Monday, October 13, 2025

Publishing Portal--October 13, 2025








The latest news from Eckhartz Press, and a chance to peek into some of the great previous offerings from our humble little publishing company.


The Sun at the End of the Road

=We got the worst possible news on Saturday morning. Our dear friend, Eckhartz Press author Tony Fitzpatrick has passed away. He was 66 years old. We did our best to put our thoughts into words here. It includes comments from dozens of Tony's friends and colleagues. It's not sufficient. There will never be another Tony Fitzpatrick.



AVAILABLE FOR PRE-ORDER NOW! 

Take Me Back to Chicago

=A novel that is like a love story to 1970s Chicago. Author Doug E. Jones describes his novel this way: What do Joe Pepitone, Bozo The Clown, and George Morley have in common? Nothing. But in 1974 Chicago, they mean everything to Rick as he tries to pay off his dead father’s debt to the Irish mob.

=Dig the cover.

=We're thrilled to add Doug to our talented roster of authors. He has one of the most interesting back stories of all our authors. Check out his unusual journey. From Evanston, Illinois, Doug studied English Literature and Creative Writing at UCLA before hitting the road, taking jobs in Australia (removalist, construction worker, and door-to-door vacuum cleaner salesman), Japan (English teacher), and Costa Rica (bartender). When he returned to LA, he worked his way up the showbiz ladder from coffee boy to staff writer on the hit TV show Charmed. This is his fourth novel, following: Nowhere To Goa, Disco Inferno! and Since Costa Rica. It's his first one for us, and we're happy to publish it.




=While Doug's book takes place mostly on the north side of Chicago, the other book we have available for pre-order now (by Gloria Golec) takes place on the South Side. In fact, it's called South Side Memories. We're already getting notes from excited readers...
    I grew up in the same neighborhood. My background was much the same – surrounded by a big extended family with the Polish culture. It’s always been fun for us to share stories about family growing up. Love that now Gloria’s sharing these stories about that place and most of all the people. The relatives, friends and neighbors – really “ordinary” people who were extraordinary in so many ways. Can’t wait to read it.
=Gloria will be having her book launch party at the end of the month. More details to come.

=It was good to see a number of you take advantage of our Playoffs special on EveryCubEver. We've decided to extend the good will until Black Friday (November 28). Be sure to enter the coupon code Playoffs to get $5 off. This offer is only good for purchases on our website.

Award Season!

=Would you believe that another one of our books has been named a finalist for Chicago Writers Association Book of the Year? It's true. Just got the e-mail this morning. Congrats to Jim Slusher, author of To Nudge the World, who is nominated in the Indie non-fiction category! The book is a collection of his columns for the Daily Herald, which is about the role of free press (particularly newspapers) in our current world. It couldn't be more timely. Congratulations to Jim!

=That makes 15 finalists in 14 years. Last year (Oct 15) we had two, Hospital Heal Thyself and Last Comiskey were named finalists for the CWA Book of the Year (in the non fiction category)! The winner in the category, Hospital Heal Thyself, has since gone on to be purchased by an international publisher, and Last Comiskey is still available now at Eckhartz Press. Great work by authors Mark Taylor and Ken Smoller.

=This week in 2013 (October 17), Records Truly Is My Middle Name (by John Landecker) became our first book ever named as a finalist for Chicago Writers Association Book of the Year. It was only the fourth book we ever published. John and his daughter (movie/TV star) Amy made the media rounds promoting the book.

=This week in 2021 (October 15), Mob Adjacent became our tenth book to be named a finalist for CWA Book of the Year.


=Speaking of Mob Adjacent, it has been made into a film, which is currently being shopped in Hollywood. The filmmakers were in town last week and asked Eckhartz Press publisher Rick Kaempfer to film a few promo videos for it. Those will be posted over the next few months.


The Best of Words on Birds

=Author Jeff Reiter revealed this news about The Best of Words on Birds on his facebook page...

I found out today that my book is on display and for sale in Lexington, Virginia, at my alma mater's bookstore. I am a Washington and Lee University grad, class of 1981. The books of a fellow alum, John Yow, are in the W&L Store, too. Some of you may know his work: The Armchair Birder.




Ken Korber

=Ken Korber is our children's book guru, and author of quite a few books available at Eckhartz Press, including his series of books starring Grace. The Chicago Journal did a wonderful piece about Ken this week touting the Grace series.

