Life on the Grocery Line a Powerful Call for Unity and Compassion
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“She just broke … right in front of us,” said Adam Kaat, referring to a grocery store customer who simply buckled under the weight of COVID restrictions. It was just one of many memorable customer encounters Kaat had while working as a cashier at a high-end supermarket in Denver in 2020.
Kaat dealt with the uncertainty of the pandemic, the paranoia, and the angry customers and empty shelves by blogging about his experiences. His blog resonated. Soon, he had amassed 15,000 followers and built a community among those who shared his profoundly human — and humane — perspectives.
“It (the pandemic) taught me that we really need each other — even strangers — more than we think,” Kaat said in a recent interview. “I felt like I went from a cashier to a therapist overnight. People were spilling their hearts out to me.” Kaat drew upon his blog, as well as stories shared with him in his online community, to build the narrative for his new book, Life on the Grocery Line: A Frontline Experience in a Global Pandemic. This riveting, firsthand account is told through the eyes of a character named Daniel, who watches from the frontlines as the frenzied panic caused by COVID surges like a tidal wave across his home state of Colorado. Now, he’s suddenly being called a hero just for showing up at his job, and he isn’t sure how to feel about that.
Daniel sees fear in the eyes of some customers and hostility in others, as he does his best to hold his head high and just keep making it from one shift to the next. And along the way, he learns more than he ever expected to about humanity’s response to fear, observing most prominently the way in which some people look down on the very workers they deem “essential.”
At its core, Life on the Grocery Line is about a test of the human spirit — a 21st century manifestation of Ernest Hemingway’s The Old Man and The Sea.
Author Adam Jonathan Kaat worked in a grocery store as a cashier and then as a prepared foods supervisor from January 2020 until May 2021. After college, he bounced around through the corporate world until leaving it all behind in the Fall of 2019 to write his first novel. By January 2020, he had taken a job as a cashier to earn money while preserving mental energy for his creative pursuits. He got much more than he bargained for when COVID hit. He began to blog about his experiences as a frontline worker, and 15,000 Facebook followers later, Life on the Grocery Line was born.
For more information and to read Kaat’s blog, please visit www.lifeonthegroceryline.com; or connect with the author on Instagram (@kaatadam), Facebook (@lifeonthegroceryline) or Twitter (lifeonthegroce1).
Life on the Grocery Line: A Frontline Experience in a Global Pandemic Publisher: Inspired Forever Publishing ISBN-10: 1948903326 ISBN-13: 978-1948903325 Available from Amazon.com
Trish Stevens Craig Warren Ascot Media Group, Inc. Post Office Box 2394 Friendswood, TX 77549 [email protected] www.ascotmedia.com 281.333.3507 Phone
A Meaningful Message for Early Readers: Now What? Celebrates Gift of the Present
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From the creators of the critically-acclaimed It’s Just So… book series comes the gift of imagination with the playful new children’s book Now What?. Award-winning author Brenda Faatz and illustrator Peter Trimarco craft humor and mindfulness into a picture book that speaks to young and old alike.
Now What? celebrates friendship, whimsy and the power of good old-fashioned, screen-free fun through the adventures of precocious, redhead Lizzy, her amusing animal sidekick, and Luna, a new neighbor from the Caribbean, as they discover ways to entertain themselves through an otherwise very gray day!
The contagiously enthusiastic Lizzy and her story spring to life, with lyrical rhyme, colorful illustrations, and playful onomatopoeia. There are new friends, new discoveries, and the new realization that often, the best of times are “right now.”
Written with young children ages 4 to 8 in mind, Now What? has been praised by Kirkus Reviews as “A lively, innovative story of friendship that encourages readers to think creatively
With its subtle yet effective messaging, Now What? is an engaging picture walk for little ones, a fun read-aloud for older kiddos, and gives readers of all ages a little something to giggle and think about.
Brenda Faatz has an undeniable connection with children. Some say it’s because they instinctively know “one of their own.” A graduate of the University of Northern Colorado with a degree in Musical Theatre, Brenda is a professional singer, dancer, actor, writer and director. Having established herself on stages from Minneapolis to Aspen, Boulder and Denver, Brenda has turned her talents to creating fresh content for youngsters. She has penned music, lyrics and scripts for original musical theatre works for children and is the founder and director of the Notable Kids Arts Center in Denver. While collaborating with her husband and illustrator Peter Trimarco, Brenda has authored the award-winning It’s Just So … children’s book series.
Peter Trimarco started his professional doodling career as an editorial cartoonist before turning to commercial art and designing packaging for both the film and music industries. Along the way, he also established himself on the business side of music as an executive producer and creative director on over 40 productions, with two going on to garner Grammy nominations. Currently focusing on children’s book publishing, he is on the Board of IBPA and is serving as President of the CIPA Education and Literacy Foundation in Colorado. In addition to designing album covers and book covers, he is the illustrator of Ella McBella In The Dark by Laura Pells, and the It’s Just So … book series.
Now What? Publisher: Notable Kids Publishing ISBN-10: 1733354824 ISBN-13: 978-1733354820 Available from Bookshop.org, BN.com, Indiebound.org, Amazon.com, and distributed through Independent Publishers Group.
Trish Stevens Kelly Newsome Ascot Media Group, Inc. Post Office Box 2394 Friendswood, TX 77549 [email protected] www.ascotmedia.com 281.333.3507 Phone
Colorful ‘Lizzy’ Romp Teaches Kids to Live in the Now
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“A lively, innovative story of friendship that encourages readers to think creatively.”
