Oct. 19, 1991, was just like most of my Saturdays growing up. As was the case on many of our weekends during the fall, my brother and I were with our parents at craft shows. On that Saturday, I was with my dad at the Maple Leaf Festival in Baldwin City, Kansas. It was one of our biggest shows and one I always enjoyed.
I only have a couple of memories of that day, even though I was 15. I remember the Italian restaurant our booth sat in front of in downtown Baldwin. I also remember reading the Topeka Capital-Journal that morning for all the high school football box scores. And, perhaps not surprisingly, I remember sneaking off to my father’s van to listen to Missouri’s game against Oklahoma State.
In other words, it was just a regular Saturday in our lives. Little did I know that a nightmare was unfolding an hour away. It was Brenda Michelle Keller’s last day in this life. Like many other Saturdays, she went for a bike ride. Unfortunately, it was her last.
As many of you have read by now in “Goodbye, Butterfly: Murder, faith and forgiveness in a small Kansas town,” her shocking and untimely death caused a wave of sadness that still ripples 33 years later.
I’ve often wondered why one of my callings in life was/is to tell Brenda’s story. I never met her, but I have always felt a connection. What a privilege it has been getting to know her the past several years.
When I decided to write a book about Brenda’s life, people I spoke with and interviewed commonly asked, “Why are you writing this? Where are you going with the story?”
For a long time, I didn’t have a concrete answer. What I knew was I had to tell Brenda’s story. I didn’t know where it was going. I knew basically nothing about what happened that fateful day and the people involved. I just felt a higher power (God) imploring me to pour everything I could into the story.
Nearly eight years later, I can finally answer that question with certainty. I wrote the story because:
- I wanted Brenda’s legacy of kindness and faith to endure. The more I learned about her, the more fascinated I was by the impact she had on people in 12 short years on this planet. She was sweet and caring, but she was also a subtle force, if you will, of nature. It also bothered me a great deal that there was very little information about her case on the Internet. When I started researching in 2017, the only items online were a blog I wrote in 2015, an older blog written by a writer based in Dover and a snippet from a Kansas House of Representatives bill on the Kellers’ compensation case against the state.
- Faith is obviously an important theme in “Goodbye, Butterfly,” but there’s a critical message in the book that isn’t just about religion. That message is about forgiveness, something I admittedly struggle with in this case. I’m not sure I could forgive someone if they did to one of my kids what Jon Mareska Jr. did to Brenda. But I also understand and agree with Bob and Tracy Keller: If they had not forgiven Mareska Jr. and put him in God’s hands, they would be stuck in a spiral of hate and anger. Those emotions are among the reasons parents of murdered children typically divorce and often die far younger than they should.
There are other reasons I wrote the book, of course, but those are the two most important. And based on the response to “Goodbye, Butterfly,” I believe Brenda’s legacy will last. On that note, I want to thank everybody who has supported my work and this story. As you may have heard, the first print (1,000 copies) sold out on the morning of its release date (Sept. 17).
Many of you are still waiting to receive and order your books. I apologize for the delay. Another 100 books fast-printed last week, and those sold in a few days. The good news is 500 more are printing next week. We print in smaller batches largely because my wife and I cover the printing costs. We chose this model because I did not want to compromise what I wrote.
I knew that signing on with a big publishing company meant I was signing away many of the rights to the book. I simply did not want to risk having a word of copy, the cover design or title changed because of a promise I made to the Keller family. They trusted me with their daughter’s story, and that is something I take very seriously.
Again, thank you to everybody for supporting the book. The outpouring of encouragement has been humbling and heartwarming.
Some other news and notes:
- “Goodbye, Butterfly” continues to perform well on Amazon. It has been in several category rankings for two months now. While I prefer people buy the book through direct fulfillment, I also recognize that Amazon is important to spreading the word about Brenda’s story. As of this writing, the book is ranked as high as sixth in a category and has a 4.6 rating on 27 reviews.
- As previously mentioned, more books are coming. Five hundred are scheduled to print next week. If those sell out, we will order more. The quickest way to get the book will be through direct fulfillment.
- We have had two signings thus far: Sept. 28 in Burlingame and Oct. 5 at Red Fern Booksellers in Salina. I have one scheduled for 1 to 3 p.m. Nov. 23 at the Topeka Barnes & Noble. We are working on setting up others.
- I have a private book club dinner scheduled for Nov. 21. I mention this because I’m available for book club meetings, dinners, signings and other events. Please share this with your book clubs! You can email me to set up an appearance.
- The following bookstores either have the book or have had it and are planning on ordering more:
- The Ichabod Shop on Washburn’s campus
- Round Table Bookstore in NOTO
- Barnes & Noble of Topeka (books on order)
- Raven Book Store in Lawrence
- Red Fern Booksellers in Salina
- Middle Ground Books in Emporia
- Watermark Books & Café in Wichita
- Rainy Day Books in Kansas City
- Monarch Books & Gifts in Kansas City
- The list of stores may not be complete. I have confirmed that the stores above are carrying “Goodbye, Butterfly.”
- The following libraries have the book:
- Topeka & Shawnee County Public Library has six copies, five of which can be checked out. However, there are 23 holds on those books, so you won’t be able to check it out for several weeks.
- Johnson County Library has four on order with three holds. The order was placed on Sept. 25, so the library may have the book at this point.
- Burlingame Community Library has a book that is currently on hold.
- Carbondale City Library has ordered a book that is in transit.
- Holton’s Beck-Bookman Library has a book that is currently checked out.
- Lansing Community Library has a book that is checked out.
- Lyndon’s Carnegie Library has a book on hold.
- The Osage City Library has a book that is checked out.
- The Bonner Springs City Library has a book with several holds on it.
- The Plass Learning Resources Center on Washburn’s campus is carrying the book.
- The Indianapolis-Marion County Library has ordered two copies.
- Follow me on Facebook: The quickest way to learn the latest news about “Goodbye, Butterfly” is on my author’s page. I have photo albums, blogs and events posted there.
- How can you help? Word-of-mouth marketing still works incredibly well:
- Share your thoughts with your book clubs and friends.
- When you’re in a bookstore or library, regardless of where it’s at, ask if they are carrying “Goodbye, Butterfly.” Several of the stores above are carrying it for that reason.
- Rate and review the book on Amazon.
- Rate and review the book on Goodreads. If you are on Goodreads, please add me as a friend/follow me as an author.