News Release

Open the door to knowledge

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 23, 2008

FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT:
Doug Walker, 660-2178
Le Raish, 479-1835

Authors donating book sales to library group during Fantastic Flea Market

Grants Pass, July 29, 2008- Local authors have come together to support Josephine Community Libraries by donating some or all of the proceeds of the sale of their books during the Fantastic Flea Market on Saturday, Aug. 2, in the Grants Pass Daily Courier parking lot on the corner of Seventh and J streets.

New children’s stories, adult fiction, and nonfiction books will be available for sale, some at rates below cover price, and authors will donate all or a portion of the proceeds to Josephine Community Libraries, a private nonprofit working to re-open and run libraries in Josephine County. Some authors will be on hand to meet the public and autograph their work.

Authors who have not yet signed up but who wish to participate are welcome. Space is limited, but they can bring a chair and join Josephine Community Libraries in its covered booth just off of J Street. Authors are also welcome to drop off their books for sale between 7:30 and 8 a.m. and pick up any unsold ones at 2 p.m. Because the purpose of the event is to raise money for nonprofits, Josephine Community Libraries cannot accept participants who don’t intend to contribute at least a portion of their sales.

Josephine Community Libraries will also have some used books available tor sale in the booth.

Josephine Community Libraries is a nongovernmental nonprofit organization dedicated to getting a library open to all county residents. The county-run public library system has been closed for more than a year. For information about the organization or to become a member, visit www.josephinelibrary.org, send email to info@josephinelibrary.org or call 541-660-6531. Membership contributions can be mailed to Josephine Community Libraries, P.O. Box 1684, Grants Pass, OR 97528.

About the authors and their books

Erin Bayliss is currently attending college to get a degree in agriculture. Her writing is loosely based on the places she has seen as she traveled around the country with her own family. “The Journals of Punkin Bear Volume One” is an illustrated children’s book for ages 6 -12.  It is about a little teddy bear named Punkin who travels across the country with his family to visit relatives in Ohio.

J.D. Roque, after a long engineering/construction career, retired to area, where he lives with June, and their cat, Sasha. “Scattered Leaves” is a collection of original short stories, some of which push the limit of absurdity, and others that present uncomfortable realities of real life situations. All of these stories germinated and grew out of life experiences.

Larry Cushing will make available a limited number of autographed copies of his novel “Bittersweet Canyon.” The novel covers several generations of two immigrant families in Eastern Oregon, where he grew up. It includes true events from his life and regularly sells for $24.99. Cushing was Josephine County’s first district court judge and later became a circuit court judge. He was also a member of the library committee when the main county library was built in Grants Pass in the late 1950s and when a branch was built in Cave Junction.

D. Aardvark is a product of a writing school in Connecticut and a photography school in Florida. He has donated three books. “Punkin’s Upside Down Day,” is the story of a Halloween pumpkin who discovers that frightening people away makes you lonely. With the help of his friend, Bamboozle the deer, his world gets turned right-side-up again. “The Congraduation Fish” is the story of Wiggly Pigglys in the underwater town of Drain. Their biggest problem is not the Snarky Sharkys or the Cranky Crocatubes, it is their own misunderstanding. “Merry Kissmoose” is the story of a clumsy moose and his unfortunate friends during the holidays. Their misery turns to happiness when a tear is shed that becomes the snowflake that saves their Christmas.

Teresa Stover is a project management expert who has consulted with the Microsoft Office Project team since the early 1990s. She is an award-winning author and instructional designer with more than two decades of technical communication experience. “Microsoft Office Project 2007 Inside Out” is the comprehensive reference book about the top project management software program on the market. The list price is $49.99, but you can buy this book at the Josephine Community Libraries booth at the Fantastic Flea Market for $20 each. One hundred percent of the proceeds will go to Josephine Community Libraries. For more information, see www.stoverwriting.com.

Phil Nickel is a 13-year resident of Grants Pass. He had a 17-year teaching career as a biology professor at California Lutheran University in Thousand Oaks before leaving the teaching profession to apply his expertise in entomology and parasitology with the County of Ventura’s Environmental Health Department. “My Nickel’s Worth,” his memoir, is an account from poverty to biology professor and retirement; demystifying generation gaps with social, historical, and personal insights into the forces that shape us. It will be available at the Fantastic Flea Market” for $20, with $5 from each sale going to Josephine Community Libraries. Information about he and his book is available at http://trafford.com/06-1455.

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Josephine Community Libraries, Inc.

P.O. Box 1684   Grants Pass, OR  97528

541-660-6531

info@josephinelibrary.org www.josephinelibrary.org