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10:34 am
05.05.01
Thursday, I started sorting though boxes, deciding what I want to take with me to Columbia, what I want to stay with dad, and what I want to store at my grandmother's. I opened up one box of books, and at first decided to take the whole box.
I sorted though a few other boxes, and decided I might as well do the same with the box of books. Up top were my middle school yearbooks, I sorted though those for a while, and then put them to the side. I sorted though five or six books, when I saw my Joona books.
I had been looking for these, as about once a year I do. My mother bought them for me the day we went to the Chrisitan Bookstore downtown to buy and engrave her bible. I had ploped myself down in the childrens section, and saw the books and picked the first one, Journey to Joona up. By the time my mom was done, I was about half way though, and she let me get the set of three.
For the rest of the night I was engrossed. The books weren't heavy on religion. Well, they were, but everything was nice and tidy. The center is around Laural the Swan, sent to earth to bring the suffering swans to the paradise of Joona. Laural represents Jesus, Milhole is god, and Margret, Theodore, Craig, Ryan, and Heather are Laural's deciples.
I almost wish the books weren't marketed as "Chrisitan" books, because I think anyone can and would enjoy them. I think had they been released on a bigger market, they would have done quite well. They have elements of Harry Potter, with out the controversy of magic and wide-spread evil/death.
So about every year, maybe every ten months, I have an urge to read my lil Joona Trilogy. The only problem though, is that I can rarley find them when I want them. But this morning I read the first one in about two hours, and I started thinking.
I had done a search on amazon.com before for the Joona books, when I had lost them and was willing to buy some. They were out of print. For some reason I was just kind of shocked. My lovely books, out of print?
I decided to do another search today, this time with Google. Hardly a thing came up for "Joona" "Joona Trillogy" or the names of the book. So I did a search on the author, Kim Engelmann.
I scanned though the search results, and didn't see anything remotly related to Joona. Just stuff about a Rev. Kim Engelmann.
Woah. Wait a minute. It took a while for things to connect upstairs.
Kim Engelmann, author of a Chrisitan childrens book. Maybe she's a Reverend too! So I went to the page and saw a short bio of Kim. However I was thrown, because nothing mentioned her as an author. I looked at the back of my book to see if there was a bio blur, and sure enough, the both Kim's credentails matched. Kim is now working at Menlo Park Presbyterian Church.
I scanned the entire site, seeing if there was anyway I could maybe contact her. No such luck. Her department has a phone number and a fax machine, but no email.
Wait a minute! I betcha that's a fax machine right there next to me on dad's desk! Only problem is I don't know how to work it, and I don't want him to ask why I want to use it.
So I sent of an email to the only email avaliable asking if there was any way I could come in contact with the right department.
Then, just as I started writing this entry, dad and c. left, and I decided to use the fax. Main conclusion, it didn't work, dunno why, not going to ask. The good news is I didn't break anything, so I should be okay. First it wasn't working I don't think because I didn't have the zip code. I don't know why it didn't work after that. Maybe I should have put a 1 in front or a 0 or 1.800.CALL.ATT. I don't know what fax's like. Heck. I don't even know which slot to put the paper in. I just guessed.
So, hopefuly I'll get in contact with Mrs. Engelmann some how. I'm not sure why I want to, other than I just do. Maybe I just want to ask her why nothing in her bio's say anything about the book. I found two different ministry pages she's worked with, and both have info. blurbs on her, how she loves children. But nothing on writing a children's book.
And she shouldn't have anything to be ashamed of. It's beautiful work. She has imagination, a good vocablulary, everything's wonderful.
I think I just want her to know I acknowledge that.
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