By Press Times Staff
ASHWAUBENON – Local author Caroline Klug was at Barnes & Noble Jan. 28, promoting her latest book, “Tell Them.”
Not only were fans able to get a signed copy of Klug’s books and a free cupcake, but they also helped a local organization in the process.
“Barnes & Noble was nice enough to donate a percentage of all the sales from 6:30-8:30 p.m. to the Greater Green Bay Habitat for Humanity in support of their 2020 Faith Build,” said Klug, who is married to Jim Klug and has a 20-year-old daughter, Kyra. “It wasn’t only from the sale of my books but all merchandise bought in the store during that two-hour timeframe. This was my first time doing an event at Barnes & Noble.”
Klug specializes in Christian and inspirational fiction books.
“When I was in my 20s, I thought I was going to write popular business books,” she laughed. “As I got older, I felt a faith calling. I spent lots of time blogging and studying before opening up that endeavor. In 2018, I ripped the band-aid off, dove in and wrote my first fiction book.”
Klug’s first book, “Stolen,” is an inspirational thriller about the journey of a runaway who gets abducted by a serial killer.
“Tell Them” is a nonfiction Christian book about Klug’s life and what she has gone through.
“It’s a tell-all book about how God helped me get to where I am today,” she said. “The book has two major purposes – to put it out there and hope it helps other people not be afraid or ashamed about their past.”
Klug’s third book, the “Waiting Room,” is another nonfiction Christian book about waiting for guidance on the promises of God.
Help for Habitat
During the Faith Build, Habitat partners with local churches and faith-based organizations to raise funds.
On average, it costs $140,000 to build a home in Brown County.
“We are excited it’s growing,” said Matt Harper, Director of Development for the Greater Green Bay Habitat for Humanity. “Our organization typically builds six to eight houses a year in Brown County. There are lots of obstacles, the main one being rising costs. We buy all our supplies local, so when those go up in price, we pay more. We pumped about $1 million back into the local economy last year.”
Thrivent Financial matches up to $70,000 of the local funds raised.
The Greater Green Bay Habitat for Humanity is one of four Faith Builds taking place across Wisconsin.
“The international organization is advocating for finding a solution to the rising costs of homes,” Harper said. “We need costs to stay reasonable in order to help folks out.”
He said his organization also has a recycling program that raises about $2,000 per month.
On average, Harper said it takes about four months to build a house working three days per week, and 50 volunteers might take part in the entire project.
He said having Klug and Barnes & Noble team with Habitat for Humanity means lots to him and the local community.
“I’m huge on partnership,” he said. “This fell in place because Caroline supports our Faith Build through her writing. It was a great match and fit.”