After nearly 2 years of writing, marketing and promoting a children’s book, I’ve started a new chapter in my business plan….reaching out to the retail world. Instead of relying on just my national distributor, who primarily sells my book the book trade. It has become clear that I need to do more to get Katie and my brand out there. The Katie and the Magic Umbrella brand is not just books anymore!
My passion for kids and educating them about weather continues with a growing line of toys, educational products and apparel I’ve created around the theme of my books. There’s a new magic umbrella, a coloring and activity book, an educational DVD, and even cool new weather-themed graphic t-shirts for girls and boys all coming very soon.
Book #2 in the Katie series “Katie and the Magic Umbrella: On Snowflake Trail will be out (Late Nov) with at least 2 more weather adventure books in the works. Snowflake Trail is being illustrated right now..it’s all about winter storms!
With a tough economy. bookstores aren’t stocking as many books, let alone toys and merchandise related to children’s books, unless you are Eric Carle or Disney. So it’s become clear that I need to find a way to reach kids outside the bookstore, so I’m reaching out to specialty stores as well as educational and gift retailers.
I just opened a small space in the Kids World Studio on the 8th floor of the World Trade Center-Dallas. This where buyers can come and see my wares! Here are a few the latest photos of my “little” showroom. Just did some painting last week and once all of my new products come in, I’ll be adding samples to the showroom for display.
In fact, I just filled my first order last week placed by a woman who owns a boutique children’s store in Prairieville, LA. Very exciting!
This is a huge step for me and yet another “Leap of Faith as I jump feet first into the world of merchandising!
So if you or someone you know is interested in retailing my products in their store, please have them contact me directly kristine@kcokids.com for more information, or they can simply stop by my showroom on the 8th floor in the Kids World Studio.
The title is a play on words, but for you Aggies out there, you know what I’m talking about.
I’m so excited to be profiled in a new Aggie blog for professionals called Hullabalog. The interview was done last September when I was still with CBS 11 and just beginning to promote my first children’s book “Katie and the Magic Umbrella: A Stormy Adventure“.
A few weeks later I shared my story and spoke about my new venture with the Ft. Worth/Tarrant County A&M Club at their monthly luncheon. What a great time and I hope to do it again soon!
I want to thank John Churchill for the interest and the wonderful job he did writing and putting together this article. Here are the basics, but be sure to check out and subscribe to the entire blog at:
http://hullabalog.wordpress.com
Meet Kristine Kahanek ’89 – Meteorologist and Children’s Book Author
July 27, 2009 in Uncategorized | Tags: children’s books, Ft. Worth, Kahanek,meteorology, Texas A&M | 1 comment
Hullabalog is pleased to profile Kristine Kahanek ’89. Kristine, the former chief meteorologist for KTVT-TV, a CBS affiliate in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, has embarked on a new career as the author of children’s books. ♦
Why did you decide to attend Texas A&M?
Not only was it the place where my dad went to college, in the ‘50s, but I really wanted to have two options open: Veterinary Medicine and Meteorology. It could have been animals or weather, either way. But meteorology always fascinated me as a kid. At the time, A&M was the only university in Texas with a B.S. in Meteorology. It was a very difficult major, loaded with high-end engineering, aerospace, chemistry, thermodynamics. Frankly, it was a lot more than I thought it would be. But I loved it! I loved the traditions at A&M, the campus, everything … I made every football game I could. I lived both on and off campus, so I was really exposed to the whole student experience there.
What made you choose weather as a career?
My father was a pilot in the Air Force. Plus, we also lived on a farm, so weather really impacted both his career and our way of life – raising horses, growing alfalfa, working outside.
After graduating with my meteorology degree, I went to the National Weather Service, where I stayed for 10 months. I had always wanted to be a meteorologist on TV, so when I had the chance to go to the ABC affiliate in Waco, KXXV, I jumped at it. I moved from there to the ABC station in Austin, where I worked morning newscasts for years. That brought me to Dallas, where I worked for a couple of stations, and then began my career as a children’s author!
After working in the weather business for so many years, what inspired you to write a children’s book?
As a meteorologist, I spoke at a lot of schools, met a lot of parents and even received calls from parents whose kids were petrified of storms. That’s when I started to realize that many parents don’t know enough about weather to educate their children about what’s happening when it storms outside. One day, I was brainstorming with a friend over lunch who said, “You need to write a children’s book.” So, I created a character, Katie, who is a guardian angel. She wears a winged watch that alerts her when the children she watches over need her. Katie dispels children’s fears as she takes them on a journey into a thunderstorm. The children learn about rain, lightning and thunder, as well as hail and tornadoes. By understanding the science behind the thunderstorm, the children’s fears are replaced with the knowledge of what a thunderstorm is and what to do when one happens.
