The Kuchler Touch Makes Folks Smile
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Del.icio.usBonnie Louise Kuchler’s ideal day would be spent with the dolphins and the turtles at Sea Life Park as she loves nature and animals.
But if she can’t pencil that in, the prolific Mililani author simply creates a book with photos and sayings about her furry and feathered friends.
Photos of cuddly animals grace the pages of her two latest offerings, Just Sisters and Just Girlfriends, and she’ll be autographing them at noon Saturday at Borders Waikele.
“I think photographs talk as loud as the words talk,” she said. “I feel like when I’m reading a book that has perfectly matched text and photographs, then I’m reading in stereo.” People also will spend money to buy gift books like that, she added.
An image in Just Girlfriends, for example, is of two dark horses with long white manes and a quote by Kuchler: “The closer two girlfriends get, the more they behave like sisters. That can be good or bad, depending on the sister.”
In her research, she looks at more than 100,000 photos before narrowing it down to the final few that make each book. Looking at photos is something Kuchler did growing up in Hawaii as both her parents, Elizabeth and George, were professional photographers. She grew up in the dark room critiquing photos and selling photo packages for families, schools and graduations from her mom’s business, Elizabeth and George Studio in Ala Moana Center.
“With their critiquing photographs all the time,” she recalled, “I picked up by osmosis on this and developed a love for photography - although I can’t really use a camera. They photographed people for a living; they photographed nature as hobbies.”
Her first book, Just Moms, came out in 2001. (The concept came to her following a boring night as a franchise owner of the Calendar Club.) Since then she also has published the gift books Just Dads, Just Kids, Flowers For Mom, For Sweethearts, That’s Life, Just Grandparents, Just Friends, Feline Friends and Dad, You Stand Tall.
Also in her portfolio of gift books is One Heart: Universal Wisdom from the Word’s Scriptures that highlighted 65 principles she noticed are shared by major religions.
She’s already sold more than 175,000 books and 65,000 greeting cards through bookstores, gift catalogs and on Amazon.com.
“Those are the numbers I can present to publishers when I’m trying to get my other writing published,” she explained,“because it is a platform to work from. It’s a foot in the door.”
Coming up at the end of the year, she’ll be releasing Retirement Is A Full-time Job and You’re The Boss. She’s also working on a few children’s books and books about marriage, teachers, and daughters. For more information, log onto bonnielouisekuchler.com.
At age 11, she tried to write her first book - a love story. She went on to do secretarial work, own a Calendar Club franchise and a Books Are Fun franchise. When she’s not busy working on promoting, researching, writing, or selling her books, Kuchler enjoys playing tennis, going on cruises, walking with her husband, Phillip, and spending time with their children: Jill, Nate, Laura and Vanessa.
The couple’s three pint-sized fitness coaches - Jack Russell terriers Sugar, Ginger and Nicky - keep the Kuchlers on their toes.
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