Local Author Donating Proceeds from Novel to Charity

The proceeds of Greenfield-based author Diana Laurence new novel, Aggie’s Nine Heroes, will be used to support the charitable organization Kiva.org.

“The novel is about a young girl with a flair for entrepreneurship and a passionate desire to help others,” Laurence said in a news release. “It seemed fitting to me that the book ‘put its money where its mouth is’ by providing funding to an appropriate charity. I could find no better fit than Kiva.”

The book tells the story of Aggie Borkowski, a bright and unusual girl raised in Chicago by her grandfather Bernie. Bernie’s spirit — undaunted by personal tragedy and a sometimes-terrifying handicap — is key to the realization of his granddaughter’s dream of creating a team of heroes.

“Bernie, Aggie, and her heroes are ordinary people who use their resources in a positive way, sometimes touching just one life at a time," Laurence said. "Kiva, whose slogan is ‘Loans that change lives,’ works in a similar way."

Kiva.org is a non-profit organization that allows people to lend money to microfinance institutions in developing countries around the world, which in turn lend the money to small businesses and students.

“Knowing my book will serve this purpose just enhances the experience of sharing it with readers,” Laurence said. “I believe likewise that readers’ enjoyment of the novel will be augmented by knowing their purchase helped others. In a real way, they will become part of Aggie’s team of heroes.”