The Smell of Books

I have a very keen sense of smell.  I always have.  It can be a blessing and a curse, as you can imagine.  But, in relationship to my work, it has been a delight.  From day one, I have loved the smell of Micawber's.  Is it the old floors?  The ancient shelves? Is it all the books?  Most likely it's some wonderful combination of all these things and more.

Every day, especially first thing in the morning, I love to open the front door and breathe in the smell of the place.  I thought I was the only one who had this special olfactory relationship with the store.  But I was wrong.

Just this week, two people commented on the smell of Micawber's.  A customer entered the store, breathed deep and sighed, "I love to come here.  It smells so good."  And later, my daughter told me she loves how Micawber's smells.  I was amazed.  Perhaps my sniffer isn't so unique after all.  Or perhaps it's the power of all those books.

Have you ever opened up a brand new book, buried your nose in the crease and breathed deep? I bet you have.  It's a great smell.  Now imagine a whole bunch of those new books in a store that knows about books, that's old with books.  That's what makes the smell of Micawber's so appealing.  No Kindle 2 will ever smell as good.

So next time you're in the neighborhood, stop by for a smell.  You'll be glad you did.

Fan Mail

Yippee Skippee!  I got my first ever Fan Mail this week!  Granted, it was clearly an "assignment" given by a teacher.  But, none-the-less, it was still Fan Mail.

Last Sunday I did an author event at The Red Balloon bookstore in St. Paul.  It was a lot of fun. While I was there, I was given a packet of letters from the students of St. Paul Open School.  I used to work at St. Paul Open School many years ago as an English and drama teacher.  The elementary students at Open School recently read my book, MURIEL'S RED SWEATER, and then wrote to me about the book.

Here are a few of my favorite letters:

"Dear Dara,

Thank you for letting us read the book you wrote.  My favorite part was everything.  Love, R."  

(This letter included a big picture of a duck wearing a red sweater.)

"Dear Dara Dokas,

Thank you for the book.  It was funny when she was unraveled.  I can't believe I'm writing to a writer and really going to send it.  Sincerely, your friend, K."

"Dear Dara Dokas,

We read your book.  We was so happy because we like your book.  Best Friend Forever, S."

"Dear Dara,

I love your book and the pictures are so funny.  When I look at the pictures they make me laugh.  Thank you.  P."

"Dear Dara Dokas,

I really like your book: MURIEL'S RED SWEATER! By C."

(The picture at the bottom shows a big, happy sun and two people.  Over one person it says "me" and over the other it says "you.")

I could go on and on.  The letters were so sweet.  I'm writing a note back to the students at Open School to tell them how much I enjoyed their letters.  And I hope in school, they can write and illustrate books of their own!

It's at times like these when I feel so lucky to be a children's writer.  It can't get much better than that.

Mud & Baseball

I just finished, MUDVILLE, a debut young adult novel by local author Kurtis Scaletta.  And it was great!  I have to admit, it took me a little while to pick up the book because I thought - It's about baseball and I don't really care all that much about baseball.  And you know what?  It is about baseball, but it's more importantly about character.

The main character, Roy, and his father live in Moundville, where it has been raining constantly for the last 22 years, ever since Moundville played baseball against rival town Sinister Bend. Now, Roy comes home from baseball camp (in a sunny town) to find a boy about his age sitting on his couch.  It's Sturgis, a lanky boy with scars and a prosthetic ear.  And he's staying!

Will it ever stop raining?  Will they ever play ball again in Moundville?  What happened to the people of Sinister Bend? And who the heck is Sturgis?  I won't say anymore, except read the book to find out what happens.  You won't be disappointed.

And if you'd like to meet the author, Kurtis will be at Micawber's this Saturday, March 14 at 1:00 pm.  Come by to hear him read from MUDVILLE, meet "Chuck" the baseball-loving puppet, and eat some baseball-related treats.  Can you ask for anything more?

P.S.  Kurtis loves cats.  In this photo, one of his many cats is chewing on his manuscript!

Radiator Blues

March is a goofy month for weather in Minnesota.  Some days feel so warm and sunny that I'm convinced Spring is just around the corner.  Then we get nailed with a huge snow storm.  I have to remind myself that March is still WINTER!  In fact, statistically, March is the snowiest month in Minnesota.  I'm seriously hoping that will not be the case this year.

Today, though,  is beautiful - warm(ish) and sunny.  With lots of windows in the store, it's nice to look out and see the sun.  It's also nice to see people walking by without falling down (which has happened several times this Winter!)  But with the changing weather, comes an internal store conundrum.  The radiators.

I can't say for sure, but I'm convinced that the building owners (who will remain nameless) decided to turn down the heat to save money.  This works fine on those nice March days I was talking about.  But on the cold, snowy days - not so much!

So now I have the Radiator Blues.  Some days at work it's so cold, I have to put my coat back on.  We call the "powers that be" and sometimes the radiators begin to creak back to life.  But other days, they just stand there like frozen behemoths, good for nothing except collecting dust.

