Monday, July 07, 2025

Publishing Portal--July 7, 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.


Crossing the Border!

=Into Wisconsin, that is. 


The Flip Side and Doin' The Cruise

=Ken Churilla has now written two books for us, The Flip Side (with Carl & Larry Rosenbaum) and Doin' The Cruise (with Mitch Michaels). He'll be selling both of those books at The Press Book Fair, Saturday July 19th in Valparaiso, Indiana (9 Lincoln Way). Be sure to swing by and say hello.



=We love it when this happens. It's an Eckhartz Press on Eckhartz Press appearance. 1001 Train Rides in Chicago author Richard Reeder will be interviewing The Kiss of Night author Mark Wukas on August 11th at Max & Benny's. It will be recorded as a podcast. Be sure to check it out. Reserve your spot here.

   

=The Kiss of Night continues to get great reviews. Here are a few from Amazon...

     "Five stars. The Kiss of Night provides not only a page turning story, but also an insider view of 1980s Chicago reporting and police work. This book was informative, fun, and extremely well written!! The book’s title and the Magikist sign book cover add even more to the charm."

    "Five stars. The introduction got me hooked, and you will stay hooked for the entire ride. Great characters, interesting conflicts between cops, journalists, and criminals, and some surprising (but plausible) plot twists that make you want to see what comes next. Three thumbs up!"

    "Five stars. A thrilling read that's also nostalgic for me. The author really brings what some golden days of journalism were like before the internet crashed the industry. A quick read with lots of great Chicago references some sex and violence, and even Greek historians!"


Mob Adjacent

=The Mob Adjacent crew is in full-fledged promotional mode. A new version of the book is out. The audio book is out now too. And they are making a film. They'll also be making a bunch of commercial announcements like this one..

=Some of the most famous gangsters in Chicago history casually stroll in and out of this book, including one of the bosses of the Outfit, Jackie Cerone, who was born this week (July 7) in 1914. 


Chili Dog MVP 

=We are getting excited. Just a few more weeks...

=Two members of the 1972 White Sox have birthdays this week. The late slugging third baseman Bill Melton (July 7) and second baseman Mike Andrews (July 9). Naturally, both are featured in the pages of Chili Dog MVP.




=While we're on the subject of White Sox birthdays, it's also the birthday of former White Sox outfielder Lance Johnson (July 6). Lance (One Dog) is featured prominently in Ken Smoller's book Last Comiskey. Ken (photo), by the way, is another part of the Chili Dog MVP team assembling in Cooperstown in a few weeks. He is our official photographer.


=Bob Conlan will be appearing on the Minutia Men Celebrity Interview this week. Meanwhile, the reviews keep coming in for his first novel...
    "Just landed from Paris. I read the book in the train to and from Normandy. OMG!! No hyperbole, just fantastic. Absolutely loved it. It should be made into a movie."



Close Encounters of a Chicago Kind

=Vicki Quade is taking her play Late Nite Catechism on the road. A Chicago original and international hit, Late Nite Catechism comes to the Theatre at the Center in Munster, IN. for one performance only, Sunday, July 20, and to the Lyric Theatre in Blue Island for a Sunday, August 10. performance. Both shows are matinees. We don't know this for a fact, but we'd be shocked if some Chicago Pope jokes haven't made it into the show. (Photo: Vicki with Rick Kogan at WGN radio)

=Of course, Vicki Quade's Eckhartz Press book is about her hilarious everyday encounters with ordinary Chicagoans. One of those Chicagoans is Will Clinger, who is celebrating a birthday this week (July 9). Here's what he had to say about Vicki's book...

  • “Vicki Quade is a Chicago treasure with an abiding curiosity about the world around her, and sprinkled among these fly-on-the-wall stories are some valuable tips on things to see and experiences to have in our great city.”

    Will Clinger, Producer and Host of WILD TRAVELS, a TV show that airs nationally on PBS.

 

EveryCubEver

=The seventh edition of EveryCubEver is out now! Hopefully you've been following the daily output of author Rick Kaempfer on the Just One Bad Century facebook page. Here's an example from last week.

=Connor McKnight is not only a birthday boy this week (July 12), he's also a White Sox announcer seen here pointing to a Cubs book. Must be a pretty incredible book. (Mark Grote is also in the picture, holding the book)



Ringo Starr

=Ringo Starr is celebrating a birthday this week (July 7). Ringo is part of at least four different Eckhartz Press books. There's a great story about him in The Loop Files, he's mentioned several times in Bobby Skafish's We Have Company, he is interviewed in Bill Paige's book Everything I Know I Learned from Rock Stars, and this photo is in Mitch Michael's book Doin The Cruise...

=He is also mentioned in Rick Kaempfer's first book The Radio Producer's Handbook. In that book, Rick explains how he managed to acquire this incredible autograph...



