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HOME OF CHAMP...

THE
BUZZ

"An Instant Classic!  Perhaps once per decade a story comes along like "Lucy and the Lake Monster" to inspire, empower, and equip children with the tools they need to walk this journey of life with faith, confidence, and wisdom." 

(TV-6 NEWS)

"A gift to bring joy and smiles to the children of the world..." (Religion News Service)

***** "Five Stars Out Of Five! Lucy and the Lake Monster by Richard Rossi and Kelly Tabor is a deeply thoughtful, heart-warming, inspirational, and timeless children's novel. Lucy and the Lake Monster is an excellent book, beautifully written and filled with many pearls of wisdom that will inspire children never to lose their childlike wonder." (Readers' Favorite, Jennie More)

"Riveting, delightful and thought-provoking for both children and the ones who love them, Lucy & The Lake Monster is a beautiful tale woven from strands of loss, grief, disappointment, and the ultimate victory of pure love through the unwavering faith of a curious little girl and her grandfather “Papa”. 
    We see that too often a child’s magical dreams are dashed by a life that doesn’t align with the fairytales found in the average children’s book. One of the valuable lessons we receive from Lucy and Papa is the reminder that faith in things unseen will triumph over the adversities that can seem insurmountable. We all have a “Champ” in our lives that grabs our hearts and imaginations, but the world tells us that it is smarter than our dreams. Should we tamp down faith to conform to “facts” and “reality”? What if we didn’t? Allow little Lucy to take you on that journey. 
   As an educator for emotionally impaired students, it is refreshing to read a book that more closely reflects the real experiences in the lives of a growing number of children. I highly recommend Lucy & The Lake Monster for both home and school libraries." (Rebecca Covington)

Book Signings

Long Lines for 'Lucy & the Lake Monster' 

GREENVILLE, S.C. — After an extremely successful Upstate book signing, the authors of Lucy and the Lake Monster will be back in bookstores to assuage those who waited hours in line to meet them and get their books signed.

Upstate residents will get the opportunity to meet the authors of Lucy and the Lake Monster for a second time on Saturday, June 24 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Barnes & Noble Bookstore at The Shops at Greenridge, 1125 Woodruff Road, Greenville as a stop on the tour for the beloved book.

Lucy and the Lake Monster tells the tale of a 9-year-old orphan and her grandfather as they search for a sea serpent in Lake Champlain – one of the largest national lakes in the country and located in the heart of the Adirondack Mountains in New York and Vermont. They battle bullies, naysayers, and mercenary forces seeking to exploit them. Their journey is an allegory for humanity's search for spirituality and carries a strong anti-bullying message. Published in 2022, it is the first in the proposed series.

It is the work of Kelly Tabor Cromer, a retired Greenville County Schools teacher, and Richard Rossi, a filmmaker whose works include the award-winning Canaan Land and Baseball’s Last Hero: 21 Clemente Stories that starred Olympian Jamie Nieto and Project Runway winner Marlinda Rivera. Hundreds and hundreds of Greenville County students heard the stories of Champ, the named given to the Lake Champlain legend, over the decades from Cromer.

The two have been friends since they were undergrads at Liberty University, and the project came together in the past few years. Rossi was playing the role of Rev. Charles Dodgson aka Lewis Carroll in a stage musical in Los Angeles about Alice in Wonderland. He got the inspiration to write a classic children's story of his own since he had just become a grandfather.

After a series of surgeries where he almost died, he moved the children’s book from the inspiration list to the bucket list. That is where he remembered Tabor Cromer’s stories of Champ, the legendary creature that lived in the murky waters of Lake Champlain near where she grew up.

They wrote the book together over the course of the year often using Zoom to communicate since Rossi lives in California and Tabor Cromer lives in Greenville, obviously. During the course of creating the book, Rossi started working on a film version as well because it was such an inspirational story.

They filmed for a month in her town of Crown Point last summer, and the movie is in the editing process and will be released later this year. Actress Emma Pearson plays the lead character of Lucy. Tabor Cromer plays the part of her school teacher, Miss Marino. Rossi plays Lucy's grandfather, Papa.

 

Book Tour Gallery

Book Becomes Phenomenon

If you would like your local bookstore to host authors Kelly Tabor & Richard Rossi on the book signing tour, email richardrossi@lucyandthelakemonster.com  and give the name of your local bookstore and the address and phone number. 

Kelly Tabor

Writer, Assistant Director

“For me, growing up in Crown Point was magical. Hearing stories of our legendary Champ, captivated my interest as I swam and explored the shorelines and waters of Lake Champlain. As a teacher, I later took those stories and experiences I had with me into the classroom and shared them with hundreds of students over the years, piquing their interest.”

“Champ, the sea serpent, is an allegory for God. The pure in heart, like Lucy, see Champ as good. Others teach Champ is a monster for mercenary purposes, 
the way manipulative ministers scare people today.” 
Richard Rossi, Co-Writer

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