Maurice’s Daughter
Written and illustrated by Galina J. Fouks-Abele
A Book of Healing….
WWW.GalinaFouks.com
Charleston, SC - - The Fig & The Vine Publishing, LLC is pleased to announce the publication of a very special new children’s book, Maurice’s Daughter; written and illustrated by award winning artist Galina Fouks, it is a lyrical story of love and loss that provides comfort to anyone who has lost a loved one. The magical illustrations are inspired by a series of prophetic dreams that Galina had following the tragic death of her father, renowned Chicago artist Maurice Fouks.
“If there was anything gained from my dad’s death,” Galina commented, “it was the dreams that led me to him in a world I could have never imagined if he had never passed away.”
About Maurice's Daughter
When an artist father dies, his grieving daughter wonders if laughter will ever resound in the house again, or if she will ever be able to feel joy. A dream visit to heaven, where she is guided by glorious and loving angels to her father, shows that her Dad is in the place where he is loved and treasured by his own Heavenly Father. She learns that her father will live in her heart forever and one day, she will join him in heaven. Until then, life is a beautiful gift to be cherished day by day. The personal journal section at the end of the book helps grieving loved ones remember the wonderful aspects of the person they are missing, as well as how beautiful their own lives can be in order to fulfill their loved one’s deepest wishes for them.
About the Author:
Galina received a full five year scholarship in college for volleyball, receiving top honors and earning a BA from The University of South Florida. Furthering her education in the Arts, she then moved to Atlanta, Georgia and received a degree in Art Education at Georgia State University. Later, she completed her Masters Program in New York City with a degree in School Leadership: Administration and Supervision. She has taught Special Education Art for the past decade and recently went into Administration for a private school, Acacia Academy, for children with Learning Disabilities K-12, located outside of Chicago. She recently married the love of her life in Sarasota, Florida and now resides in Tampa Bay, Florida. You can meet Galina at Barnes and Noble on June 4th, 2010 from 7-8:30pm located at 11802 North Dale Mabry in Tampa for a Book Signing.
Maurice's Daughter can be found at Barnes and Noble, Borders, Book World, Circle Books, Books A Million and online at Amazon. Moffit Cancer Hospital and TideWell Hospice Centers for Grief and Bereavement are now using Maurice's Daughter as a tool to help comfort children.
Statement from the publisher Lily-Herndon Weaks:
Maurice’s Daughter represents exactly what The Fig & The Vine Publishing is meant to do – Help others come into their own divine gifts, both by publishing works by authors who have something of value to share with the world, and having readers be inspired, healed, and encouraged by those works.
Maurice’s Daughter: Written and illustrated by Galina J. Fouks
Available November 2009 Hardback: $19.95 retail, ISBN 978-0-9841087-0-1
Paperback: $14.95 retail, ISBN 978-0-9841087-3-2
My recent publication of Maurice's Daughter, A Book of Healing, is my first children's book that I wrote and illustrated. It is a bitter sweet moment though for me, I never dreamt this would be the theme or the subject matter if I was to write a book. This would become my destiny ironically when it fell into my lap the night my dad was killed in October, 1995. I am deeply humbled by the fact that the greatest pain I ever witnessed and felt; a pain so tough it brought me to my knees many nights has now brought a beautiful calm to my life by helping others. I always questioned why my dad's life was taken so prematurely and why him. I do know now whole heartily that his death and His Story is now helping others. It fills me up with great peace that my words and illustrations can comfort someone in their worst hour. While I was creating the book, I imagined the faces of children holding my book and being comforted. My emphasis was to create a tool to soften the reality of the loss and give any reader, regardless of their age, hope and warmth through out the story.
I was never deeply religious, I was not raised with a faith, so, after his death I really felt like I was drowning in a very sad world of grief. I didn't know how to heal myself. Then one day my Great Aunt asked me if I would meet her at church. Church? I never went to church!? Though, The one place that was very foreign to me became my sanctuary every Sunday with my Southern Aunties. For many months I felt the minister spoke directly to me. Months after my dad's death he spoke about "life is going so fast... for us to slow down... take notice of the world we are in and take time to stop and smell the flowers." Literally, that day I went to walk my dog and I stood next to a bed of pink and red roses and an enormous Magnolia Tree in Atlanta and enjoyed their fragrance. In Hindsight, I am sure I have stopped "to smell the roses" before but this time was different. The world was all okay and it was a moment I could easily go back to because it is so etched in my memory. I felt there was a reason why I stood there for so long. That scene became the first page I painted for my children's book. I actually stood next to the flowers and really examined all my senses. It was beautiful and the scent was breathtaking. I felt alive and for a brief second a smile reappeared on my face again that had been missing for a long time. Later that week I went to visit my Great Aunt Ann. When she greeted me at the doorstep, she welcomed me with a warm hug and clapped her hands like an 8th grade cheerleader shouting "oh look, her dark circles are fading, I can see your face again."
To be continued...
GFA
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