The book, Katie and the Magic Umbrella: A Stormy Adventure, hit stores last September. It’s been a great experience, and I’ve already been tinkering with ideas for my next one. I hope to do three or four weather-related books that will not only give parents a tool, but teachers, as well. The books will provide educational information, a weather glossary, Q&A, etc. Children can read the book, and then answer questions about thunder, lightning, storms and other weather-related topics.
We are already about 2 months into the 2009 hurricane season and we still haven’t had our first tropical storm in the Atlantic or Caribbean.
Ocean temperatures are plenty warm, but the atmosphere just can’t seem to get going. Here’s this morning’s update from the National Hurricane Center.
Current tropical activity-from the NHC
Even though there are a few tropical waves worth keeping an eye on…based on the discussion I read this morning, forecasters don’t expect any of them to develop over the next 36-48 hours.
Just an aside…the name of our first storm will be Ana.
With 35 million people living along US coastlines, a quiet season is a good season. But the “official” long-term forecast still calls for for more than a dozen named storms… and the season is still young.
We all have people that come in and out of our personal and professional lives. But there are always a few that stand out and really leave an impression.
In the fall of 2007, after doing a search for a local designer who could help me create a prototype for my Katie doll, I happened to call Sandi Wheeler.
Long story short…She agreed to work with me to create Katie only having a rough illustration to go by. Sandi was a dream to work with and it wasn’t long before I had a fabulous sample doll for the manufacturer to go by. Less than a year later, my first shipment of Katie dolls arrived and they are now in stores and in the arms of hundreds of children.
First Katie Prototype-designed by Sandi Wheeler
Sandi helped make one of my little dreams come true, only I wish I would have taken the time to let her know how much I truly appreciated her and her talent.
You see…on July 8, 2009 Sandi Wheeler passed away.
I don’t know the details of her death. I didn’t know her family well, but I can only imagine how devastated they are. I did have the opportunity to meet her husband, Ben, one afternoon while we met at her home to discuss the design. He was very warm and welcoming and I so appreciate him tolerating the hours she spent working on my “little” project.
I am so grateful to Jean Fox, a friend of Sandi’s and fellow artist who was kind enough to email me and let me know about her passing. Jean got to know Sandi through a the North Central Texas Mixed Media group. Thank you Jean.
It’s still hard to believe she is gone, and so suddenly. I wish I could have had the chance to see her one more time. But I one thing I do know is that she is in the BEST of hands.
God bless you Sandi, we’ll miss you. And while you are up there … give my father a big hug and my little Katie too. Please tell them I love them.
Kristine
This week my family and I have been enjoying a wonderful week in northern Michigan where we own a lake house on Long Lake about 10 miles SW of Traverse City.
There is a great little children’s bookstore on Front Street in downtown Traverse City that has invited me to do a book signing Friday evening from 6pm-8pm. It’s called Up North Kids. The store is relatively new to this popular street lined with fabulous shops and restaurants. I took a quick pic of the store front yesterday while in town doing some other promotion for the event.
This friday is the first ”Friday Night Live” event. It’s like a block party on steroids. All the shops and vendors along Front Street stay open late, the street is closed to traffic and families are free to roam around listening to music, shopping and eating their way through some of the best food this area has to offer.
Katie and Book in the Front of the Store
Up North Kids-Traverse City, Michigan
Should be lots of fun and I’m really looking forward to reading “Katie and the Magic Umbrella” to the folks “Up North”!
I’ll also be doing a quick live interview with Charlie D of WCCW-FM 107.5FM at 8:15am Friday morning to promote the signing and talk about kids and weather. To take a listen you can log on to www.wccwi.com
I just got back today from a wonderful week visiting family in Montana. Highs in the 80’s, lows in the 50’s. It was AWESOME!
I stepped outside the terminal at DFW and was blasted by the 100 degree late afternoon heat I’ve come to know so well. Yep, I was home.
As we drove up the driveway I noticed all the new brown spots in our yard and how shriveled and brown all my beautiful Lillies and flowers look that I worked so hard to grow these past few months.
I looked at the forecast models this evening, and the pattern that’s setting up for the next week tells me that we all need to prepare for a wicked week of heat. Not necessarily record heat, but that burn-your-landscape-if-you-don’t-water-more kind of week.
Expect highs between 100 and 105, with Friday possibly the hottest day between now and Sunday.
Here is a little look at just one of the numerical models meteorologists look to for guidance on highs and lows.
(X means Maximum temp- the N means Minimum temp)
KDFW NAM MOS GUIDANCE 7/09/2009 0000 UTC
DT /JULY 9 / JULY 10 / JULY 11 /
HR 06 09 12 15 18 21 00 03 06 09 12 15 18 21 00 03 06 09 12 18 00
X/N 103 79 104 79 102
So even the computer guidance, which often underestimates the highs this time of year are indicating a rough 2-3 days ahead, and the long range isn’t much better.