=It's hard to pick a favorite one, but there is one that has to be near the top of the list. This week in 2020 (October 15), Steve Van Zandt announced his partnership with Eckhartz Press to publish a rock and roll book for kids. That was written by Ken Korber, and endorsed by the E-Street Band member himself. It's a story about a girl (Grace) who goes to see Steve in concert, called Grace's Rockin' Roll Adventure. 



The Loop Files

=Tony Fitzpatrick is remembered fondly for his days at the Loop. (He was a contributor to the book The Loop Files too) With the news of Tony's passing, we went back into the archives to find this gem. This is from 1994. Buzz Kilman and Tony Fitzpatrick doing their weekly feature, Drive In Reviews

=Buzz Kilman's post.

=We were going to make a big announcement about The Loop this week, but under the circumstances, we're waiting until next week.



=Robert Conlon will be at a Meet the Author event at the Western Springs Libary (The Thomas Ford Memorial Library) this Thursday night (October 16th). You can sign up for that event here.  The leprochaun will not be joining him this time.




=Mark Wukas will be at Dovetail Brewery's Boozy Bookfair this coming Sunday (October 19). Details below.




=They say you can never go home again, but Vicki Atkinson is proving them wrong. The long-time Harper College counselor has an upcoming event at Harper College. She'll be reading from her book Surviving Sue on November 6, from 11:00am--12:15pm, as part of their cultural arts lecture series.

=Bold Journey Magazine interviewed Vicki this week as well. You can read that interview here.


Happy Birthday!

=Two Eckhartz Press authors are celebrating birthdays this week. Happy birthday to Media consultant Kipper McGee (October 15), author of Brandwidth, and retired Judge Michael Bender (October 18), author of Protecting Children.

    


Thousands of people ran the Chicago Marathon over the weekend (October 12). We didn't. Instead we simply read the story in the Eckhartz Press book Meta-Stories by JJ Novak called “The Marathon Runner." If you didn't do it this year, click here to buy it for next year. Trust us, the worst injury you might get is a paper cut. Totally treatable.


=This week in 1978 (October 13), the band UFO recorded their live album in Chicago. Naturally they also appeared at The Flip Side. 

=Another one of the people featured in The Flip Side book is celebrating a birthday this week (October 13). Perhaps you are familiar with this Red Rocker's work. We're more impressed with Sammy Hagar's blue shirt...



=Sadly this week is the first birthday since the passing of Steve McMichael. Mongo would have been 68 years old on October 17. Dan McNeil was close with Steve, and wrote two really memorable chapters about him in his book I Bear Witness.

=He also wrote a chapter about another 1985 Bear who is celebrating a birthday this week--Mike Ditka (October 18). We hear Mike isn't in the best of health. Our thoughts and prayers go out to Da Coach. You will always be beloved in Chicago.

Righteous Might

=This week in 1775 (October 13), the US Navy was formed. Only one book in the Eckhartz Press catalog is about the Navy, and that's a great novel by Keith Conrad. It's entitled Righteous Might. Pick up your copy this week. It's on sale.


=Will Wagner's novel is about what happened to Pete Townshend's guitar after he tossed it into the audience at Woodstock. So, it's only natural that when the Who came town this week in 2022 (October 13), Will held a book signing down the street from the United Center before the show.


An Off-White Christmas

=This week in 2018 (October 18), Don Evans had his book launch party at the very swanky Cliff Dwellers on South Michigan Avenue. It was a star-studded event.






Signature Shoes

=John Wooden was born this week in 1910 (October 14). The legendary coach lived to a ripe old age of 99. Not only does he have the record for most NCAA Championships, he also had his own signature shoe. Ryan Trembath tells the story of the Wooden Shoes in his book Signature Shoes.

 


Father Knows Nothing

=This week in 2015 (October 14), Rick Kaempfer appeared on Rabbi Doug's television show to talk about his latest book, Father Knows Nothing.


We Have Company

=This week in 2016, Bobby Skafish was making the rounds promoting his book We Have Company. He appeared on WBEZ (photo) and also on the Kevin Matthews podcast.

=The reviews also started coming in for Bobby's book, and they were incredible. Here's a small sampling...
  • “Make sure your schedule is clear when you begin to read this book because you won’t be able to put it down. You’re there as Skafish speaks face to face with the architects of the music that made radio hip, here and happening.”

    --Bob Stroud/WDRV Radio
  • “Close encounters of the rock radio kind from the coolest cat to ever drop a needle on vinyl”

    --John Records Landecker/Radio Legend
  • “With over four decades as a silver-tongued D.J., Bobby Skafish turns his numerous interview moments into a can’t-stop reading adventure. Partly his thoughts on the interview process but mainly a memoir about his lifelong passion for music and those that make it. Highly recommended!”

