Library Visit

I just got back from the library.

I'm in Minnesota right now, visiting family and having a true vacation (I haven't checked my work email since I got here). Some of my friends questioned why I chose to come here for my week off (as opposed to going someplace more flashy like Mexico or Miami).

Family is a priority for me and since my sister just had her second baby I wanted to meet him as soon as possible. This week I'm here with both her 8 week old baby and his three year old brother. Believe it or not, it has been very relaxing.

During our trip to the library, Big Brother and I had the difficult task of picking out books from the library (which is part of the Hennipin County Library System).

In a matter of minutes, we had over a dozen books in our pile, many of which were Kane/Miller titles that I did not pick out. There were several Kane/Miller books that I came across while looking through the picture books but my nephew managed to add Yellow Umbrella (that was missing its CD) and My Father's Shop to our reading pile.

Yellow Umbrella

We did finally narrow down the number of books to six (My Father's Shop made it to the last round). Immediately, my nephew wanted to read them so he chose one to look at in the car on the way home and we read three more when we got back to the house.

My Father's Shop

The library is a great place to spend a hot summer day. It's also a great time for people-watching. There were families there with young children, young adults on the computers and adults of various ages enjoying quiet time with a book.

If there was anything I was meant to "get" out of my time here this week, it's that reminder that I need to take advantage of the San Diego library more often. My son has a growing library of books at our house, but it's not often enough that we experience what the library has to offer.

My son is with his dad this week on the East Coast, but I know that when we're both back in Southern California, one of the first places we'll head to is our local library and I'm looking forward to reading with him - one of the main things I miss when we're not together.

National Independent Retailers Week

Which bookstore would you vote for as your favorite local independent retailer? Even though I reside in San Diego, I purchase books from Indie bookstores around the country. These are the stores that I have recently bought books from:

Book People
The Book Works
Bookshop Santa Cruz
The Bookworm, Inc.
Powell's
The Red Balloon Bookshop
Tattered Cover Book Store
Warwick's
Wild Rumpus

Whether you're looking for a local independent bookstore, or want to find out where to shop on your next vacation, Indie Bound can send you in the right direction. I receive bookstore newsletters from many of the above mentioned stores.

Booksellers - What percentage of your sales are from online purchases?

ALA - Day One

The doors opened to the Exhibit Hall yesterday and librarians (all sporting lovely orange ALA tote bags) flew down the aisles to get the morning schwag at the back of the room.

I spent the day greeting people who I only get to see once a year - several of whom I had the pleasure of finally meeting for the first time and several others who I introduced Kane/Miller books to.

Here are the names of the people who I spoke with (off the top of my head):

Sylvia Vardell (the first person to comment on our booth expansion and who was kind enough to offer me a great critique of the K/M newsletter and why she looks forward to reading it each week)

Laura Lutz (who is so adorable and had the cutest handbag that I forgot to ask her about)

Lisa von Drasek (who I saw in Los Angeles during BEA and who will be in San Diego in just a few weeks)

Ken & Sylvia Marantz (who have been fans of Kane/Miller since day one)

Cindy Mitchell (who adored Singing to the Sun)

Cyndi Giorgis (the lovely author of a fabulous new book which will feature art from Guji Guji)
Susanna Reich (author of a beautiful book on Native American artist George Catlin)

Eve Bunting (yes, the Eve Bunting - who signed a copy of Baby Shower for my sister who is in week 40 of her second pregnancy)

Pam Muñoz Ryan (who my son and I met - along with Brian Selznick - at the San Diego airport back in March when our plane to Minneapolis was delayed)

Judy Freeman (putting together a blog especially for parents to help them navigate children's books)

I did meet and chat with dozens more who I apologize for not naming here (it's early, the caffeine hasn't kicked in yet).

Stay tuned for more highlights from the Exhibit Hall floor.

Parenting Party

Kane/Miller is one of several co-sponsors of the upcoming Parenting Party happening May 22nd at The Airport Lounge in San Diego.

Travel and commUNITY are themes for the first annual Happy Healthy Hip Parenting Party.

Tickets are $10 per person ($15 at the door). Each guest will receive two drink tickets and a chance to win some FABULOUS prizes throughout the night. Appetizers will be served until 9:30pm and there will be music and fun to help keep the party going.

