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PHILADELPHIA, PA – Steve Lieblein, a retired nurse, U.S. Army officer and volunteer paramedic, released Visa from Lala Land on July 17, 2026, a coming-of-age novel about Jon, a bright eleven-year-old whose mind works differently from everyone around him. The book is just as much about the father who slowly learns to read that difference as a gift. It is available now in e-book, paperback and hardcover across all major retail platforms.

Jon is inventive and warm-hearted, easily distracted and forever retreating into a private world his family affectionately calls Lala Land. At school and at home, his curiosity keeps colliding with adult expectations of focus, organization and conformity. The adults around him read that collision as a problem to be corrected. Slowly, they discover it may be a gift waiting to be recognized.

What gives the book its weight is where it started. Lieblein began drafting it in 1992, not as a writer with an idea but as a father with a realization about his own son. His expectations had shaped the boy in ways he never intended. He set the pages down and picked them up again across decades of growing up himself.

“I hope that parents of children with challenges at any level will understand their child’s real potential and how they perceive themselves. By focusing on their positive qualities, parents can encourage them to like themselves and do as well as they can.” — STEVE LIEBLEIN, AUTHOR

THE STORY BEHIND THE STORY

Visa from Lala Land grew out of a self-revelation the author does not soften. He had not been a good parent. His influence on his son had been a negative one. Rather than keep that to himself, Lieblein built a story around it so other parents might catch the same patterns in their own homes earlier than he did. The book’s central argument follows directly from it. A parent’s expectations, ambitions and pressures belong to the parent. They are not the child’s to carry. Every child arrives with a separate set of strengths, fears, motivations and needs. The work of parenting is to see those clearly rather than to correct them.

The narrative moves through the ordinary places where families are actually built. Baseball games. Fishing trips. Summer camp. Lieblein uses those familiar scenes to show how much changes when a parent stops steering a child toward a picture and starts paying attention to the child in front of them.

WHO THE BOOK IS FOR

Written with warmth, humor and emotional honesty, Visa from Lala Land speaks to parents, educators, caregivers and anyone who has loved a child who sees the world differently. At 80 pages it is a single-sitting read, which makes it practical for parent groups, teacher in-service sessions and support communities where longer books rarely get finished.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Steve Lieblein brings a lifetime of service, compassion and practical care to his writing. Following a 34-year career in information technology, Lieblein has spent over 50 years as a nurse and served as an Adjunct Professor of Emergency Medicine. His background also includes 12 years as a U.S. Army officer and more than 30 years as a volunteer firefighter, officer, EMT and paramedic. He comes from a dedicated family of healthcare professionals, including his late wife Carole, his son Jon and his daughter Megan. Through his writing, he hopes to inspire readers to better understand themselves, strengthen their relationships with their children and contribute more compassionately to their families and communities.

BOOK DETAILS

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Website: https://stevelieblein.com/