    --Johnny Mars/WXRT Radio
  • “Bobby Skafish delves into an interview with knowledge, finesse and the ability to get a conversation started. He once told me that listening is just as important as asking the questions. This book is proof that his approach is right on!”

    --Wendy Snyder/WGN Radio

=Also this week, two of the interview subjects in Bobby's book are celebrating birthdays, Sammy Hagar (October 13), and John Mayer (October 16)


Chasing the Lost City

=This week in 2017, Tom Weinberg was riding high while promoting his book Chasing the Lost City. Rick Kogan wrote about it in the Chicago Tribune (October 15), and Tom's book launch party (October 17) at the Billy Goat was a big success.


 Doin the Cruise

=This week in 2017 (October 17), Doin 'The Cruise was tearing it up on GoodReads. Here's an example of the reviews from readers...

Bob rated it AMAZING!
A must-read for fans of radio and rock & roll music. Radio legend Mitch Michaels takes you behind the scenes of some of Chicago's most popular radio stations that were part of his remarkable career. An honest, in-depth, revealing look at the radio stations, DJ's, management, and rock stars that created the soundtrack to our lives. The memoir is very enlightening, and at times extremely funny, but also with moments that are heartbreaking. Mitch Michaels along with Ken Churilla have perhaps written the best book to date that captures the life of one of Chicago's most beloved radio personalities. A great read from start to finish.



Cubsessions

=This week in 2018 (October 16) the original version of Cubsessions was also garnering some serious buzz at GoodReads. Here's an example...

Evan rated it "AMAZING"
While reading Cubsessions: Famous Fans of Chicago’s North Side Baseball Team & Their Stories of Pain, Loyalty, Hope, and (Finally) Joy by Becky Sarwate and Randy Richardson, I realized that my experience at the conclusion of Game 7 of the 2016 World Series closely mirrored the experiences of those interviewed for the book. While we all wanted to be with the Cubs in Cleveland, many were nowhere near Progressive Field that night (I was watching on TV on the West Coast). Many watched the game with their families (I watched with my parents). Many shed tears of joy (I did, and I still get choked up every time I watch a video of the final out). Many were inundated with congratulatory phone calls immediately following the game (Call after call. I heard from friends I hadn’t spoken with in years). It was interesting to read the 31 interviews in Cubsessions. They feature a diverse group of people, from various walks of life, experiencing a similar feeling at the same moment. Famous Cub fans: Bob Newhart (who is a national treasure), Tom Dreesen, Joe Mantegna, and Nick Offerman. Cub fans whom other Cub fans will recognize, but might not know by name: the guy who invented the Shawon-O-Meter, the Bleacher Preacher, the owner of Murphy’s Bleachers, and Ronnie Woo Woo. Cub fans famous enough to be interviewed, who I honestly never heard of, but Cub fans nonetheless. All remained loyal while suffering as our beloved team wandered for 108 years through the bottom half of the National League standings until finally reaching The Promised Land in 2016! Hallelujah! Holy Cow! Where’s the Tylenol? This book is a must read for any Cub fan. Reliving the night of Game 7, the greatest game ever played, will put a smile on your face. Also, 100 percent of the proceeds from book sales go to cancer and baseball charities. Go buy this book, and GO CUBS GO!



Chili Dog MVP

=Chili Dog MVP isn't just a book about 1972 Chicago, it's not just a book about the great Dick Allen, it's also about the entire White Sox team from that year. Two of the lesser known members of that team, Hugh Yancy (October 16) and Rudy Hernandez (October 18) are celebrating birthdays this week. Yancy only played in three games for the team (at second base). Hernandez was a 20-year-old rookie shortstop and appeared in only 8 games. 


The Unplanned Life

=This week in 1974 (October 17), the show Austin City Limits debuted. The creator of that show is Roger Badesch's long-time friend. He provided this blurb for The Unplanned Life...

  • “Roger and I go back over 50 years to when he was a high school student and I was the TV Director for Evanston Township High School. Then again when I was TV Producer-Director for Southern Illinois University and Roger was an enthusiastic RTV Major. He worked on several of my shows including one with Billy Joel and one with the rock band Brownsville Station. I went on to co-create and direct PBS’ Austin City Limits, and Roger went on to become an anchor for WGN Radio News. His story is bound to be a good one!”

    Bruce Scafe, co-creator, Austin City Limits


Behind the Glass

=Evander Holyfield is celebrating a birthday this week (October 19). Evander rates his own chapter in Randy Merkin's book Behind the Glass...


