PAT ANSWERS - PAST, PRESENT, AND FUTURE:

THE PRESENT

PAT ANSWERS Informative Books and Resources, is a Central Minnesota distributor of information products to schools and businesses - from children's story books, to cookbooks, to games and puzzles, all aimed at boosting the morale of your staff members - whether through resources to help their children achieve higher math scores or strengthen their art skills, or through new recipe ideas for family meals and staff potlucks, or perhaps even through a musical or decorative item to brighten their homes. In a nutshell, we seek permission from your employer to display a sample kit of about a dozen titles and items, for 2 to 3 days every month, usually in your staff lounge, break room, or lunch room. We do not charge a penny to anyone for this service. Our profit is made by sharing such sample kits at several locations in a community, and making multiple copies of each item available, in case someone decides to purchase one from us. Price per item hardly ever exceeds $20, and is usually $15 or less. There is no obligation to buy anything. As an incentive, we donate a book or item of your employer's choice to your employer, receptionist, or other designated party, after every ten purchases.

THE PAST - THE HISTORY OF PAT ANSWERS & ITS OWNER

Around 1970, a Minnesota high school sophomore named Patrick "Pat" Quance ("kwahnss"), raised in an evangelical Christian family, active in church music, made a personal commitment to spend his life participating in and nurturing the then-fledgling contemporary Christian music movement. What does this have to do with informative books? Please read on, and you'll understand. Thanks!

Unknown to Pat - and to many other Christians - contemporary Christian music was already off to a good start, with the help of the group "Love Song" and various other outgrowths of the Jesus People movement, on the U.S. West Coast. But even in his youthful ignorance, Pat felt sure that there was a place - a BIG place - in the world for Christian lyrics, set to the contemporary "pop" music style that had grown largely out ot the Beatles' fusion of guitars and trap drums with traditional symphony orchestra instruments. And even at 15, he realized it would not be easy to forge a career, in an industry that did not yet quite "exist", at least not to the degree that you could find an ad in the paper,"Contemporary Christian musician wanted". Success would require mastery of skills ranging from music composition, to counseling of new converts to Christ, to a certain amount of automotive knowledge, for many hours of touring, perhaps often through miles of remote areas - not to mention a good amount of marketing skill and professionale. But inspired by the meticulous multiple-skill mastery of the fictional character Batman, and with zeal reminiscent of another literary character, Don Quixote, whose heroic - although eccentric - endeavors were immortalized in the Broadway musical "Man of La Mancha", Pat set out to "dream his own impossible dream", determined to make it reality.

Over the years, Pat's efforts have grown from being considered as crazy as Don Quixote by his peers, on one end of the generation spectrum, while perhaps raising en eyebrow or two among the "old timers", as well, when he stepped onto the platform of their traditional church with a guitar in hand (not quite blasphemy in 1970, but close), to having toured eight states with a family team and 24 states with a full-time trio, having made albums with both. BUT ONE CHALLENGE HAS ALWAYS BEEN THERE, THROUGH THE YEARS - HOW TO FINANCE THE WORK.

Unwilling to go around begging for money, which turns many off to evangelists who do it - AND TO CHRIST - , Pat has long endeavored to be a "tentmaker" - a person who ministers voluntarily, while working at another job - to avoid being a financial burden to the already financially burdened church. So, going from being a square peg in a round hole as a public school music teacher (wasting his time - and God's, in Pat's opinion, by focusing God-given talent on secular music, in a setting where he was not allowed, due to "political correctness", to focus on the inspirational music he loved so much), to trying to find time to sing while working two jobs, in an attempt to support a growing young family in the 1980s, to starting over financially at 35, while working to re-gain the respect of his traditionalist hometown church - and others - , amid the stigma of divorce - and later, a new marriage - in the aftermath of losing a solid job with 7 years' tenure, when his Minneapolis - area employer downsized their computer equipment manufacturing, sidelining hundreds - including himself, Pat has had an insanely patchwork career. BUT ONE THING HAS REMAINED CONSTANT - HIS DEVOTION TO THE GOAL OF SPEAKING THE MESSAGE OF CHRIST TO HIS GENERATION, IN A MUSICAL LANGUAGE THEY CAN UNDERSTAND AND RELATE TO. (For more information on Quance Music Ministries, and to hear free mp3 samples of some of Pat's compositions, please see our About Us, Bio, and Music Demo pages.)

ENTER PAT ANSWERS Informative Books and Resources, a Central Minnesota distributor of information products to schools and businesses, . Based on the work of founder Otto "Pete" Harmon, who brought experience from a thriving Wisconsin book distributorship to the area, the business was formerly known as Books Plus. In December, 2003, after five years of developing and serving a list of roughly 400 client schools and companies in Central Minnesota, Pete was offered, and accepted, a position with a more lucrative benefit package, and Pat Quance became the new owner. Delighted with the flexibility of a sole proprietorship, as a means of financing his music "habit", Pat made rapid progress, purchasing a spare van for business use, filling it with durable vinyl totes to house the book sample kits for his clients to examine, and creating the predecessor to this web site. But a little over a year into the work, as rising gasoline prices began to cut our profit margins, Pat himself received an offer that at least appeared more in line with the needs of his family and, after a short transition period, aided by his son Mike, turned the territory over to a new representative, early in 2005. After a year and a half, though, with those gasoline prices now beginning to stabilize and even decrease slightly, Pat decided to take another run at it, beginning in Late October, 2006.

THE FUTURE - OUR GOALS AND DREAMS:

Although resuming service to some past clients, Pat is rapidly building a list of clients in new locations, while another representative of our supplier now serves much of the original Pat Answers area. However, if you are a former client of Pat Answers Books, and if subsequent representatives of our supplier have stopped serving your office, please click here to contact us, or call toll-free 1-888-560-1477, and we will make every effort to see that you receive service, to the degree that our supplier's policies permit.

A long-term goal, by the way, is to add inspirational books to our product line, to be sold before and after Quance Music Ministries concerts, in the foyer or other location, as approved by the host church or owner of the concert location property. Where workable, we hope to include inspirational books in the Pat Answers sample kits, as well.

Additional goals include the development and maintenance of an on-line ordering program. More on this later, but for now, for further information, please click here to contact us, or contact our supplier:

Terrance P. Diskin, Owner
TERRY'S BOOKS
Much credit for our outstanding line of titles is due to Terry's wealth of experience.
You can reach him at:

4890 Terrace Circle
Hermantown, MN 55811
BY PHONE: 218-729-6683
BY E-MAIL: td4890@aol.com

THANK YOU, AND HERE'S WISHING YOU MANY HOURS OF HAPPY READING!

HERE'S A SAMPLE OF PAT ANSWERS CURRENT PRODUCT LINE (CLICK HERE TO VIEW)

So, how does Pat Answers work? Click here for details.

To return to the Pat Answers Home Page, click here.

To return to the Quance Music Ministries Home Page, click here.

To contact us, click here.

MAKE MONEY BOOKING QUANCE CONCERTS
Widows, shut-ins, night workers, retirees, stay-at-home moms or dads, students - ANYONE!!!
Our overloaded staff will split profits 50/50 with you, just for your help in scheduling concerts - as many or few as you wish. Hours flexible.
Refer our link to pastors and churches - if they book a concert, HALF THE PROFIT IS YOURS!!!
For details, click here.