the original version.

· Have you become more attached to the main character as opposed to the supporting characters?

 That’s like asking which of my children I prefer. All of the characters are my babies, and I love them equally. Unless they go off and do weird stuff I don’t approve of.

· Do you base your characters off people you know?

I mash up peculiar personal traits appearing in my characters so no one can say, “Hey, that’s me!”

· Are there aspects of your story you just don’t like?

I love the story. I highly value my editor’s suggestions. I adore the book it became, with its illustrations and cover art. I’m so pleased and proud that I could craft a contemporary story with a mythological theme because I truly believe that a society without mythology is doomed.

· How would you advise young adults who want to become published authors?

Find an enjoyable career field, one you’re passionate about. Writers can’t be hermits – they need life experience and an income. Read, read, read books by prize-winning and best-selling authors. Above all, ask yourself this important question: Do I really want to be a writer or do I only like the idea of being a writer? There’s a big difference.

Thanks, Anna and Jackie! Great interview!

Jacqueline Horsfall's book, For the Love of Strangers, is illustrated by Mary B. Kelly.

Jackie with her many published books.

FOR THE LOVE OF STRANGERS Goes to College

Students in Corning Community College’s Children’s Literature course got some unexpected help with their class book project when author Jackie Horsfall popped in. Jackie brought along a show-and-tell bag full of her 18 published books and foreign editions, magazine stories, examples of galley proofs, and talked about the inspiration behind her debut novel For the Love of Strangers.

The class had recently discussed YA magical realism,  read several Printz and Newbery award-winning books, and bombarded her with questions: How long does it take to write a novel? How do you find an illustrator? What’s your favorite genre?  Do you have an agent? What do writers earn? 

She also gave the class pointers on creating their class project—an illustrated picture book—and their individual book projects. At the end of the class period, Jackie was invited back for the party at the end of the semester, with the unveiling of their own books.

And if you haven't had a chance to read Jackie's wonderful tale of a teen adopted from a Russian orphanage as a child, you'll want to pick up a copy of your own. As Patricia Hermes (award-winning author of You Shouldn’t Have to Say Goodbye, Mama, Let’s Dance, and Dear America/My America series) says:

“For the Love of Strangers instantly drew me into this poignant tale of a Russian adoptee, then continued to intrigue as it masterfully interwove threads of past and present into a haunting, lyrical novel that echoes in the heart and mind long after the pages are closed.”

Interior and cover art by award-winning artist, Mary B. Kelly.

Meet the Artist

We're thrilled to have award-winning artist, Mary B. Kelly, join us for an interview. If you aren't familiar with her work, be sure to check out her other goddess art here. (Be sure to look for the life-sized painting from the cover of For the Love of Strangers by Jacqueline Horsfall.) And Mary has graciously allowed us to post one of her recent paintings.

Mary's pen-and-ink drawings grace the pages of the book as well. We'll be giving some sneak peeks of them as well.

Please tell us a bit about yourself and your work.

I have been an artist since I was small and never wondered what I would become. I always knew. But what I didn't know is that I would fall in love with folk art and eventually write books about it...that came later.

What is your first memory of reading/books? Of illustrations?

As a child, I had a wonderful illustrated book about the Greek gods and goddesses and I read it again and again. I knew all their names and stories and can still remember a lot of them today.

Were you always an illustrator?

I guess I was always an illustrator since my mother saved some of my early drawings. I used to make pictures of girls dressed in different costumes from other countries and when my mother wrote a book, she asked me to illustrate it, I was about 10 at the time. I did, but the publisher wanted something more ' adult.’ I still have those illustrations, however.

When did you first fall in love with art and why?

What I first loved about art was that you could shade and make things look round. I remember in 3rd grade, our teacher wanted us to color some cherries for Washington's birthday and after I made them red, I added some darker shading to one side so that they looked round. Got some good marks for that, and I still love it when I can make a painting come up off the page and look alive!

What was the most challenging job (art or otherwise) you’ve ever had?

The most challenging thing that ever happened to me was a faculty exchange grant to live in Russia for a year when it was still the "evil empire," as President Reagan called it. I had to leave my family, my sheep farm, and my teaching job for a year. At the time, there were only three phone lines out of Moscow for everybody, so I was only able to call home once, mail went out through Finland in the diplomatic pouch, and getting food at the market was quite an experience...but I survived. I even got to shake hands with Reagan when he visited Moscow University that year, 1980. But I learned so much that I began to write books about the folk art when I returned - and I am still writing.

