After publishing yet another (third) edition of my book in June of 2025, I was on the lookout for new and creative ways to attract new readership. I eventually came up with an idea I felt might be interesting for both book and music lovers alike. There’s such a thing as music and poetry. Why not music and prose?

A blend of music paired with a recital of excerpts from my book sounded appealing to me. What a powerful statement that would make! I even knew on a personal level, some Wisconsin musicians who could help me pull this off. I decided to reach out to them to see if they’d be interested.

Over the years I’ve gotten to know Karli and Jason Reisdorf; a married couple and musical duo, better known as Natural Satellite. Recent winners of the Wisconsin Area Music Industry (WAMI) awards, Karli plays cello, mostly through the use of her fingers. Jason plays saxophone. Karli also sings and I must say that her voice paired with Jason’s saxophone creates a sound like no other!

Their music would definitely pair well with the direction I was aiming for regarding specific book passages; to highlight the voices of the men and their families. Karli and Jason had already read my book. They were well aware of my mission. This collaboration seemed like a natural fit.

I made an inquiry through their website. Within a week I had my answer. They were quite excited about the prospect of being a part of what would be a new adventure for us both.

After working out the details, this flyer was created to promote our event:

Our son, Jared, traveled from S. Lake Tahoe, CA to support “Mom.” My good friend, Vicki, and her husband Brian, two people who have supported my mission from the beginning, also drove from the Minneapolis area to witness a meaningful event on May 2nd, 2026. Titled: Tragedy in Titletown: An Afternoon of Music and Prose, this event took place at the Appleton Public Library in downtown Appleton, Wisconsin. Karli and Jason provided mostly background music that elevated my words towards a deeply emotional journey; a journey that seemed to captivate a small but rather engaged audience.

Following a Q&A session with the audience Karli and Jason played two of their amazingly powerful songs: Counting Sheep and Fly Away, the latter of which they kindly dedicated to me.

To say this event was moving is an understatement. To say it was successful, well, that can be measured in many ways. In this instance it did not mean standing room only crowds. Like some of my events in the past, this one had more to do with quality over quantity.

To further this point I’ll tell you about one couple who attended. During the Q&A session following the program Karen and Jim spoke up. Karen shared that she had read my book and that she also read it to Jim. At that time, Jim was skeptical about the innocence of the men and the idea that the outcome was suicide. Karen told this audience that my book had caused a shift in Jim’s assessment.

I spoke with both of them afterwards. They had learned of our event through JOSHUA; an organization in Green Bay that one of the six men, Michael Hirn, is affiliated with. Karen expressed their disappointment in the low attendance that day and offered her assistance should we decide to schedule another event in Appleton in the future. Karen reassured us that there is plenty of interest in this area for this type of event.

I welcomed Karen’s offer and gave her my contact information. I then shared the news with Karli and Jason who were on board with collaborating on additional events.

And there’s more… Part 2 will cover the following:

An exciting aspect of this event will include some more recent news about a new documentary in the works about this case! I’ll explain who our special guests were and the interview that happened following this event…

Also, there are positive developments in regards to Karen.

Please stay tuned…

#girlonamission