Your Dime My Dance Floor

=This week in 2018 (October 18), Chet Coppock had a book signing at his favorite local joint, Stormy's in Northfield...




Cameo

=One of the endorsers of Beth Jacobellis' novel Cameo was WGN Radio's John Williams (born October 19). Here's what he said...

  • Mythical but modern, Cameo shows us how to listen to the past to find love in the present.

    John Williams, WGN Radio host


The Balding Handbook

=This week is Be Bald and Be Free Day (October 14). It's a day that Balding Handbook author David Stern celebrates every year. Even though his book is no longer in print, his head remains a tribute to the book's title.

 

Sunday, October 12, 2025

Minutia Men

Monday, October 06, 2025

Publishing Portal--October 6, 2025








The latest news from Eckhartz Press, and a chance to peek into some of the great previous offerings from our humble little publishing company.


The Sun at the End of the Road

=Tony Fitzpatrick got some amazing press for his fabulous new book this week in the Chicago Tribune. Unfortunately, as you can tell by reading the story, additional news was revealed. Tony is currently experiencing some serious health issues.

=Tony managed to attend his book launch on Saturday via Zoom, and was greeted with this wonderful video from his friends and supporters...

=Unfortunatley, Steppenwolf Theater issued the following statement about his upcoming run there...

Tony Fitzpatrick’s engagement of “The Sun at the End of the Road,” “presented as part of Steppenwolf’s LookOut Series, has been postponed indefinitely due to the artist’s ongoing health complications,” Steppenwolf advises. “Steppenwolf looks forward to bringing Tony’s show to his Chicago fans in the future.” 

=He may be in the hospital, but he's still making people happy with the book, including his health care workers...



40 Years, 40 Films

=Film critic/podcaster/broadcaster Nick Digilio announced that his new book is available now as an e-book on Amazon. You can get it here. Guess what else? In a few weeks it will also be available as a book-book (technical term) at Eckhartz Press. Look for the official pre-order announcement in the coming weeks. In the meantime, here's the pretty cool cover...


Mob Adjacent

=Speaking of films, authors Jeffrey and Michael Gentile, along with publishers Rick and Dave, got a screening of the Mob Adjacent film over the weekend. Oh boy. This one is going to be incredible. Buckle up, everyone. We will keep you updated on all upcoming film news. There's a lot of excitement going on behind the scenes.

=Another promotional video from the guys. This one stars Michael Gentile, Jr.


Doin the Cruise

=The October issue of Illinois Entertainer is out and it includes a profile of our latest Hall of Famer, Mitch Michaels. You can read that here.


South Side Memories

=One of our brand new books (available for pre-order now) is called South Side Memories by Gloria Golec. Knowing that you might not know Gloria, or what her story is about, we conducted the following Q&A that will give you a better idea of what to expect.


The Loop Files

=For the past few weeks The Loop Files author Rick Kaempfer has been accumulating Loop artifacts and memorabilia, and quietly writing various different Loop displays. Why has he been doing that? Big announcement coming soon.

=This week in 2023, the publicity machine was just getting rolling for The Loop Files. It wasn't even officially released yet. Rick was on the Matt Kissane podcast talking about the book on October 9th, and the RAMP Newsletter featured the book in their popular radio publication on October 11.




=The Cubs are still in the playoffs, which means this playoff special deal is still in effect for EveryCubEver. Use the coupon code and save five bucks. Click here.


=Vicki Atkinson has an upcoming event at Harper College. She'll be reading from her book Surviving Sue on November 6, from 11:00am--12:15pm, as part of their cultural arts lecture series.



=Another chance to meet Eckhartz Press author Mark Wukas is coming up soon as well. I think Mark has his finger on the pulse of his audience based on the location and name of his next appearance. He will be at Dovetail Brewery's Boozy Bookfair. Details below.



=Two chances to meet Robert Conlon coming up. He will be at a Meet the Author event at the Western Springs Libary (The Thomas Ford Memorial Library) on October 16th. You can sign up for that event here. 
=Bob will also be signing books and making a presentation at this year's IBAM (Irish Books and Music), November 22 and 23 at the Irish American Heritage center (4626 N Knox Ave). Get your tickets for that fun event here.




=Don't tell us that birdwatching isn't cool. Jeff Reiter, author of The Best of Words on Birds, is way ahead of the curve on this. Just ask these members of the Buffalo Bills football team.


Happy Birthday!