Of all your work, what are you the most proud of doing?

In the 1960's I visited New York City and saw "Sister Chapel" in an art gallery. A group of lifesize paintings of famous women were exhibited in a circle with one open space. When you stood there, you completed the circle and joined them. When I got home, I created "Goddess Chapel," a series of 8 lifesize oil paintings. The cover of "For the Love of Strangers" is one of them. Later I kept working on this, extending it to include "Shrine of the Black Virgins" and "Women With Wings." They were all exhibited many times over the years at galleries in New York and in colleges. I am still working on these and just finished a painting of the Chinese goddess, Guan Yin.

What were some of the challenges or surprises you had with illustrating a book for Leap?

I completely misunderstood what kind of illustrations they wanted and did a very realistic drawing. Soon though, I realized that they wanted something symbolic and evocative. But once I 'got' it, things went smoothly and the whole experience was great!

Without thinking, what are the first three things that leap to mind when you're asked to list what you love most about being an illustrator for Leap Books? Quick!

The people, the enthusiasm, the final results. I can't wait to see the book illustrations in color.

Your plane just crashed on a deserted island. You have 30 seconds to grab a few items from your bag. What would you grab first?

Passport, warm sweater, eyeglasses.

What is the first piece of advice you'd give to an aspiring artist?

Believe in yourself and be independent. Be curious, don't believe in negative criticism and if you want to do something, just DO it.

If by drawing, you could change the world, what would you draw?

A new symbol of peace.

Thanks so much for joining us, Mary!  Here's Mary's art for the cover of the book and a bit more information about her.

  Fabulous, isn't it?

ARTIST, PROFESSOR of ART and AUTHOR, Mary B. Kelly has painted from childhood. Kelly holds a BFA degree in painting from St. Mary of the Woods College in Indiana, an MA degree from Rhode Island School of Design, and an MFA from Syracuse University. As a Full Professor of art, she taught painting for twenty-five years at Tompkins-Cortland Community College in Dryden, NY, an affiliate of the State University of New York. Since retiring to Hilton Head Island, SC, Kelly also teaches painting and drawing at the Hilton Head Art League Art Academy. She paints regularly with the art group, The Apple Pie Painters, and exhibited with them in the Greer Gallery of the Art Center of Coastal Carolina in April 2006 and at the Coastal Discovery Museum in the fall of 2005 and 2008.

Kelly has exhibited her paintings in more than 20 one-artist shows in commercial and university galleries and museums. She has been a featured artist in Mexico and in St. Petersburg, Russia. Currently she is represented by the Hilton Head Art League Gallery, where she has had two one-artist shows. A large retrospective show of her work, titled “Russian Reflections,” featured four series of her Russian paintings from February to May 2004 at the Roberson Museum in Binghamton, NY.

Hot Off the Press

This week we're celebrating the official release of For the Love of Strangers by Jacqueline Horsfall. Interior and cover art by Mary B. Kelly.

To celebrate, we're offering a special 30% off code that you can use in our bookstore to purchase your hot-off-the-press copy of For the Love of Strangers. From now until the end of February, if you type in FLOS30 at checkout, 30% will automatically be deducted from your order (and that includes any other books you purchase too).

We've ask the author and artist to share a bit about themselves on the blog so you can get to know them. Today we're posting an interview with Jacqueline. Enjoy!!

Please tell us a bit about yourself.

I’m a big believer in the idea that the world is not what it seems on the surface, that the reality we’re presented with every day is only a partial representation, like in the movie “The Matrix.” Some people call this magical thinking, but I go by certain events that have happened to me: a childhood vision, a near-death experience, and an excruciating period of personal transformation. Like the Queen says to Alice: “Sometimes I’ve believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast.” Writing fiction gives me the opportunity to explore some fringe topics with my characters, whether they like it or not.  

What is your first memory of reading/books? Of illustrations?

I never read “girls” books but loved The Three Musketeers and Tom Swift, Boy Scientist novels. Boy protagonists always seemed to have more fun, more excitement in their lives. My uncle worked in a paper mill and brought home boxes of paperbacks—without covers. From a very early age, I had an endless supply of adult books of every genre. My parents would have had coronaries if they had known what I was reading.

Were you always a writer?

