Submitted by Jan Crossen

November is National Adoption Awareness Month and Lopez author, Jan Crossen, is one of many Lopezians who has grown her family through adoption. Jan is excited to announce the publication of two books on the subject. Jan’s children’s book, FOREVER, is the true story of the night she met her son, Joshua, who was a young African American boy living in foster care. This story takes place on a cold holiday night, when eight year old Joshua met a white woman who would become his adoptive and forever mom. “I wrote the book for my granddaughter, Brooklyn, who lives in California,” Crossen said. “I wanted her to know the story of how her daddy and I met. This is part of her story now too.” Lopez artist, Karen Hattman, created the illustrations for this heartwarming book, which is perfect for the upcoming Christmas holidays.

Jan’s second book, They Call Me CAT, is fictional but inspired by Crossen’s adopted son. It is the story of Joshua, a young African American boy who was adopted as an older child into an interracial home with two loving mothers. Joshua is like a lucky cat who has defied death on several occasions. His life was threatened even while he was still in his birth mother’s womb. Like many adopted teens, Joshua struggled to understand his identity and his past. This is a tale of self discovery and learning to cope with the challenges of living with a brain disability caused by fetal exposure to alcohol. It is a story of survival, relationships, love, and hope. Both books are available from Amazon and the Lopez Bookshop.