To the Men I've Loved

=Patricia Motto's birthday is July 9. Happy Birthday Pat! She is the author of To the Men I've Loved. This photo of her from back in the day (with White Sox players Wilbur Wood and Jay Johnstone) is in the book.

=This week last year she was out and about promoting To the Men I've Loved. Here's a great primer Q&A with Patricia Motto about her book.


Illinois Adult Use Cannabis and Chug A Chug

=Eckhartz Press author Scott Redman is also celebrating on July 9.  Scott is a Chicago corporate attorney with over thirty years of experience in various highly regulated industries such as banking, gaming and food manufacturing. Happy birthday to Scott!

 


 The Loop Files

=This week is the anniversary of the most famous event in WLUP (The Loop) history: Disco Demolition. It happened 46 years ago this week (July 12). Obviously it's a subject that gets an in-depth look in the pages of The Loop Files. There are also some great pictures taken  by Paul Natkin, like these...


=Author Rick Kaempfer even circled back last year for the Illinois Entertainer and interviewed someone else from that day who wasn't included in the book. This interview with former Loop boss Tom Hoyt adds additional context to the famous event.


Nose Over Toes

=Eckhartz Press authors have achieved some pretty impressive things over the years, but we'd be hard-pressed to name a more impressive feat than Janet Sutherland achieved this week in 2019. Here is how she described it at the time...

    We spent part of the day meeting with Illinois Congressman Sean Casten thanking him for signing Ellie’s law. I called Congressman Casten right after my mom died at the request of the Brain Aneurysm Foundation and asked him to sign HR 1648. This is an important bill especially for those who traveled to DC lobbied, worked really hard asking Congress for research and awareness were seeking for passage of Ellie’s Law. Ellie’s Law is a bill that seeks federal funding for brain aneurysm research. It is named in honor of Ellie Helton, a 14-year-old Apex, NC teenager, who died on July 16, 2014 as a result of a brain aneurysm. The bill, HR 1648, provides $5 million each fiscal year, for five years, to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) to conduct or support further comprehensive research on brain aneurysms, studying a broader patient population diversified by age, sex, and race.Congressman Casten did sign the bill!!! We met with him this morning to thank him for supporting the bill and asked him to support another awareness resolution. We are quite honored to be able to meet with Congressman Casten and hit him with a lot of items on our brain aneurysm “list” which he was open to. I also gave him a copy of my book (“Nose Over Toes”) ðŸ™‚ (photograph copyright 2019, Lee Balgemann)



Surviving Sue

=Are you familiar with the Barrington White House in lovely Barrington, Illinois? We weren't until we arrived at Vicki Atkinson's launch party for Surviving Sue, this week (July 10) in 2023. What a gorgeous spot. What a fun book launch party.




The Scar Dance

 =This week in 2018 (July 9), Eckhartz Press announced that The Scar Dance was available for pre-order. It's one of those memorable books that stays with you many years after you read it. This Q&A with author William Mansfield is a pretty good primer. 


The Daly News

=This week in 2001, Joel Daly appeared with Steve & Johnnie on WGN Radio. That interview is still available on the WGN website.



Everything I Know I Learned from Rock Stars

=This week in 2017, Bill Paige was making the rounds promoting his book. One of his stops was to the Bill & Wendy show on WGN Radio.




 The Unplanned Life 

=This week in 2020, Roger Badesch appeared on the radio (The Hannah & Fred show) promoting his book. 


 Always a Pleasure

The owner of the Toronto Raptors, Larry Tanenbaum, is celebrating a birthday this week (July 8). Larry is a huge fan of Chuck Swirsky and provided this endorsement for the book...

  • Night in and night out there was no one who brought more heart and passion to the game of basketball than Chuck Swirsky. For ten years Chuck was the very soul of building fans who loved his unique style and upbeat personality. Nothing tasted better than his call to “bring out the salami and cheese Mamma”.. his special winning call. Chuck will always be a hero in Toronto.

    Larry Tanenbaum, Chairman of Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment Chairman of the NBA Board of Governors


Cubsessions

=Fred Mitchell (July 10 birthday) is one of Chicago's top sportswriters. (Photo: Fred with Samantha Hoffman, Randy Richardson, and Rick Kaempfer.) This is what he had to say about the Eckhartz Press book Cubsessions (co-written by Randy)...

  • “During my 41-plus years as a sportswriter with the Chicago Tribune, I learned that Cubs fans are indeed a super-energized, passionate and yet often complicated breed. To capture the essence of their obsession and undying loyalty is a remarkable accomplishment. Yet Randy Richardson and Becky Sarwate manage to do just that through this rare collection of stories from the team’s legion of celebrity fans.”

