The latest news from Eckhartz Press, and a chance to peek into some of the great previous offerings from our humble little publishing company.
COMING SOON: Cul-de-sacs by Joni Hirsch Blackman
=Writing a lifestyle column about families in Naperville for The Daily Herald opened Joni Hirsch Blackman up to questions from grocery cashiers, other parents on the
bleachers, her kids’ teachers and others. “Are you that columnist?” was a
question she didn’t love to answer, but she got used to it. Writing Cul-de-sacs
was a great job for a “Naperville mom who lives on a cul-de-sac with her three
children and dogs” and a wonderful way to spend more than a decade staying up
way too late writing 500 or so weekly columns. This book contains some of her favorites. It will be available for pre-order very soon!
3 Chances to meet Eckhartz Press authors this week!
40 Years, 40 Films and 40 Years, 40 Horror Films
=This Wednesday, August 12, Nick Digilio (40 Years, 40 Films) will be at Classic Cinema's Lake Theater in Oak Park screening the Albert Brooks classic Defending Your Life at 7pm. He'll also be selling his first book, 40 Years, 40 Films. Don't miss your chance to see one of Albert Brooks' best films on the big screen.
=The official launch party is coming up soon, August 22nd, at Salerno's Pizza on Grand Avenue in Chicago. More details next week as we get closer to the event.
=Russ Fahrner's brand new book about his cancer battle is getting some great reviews. For instance...
I finished the book yesterday--what a touching story and such good questions! I loved the photographs-- a great, enchanting and appropriate addition. Congratulations once again! And,your wonderful publisher worked fast. The books that I had ordered were on my doorstep when I got back from book club.
=Richard Reeder will be appearing at two of his favorite places, Cliff Dwellers on August 26, and Max and Benny's on August 31.
Close Encounters of a Chicago Kind
=Vicki Quade is celebrating a birthday this week (August 15). Vicki came to Eckhartz Press after meeting us on this podcast. She was already well known in Chicago for her play Late Nite Catechism. Her book is a character study of the people in Chicago who she meets on the streets. Very funny and insightful.
Andrea Darlas
=The Chicago radio newscaster has been a big supporter of Eckhartz Press books over the years. She provided a testimonial to Janet Sutherland's book Nose Over Toes (below), appeared on the radio with Patti Vasquez and Cameo author Beth Jacobellis (photo), and also invited EveryCubEver author Rick Kaempfer (photo with former Channel 2 anchor Brad Edwards) into the WGN Radio studios. Andrea's birthday is this week (August 11).
I was truly captivated by Janet’s story…from front to finish! I laughed out loud and even welled up with tears as I read page by page of her journey. Janet is a survivor in every sense of the word. When anyone else (including myself!) would have given up, Janet persevered. Whether it was through the help of her parents, her beloved dogs, her friends or her co-workers, Janet’s journey is one everyone should know about. She makes me “stop and smell the roses” at the end of every chapter! As a friend and former co-worker, I have always looked up to Janet, but now I truly admire her courage, her strength and her humor.
=Pat Colander's book won the Book of the Year from the Chicago Writers Association in 2016. They always say you can't judge a book by its cover, but let's face it, with this book you can. The cover photo is the handiwork of the great Chicago photographer Barry Butler, who is celebrating a birthday this week (August 11).
=One of the stars of our last great Bears team, Tom Thayer, is celebrating a birthday this week (August 16). This photo of Tom appears in Dan McNeil's book.
=Sirens in the Loop is about the City News Bureau of Chicago, the training ground for journalists. So many of the greats worked there including this week's birthday boy (August 11), David Brooks. You may know him as a New York Times columnist. His story is featured in the book.
=Eckhartz Press author Chet Coppock literally knew everyone in the sports world, including basketball legend George McGinnis (born August 10), wrestler Hulk Hogan (born August 11) and NBA Hall of Famer Magic Johnson (born August 14), All of them appear in Chet's book...
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=One of the joys of the Gentile brothers (Jeff & Michael) book Mob Adjacent is the way it intersperses Hollywood and the Outfit in Chicago. Eddie Fisher was born this week in 1928 (August 10). One of the funnier sections in the book involves mob wives arguing about the merits of allowing Eddie Fisher to perform in mob nightclubs after he was so cruel to his first wife, Debbie Reynolds, dumping her for Elizabeth Taylor. Mob Adjacent was a finalist for Chicago Writer's Association Book of the Year in 2020.
=Another week, another birthday of a rock star who appeared in Bobby Skafish's book. This week it's the late great David Crosby (August 14).
Memorable anniversaries...
=August 12, 1985—The Outfield released their mega-blockbuster hit record Play Deep. Guess which Chicago-area record store hosted the band for an in-store appearance? That's right, the best one of all-time, Flip Side Records. This photo, and that story, are in the book.
=This week in 2017, on the 40th anniversary of Elvis Presley's death (August 16), Bob Shannon released his book Turn it Up. The book is about that first generation of disc jockeys who helped make rock and roll famous.
=The same week in 2017 (August 15), we were preparing to release the book Safe Inside by Lee Kingsmill, and began taking pre-orders. That book was later awarded honorable mention in the Book of the Year awards by the Chicago Writers Association. It was greeted with reviews like these...
“The best books expand our humanity by the vicarious experiences and opportunities for compassion they provide. Lee Kingsmill’s Safe Inside is just such a book. It’s rich and textured, filled with family dynamics, religion, sexuality, the refuge of the imagination, the sanctuary of movies, and most of all, the depth, truthfulness, and complexity of humanity.”
“This beautifully written and sensitive novel about growing up in Chicago in the 1940s and ’50s and falling in love with the movies is that rare thing, a story that totally recreates a vanished world. Every detail of both place and character is so closely observed and evocative that you feel like you are there. ”
Everything I Know I Learned from Rock Stars
=This week in 2018 (August 16), Bill Paige launched his great rock and roll interview book in his home town (at the time) of Austin, Texas. Here are a few photos from that launch party.
=This week in 2014 (August 12), Joel Daly was interviewed by the Chicago Bar Association about his book The Daly News. In addition to being a famous Chicago news anchor, Joel was also a practicing attorney.
=This week in 2020 (August 13), Kipper McGee appeared on the One on One podcast to talk about the second edition of his media book, Brandwidth.
=This week in 2016 (August 10), Eckhartz Press released the memoir In Small Boxes written by Ann R. Wilson. Ann had a great launch party in her hometown...
=This week in three successive years (2013, 2014, 2015), John Records Landecker was making appearances promoting his book. In 2013 (August 11), it was the Morning Show Bootcamp in Chicago. In 2014 (August 11), it was in Georgetown, Illinois for a county fair. In 2015, he appeared on the Justin Kaufmann show on WGN Radio.
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