The other day a book rep came to sell us books.  He is a good friend and knows our store well. He arrived that chilly day with several layers and never took off his coat.  He said, "I changed into warmer clothes when I remembered I was going to Micawber's today."  Nice.

Even the customers notice from time to time.  Luckily, not very often.  So, what can a cold bookseller do?  Do what my mother always told me.  Dress in layers.  And I mean layers.  At least 3 or 4 to be safe.

So, if you're in the neighborhood, come on in.  We have comfy chairs and lots of great books. Just remember to wear your jacket.

Here are some late-winter children's book recommendations:

Snow! by Cynthia Rylant, illustrated by Lauren Stringer

Snow Day by Komako Sakai

The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats

Hooray for Snow! by Kazuo Iwamura

And for those of you (like me) who can't wait for Spring:

Fletcher and the Springtime Blossoms by Julia Rawlinson and Tiphanie Beeke

Take care and cozy up with a good book!

Nancy Carlson visits Micawber's

Last Saturday, Nancy Carlson was the featured children's author/illustrator at Micawber's for our "Second Saturdays" series.  Carlson has written and illustrated many books for children and is currently working on her 60th book!  Some of her best known books include, I Like Me! and Look Out Kindergarten, Here I Come!  Nancy's characters are well-loved.  Characters like Henry the mouse, Harriet the dog, and Louanne Pig are beloved by many.  Her characters go through familiar ups and downs of being a child from starting school, being the new kid, and trying out for the team.

Carlson says, "All my characters are based on someone I know."  When asked which character is her favorite, she can't decide.  "But Harriet is most like me," she replies.   Harriet is also the first character she created.

On Saturday, Nancy read two books about Henry the mouse:  Henry and the Valentine Surprise and Henry's Amazing Imagination!  She also read her brand new book, Think Happy!, (which is technically not even out yet, but which we had several copies of anyway.)  Of all her recent books, Carlson says she is most proud of Think Happy! because of the great message and also because of the perseverance it took to get it published.

I would have guessed that almost everything Nancy Carlson writes and illustrates would get published.  But that is not necessarily the case.  Carlson says that she publishes about 20% of what she works on each year.  Luckily for all of us, she is very dedicated to her work so we can continue to enjoy her books for many years to come!

The Book is Launched

Muriel's Red Sweater is officially launched!  We had the publication party last Saturday at Micawber's and it was a lot of fun.  There were balloons and cake.  I read the book and Muriel, the duck puppet, visited everyone.  Many people came to help celebrate.  Thanks to everyone who could make it.  I really appreciate it.

I have to admit, at 15 minutes to 2:00, there were only my husband, daughter and about two other people there.  I began to worry that no one else would come.  But right at 2:00 pm, the doors opened and people flooded in.   There ended up being about 60 people or so at the event, which was wonderful!

I had so much fun welcoming Muriel into the world, with the help of so many of my friends. What a great day!  By the end of it all, I was pretty tired.  In fact, I went to bed at 8:00 pm that night!

So, now it's been exactly a week since Muriel's release.  At the store we've sold 54 copies at last count.  Do I check each day I work?  You bet!  Also, last night on Amazon, Muriel's Red Sweater was the #44 best selling book!  OK, OK.  I must clarify.  It was #44 in the sub-category of "Ducks and Other Waterfowl" under "Animals" under "Children's Books" under "Books."  It was number 100,000 something overall.  But I was pretty happy!

I just checked again, and it's currently #79 in "Ducks and Other Waterfowl." And 200,000 something overall.  I had better get cracking with my global-marketing campaign!  Amazon updates their ranking every hour.  If I was a little more OCD, I'd be checking every hour.  Since I'm not, I'll only check once (or twice or three times max) each day.

But in all seriousness, I am very happy with how the release and launch of Muriel's Red Sweater has gone.  And what better thing to celebrate during a dreary February then a new, fun children's book in the world?  I can't think of a thing.

Muriel's Red Sweater

Tomorrow is the official release date for Muriel's Red Sweater!  I am very excited about the publication of my second picture book.  It feels like a very long time in coming for my book "baby."  And it has been.

Many years ago, I woke up in the middle of the night with an idea for this book.  I already knew I wanted to write a "circle story" where the main character starts and ends in the same physical place but with some big change. But I didn't know what the story would be.  It was my dream that got me started.  I dreamt about a duck who was so distracted that she didn't notice her sweater unraveling as she ran around town.  That was the beginning.

Now, many years (and many revisions) later, Muriel - that original duck - is finally appearing in the world.  And we are going to help her celebrate!  There will be a publication party at Micawber's this Saturday, February 7 at 2:00 pm to kick off the book's release.

I am pleased to say that Muriel's Red Sweater has already gotten some good attention.  Kirkus Review wrote, "Dokas provides a mystery for the youngest set to unravel . . . (it is) a pleasure for honing observation skills."

If you like a good picture book mystery, check it out!  It's a fun, colorful, detailed book that I believe kids (and adults) will enjoy reading over and over.  Hooray!