Always. My aunt was a secretary with her own typewriter, and I’d beg her to let me use it to type my stories, slowly, by hunt and peck. I never played house with my siblings and cousins—I played Postmaster. They mailed letters at my post office, and I wrote replies to them, usually of the hilarious potty-humor type, of course.  

When did you first fall in love with writing and why?

First, I had a long love affair with poetry. I stayed after school so that I could use the typewriters in the business lab and type Elizabethan sonnets. I moved on to song lyrics, and submitted them to music companies, and the letters came back with contracts: “Accepted! Send money.” My first run-in with scams. 

What was the most challenging job (writing or otherwise) you’ve ever had?

Working as a legal secretary. The paperwork was endless, the legalese mind-numbing. I felt like a robot pumping out documents no one would read.

What were some of the surprises you had with working on a book for Leap?

I was surprised by my editor’s friendliness and willingness to consider my opinions. I’ve worked with some very curt editors whose deadline e-mails consisted of three words: “My desk. Friday.”

Without thinking, what are the first three things that leap to mind when you're asked to list what you love most about being an author for Leap Books? Quick!

Creative freedom, friendliness, attention to detail

Your plane just crashed on a deserted island. You have 30 seconds to grab a few items from your bag. What would you grab first?

My glasses. Or I wouldn’t be able to tell a coconut from a brown rock.

What is the first piece of advice you'd give to an aspiring writer?

Keep your day job.

If by writing, you could change the world, what would you most like to write?

Books where characters come to great realizations about themselves and their world views. Change starts with each of us, individually, like Michael Jackson’s song “Man in the Mirror.” (I’m starting with the man in the mirror, I’m asking him to change his ways.) 

Please tell us about your book and how you came to write it.

For the Love of Strangers is a mash-up of life events and interests: mythology, women’s rights, animal rights, mother/daughter relationships, animal consciousness. I originally wrote it as an MG novel, with a 12-year-old protagonist, interested only in saving the deer population. But the plot seemed too shallow. I decided to include some of the domestic violence issues I’d come across in my human services work, and that meant aging Darya to at least 16, and upping the age of the reading audience to young adult. I’d also traveled in Russia during the White Nights, and a friend of my DIL had recently returned from there with two children, siblings, one unexpected. It all fell together from there.

You're Invited!

This week author Jacqueline Horsfall is launching her latest book, For the Love of Strangers. For those in the Corning, NY, area, here are the exciting details:

EVENT:  Book Launch, For the Love of Strangers by Jacqueline Horsfall

DATE:  Saturday, February 19

TIME: 1:00 – 3:00

LOCATION: Southeast Steuben County Library, 300 Nasser Civic Center Plaza, Corning, NY

Open to all book lovers. Kids welcome. Food, fun, and friendly book chat. Free parking.

So come and join the fun. If you can't make the launch, stop by the library to get a copy of the book. Click the link above for directions.

The library has set up a “Meet the Author” display, with all of Jackie's books, and featuring For the Love of Strangers.

More about Jackie's release:

Philoxenia. When the police call using this code word, 16-year-old Darya knows she will be sheltering strangers: women with missing teeth, dislocated jaws, black eyes—and stalking husbands.

Other strangers—nonhuman—seek Darya’s protection too, whispering from the depths of the forest in voices only she can hear. If she obeys the voices, she risks her adoptive mother’s rage, the taunts of a surly island boy, and the wrath of her community. If she refuses the voices, a primeval species faces extermination.

What if you discovered your birth fulfilled an ancient prophecy?

What if you were destined to save an entire wild species?

Would you heed the call?

Congratulations to Jacqueline Horsfall

Cover art by Mary B. Kelly

FOR THE LOVE OF STRANGERS by Jacqueline Horsfall was chosen as a top recommended book and is featured in Bearemy Book Club’s winter spotlight books.

If you aren't familiar with Bearamy Bear's Book Club, it's part of the Build-A-Bear Workshop, "a partnership with First Book®, a national literacy organization that provides new books to children from low-income families. Through the sale of a special bear, Read Teddy®, Build-A-Bear Workshop and First Book hope to put books into the hands of children who would otherwise not have them."

"With the purchase of each Read Teddy, Build-A-Bear Workshop® donates 50¢ to First Book® to provide new books to children from low-income families and 50¢ to the Build-A-Bear Workshop Bear Hugs Foundation to support other literacy and educational programs and the administrative expenses related to these programs."

Bearamy Bear's Book Club was started to encourage kids to read. It also gives kids a voice in reviewing and rating books. If you've had a chance to read this terrific book, please go the spotlight page to enter your own personal paw rating and leave your comments.

