Staff photo by Fritz Busch Minneopa Valley Press Inc. of Mankato Editor-in-Chief Nicole L. Helget, left; and New Ulm author Jill Kalz preview Kalz’ first adult fiction book “The Winter Bees” at The Grand Center for Arts and Culture in New Ulm Thursday.

NEW ULM — With the flare of a librarian, New Ulm author Jill Kalz read excerpts of her first fiction book for adults, “The Winter Bees,” to a roomful of eager listeners at The Grand Center Center for Arts & Culture Thursday.

Edited by Sleepy Eye native and Minneopa Valley Press Editor-in-Chief Nicole Helget, who has written award-winning books herself, Kalz’ book will be released Nov. 13. It features 10 interconnected, character-driven short stories about the lives and relationships of residents of a small Minnesota town, New Ulm.

After writing more than 70 children’s books, a number of them award-winners, Kalz said it was time for a change, to write an adult book.

Kalz said living in New Ulm with its culture and characters was the perfect setting for her stories.

Helget spoke first.

“I was so lucky to stumble upon Jill because she is also an editor who taught me how to edit,” Helget said. “As soon as I heard it, I knew this is it. This is the one. Jill is a beautiful story teller with a poetic voice. The book has really great characters and a wonderful sense of setting.”

Kalz said the book has been a dream of hers for a long time coming.

“The story I lived with the longest is 20 years old. The newest one is two years old,” Kalz said. “I’ve been writing children’s books since 2001. It’s been an amazing journey talking to children and getting them interested in books. But I felt it was time to get back to the writing that I love most, short stories and poetry. It’s been a good creative outlet for me.”

Kalz said she was rejected many times, like most writers are. Last spring she heard about Minneopa Valley Press which just came into existence and was looking for manuscripts.

“I read their mission statement and philosophy and thought that was exactly what I was writing–about rural Minnesota, its people and the place I love so much,” Kalz said. “They were looking for character-driven stories instead of plot-driven stories. That’s exactly what I write, so I took a chance and sent the thing in.”

Kalz said the day before she was leaving for a trip to Ireland, she got an email from Helget that Minneopa Valley would be so happy and pleased to publish the collection.

“The luck of the Irish had a little something to do with it,” Kalz said. “Since then, it’s been a whirlwind. Nicole has helped me dig a little deeper, pulling up details to make stories so much richer. It’s been so much fun.”

Kalz read an excerpt of the oldest and first story of the collection, “Last Call,” that appeared in Minnesota Monthly in 1998.

“Ana poked her head out the front door, looked up and down the snowy street before shutting off the light. She locked the saloon and climbed the warped, back stairs to her apartment.

“He hadn’t shown up tonight, even though he told her yesterday he liked sauerkraut and meatloaf and couldn’t turn down a fund-raiser for a good cause. Especially if it meant cold beer, old-time music and the chance to share some eats with a good-looking woman.”

Kalz has published poetry in the Nebraska Review, Ohio Review, Cream City Review and other magazines. Her picture book “Farmer Cap” was a 2008 Minnesota Book Award finalist and winner of the Readers’ Choice Award.

She has worked as a children’s book editor at Capstone Press in Mankato for 14 years.

Kalz will release the book Nov. 13 at The Poor Farm Studios, 56749 192nd Lane.

For more information, visit www.minneopa.com

Fritz Busch can be emailed at fbusch@nujournal.com.