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As far back as junior high school, 28-year-old Michelle Witte knew she wanted to have her own bookstore. But she put the idea on hold while she attended college, where she majored in journalism. Then after five years as an associate editor at Gibbs Smith, Witte decided early last month that the time was right to start a children's bookstore. She's already got a name picked out, Fire Petal Books, and a location, a 1,400 sq. ft. space in Centerville, Utah, just outside Salt Lake City. The only problem is that she doesn't have startup funds.

So with a little help from Twitter followers like Molly O'Neill, an editor at HarperCollins Children's Books, who donated a paperback/novel manuscript critique and a 15-minute phone consultation, and Neil Gaiman, who gave her a signed copy of the script he cowrote with Roger Avary for the movie Beowulf, Witte is hoping to raise $40,000 by holding an auction online. She will use the money raised to paint walls and build bookshelves, as well as to provide free classes and activities for children at the store, which was named by her five-year-old niece.

As for the decision to open a children's specialty bookstore, that was easy, says Witte, who not only edits kids' titles like Pocketdoodles for Girls by Anita Wood at Gibbs Smith, but also has written several unpublished YA books. As an added reason she points to Utah's bestselling young adult authors, which she refers to as the "Mormon Mafia." They include Shannon Hale, Brandon Mull, Brandon Sanderson, James Dasher, Ally Condie, and Jessica Day George, among others.

Utah's demographics are also encouraging for a children's store. According to the U.S. Census, 30.9% of the population of Utah is under the age of 18, compared with 24.5% for the U.S. as a whole. And Utah has the highest fertility rate in the country. Anecdotally, says Witte, many of her friends are having their fourth child..

Witte is not one to mull over a decision once it's been made. The auction closes on March 20, and Fire Petal Books will open in mid-April. She has one person whom she'd like to hire to open the store, and will add others who know children's books once the store is up and running. For now, Witte plans to continue at Gibbs Smith.

Note: Two names have been removed from the list of Utah writers.

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