=Two Eckhartz Press authors are celebrating birthdays this week. Happy birthday to Chili Dog MVP co-author John Owens (October 7) and one of our new authors, To Nudge the World writer Jim Slusher (October 10). Both of them work in the media. Owens was the senior producer at the Chicago Tribune for years, and is now a producer for ABC-7 in Chicago, and Slusher is the Managing Editor for Opinion at the Daily Herald.  



I Bear Witness

=One of the evergreen parts of Dan McNeil's excellent book about the Chicago Bears is his chapter eulogizing the Bears greats who have passed away in recent years. This week in 2023 (October 5), we lost Dick Butkus. Dan wrote a wonderful tribute to the immortal Bears linebacker.


Your Dime My Dance Floor

 =This week in 2017 (October 9), Eckhartz Press signed one of the most famous sportscasters in Chicago to a book deal, Chet Coppock. Just a year later (October 12) Chet was on the airwaves at WGN touting his book. That interview is here.

 


AWARD SEASON

=This week in 2019 (October 11), two of our books were named finalists for the Chicago Writers Association Book of the Year.  The Scar Dance (in the fiction category), and EveryCubEver by Rick Kaempfer (in the non-fiction category).


=This week in 2022 (October 11), two Eckhartz Press books were named finalists for the Chicago Writers Association Book of the Year--and in the same category (non-fiction). Ike & Me by Rich King, and Chili Dog MVP by Dr. David Fletcher and John Owens. Chili Dog MVP brought home some hardware that year.

  


Hugh Hefner's First Funeral

=This week in 2015 (October 6), the reviews came in for Pat Colander's award-winning book Hugh Hefner's First Funeral. Here are a few of them...

  • As Paul Simon bookended…”Time it was, and what a time it was….A time of innocence. A time of confidences.” Chicago in the ’70’s was surreal, scary and freaking hilarious. My Second City kith and kin may have found brighter lights in N.Y. and L.A. — but we were spawned and fermented at North and Wells. Good thing Pat Colander thought to take notes and chronicle everything.

    Tim Kazurinsky, Actor, screenwriter, television and movie star, Saturday Night Live, Police Academy, Neighbors
  • Pat Colander toiled with me in the belly of the Chicago journalism beast in the 1970s and 1980s. When major stories were reported, she asked questions. When the questions were poorly answered or evaded, she asked even more questions of even more people. Then in a clear, true voice, she wrote it all down. She found the real stories behind the stories and this collection of her work is just great. She ought to be long-listed for the Man Booker prize, If I can figure out how to do it I will.

    Denise DeClue, Writer of films including About Last Night, teleplays, documentaries, journalism, humor columns and a great deal of other funny stuff


Cubsessions

=One of the interviewees for Becky Sarwate and Randy Richardson's book about celebrity Cub fans is celebrating a birthday this week. Happy birthday to journalist and author Jonathan Alter (October 6). He rates his own chapter in the book Cubsessions.


We Have Company

=This week in 2016 (October 7), Bobby Skafish visited the WLS studios to talk about his book with his old colleague at the Loop, Steve Dahl. It just happened to be the same day that Trump's Access Hollywood tape came out. (Also in the photo--Brendan Greeley and Dag Juhlin)

=Two of the rock stars featured in We Have Company are celebrating birthdays this week. Happy birthday to Jackson Browne (October 9) and David Lee Roth (October 10)
   


Grace and Friends Fire Activity Book

=This week in 2020 (October 7), co-author of Grace and Friends Fire Activity Safety book Paul Possenti was called a COVID hero. Read this to find out more. 



 Behind the Glass

=Two football legends are celebrating birthdays this week, and both of them are featured in Randy Merkin's Behind the Glass book. Former Bears great (and Hall of Famer) Mike Singletary (October 9), and Tony Dungy (October 6).  Each get a chapter in Behind the Glass. That's Tony with Randy below.


An Off-White Christmas

=This week in 2018 (October 9), Christine Sneed interviewed author Donald G. Evans about his excellent collection of short stories.



=This week in 2020, (October 9) Roger Badesch was interviewed by WGN Radio's John Landecker. You can listen to that here.


The Best Reason to Become a Publisher

=The thing we enjoy the most about being a publisher is the look we see in the eyes of our authors when they get the first copy of their book. This week in 2017, TV producer Tom Weinberg got the first copy of his book Chasing the Lost City. This week in 2018, artist William Mansfield got his first copy of his book The Scar DanceChasing the Lost City became a television show on WTTW. The Scar Dance was nominated for CWA Book of the Year.

  

=William recently staged an art show (his day job). Take a look at his amazing artwork here.