My book is accepted for publication!

I wrote a book for children about the life of Dr. Venerable Jerome Lejeune and it was accepted for publication by Spark/Word on Fire. I am now under contract with them and beyond delighted! Truly, the heart is overflowing with gratitude to God--it has been all His grace!

It has been a long story.

I first thought of writing it after discussing the recent biography of the great doctor with my sister in Germany, an excellent biography written by the postulator of the cause. In both Catholic schools where I worked, I looked for books for children about him and found nothing. Not only I didn’t find anything, I also realized that all scientists’ biographies for children were by secular publishers. Not one by a Catholic publisher. So I thought of a series of Catholic scientists that should be in every Catholic school library and home: a wonderful way to raise children with good knowledge of science and how there is indeed great harmony between solid science and Catholic faith.  

I wrote it this past spring when I was still teaching, and by the advice of my science consultor Stacy Trasancos I submitted it to TAN publishers. In the train, on my way to speak at the Well-Read Mom conference in Minnesota, I received a rejection letter from the publishers. The fact that I was going to the conference itself felt like a miracle since I had been terribly ill with pneumonia and I thought the doctor would tell me to go to bed…  instead he said I could go to Minnesota. I could hardly believe it! Two days before I had told my daughter in St. Paul that it would be a miracle for me to be able to go. I had been undergoing further tests as the doctors were concerned about my lung images... Husband and I were almost levitating as we left the doctor's office.

Anyway by chatting with WRM editor Carla Galdo at the conference, the one who (thankfully and beautifully) goes over the writings I do for them, she mentioned that the keynote speaker from Word on Fire was the editor of the new children’s publication department, and was looking for new ideas.  They were very receptive, and once I sent all my materials, it was quick! The timing was perfect, by God’s hands, as Word on Fire has a new fellowship honoring this great doctor, the father of modern genetics.

So here I am, doing final edits with them, under contract, with an Italian illustrator also under contract with them, and preparing to write more books on the series of Catholic scientists for children, the next one on Saint Albert the Great, father of natural sciences.