Local Attorney Turned Author Launches Kickstarter Campaign To Raise Funds For Charming Christmas Stories

Leslie Martin Lajewski has been writing children’s stories for a long time. She just didn’t know it.

“When my son was very young,” Leslie explains, “he wrote to Santa, asking for a sleigh bell for Christmas. Being an A-type personality, I couldn’t let Santa just leave a bell under the tree. Santa needed to identify which reindeer wore the sleigh bell, share the story of how that reindeer joined Santa’s team, and explain the message imparted by the sleigh bell that my son just received. I quickly realized that there are no tried-and-true stories about any of Santa’s reindeer other than Rudolph. I began doing research on reindeer in general, and on Santa’s reindeer, in particular. Then I started writing. What resulted was a Christmas tradition in our house where my son received a different reindeer’s sleigh bell every year along with a long letter from Santa telling that reindeer’s story.”

Leslie has now taken those stories, collaborated with illustrator Steve DeBeus, and developed a set of eight hard cover children’s picture books titled The Sleigh Bell Letters -- Untold Stories of Santa’s Reindeer. Leslie and Steve are now putting the finishing touches on the first two books: The Story of Donner and The Story of Blitzen. Even better, Leslie has done considerable research to develop an accompanying sleigh bell for each story. Each book comes with its own sleigh bell that will be engraved with each reindeer’s name, making them unique and special to each story.

Like so many others, Leslie has been big on creative ideas but short on the financial resources needed to bring her stories to life. That’s when Leslie turned to Kickstarter. According to Kickstarter’s website, “Kickstarter helps artists, musicians, filmmakers, designers, and other creators find the resources and support they need to make their ideas a reality. To date, tens of thousands of creative projects -- big and small -- have come to life with the support of the Kickstarter community.” One of the key elements for Leslie is that, while the Kickstarter community may help fund her stories, she maintains complete creative control over her work.

Leslie is looking to raise $16,160 on Kickstarter to get her first two books printed and the matching sleigh bells manufactured. Backers have a choice of supporting anywhere from $10 to $2,500 and, depending upon the size of the contribution, will receive a reward ranging from “eternal gratitude” to Leslie appearing at a school or hospital of choice to read and donate 24 copies of the books and sleigh bells. Leslie’s Kickstarter campaign runs from October 13th to November 15th. As Leslie admits, “the nail biting part of Kickstarter is that it’s an all-or-nothing fundraising event. If the full $16,160 is not funded by November 15th, all pledges to support me will be cancelled and the stories will not be funded.” With a smile, she quickly adds, “Please don’t let that happen!”

For more details on Leslie’s stories and Kickstarter campaign and on how you can support her, visit the project’s page at: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/117236445/the-sleigh-bell-letters-untold-stories-of-santas-r

Leslie is a 22-year resident of Madison, New Jersey. She was a highly recognized and awarded lawyer who practiced labor and employment law across the country until she made the decision to stay home with her two sons several years ago. Since then, she has kept herself busy through multiple school and town committees and activities. She currently sits on the Madison Board of Education and the Madison Downtown Development Commission.