We hope to see you there!

Weekend Events

Two upcoming events in the San Diego area fit in with what Kane/Miller is all about.

This weekend marks the Tenth Anniversary Celebration of the San Diego Multicultural Festival held downtown tomorrow which will include a children's area, an international storytelling stage and many other highlights to draw families and residents from the area.

Taking place for the first time this year and sponsored by Kane/Miller is the Mira Mesa International Festival, featuring dance performances, and international foods. This one-day celebration of diversity, unity and community wellness will be held at Mira Mesa High School on Saturday, January 26th.

The Boom Boom Room - Day Two

Today was a whirlwind adventure for Kane/Miller as we welcomed to The Boom Boom Room Alicia Coppola, Bill Bellamy, Catt Sadler (pictured above, reading On the Road with son Ryan), Chris Noth, Denise Richards, Joely Fisher, Kim Porter, Ming Na, Natasha Henstridge (pictured below holding While Mum Was Little), Nicole Tubiola, Omorosa (from The Celebrity Apprentice), Rena Sofer, Rosa Blasi, Samantha Harris and Angela Bassett.

Of course, after the event, we packed up our things and drove back to San Diego but not before joining many of these same celebrities outside the hotel, all waiting for thier cars (just like us "normal" folks).

Job Opening

Kane/Miller is seeking a part-time Marketing Assistant. Please submit a resume if you reside in the San Diego area and are interested in applying for this newly created position.

Position: Marketing Assistant

Summary: Long-term, part-time position, approximately 25 hours a week during the afternoon hours, in the La Jolla office.

Eligibility: Fluency in speaking Spanish, proficiency working with Microsoft Word and Excel, experience in professional writing and communication, familiarity with children’s publishing and/or child development is preferred, but not required.

Duties: Tasks include (but are not limited to): packing and shipping of review copies and other press materials, organizing and maintaining marketing calendar, online research, data entry, and light office duties. Occasional travel may be required (both out of state and within driving distance).

Pay: Competitive, hourly rate, with a potential for an increase after six months.

Contact: Please submit resume and references to Sondra Santos LaBrie, Marketing Manager, Kane/Miller Book Publishers, P.O. Box 8515, La Jolla, CA 92038, 858-456-0540, sondra@kanemiller.com

Threesome

Who was it that said things happen in threes? Tuesday, I was pulled over and got a ticket for speeding, yesterday someone hit my car in a parking lot and today - you'll never believe this - I got a flat tire and spent the majority of my afternoon dealing with waiting for the replacement and being stuck in traffic afterwards.

Needless to say, after the week I've had so far, I couldn't help but laugh when I discovered the flat tire. Luckily, reading kept me busy during that waiting period and I suddenly found myself enjoying the fact that I wasn't at work. After all, I was spending the day outside, enjoying the beautiful San Diego weather, reading.

I find it's typically our response to disruptions like this that tend to give others a perspective on what we're like under serious stress. There are several characters from our books that I have learned from and consider role models as far as trying to maintain a positive attitude.

Dougal the Garbage Dump Bear is one such character. One of my favorite quotes from any children's book is found on the last page of this one:

"...while he sat there on his own, Dougal would think how lucky he was...he realized that sometimes bad things happen so that good things can happen. You just had to make the best of it."

From Australia
Dougal the Garbage Dump Bear
by Matt Dray

There are certainly other characters that I could reference, but it's been a long day, a long night, actually. I'm heading home - finally. I'm going to have much better luck tomorrow. I just have to.

Chi-Town

Driving along Lake Shore Drive, seeing Navy Pier lit up at night and witnessing the construction of the new Trump Tower reminds me of what it is I love about Chicago. It is beautiful, clean and always full of energy.

People here have a Midwestern charm and although my Midwest accent has of course come out since spending the last few days with my big sis, I've enjoyed the reminder of my youth and spending time in the city during winter, as the holiday season approaches.

Last night we had dinner at the Green Zebra on Chicago Avenue. It is a swank little place with a vegetarian menu. The food was amazing, the wine was fantastic and sharing a dinner out with my sister was priceless.

