"Icy Sparks," one of the best novels I have ever read, is set in rural Kentucky in the 1950s. It is a hard life for ten-year-old Icy Sparks, an orphan who lives with her grandparents. Icy’s life becomes even more difficult when she develops violent tics and uncontrollable cursing—symptoms of Tourette Syndrome, a troubling affliction that is not diagnosed until she becomes an adult. Icy’s adolescence is marred by the humiliation of her illness and its all-too-visible symptoms.

Narrated by a now grown up Icy, this book is an emotional and breathtaking combination of fire and ice that overflows with love and hope.

I am pleased to announce that the author, Gwyn Hyman Rubio, will be at the Jesse Stuart Foundation on Friday, January 27, 2006 for a booksigning and public lecture. She’ll sign books from 2:30 - 4:30 and then make a public presentation from 7-8 p.m. that evening. She’ll also sign books the next morning, Saturday, January 28th, from 10 a.m - noon. I am announcing this program well in advance, so that parents and school personnel can plan to attend this very important activity.

I have talked with several area school superintendents and they suggest Mrs. Rubio’s program would be helpful to counselors, superintendents, principals, teachers, aids, and personnel from various federally-funded programs.

Of course, parents who have a child with Tourette Syndrome or obsessive compulsive disorder would also benefit form this book and program.

Mrs. Rubio’s evening program is free, but we would like for you to call 606-326-1667 and tell us that you plan to attend. That will help us with our setup and preparation.

"Icy Sparks" has enjoyed national sales success. It was a New York Times Bestseller and it was also selected for Oprah’s Book Club. More than a million copies have been sold.

During her Friday evening program, Rubio will also discuss her second book, "The Woodsman’s Daughter," a novel set in the longleaf pine and turpentining culture of South Georgia. It is an old fashioned epic of a family’s dreams and dramas over three generations. Rubio has a special feel for the subtle dynamics of class, race, and marriage in the past century.

Silas House wrote that "The Woodsman’s Daughter" presents one of the "most memorable heroines I have ever encountered. Every word is perfectly chosen and every sentence is beauty."

In addition to being a public program, Rubio’s Friday evening book talk will be the first meeting of the Regional Readers book club in 2006.

Rubio’s books are available in the Jesse Stuart Foundation Bookstore, 1645 Winchester Avenue, in downtown, Ashland.

For more information, call (606) 326-1667 or visit our website: JSFBOOKS.COM.