And It’s a Good Cause, Too

One doesn’t imagine that Julie Kenner ever sleeps. She’s a lawyer, a wife, a mom, and a cat owner. For a lot of people, that would be enough. Especially since the lanky Kenner is an author and more than 20 of her novels have been published since 2000. This year alone has seen the publication of The Manolo Matrix, California Demon: The Secret Life of a Demon-hunting Soccer Mom, and The Perfect Score. It all makes you tired just thinking about it. Kenner, however, is made of different stuff.

Starting today--October 4--sheis hosting a fund-raiser for Love Without Boundaries, a non-profit organization that helps orphaned children in China. On her Web site, Kenner says, “The idea for this fund-raiser came to me only days after my husband and I submitted our Letter of Intent to adopt Chu Yongchen, a little girl born with a cleft lip and palate living in the Chuzhou Social Welfare Institute in the Anhui Province of China.”

Once the idea came, though, Kenner was unstoppable. She contacted her writer and editor pals, and connected with sympathetic folk at the mystery discussion group DorothyL and other places where authors tend to gather. Kenner writes that she’s “been humbled--though not surprised--by the generosity of all who are donating.”

This reporter is astonished by the sheer volume of auction items Kenner managed to get donated for her cause. And not only the volume: it’s a great cause but, even if it wasn’t, this looks like it might be a good opportunity for mystery fans to get ahold of some hard-to-obtain items--manuscript and chapter critiques by various agents, editors and authors (Charlaine Harris among them), lots of signed books as well as book-related collectibles such as tote bags, T-shirts, and even a tile made by Nelson DeMille.

Authors represented include Allison Brennan, Jill Connor Browne, Mary and Carol Higgins Clark, Natalie Collins, Dee Davis, DeMille, Christine Feehan, Anne Frasier, Laurell K. Hamilton, L.C. Hayden, Eloisa James, J.A. Konrath, Harley Jane Kozak, Joe R. Lansdale, Laurie Notaro, Martha O’Connor, Kathleen O’Reilly, Carly Phillips, Nora Roberts, Cyndy Salzmann, Sandra Ruttan and many, many others, including me.

The auction runs on eBay for the next 10 days, but you can get more information, as well as links on where to bid, from Kenner’s Web site.