Imagine being able to help hundreds of terminally ill children. With a winning combination of newfound talent, a generosity of spirit, and deeply held faith, a first time author from Hicksville is finding a way to do just that.
Christine Pfaender Leone published her children’s book, God Has A Plan: The Adventures of Magic Marie, in April 2014. While many first time authors would be happily reaping the benefits from the sales of their first book, Leone has chosen a different path.
“All of the net profits from my book are going directly to St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital,” proudly proclaimed Leone. “I made the choice to give back when I thought of all of the children in this world who feel empty and alone, and who may not believe in themselves because of their illness. I want them to have a reason to believe.”
That reason to believe is the theme of her book, which is about a young girl who faces and eventually conquers all of her fears. The young protagonist was inspired by her oldest grandchild, Marie.
The bonds between grandmother and granddaughter were formed early on, when in 2003 soon after Marie was born, Leone decided to retire early from the teaching job she loved at Trinity Lutheran School in Hicksville to take care of Marie during the day after Leone’s daughter-in-law finished her maternity leave and needed to return to work.
“It was a marvelous time caring for Marie and then her little sister Sophia,” explained Leone. After seven years as a caregiver the girls were both in school full-time and Leone found herself at a bit of a crossroads. “I wasn’t sure what to do with myself now that I wasn’t caring for the girls anymore. I was feeling a little lost,” Leone said.
Her younger son had a solution, reminding her of a dream she had to be a writer. Her writing ambitions started early on when she was growing up in the Hicksville home she now shares with her husband Michael, her high school sweetheart. As a child Leone often had vivid dreams of all sorts of adventures. “My mother always encouraged me to write a book about my dreams,” explains Leone, but raising her two sons, Michael and Matthew, and being a full-time first grade teacher left little time for her long-standing dream.
That is until the prodding words from her younger son, who even bought her a laptop to encourage her. In the fall of 2011, Leone was convinced the time was right, and began working on her book. Two years later the book was complete, and just a few short months after that, a colleague of her husband’s put her in touch with a publisher who, after reading the book, readily agreed to publish it.
Leone refuses to take the credit for any of her writing or good fortune. “God has chosen my plan for my life and has guided me every step of the way,” she said.
That guidance, she explains, is what led her to the choice to donate all of the net profits from her book. “I always knew that I was going to give back in some way,” happily explained Leone. “It was never about the money, it was always about fulfilling God’s plan for me.”
Being long time supporters of St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital, Leone and her husband knew that it would be the perfect charity to donate the profits of her book. “We are so blessed with healthy children and grandchildren. The research they do can help doctors to save so many children’s lives,” a hopeful Leone stated.
Leone plans to write at least three more books, one for each of her other grandchildren, Sophia, Alyssa and Luke.
Her book is available on amazon.com under Christine Pfaender Leone The Adventures of Magic Marie.