The highs even through much of next week will stay close to the century mark, if not higher.
I’m showing you a peek at the latest Climate Prediction Center forecast for the country through July. It looks hot for us and dry.
July Temp Outlook
July Precip Outlook
While this isn’t unusual by any means, it does mean that our energy and water bills will be a painful sight! Maybe August will bring some tropical relief.
Is it October yet?
Until next time….KK
This past Tuesday I was invited to read “Katie and the Magic Umbrella” at the Primrose School of The Mid-Cities in Hurst. I did 2 sessions.
I started with the really “little ones” . We read the book, talked about thunderstorms and clapped our hands and stomped our feet to make the sounds of rain and thunder. They love to tell me their stories. We had a great time. They are the cutest!
The second session I read the book to the older “little ones”. These kiddos were tons of fun. Ages 5-11. Whenever I go to schools, I always suggest that the teachers have the children write down 5-10 questions before I arrive. The 2 questions I loved the most… 1) Do meteorologists use laptops? 2) How old are you? LOL. I just told them that I was A LOT older than they are.
Here are a few photos of my morning with the kids and the staff. I want to thank Stephanie Barfknecht -the Director/Owner, Georgia Kuhlengel-Administrative Assistant and the entire staff for making me feel so welcome and inviting me to share my book with the children.
Primrose kids and staff
I am starting to book school visits for the fall, so if you’d like me to come and share the book and severe weather safety with your school or group, please email erin@kcokids.com. You can also read all about my program by clicking here.
Georgia Kuhlengel, Me and Stephanie Barfknecht
Around 5pm this evening (June 11th) I was going to pick up my daughter at her friend’s house not a mile away…along the way I couldn’t help myself….I had to stop and take a picture of these…
They are called Mammatus clouds.
Mammatus Clouds
These clouds were formed about 100 miles to the north of a cluster of supercell thunderstorms that developed over Brown and Eastland counties. The minute I got home, I checked the radar and sure enough there were tornado and severe thunderstorm warnings for the storms south of this incredible display of Mother Nature.
When you see these clouds…just know that the atmosphere is EXTREMELY unstable. These clouds look like little pillows all placed randomly about in the sky. Mammatus can occur just a few miles away from severe weather, or more than 100 miles away, just like these today.
Of all the severe weather related clouds, these are my favorite. They are so benign, yet indicate danger is not far away. After a crazy day and night and severe thunderstorms Wed night and Thurs morning, I was a bit worried by these, but once I got a look at the radar, I knew they were just a tease. Warning us in the metro that nasty storms weren’t far away, but close enough to stay on guard.
Now you know..so next time you see them..be prepared for a “bumpy ride”!
Kristine
This morning, I drove through the driving rain to the KLTY studios in Irving where I recorded a half hour long interview with Minette Riordan. She is the founder and publisher of North Texas Kid’s Magazine. She also hosts a radio show that airs between 2-2:30pm 5 days a week on KWRD The Word 100.7 FM.
She invited me to be on the show to talk about my faith, my family, my new life outside of TV and of course Katie. She is an amazing woman and is so easy to talk to. We had a great time and time just flew by. I”m looking forward to meeting with her again to brainstorm and share marketing ideas for my business and of course the release of the next book in the Katie series.
Minette Riordan and Me
I’ll Twitter to let you know the date the interview will air. Probably in the next few weeks.
You can listen by podcast straight from her website and I’ll be working to link the podcast directly to my website as well.
Thank you Minette.
Stay dry everyone….looks like we aren’t done with the rain yet!
A strong upper level ridge of high pressure over Mexico will stand strong for the next 2-3 days at least. A weak disturbance will rotate around the north side of the upper ridge to bring North Texas a chance for strong to severe storms late this evening and tonight.
Here is the Storm Prediction Center’s Day 1 severe weather outlook for today and tonight.
Severe Storm Outlook
Notice how most of the action should be just to the NW of the DFW area. But we are close enough that we should watch the weather closely for storms that could produce large hail and damaging winds.
Most of us won’t see a drop of rain, but with highs in the mid 90’s and dewpoints in the 60’s today, the juice and heat energy is there to feed storms that can get started. I think most of the storms will be late after 9pm.
After today..the ridge strengthens a bit and a weak cap will develop over much of North Texas, and storm chances will be much lower Tuesday. But Wednesday could be an interesting day as another disturbance and cool front enter the picture.
Have to say, this is the first time since leaving the station that I’ve put together a forecast. Didn’t realize how much I missed it.
I’ll try and do this more often. Have a great day everyone!
Kristine
