Kepler’s

In the world of the independents, Oregon has Powell’s Books, northern California has Kepler’s. I have for twenty years aspired to write a book that Kepler’s would want to have on their shelves. But when I talked to them over the phone a few months ago, they said they would only special order it upon request, which, when a bookstore is dealing with a first-time author they’ve never heard of before, is pretty standard.

Monday, I took a copy of my “Wrapped in Comfort” to show it to them in person. I mentioned the large first printing last June and that it had gone into a second printing last month; I mentioned the September story that talked about a gathering-together at the city hall plaza in Palo Alto. Clark Kepler asked, “A local story?” to confirm.

Yes.

His bookbuyer took my copy off to an Employees Only area to look it up on the distributor’s site, after I handed it to him with my fingers on the September page. He was courteous and polite as he took it, and when he came back, quite a few minutes later…

…he greeted me with the warmth of an old friend. He told me what a beautiful book it was. He said those shawls were works of art that ought to be hung on the walls like how they were pictured at full spread in the book. He assured me Wrapped would be in stock by the end of the week.

They had no idea the gift they’d just given me. That they’d just fulfilled a deeply-held aspiration of so many years of my life. They will not only carry it, but the one fellow who has looked it over so far is glad that they will. Now, at last, I can truly say I feel like a real writer.

Thank you, Kepler’s. Long may you prosper.