Kirkus Reviews
Young readers have watched and learned as the impressionable young Lizzy, of the It’s Just So… children’s book series, adapted to a new school, became a big sister and danced with animals in a talent show. Now What? is the latest adventure featuring the precocious redhead, as she and her amusing animal sidekick discover ways to entertain themselves through an otherwise very gray day!
The book title begs the question, and the answers come through in the form of silly mishaps that the contagiously enthusiastic Lizzy turns into new opportunities in this comical romp. Readers are taken on a little journey through a day that brings personal growth and the meeting of Luna, a new neighbor, who just moved from the Caribbean. Together, Lizzy and Luna color their way through inventive play and discovery as they embrace the concept of “living in the now” while being creative with what life presents.
Curiosity, frustration, imagination and a unique perspective are at the heart of Now What?, from author Brenda Faatz and co-author/illustrator Peter Trimarco, who bring Lizzy and the story to life with lyrical rhyme and colorful, whimsical illustrations.
An engaging picture walk for little ones, Now What? is also a fun read-aloud for older kiddos and features subtle yet effective messaging that gives readers of all ages a little something to smile and think about.
Brenda Faatz has an undeniable connection with children. Some say it’s because they instinctively know “one of their own.” A graduate of the University of Northern Colorado with a degree in Musical Theatre, Brenda is a professional singer, dancer, actor, writer and director. Having established herself as a critically-acclaimed actor while performing on stages from Minneapolis to Aspen, Boulder and Denver, Brenda has turned her talents to creating fresh content for youngsters. She has penned music, lyrics and scripts for original musical theatre works for children, and is the founder and director of the Notable Kids Arts Center in Denver. While collaborating with her husband and illustrator Peter Trimarco, Brenda has authored the award-winning It’s Just So … children’s book series because, as she likes to say, “no one ever told me I couldn’t.”
Peter Trimarco started his professional doodling career as an editorial cartoonist before turning to commercial art and designing packaging for both the film and music industries. Along the way, he also established himself on the business side of music as an executive producer and creative director on over 40 productions, with two going on to win Grammy nominations. While staying in the entertainment field, he published a trade magazine for the film industry and ultimately brought his creative juices and publishing expertise to the printed page for youngsters. Peter is a graduate of Lake Forest College, where he studied Literature and Fine Arts. In addition to designing album covers and book covers, he is the illustrator of Ella McBella In The Dark by Laura Pells, and the It’s Just So … book series, which he co-created with his wife, Brenda Faatz.
Now What? Release Date: October 12, 2021 Publisher: Notable Kids Publishing ISBN-10: 1733354824 ISBN-13: 978-1733354820 Available from Amazon.com, BN.com, Indiebond.org and anywhere books are sold
Trish Stevens Stacy Butler Ascot Media Group, Inc. Post Office Box 2394 Friendswood, TX 77549 [email protected] www.ascotmedia.com 281.333.3507 Phone
Monica Foster Ascot Media Group, Inc. Post Office Box 2394 Friendswood, TX 77549 281.324.2180 – Office 713.446.8815 – Cell 281.333.3507 – Main [email protected] www.ascotmedia.com
(This press release may be reprinted in part or entirety) FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Knox Chase on the Case of the Valentine’s Day Mystery: Read the Book. Audition for the Movie. See it on the Big Screen.
Denver, CO – Reading clubs everywhere – be on alert! Knox Chase is making his way to bookshelves and this super sleuth kid is gaining the admiration of middle school-aged kids everywhere – with the added benefit that the magical nature of these stories helps kids learn how to solve their own problems.
The book, Knox Chase on the Case of the Valentine’s Day Mystery by Adam Lipsius will be released in January, 2016. Additionally, the production is already scheduled for a motion picture in association with Sean Covel (the producer of “Napoleon Dynamite”) and Casting Director Mary Jo Slater (“The Contender” and “Dumb and Dumber”) – and the producers will be holding an online casting contest, providing the opportunity for aspiring kid actors and actresses to be in the movie, maybe even one of the lead characters.
Meet KC Green. KC is a small-town kid with a big-time imagination — and an even bigger secret. He can see the pulp fiction detective he was named for, from the 1930s & 40s Knox Chase on the Case novels. He even talks to him, which gets a little awkward since no one else can see the guy, and because this salty film noir gumshoe lands our hero into all kinds of little kid trouble.
When a mysterious stranger bumps into KC on Valentine’s Day, however, and they mix up envelopes, a thriller lands in KC’s lap and grown-up trouble breaks out all over town. His music teacher gets run over. The school janitor is framed for attempted murder. Even KC and his friends have to fight for their lives.
Unfortunately, the town’s chief detective is a nitwit, his son is a bully and the more KC investigates, the more trouble his dad gets in with his mom for hooking KC on sleuthing in the first place. Their marriage could be in the most trouble of all.
It takes KC’s wits, his invisible partner, his best friend Ben and even the girl he gets so nervous around he can’t speak to her, in order to figure out the Case of the Valentine’s Day Mystery.
“It’s the kind of book you grew up on,” says Adam. “… Where kids face danger, make mistakes and keep fighting to save the day.”
Adam Lipsius attended USC’s School of Cinematic Arts. He is an accomplished author, feature film director, producer and screenwriter. His movie, “16-LOVE” was distributed in 2012 by Warner Bros. Digital, Gravitas Ventures and Entertainment One. He graduated from Dartmouth College where he wrote his first book, The Birth of Dr. Seuss. Additionally, he has received numerous awards for his short films and commercials.
Release Date: January 2016 Knox Chase on the Case of the Valentine’s Day Mystery By Adam Lipsius Uptown 6 ISBN: 978-0615988887
