Pub Rants

A Moment Of Silence

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STATUS: Just a little sad.

What’s playing on the iPod right now? I turned off the music.

I have to say that I had a whole blog entry planned for today. Right before I was planning to do my entry, I was reading PW’s Children’s Bookshelf—which is a weekly electronic email mailing.

I read this news article on two librarians, Kathy Krasniewicz and Kelly McClelland, and I was so horrified by the news that they were killed on the way to Denver International Airport right after ALA Midwinter had wrapped up on Wednesday morning that I just couldn’t think or write about anything else.

I just want to do a moment of silence for two ladies, two strong advocates of reading, who dedicated their lives to children and books.


29 Responses

  1. Anonymous said:

    I am so saddened to hear this. To see such terrible things happen to good people is just painful–and even frustrating, if that is the right word. Rest in peace, Kathy and Kelly.

  2. Kerry Blaisdell said:

    I’m so sorry. People touch our lives in so many ways, even those we barely know or have just met. When we lose someone like that, it’s a reminder of how fleeting life can be. Thoughts and prayers to help you through this.

  3. karen wester newton said:

    Oh, that is sad! But you know it points out the importance of seat belts. The cab driver lived, and I’ll bet he was wearing a seat belt. I am very careful to always wear my seat belt in a private car, but when I ride in a cab, I don’t usually think to buckle up. Pena Blvd is a highway, not a city street, so riding without a seat belt would be dangerous.

    Not that I’m blaming the victims. I’m glad they caught the pickup truck driver, and I hope she spends a good long while in jail. But this is a reminder to all of us that seat belts are important even in a cab.

  4. Anonymous said:

    This is off topic, and I hope not in bad taste to ask within the context of this post…

    BUT, I saw Bitter and Sweet in bookstores today, and wondered if you can give some insight into how, why, when a book gets picked to be set on a table? The book was prominently displayed on a side table when I first walked in, and of course reading your blog alerted me to the fact that it was yours.

    Does the publisher pick who gets a “table”? Does the author/agent negotiate this from the start? Does it always have to be a lead title that gets such promotion? How much is paid to a bookstore for the all-important table display… for this book, or, since I write YA, for Ally Carter’s cardboard stand of GG books?

  5. Anonymous said:

    A very sad thing indeed. When such tragic things happen it always reminds me to let my family know how much they mean to me. You can’t take life for granted and assume someone knows how much you love them. My thoughts and prayers are with the family and friends.

  6. Rebekah Mills McDaniel said:

    As grief-stricken as I am to hear this, I find that my rage at the driver even drowns out my sorrow over what happened to those two wonderful women. This did not have to happen. This was not an “accident.” This was a case of one person willfully abdicating responsibility and deciding to do something that put others’ lives in danger. Drunk people NEVER seem to get hurt in accidents – the people they hit do. Anyone who is caught driving drunk – EVEN ONCE – should have their license taken away. Permanently. Drinking at all is a dangerous choice – one I and many others choose not to make, period. So I have no, NO sympathy for anyone who makes that choice and THEN makes the second choice to get behind the wheel of a car.

    I wish all drunk driving laws were as severe as they are in California. My friend (who didn’t even hit anyone) not only got his license taken away, but was forced to go to the morgue and look at bodies that had been killed by drunk drivers. Not only did he never drink again, I’m not sure he ever drove again.

  7. Janice said:

    So sad to hear about a loss like this. These women woke up the minds of little children to the beauty of books, and that is forever taken away.

    The children have lost two great advicates.

    Janice~

  8. Julie Weathers said:

    I was terribly sad when I read this. Such a horrific loss and for such a stupid reason.

    It was evident from some of the articles these ladies were greatly loved and leave a legacy of caring behind.

    Just so very, very sad.