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NewswireTODAY - /newswire/ -
San Diego, CA, United States, 2013/12/20 - Award-winning artist J. B. Chicoine announces the release of her first Leila Sanders novel, Portrait of a Girl Running (ISBN 9780615887340), a new adult/women’s fiction publication from Straw Hill Publishing - JBChicoine.com.
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An avid runner and talented watercolor artist, seventeen-year-old Leila has survived an unstable childhood in a biracial family with two dads, surrounded by drug addiction and blues musicians. When the tragedy of one of her fathers’ deaths sends her to Long Island to live with her step-grandfather, she meets the handsome track coach, Ian Brigham and the curmudgeonly math teacher, Clarence Myles, who recognizes Leila’s strength and courage and alternately challenges and protects her. When Leila is accused of misconduct by a jealous gym instructor, the resulting judicial hearings put her autonomy, and even her dignity, at risk.
Written in vibrant, lyrical prose, Chicoine’s writing provides a number of unexpected plot twists that keep readers rooting for Leila. Chicoine’s characters, along with the accurately drawn Long Island setting, provide a detailed glimpse into the life of a high school student on the cusp of adulthood, who must navigate the world of adult rules and moral judgments on her own. Leila’s struggles with grown-up choices about life and love reflect those faced by many young people who are coming of age, making her story a particularly relevant and satisfying read for new adults and those who enjoy strong female protagonists.
“I wrote Girl Running for my husband nearly seven years ago, and it has always been my favorite,” said Chicoine. “Like me, Leila is a watercolor artist, and developing her character was very much like painting a portrait: I added layers as I went along, creating depth as she faced various challenges and explored her longing for freedom and independence, along with her desire to find true love. I hope readers enjoy her and the other characters in Girl Running and find them as complex and intriguing as I have.”
J. B. Chicoine (jbchicoine.com) was born on Long Island, New York, and grew up in Amityville during the 1960s and 70s. She studied at the Fashion Institute of Technology in Manhattan, but found that rural life in New Hampshire better suited her disposition. She has also lived in Kansas City and Michigan, although her favorite setting for novels is New England. She has been writing stories since she was a girl and has completed four novels: Uncharted: Story for a Shipwright, Spilled Coffee, Portrait of a Girl Running, and its sequel, Portrait of a Protégé. When she's not writing or painting, she enjoys designing book covers and binding novels, doing volunteer work, baking crusty breads, and working on various projects with her husband.
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