Tuesday, December 29, 2009

Guest Blogger Laura Childs



As we're smack in the middle of the holiday season, which I hope everyone is enjoying, let's stop and give a warm welcome to today's guest blogger. Laura Childs is one of the hardest working authors in the mystery genre, with three New York Times and USA Today best-selling traditional series: teashop, scrapbook, and Cackleberry Club. I was delighted that Laura agreed to guest blog—and absolutely dumbfounded when she sent her copy in early!

Please join me in welcoming Laura Childs!

A funny thing happened a couple weeks ago when Eggs Benedict Arnold, my new Cackleberry Club Mystery, was released. I decided to do a promotion.

Because Eggs Benedict Arnold is a fun cozy mystery about three forty-plus women who run The Cackleberry Club, a cafĂ© that specializes in egg dishes, I immediately thought of chickens. Wouldn’t it be great, I wondered, if I could run a flock of chickens right down the Nicollet Mall in downtown Minneapolis?

Then I thought – hold everything – I could get arrested! Me and the poor chicks could end up cooling our heels (if chickens even have heels) in jail.

That led to a far saner and safer idea. I decided to donate one chick for every copy of Eggs Benedict Arnold sold during the two weeks of my book launch. I immediately contacted Once Upon a Crime mystery book store and they hopped on board.

So it worked just like this: For each book copy sold, I donated a baby chick through Heifer International, a non-profit organization that delivers farm animals to poor families across the globe. Just think about it. A small flock of chickens to a family in Nicaragua or Tanzania guarantees a protein-rich food source, as well as income from selling eggs and chicks. Pretty cool, huh?

At Heifer International’s website you can read about their other projects, too. Like providing a pair of goats to a poor family so they can start up a small herd. Or sending sheep to a group of women so they can launch a knitting business and turn it into a cottage industry that employs more women. It’s amazing how just a small donation can purchase these farm animals and send them around the globe to families and villages in need. What a great concept – a hand up instead of a hand out.

So, did I enjoy a traditional book signing with cookies and tea and holiday cheer? Absolutely. But it was also a joint celebration with caring, wonderful book lovers (like you!) who acknowledged a need and helped someone less fortunate during the holiday season.

What a bunch of wonderful readers. What a lucky author I am!

Happy New Year all, and have a great 2010!

Laura Childs

6 comments:

Vicki Lane said...

What a great idea, Laura! Heifer International is a terrific organization -- wonderful to think that you'll be responsible for adding flocks of chickens to enhance some families lives!

Kaye said...

Fabulous idea Laura. I am reading Tragic Magic right now and am loving it as usual. You are definitely one of my favorite authors and I'm looking forward to the next tea shop mystery. I want to wish you a most happy, healthy, joyous and prosperous new year.

Anonymous said...

I've been looking all over for this!

Thanks.

Anonymous said...

Your blog keeps getting better and better! Your older articles are not as good as newer ones you have a lot more creativity and originality now keep it up!

Anonymous said...

I'll look forward to reading your latest book. The Heifer International is a great organization.

Mary Kennedy said...

Love all your series, I think I first discovered you with CHAMOMILE MOURNING and then went back and gobbled up the others! Very exciting to hear that there's a new series out, it sounds wonderful,