Literary Las Vegas: M. Lukach

Now that those elves have left the shelves and joined holiday decorations packed away, families may be looking for a new stuffed friend to amuse children. Local author and entrepreneur Michael Lukach, writing as M. Lukach, teamed with his brother, illustrator Johnny Cortez, to create "Louie the Leprechaun: A Saint Patrick's Day Tale."

"For years my kids have enjoyed a yearly visit from Louie the Leprechaun on St. Patrick's Day," Lukach said on a crowdfunding site where he initially sought funds to publish the book. "They bound down the stairs to see what mischief he caused. They always laugh when they see the milk turned green, funny sayings written on the windows and mirrors, and rainbows and four-leaf clovers drawn on the hard tile floors."

Lukach shares those adventures and more in the book about a little leprechaun who dared risk his gold to interact with children. A stuffed toy version of Louie accompanies the book to remind children of the leprechaun's antics all year. Visit louietheleprechaun.com.

Excerpt:

Louie had an idea. He would play jokes on the children and give them treats too!

Late one night, when all the children were asleep, Louie snuck into the village. He tip-toed into each house and started hiding the children's shoes. Louie would always put a surprise in each of them.

In the morning, Louie smiled and laughed as he watched the children try to find their shoes. He so loved how excited they got when they saw the surprise.