    Fred Mitchell, retired columnist/writer, Chicago Tribune


Your Dime My Dance Floor

=This week in 2019 (July 10), friends and colleagues of Chet Coppock met to memorialize their recently deceased friend at Eddie's in Arlington Heights. Jim O'Donnell was the emcee, but Chet's former producer Cheryl Raye Stout, former Bear Dan Jiggetts and former Bull Dave Corzine were also there. So was Eckhartz Press publisher Rick Kaempfer




 We Have Company

=Two more rock star birthdays this week, and two more photos with Eckhartz Press author Bobby Skafish from his rock and roll interview book We Have Company. Suzanne Vega (July 11) and Roger McGuinn of the Byrds (July 13)




 Grun Weiss Vor!

 =This week in 2018 (July 13), Green White Soccer Club's U18 Girls team won a national championship (The President's Cup). That came a little too late to be included in the Eckhartz Press book about the club, but not too late to be highlighted here...



Records Truly Is My Middle Name

=John Gehron was the program director of WLS AM 890 when John Records Landecker worked there in the 1970s. He's celebrating a birthday this week (July 7). On this memo below, which appears in Landecker's book, see if you can see a phrase that made John Landecker read this on the air.






Monday, June 30, 2025

Publishing Portal--June 30, 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.


Words on Birds

=Meet the newest Eckhartz Press author Jeff Reiter. More info to come about his beautiful book. It will be available for pre-order in a few weeks. 

Jeff Reiter became a serious birder in 1994, the same day he encountered a striking little bird while on vacation in South Carolina. Within hours he learned the name of it, Hooded Warbler. The experience rekindled a boyhood passion for birds and nature. Reiter has been watching birds closely ever since—at home, in the field, at birding festivals, and on family trips. In 2004, he began writing “Words on Birds,” a newspaper column in suburban Chicago devoted to birds, birding, and birders. His enthusiasm for the hobby shines through, appealing to serious and casual birders alike. He encourages new birdwatchers, especially kids, who might find their spark just outside the kitchen window. Newly retired and excited for more birding-related travel, Reiter lives in Glen Ellyn, Illinois, with his wife, Catherine. Their backyard feeders are rarely empty. (Photo by Glenn Kaupert)



Celtic Knot

=The Hinsdalean wrote a nice piece this week about Eckhartz Press author Robert Conlon and his new book Celtic Knot. You can read it here.


Mob Adjacent

=The boys are out there hustling...


The Flip Side

=Happy birthday to Flip Side co-owner and co-author of the book, Carl Rosenbaum (July 1). Carl is Larry's big brother, and the one who usually took center stage during their incredible run as record store owners and concert promoters. Here are a few photos of Carl over the years (with Ozzy Osbourne, Paul Anka, and Robin Trower)...

    
   




Always a Pleasure

=The NBA draft was in the news this past week, and Eckhartz Press author Chuck Swirsky hosted a three-hour special on the Score (WSCR) analayzing the Bulls pick, 18-year-old 6'10" Frenchman Noa Essengue.

=Basketballl, of course, is one of the main topics of Swirsky's book. The Bulls radio play-by-play man has seen it all. One of his fellow basketball announcers is Clark Kellogg. Chuck features this photograph of the two men in his book Always a Pleasure. Clark's birthday is July 1.



=Have you reserved your table yet for the live podcast interview of Mark Wukas, Author Night at Max & Benny's, on August 11th? Richard Reeder is the host. Click here to reserve a spot. Of course, your Eckhartz Press publishers will be on hand as well.



The Loop Files

=One of the most beloved people who ever worked at the Loop (WLUP Radio) was promotions director Sandy Stahl. This week in 2008 (July 3) she died unexpectedly at the much too young age of 58. When Rick Kaempfer wrote The Loop Files about the history of that radio station, he dedicated the book to Sandy. Here is a photo of her from the book...

=The July 2024 issue of Illinois Entertainer included Rick's interview with Tom Hoyt. Tom was in charge of the radio station (The Loop) that created the most famous radio promotion of all time (Disco Demolition). His perspective is a little different than the many others Rick has spoken to about that day.


Chili Dog MVP and EveryCubEver

=Goose Gossage wrote the foreword to Chili-Dog MVP, and the Hall of Famer is celebrating a birthday this week (July 5). Author David Fletcher explained how he managed to convince Goose to write that in this podcast interview.  Gossage will be on hand when Dick Allen is finally inducted into Baseball's Hall of Fame on July 27. Since Chili Dog MVP is about the 1972 White Sox, we would be remiss if we didn't also mention another key player in the book. Chuck Tanner (July 4) was the manager of that team. Chuck passed away a few years ago. 



=Of course, Tanner also played for the Cubs during his playing days, which means he is in the Eckhartz Press book EveryCubEver as well. The seventh edition of the book is out now!