This evening, my sister and I are meeting Anne Levy from Book Buds for dinner. We're going to head over to McCormick and Schmick's Fresh Seafood Restaurant on Wacker Drive.

Anne is also the co-founder of the Cybils (Children's & YA Bloggers' Literary Awards). This year is the second year of this annual independent book award which we're pleased to have three books nominated for (so far):

From South Korea

My Cat Copies Me
by Yoon-duck Kwon


From Japan
The Story of Cherry the Pig
by Utako Yamada

From Australia
Samsara Dog
by Helen Manos
Illustrated by Julie Vivas

What's so great about this award is that it's reader-nominated. Readers, whether they're parents, educators, book reviewers, librarians or professionals (in any industry), can nominate titles for this award. You'll find the growing list of nominated titles on the Cybils blog under each category:

• Fantasy and Science Fiction
  
• Fiction Picture Books
  
• Graphic Novels
  
• Middle Grade Fiction
  
• Nonfiction: Middle Grade and Young Adult
  
• Nonfiction Picture Books
  
• Poetry
  
• Young Adult Fiction

Nominate your favorite titles today, but make sure you read the rules first!

Wicked Witch of the West

Throughout the Denver Broncos game last night, and during the entire half-time, the TV screen kept flashing with updates about the evacuated areas in Southern California due to the growing winds that kept the nearby fires spreading.

I had a flashback to 4 years ago to the date - just about - when I was six months pregnant with my son, and my ex-husband and I were just moving into the place where my son and I still reside. We drove South, past the wildfires that had just jumped across Highway 15 towards the direction of our new home, which we hadn't even slept in at that point.

Fast forward four years and my son and I are inside, doors and windows shut tight, air conditioner and humidifier running while all I could smell was fire. What used to be a pleasant reminder of bonfires is now a brutal reality that the fires could once again spread quickly and threaten our home and of course, those in our neighboring communities.

We watched the news - and the football game - and after my son fell asleep I made sure I had packed away the belongings and personal items that I would take with us come morning.

I really couldn't get much sleep. I kept tossing and turning. The smell of smoke grew stronger throughout the night, as did the howling winds and I kept thinking about what we would do, where we would go, what I would take with us.

Just as I assumed, the morning sun did not peek through the smoke. Ash was now falling from the sky. My son and I made two trips to the car before finally feeling ready to leave, not knowing when exactly we'd be back. I ended up taking him into the Kane/Miller office with me while I took care of a few things, but mostly just needed the comfort of being around other people. There was no reason to really be working since a State of Emergency had been declared for all of San Diego County, as well as six other counties in Southern California.

My son is with his dad this evening. I am staying with one of the founders of Kane/Miller, as she has kindly opened up her home to me. This is the first time I have spent the night here but certainly not the first time her spare bedroom has been offered. In fact, I had a key to her house on my key chain for nearly six months after my ex-husband filed for divorce and things started to become unsettled in the home front.

I have become rather close with the Kane family and all of the employees during my nearly seven years with the company. I am grateful for all they have done for me, both personally and professionally. It was Mrs. Kane and her husband who first initiated me on my first business trip back in 2001. It was Mr. Kane who introduced me to anchovies during that same visit to Baltimore. And it is with the Kane family who my son and I will spend Thanksgiving with, as we have done every year (with one exception) since I started working for Kane/Miller.

I can't imagine working for anyone else after all this time. I have fantastic co-workers who are wonderful individuals and have become family to my son and I.

We are safe this evening and we are grateful for every one's kind thoughts and prayers and can only hope that all of the good karma that's due comes our way this evening.

The Santa Ana winds are supposed to get worse over the next few days. Homes just North and East of my neighborhood have been evacuated, including the home of one of our staff members.

After the Cedar Fires of 2003, the county and city of San Diego, the people, and the emergency crews are better prepared. Evacuations have been prompting people out of their homes with time to spare but the fires are unpredictable, the winds are sporadic and the resources are scarce.

The Witch Fires of 2007 have already been determined to be the worst fires that Southern California has ever seen and I hope and pray that all of those that have been evacuated can recover from this devastating loss once the fires have died down and our lives are meant to return to normal.