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 reason we do this. The day the author gets the first copy of his book in his hands. That's Mark Wukas, our latest author. His book The Kiss of Night is officially available for pre-order now, and we're getting tons of orders. It's a great Chicago novel.
=One half of the Rosenbaum brothers (Larry) did himself proud in this Minutia Men Celebrity Interview. Some of the fabulous stories from the book are included in this entertaining interview.
=Rick is hard at work on the new edition of EveryCubEver. In the meantime, he is posting everyday on the Just One Bad Century facebook page. Here's an example...
=This week in 2015, Chicagoland Radio & Media reviewed and previewed Kipper McGee's new book Brandwidth. Some great info about a well respected book here.
=Jeffrey and Michael Gentile's book Mob Adjacent is a compelling look at the intersection of Chicago's mob world and some of the Hollywood Stars of that era. Among them, the great Jimmy Durante (Born Feb 10, 1893)
=The Loop Files features some of Chicago's all-time broadcasting greats. One of those talented broadcasters is celebrating a birthday this week (February 12), Wendy Snyder. She tells some great stories in the book and also provided a few photos from her early days, including this one...
=More Loop news...
Get well soon, Steve. www.axios.com/local/chicag...
— Rick Kaempfer (@rickkaempfer.bsky.social) February 4, 2025 at 10:03 AM
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=This week in 2018, the Sun-Times parted ways with entertainment reporter Bill Zwecker. Before he left his perch, Bill had this to say about the Eckhartz Press book Life Behind The Camera: This is a must read for anyone interested in learning about the world of TV journalism — as seen through the eyes (and lens!) of Chuck Quinzio — one of the best in the business. Reading Chuck’s many stories — well-spiced with his terrific dry wit — is a great way to discover how television photo-journalism has evolved from the 1980s to the present day. That said, Chuck’s often-hilarious tales about the foibles of the true characters he’s encountered these past three decades makes for wonderful reading.
=This week in 1964 (February 9), the Beatles made their debut on the Ed Sullivan Show. Author Chuck Quinzio tells a very funny story about that night in Life Behind the Camera. You can read that free excerpt here.
Records Truly Is My Middle Name
=Chuck Quinzio (above) isn't the only one with a humorous Beatles on Ed Sullivan story. John Landecker has one too. You can read that free excerpt from his Eckhartz Press book here.
=Speaking of John Landecker, when he published his award-winning memoir Records Truly is My Middle Name, he never dreamt that it would satisfy the final requirement for his college degree. Despite his Hall of Fame radio career, John had never gotten his college degree. His Alma Mater Grand Valley State University did some research into his transcripts and realized he just needed one more writing course. Writing a book certainly qualified. So, this week in 2018, John was awarded his degree. Rick Kaempfer wrote about that for Illinois Entertainer. This is John on graduation day.
=This week in 2018, Lee Kingsmill was also making the rounds doing interviews, including WGN Radio. Lee (photo) is widely respected as a writer. Fellow author Michael Lister said this...
“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.”
=Eckhartz Press has a retired judge in our stable of authors. Judge Michael Bender's book Protecting Children came out in 2018 and was featured this week in the Chicago Tribune.
Everything I Know I Learned From Rock Stars
=Author Bill Paige conducted hundreds of interviews with rock stars from 1975-1995. Two of them are celebrating birthdays this week, Peter Gabriel (Feb 13) and Gary Clark Jr. (Feb 15). Their stories are featured in Bill's timeless book.
=Another great Eckhartz Press book about rock and roll is Bobby Skafish's acclaimed We Have Company. Bobby dedicates a chapter in his book to native Chicagoan, Doors organist Ray Manzarek. Ray was born this week (February 12) in 1939.
=When Brendan Sullivan and Rick Kaempfer formulated the story line of The Living Wills using improvisation techniques, they were surprised that the actor Lorne Greene was referenced repeatedly. You never know what will come out in improv. In particular, this song became an important plot point. Happy heavenly birthday Lorne (February 12), and thanks for the subliminal inspiration.
