Writer J.L. Franklin had just visited Coffee Inclusive for the first time when she found out about a short story contest that would benefit the Pittston shop.
“They bake the best lemon bars, and it stuck with me so much that when I wrote the story, I wrote that lemon bar into the story,” Franklin said.
Franklin’s story, “Pay it Forward,” is part of a new short story anthology from Avoca-based publisher, Nicole Frail Books. “The Perfect Blend: A Coffee-Shop Inspired Sweet Romance Anthology” was created from submissions to the contest and sales of the collection will benefit Coffee Inclusive.
Franklin will be one of the authors on hand to autograph books and meet readers this Sunday, March 8, during a book launch and signing event at the Pittston coffee shop and bakery.
“This is actually my first story ever published, so I'm excited to finally be a published author,” she said. “I'm excited that my first time is to help support such a wonderful cause like this.”
Coffee Inclusive opened almost three years ago, providing training and skills to adult employees with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
Publisher Nicole Frail came up with the idea for the contest and collection during her own visit to Coffee Inclusive as a vendor.
“Everybody was…talking about fundraising efforts and how certain funds were being cut,” she said. “There was a conversation with another vendor…they were trying to brainstorm, like what could we do to maybe work together to do a fundraiser.”
Frail approached Brendan Karolchyk, marketing coordinator for PA Inclusive and Coffee Inclusive with her idea. Karolchyk said he and his team coordinated with Frail to come up with the theme, advertise the short story contest on social media and find local writers to submit their work.
“It’s been a pleasure working with Nicole and getting to try these new things that we’ve never really done at Coffee Inclusive before,” he said.
Book launch, signing kicks off full calendar of events for Coffee Inclusive
Eight of the 12 authors included in the anthology will be at Coffee Inclusive on Sunday from 10 a.m. until 1 p.m. to sign books and chat with readers.
“We had always expected to have a launch party, depending on how many authors could make it,” Frail said. “When the majority of authors actually happened to be from Northeast Pennsylvania, we knew that we were definitely going to be able to do it.
Frail said she will be there with copies of “The Perfect Blend” for sale, along with other books she has published.
To complete the event, Coffee Inclusive will be offering a special drink - a strawberry and rose latte topped with cold foam and rose petals.
“It’s a drink especially attributed to all of our amazing authors who took the time to help us out,” Karolchyk said. “A rose latte just kind of fit that description, especially with the love theme.”
After the book launch, Karolchyk said there are more events on the way to promote the book and Coffee Inclusive. The shop will hold its first open mic night on March 19, featuring some of the contributors to “The Perfect Blend.”
“We’re looking for people to share stories, to sing songs, to do poetry, to do comedy, whatever they feel like sharing,” he said. “It’s all about doing it in one invaluable space right here in Pittston.”
Frail is also working on a summer tour for the book and authors.
Karolchyk said the funds raised by the book sales will help Coffee Inclusive hire new employees, purchase new equipment and continue to expand.
“Every little dollar that comes in helps us fulfill our dreams of…supporting every single person that comes through these doors looking for employment and training opportunities,” he said.
Majority of anthology authors live in Northeast Pennsylvania
Frail said she hoped to feature mostly regional authors in “The Perfect Blend.”
“Because Coffee Inclusive is all about creating a safe community and inclusive community,” she said. “My platform really focuses on creating a writing community.”
Eleven of the 12 featured writers are from Pennsylvania, with most being from the Northeast Pennsylvania region.
Jenn Johnson-Hamer of Swoyersville penned the short story “Perfect” for the anthology. She said she typically does not write romance stories, but Frail’s prompt searching for coffee shop-themed love stories sparked her interest.
“It was kind of an experiment, and it just came together so fast and so easily,” she said. “It’s like the characters wanted their story told, and I was just the fingers writing it out.”
For Franklin, her story was the first one she had written based on a prompt.
“I took from…partially from my own experiences,” she said. “And this story just kind of came together.”
Experiences like the lemon bar she had on her first visit to Coffee Inclusive.
“I'm really excited to go to the signing on Sunday,” she said. “I'm excited to connect with other authors, with other readers, and this is a great opportunity, and I hope lots of people will be there.”
