LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 19, 2007--FATHER MICHAEL'S LOTTERY: A NOVEL OF AFRICA by Johan Steyn, a debut novel concerning the AIDS crisis in Southern Africa, has just been named a Booksense Notable for January 2008, according to the publisher Schaffner Press, Inc. of Tucson, Az.

The Booksense endorsement is the latest accolade bestowed upon this novel which just hit the street in America with a SRP of $26.95.
Highly acclaimed in South Africa upon its initial publication in trade paper, FATHER MICHAEL'S LOTTERY has received hearty endorsements from two Booker Award winners, Ian McEwan and Margaret Drabble, as well as glowing advance reviews.

The novel concerns the daily struggles, both tragic and comedic, of a rural clinic in the heart of AIDS-ravaged southern Africa. First published in South Africa by Kwa-Zulu University Press in 2005, it is a semiautobiographical portrayal of a doctor and his staff in their struggle in the fight against the disease as well as the ignorance and arrogance of the hospital administrators.

To launch the U.S. publication, Schaffner Press will host two events in the Los Angeles bookselling community on Dec. 1st, International AIDS Awareness Day, at Barnes & Noble at The Grove at 4 p.m., and at 7 p.m. that evening at Book Soup in West Hollywood. The presentation will feature a noted guest speaker and short video documentary about the author and the clinic where he works as chief medical officer in Botswana, as well as a phone-linked interview with him during which he will take a few minutes between his rounds that night to field questions from the audience. Collectible bookplates, previously signed by the author, will be inserted into each copy of the books sold at these events.

With this event Dr. Steyn will be able to interact with people halfway around the world, and never have to leave his clinic in Botswana where he works tirelessly as a medical officer. Publisher Tim Schaffner remarked, "I am proud to be able to bring this book to an American readership as it holds such a vital message for us all, and very grateful to all involved who are helping to promote this crucial work."

The video documentary, produced jointly by Kwa-Zulu University Press and Brink Media, Int'l, will consist of an interview with the author by Stephen Coan, a noted journalist and critic, and a book and author discussion between Dr. Johan Steyn and local readers.

Johan Steyn, a native South African, has worked and traveled widely across the African continent, and his detailed descriptions of the people, places, flora and fauna in the novel reflect his enduring love for his land. He is also a passionate aviator, mountaineer, nature photographer, artist and documentary filmmaker.

Schaffner Press, Inc. is an independent small press based in Tucson, Az., dedicated to publishing provocative and socially-conscious works of fiction and non-fiction, both reprints and originals. All titles are distributed for the trade by IPG:
312-337-0747 (www.ipgbook.com).