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'First
Daughters' Jewels' tells of change and growing up
The Avenue News, May 14, 2003, by Jean Flanagan
In the
early 1990s Sara Ruffini got an idea for a story. The Catholic
Church was going through a period of upheaval because of sexual
abuse allegations.
"I
thought, what if a priest was accused of abuse and it wasn't
true? What if there was some ulterior motive in the accusation,"
she said.
Some time
later, while taking a writing class through the Institute
of Children's Literature, Ruffini was given an assignment.
She was told to write a scene that would later become part
of a 2,500 word short story. The idea of the wrongly accused
priest resurfaced.
"The
story took on a life of its own," Ruffini laughed. Nearly
ten years later, the idea has become a published novel for
middle school children called "First Daughters' Jewels."
It's the story of change, of
growing up, of small-town living and of learning what we're
capable of doing in a crisis.
The story
takes place in the small town of Rock Point, Pa. Lauren Waverly
was having a hard time adjusting to some of the changes going
on in her life. Her brother, and confidant, has gone off to
college. Her best friend has a new boyfriend and little time
for her anymore. Her mother is upset about a visitor in town.
And the visitor seems to make everyone uneasy, especially
Lauren. More than anything, she just wants things to stay
the same.
Ruffini
said some parts of the book is autobiographical. She grew
up in the small town of Ebensburg, Pa.
"I
went to high school in a town where everybody knows everybody,"
she said.
"And
I was in fifth grade when my older sister went off to college."
When Lauren
finally finds someone she can confide in, someone she can
trust -- the young Father Dave -- he is accused of "inappropriate
behavior." Much to
Lauren's surprise, the victim is supposed to be her. The ulterior
motive behind the accusations has to do with a family secret
and the town's history.
"I
guess the point of the book is that we really need to believe
children when they tell us something, although what they tell
us may not always be the truth," Ruffini said.
She said
a Catholic nun read the book and thought it was excellent.
"She
said it should be read by every parent, child and teacher,"
Ruffini said.
Her daughter
thinks it could become a Hollywood movie.
"I'm
cool to my pre-teen daughter," Ruffini said.
"She
said every time she reads it she gets something different
out of it. She can see herself in Lauren."
Ruffini
said she understands a lot of authors send their books out
to publishers by the hundreds.
"I
couldn't take that amount of rejection," she said. So
she just sent the manuscript out to publishers she thought
would be interested in publishing her book. "I did a
lot of research on the Internet," she said.
One day,
while visiting White Marsh Mall, she came across another author
who had been published through Publish America. That was in
November, 2002.
"I
went to their web site and filled out the forms and a few
days later they asked to see the entire manuscript,"
Ruffini said.
The book
was accepted by Publish America on Dec. 27 and she had the
finished product by the first day of spring.
Ruffini
will host a book signing at St. Anthony of Padua School, 4410
Frankford Ave. on Sunday, May 18 from 11 a.m. until 2 p.m.
"First Daughters' Jewels" will be on sale for $14.95.
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