  


Talking Bout My Generation

=Will Wagner celebrated a birthday this past weekend (June 28). Will wrote the wonderful novel imagining what happened to Pete Townsend's guitar after he tossed it into the crowd at Woodstock.



 Everything I Know I learned from Rock Stars

=This week in 2017, Bill Paige was making the rounds because his book Everything I Know I Learned from Rock Stars was released (July 1). Needless to say, Bill was thrilled. Here's a photo of the day he got the first copy of the book...


=July 1 is also the birthday of Bill's cover-girl, Debbie Harry.

=Bill was in town for the book release, and took advantage, by returning an album he had taken out of the Arlington Heights library a measly 30 years earlier. It caught the attention of the Daily Herald


I Bear Witness

=One of the things that Dan McNeil does in his Chicago Bears book I Bear Witness is pay tribute to the Bears we have lost in the last few years. This week in 2023 (July 3), former Bears defensive co-ordinator Vince Tobin passed away. Dan eulogizes Vince in the book.



Surviving Sue

=Victoria Atkinson has a wonderful piece in her blog this week about one of the main characters in her memoir, her sister Lisa. Recommended reading.



ICU Copper

=This week in 2019 (July 1) was also the release of Deb Tokarz's book I Cu Copper. What is that book about? Here's a Q&A with Deb.  You have to admit, it's one of our coolest covers ever.



Chug-A-Chug

=This week in 2013 (July 2), Eckhartz Press released our first children's book. It was written by Scott Redman, a sing-along story he created for his kid. The book includes a series of original photos by photographer Ray Nilsen.



Safe Inside

=This week in 2017, Lee Kingsmill got the very first copy of his book Safe Inside. It would be a few more weeks before the book's official release, but Lee was very excited...



Best Seat in the House

=This week in 2014 (July 1), Bruce Bohrer was making the rounds promoting his Diary of a Wrigley Field Usher. One of the stops was WGN Radio. He appeared on Bob Sirott & Marianne Murciano's show...

=Two years later (6/30/16), when the Cubs were actually good, Daily Herald columnist Burt Constable sought out Bruce again to see if he had any regrets about leaving the job before the team hit it big. 


Last Comiskey

=Thanks to everyone who came out to Blue Island Brewing Company this week in 2024 to meet Last Comiskey author Ken Smoller. The owner of the joint, Alan Cromwell, is always a great host to our authors. Thanks Alan!


Behind the Glass

=Three of the sports titans featured in Randy Merkin's book have birthdays this week. The late George Steinbrenner was born on July 4. The story of booking him as a radio guest is one of the best stories in Randy's book. Former slugger Jose Canseco is another birthday boy this week (July 2), and so is one of the greatest boxers of all-time, Mike Tyson (June 30)



Records Truly Is My Middle Name

=Two people featured in John Landecker's book are celebrating birthdays this week. Sly Stallone (July 6)  turned John's interview with him into national publicity. Click here if you want to read it. July 1 is also Dan Ackroyd's birthday. Danny and John Belushi stopped by the WLS studios to visit Landecker while they were filming The Blues Brothers.



Close Encounters of a Chicago Kind

=On July 1, 1863, the First National Bank of Chicago opened. Seems like the perfect day to remind you about Vicki Quade's great book about her personal encounters with Chicagoans. She spends an entire chapter telling stories about her encounters in banks. Very funny stuff.



Transatlantic Passage

=Paul Banks wrote a book about soccer in America and how our players are becoming popular worldwide. That's especially true of our women. Birthday girl Alex Morgan (July 2) is at the top of that list. This photo is from Paul's book...



We Have Company

 =The great Robbie Robertson was born this week (July 5) in 1943. Robbie passed away in 2023, but will live on forever in the pages of Bobby Skafish's rock and roll interview book We Have Company.



Ike & Me

=Rich King's latest book is about the great working relationship he had with his cameraman Ike. The Black and White team made it work for more than 20 years. But when Rich got invited to the White House as part of the Chicago Blackhawks Stanley Cup celebration, it was another distinguished Chicago journalist who was there with him. His colleague from Channel 7 in Chicago, Jim Rose. Rose is celebrating a birthday this week (July 5)



Down at the Golden Coin

=The second book ever released by Eckhartz Press was Kim Strickland's Down at the Golden Coin. Windy City Live's  Paige Wiser was one of the novel's biggest fans. (Her birthday is this week too--July 6). Here is what she said about Kim's book...

  • “Down at the Golden Coin” couldn’t be more timely or original, with the most eccentric spiritual guide since Clarence the Angel. Prepare to set your set your brain to spin-cycle.

    Paige Wiser, Windy City Live, ABC-TV, Chicago