Merin Highlights
Now sold at New Dominion Bookshop in historic downtown Charlottesville
Author visits with:
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The Gus Bus After School Program
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Elementary Schools
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Gemeinschaft Home Grief Support Group
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RISE Summer School Program
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Bookstores in Virginia and Minnesota
Events with:
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WMRA Books & Brews
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Rocktown Author Festival
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Story Time With Mr. Limata
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Camp Lighthouse with Sentara Hospice
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Interview with Dee Dee Jackson Foundation
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Book launch at RISE Organization
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Center For Adoption Support and Education
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National Symposium on Children's Grief
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The Sadie Rose Foundation
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Harrisonburg Unitarian Fellowship
Favorite Testimonial:
From Peter Limata with Story Time With Mr. Limata: "Merin by far tops my most powerful and impactful list of 2021."
Some of Lori's Favorite Testimonials From Author Visits With Students:
"I liked that it talked about things that happen in real life even though it was sad."
“My favorite part was when Merin found out that her star was Venus.” –Sonya
Gina Moffa
Grief Therapist and author of Moving On Doesn’t Mean Letting Go:
Merin And Her Very Bright Star is a book of loss, discovery, healing and hope all intertwined. A child who experiences painful loss can feel lost, confused, and overwhelmed by the too-muchness of grief. This book gives hope that healing can come from deep loss — the way that Merin created a way to stay connected to her parents is one of the most hopeful and resilient things a child can do. They can remember that even if the people we love die, the relationship can still exist. And the love isn’t over. This book is special— honest, creative, thoughtful, and inspiring… a must have for any family enduring loss, and those who simply want to teach about it, since loss is universal, after all. Thank you for this beauty book, Lori!
The Gus Bus After-School Program:
Lori’s expertise, kindness, patience, humility, and love shown through with each and every page she
turned, passage she read aloud, and questions she answered. It was an honor to have her speak with
my students and it was an inspirational event for many of my students. -Lindsey Park-
The Sustainable Arts Foundation:
Such a poignant story. This line made me tear up: "At that age, she did not know how to miss them, and now, she does not know how to remember them."
The imagery here is absolutely gorgeous. Really taps into the sensory detail and makes us feel along with the main character: "The very first time she saw rainbow sherbet colored lights dancing in the night sky…the very first crystalline trees and milky white snow of winter…shiny feathers, and glittering stones for skipping…sprightly dandelion spirits…the thinking path in between the birch trees… the
watchful blue heron at the edge of the lake… the inviting church bells bonging… the motherly
community garden."
And this sentence as well: "listening to the echo of wailing loons as the last light in the
sky turned to indigo and dim stars emerged." This author is truly gifted with descriptive language that lingers. -Tony and Caroline Grant-