FOR THE LOVE OF STRANGERS is top pick

"For the Love of Strangers" is a thoughtful and exciting read, making for a top pick." ~Midwest Book Review 

Philoxenia. When the police call using this code word, 16-year-old Darya knows she will be sheltering strangers: women with missing teeth, dislocated jaws, black eyes—and stalking husbands.

Other strangers—nonhuman—seek Darya’s protection too, whispering from the depths of the forest in voices only she can hear. If she obeys the voices, she risks her adoptive mother’s rage, the taunts of a surly island boy, and the wrath of her community. If she refuses the voices, a primeval species faces extermination.

What if you discovered your birth fulfilled an ancient prophecy?

What if you were destined to save an entire wild species?

Would you heed the call?

Russian Adoptive Parents Fear for Their Safety

St. Basil by Paul Martin Eldridge

Many people have been following the story of Artyom Savelyev (Artyem Saveliev). This incident also shed a spotlight on the difficulties adoptive parents face. Parents fearful for the safety of other family members or their communities have spoken out about some of the challenges they’ve confronted with their adopted children. One mother profiled on The Stir: A Café Mom Blog sleeps with a lock on her door, and another warned school officials her son was violent before the eighth grader pulled out a gun at school (Star Tribune, MN,  4/8/10).

Photo by Simon Howden

Many children in Russian orphanages suffer from fetal alcohol syndrome, which can cause attachment disorders and developmental delays. So living with and loving these children can be difficult. One organization that offers support for these parents is the Ranch for Kids Project, which helps adopted children, especially those from Russia. Its equine therapy and outdoor program provide healing benefits for these "at risk" kids.

Leap Books author Jacqueline Horsfall also explores the ties between Russian adoptees and nature through the eyes of her 16-year-old protagonist, Darya, who was adopted from Russia and brought to America as a child. Darya feels a strange, mystical connection to the deer the rest of the town is intent on hunting. But is that tie strong enough to fight her whole community, especially when she is struggling to overcome deep feelings of isolation and insecurity?

Watch for Horsfall’s timely book, For the Love of Strangers, coming from Leap Books in Fall 2010.

Russian Adoptees Wonder: Am I Secure?

Leap Books author Jacqueline Horsfall has firsthand knowledge about Russian adoption, which prompted her to write For the Love of Strangers.

From the time Horsfall's 16-year-old protagonist, Darya, is taken from the orphanage, she is plagued with doubts. Does the stranger who adopted her truly love her and want keep her? Or will Darya someday be sent back to Russia? With skill and sensitivity, Horsfall explores this delicate balance in the adoptive child's relationship with her new and foreign parent. Though Darya is a strong lead character, one who chooses to take on a fight against the town's leading citizens, her life is colored by the sadness and uncertainty of her early life and the constant fear that being adopted does not mean being loved or secure.

The fact that Darya's fears could be real was brought into stark relief by the media over the past month or so. Seven-year-old Artyom Savelyev lived out Darya's nightmare when he was sent back alone to Russia in April 2010. ABC's Good Morning America captured this heartbreaking story in a video called "Adoption Gone Wrong."

Hot Topic: Russian Adoptions

Church On Red Square by Paul Martin Eldridge

"When I heard about the adoptive family who sent their 7-year-old boy back to Russia, I was saddened, but I wasn't surprised," said Josephine Ruggiero, parent of three Russian siblings and author of the article, "When Adoption Isn't Easy" (Newsweek, 4/26/10). Neither was Leap Books author Jackie Horsfall.

Jackie's soon-to-be-released novel, For the Love of Strangers (Fall, 2010), mirrors the attachment and behavioral issues faced by adoptive families, and now splashed across news headlines: "Shipping an Adopted Son Back to Russia" (New York Times 4/9/10) and "Why Won't Anyone Adopt These Kids?" (CNN, 4/28/10).

"It's a hot news item now," Jackie says, "but I wrote the first draft of my novel over ten years ago, after learning of a friend's trip to Russia to adopt two children.  I saw the adjustment struggles these kids were having right from the start."

But Jackie also saw glimmers of hope after traveling to St. Petersburg.  "Russia has many problems but also a powerful mythology, one I've allowed my 16-year-old protagonist to personify.  I hope every struggling Russian child, and his or her adoptive family, can identify with Darya's situation and have a conversation about it."