Christmassy science fiction ebook to benefit Autism Speaks, in memory of teacher killed at Newton

Liz writes, "In the spirit of Charles Dickens, bestselling author Elizabeth Hand is donating all royalties from the new e-book edition of her holiday classic, Chip Crockett's Christmas Carol, to Autism Speaks in memory of Anne Marie Murphy, a high school classmate killed in the Newtown shootings. A finalist for the World Fantasy Award, Hand's modern carol recasts the original with a Joey Ramone wannabe, the ghost of a beloved childhood TV show, and the redemption of a father estranged from his autistic child. Reviewers call it 'a delight' and 'absolutely perfect reading.' 'There are people who reread 'Chip Crockett's Christmas Carol' every year, and that makes me happier than almost anything.' -Clarkesworld."

Last Christmas season, twenty first-grade children and six faculty members died in the inconceivable horror of the shooting in Newtown, Connecticut (perpetrated by a deeply troubled young man who had undefinedAsperger's). One of those children was Dylan Hockley, an autistic child who died in the arms of his special-education teacher, Anne Marie Murphy. I knew Anne Marie as Annie McGowan: She was a classmate of my younger sister Kathleen at John F. Kennedy Catholic High School, attended by both our families. Kath described Annie as "a good friend, but probably every person who knew her considered themselves to be her good friend, because she made them feel that way."

Anne Marie's parents have asked that any donations in their daughter's memory be given to Autism Speaks, America's largest autism advocacy and research organization. All royalties from this edition of Chip Crockett's Christmas Carol will go to Autism Speaks in Anne Marie Murphy's name. You can learn more about this organization, or contribute individually to Anne Marie's tribute page, at the links below.

Chip Crockett's Christmas Carol
(Thanks, Liz!)