The latest news from Eckhartz Press, and a chance to peek into some of the great previous offerings from our humble little publishing company.
=We have another big book launch party coming next week. By all means, take off the Memorial Day weekend. But then, get ready to buy a cool ghost story. On Thursday May 28 from 6:30-8pm, Vicki Atkinson is hosting her book launch party for Slivers at the Barrington White House (145 W. Main Street, Barrington). Fancy location. Spooky book. We'll see you there!
=The book ships this week, so if you get yours and like it, kindly add your review to Vicki's GoodReads page for Slivers.
=We have confirmation. Jeff Reiter will be wearing his ("loud") bird shirt tomorrow night (May 19, 7-8pm) at Wheaton Public Library (225 N. Cross St.) for his presentation about birds and birding. Wear your sunglasses. He'll also be signing and selling copies of his incredible book The Best of Words on Birds. This is the photo the library is using to tease the event. Who can tell us what kind of bird this is?* (answer at the end of the column)
=What a great night for Randy Merkin last Thursday. Huge turnout for the release of his second book, Beyond the Glass. It was a steady stream of fans (and sports media celebs like Tom Waddle, Jesse Rogers, and Fred Huebner) for two hours in Northbrook. Thanks for your support!
=Obviously, we have the books in hand now. If you pre-ordered, it'll be in your mailbox this week. If you didn't pre-order, time to order it. You won't be disappointed.
COMING SOON!
Face Your Monster, Sarasota, The Write City Review Volume 5
Our next three books are heading to the printer this week...
=Russ Fahrner has written two previous books for Eckhartz Press. His 3rd book is coming out very soon. It's about his struggle to defeat leukemia. Here's the cover...
=The Write City Review is created by the Chicago Writers Association. We've been proud to publish the first 4 editions. #5 will be available for their annual writer's conference in June.
=The film we flew to Denver to see is coming to Chicago. Here are the details...
=Here's another piece about the Denver premiere from the Denver Gazette.
=How long have these guys been at this? More than 4 years. This week in 2022 (May 21), David Fletcher and John Owens had a book signing at Peterino's on the Northwest Side of Chicago. Among the luminaries in attendance that day, former White Sox great Carlos May, and former White Sox organist Nancy Faust.
Joe Jackson vs. Chicago American League Baseball Club
=Big story in the news this week last year. Shoeless Joe Jackson and the rest of the Chicago Black Sox were removed from the banned list by MLB commissioner Rob Manfred. We're guessing the commissioner didn't read the book we published in 2024, the original trial transcript from Shoeless Joe's trial in Milwaukee. We know what the legend says. The trial transcript says something else. Jackson was guilty. Pick up your copy today and read it for yourself.
=On the other hand, Dr. Fletcher (who is co-editor of the book) is a champion for the Buck Weaver case...
The Buck Weaver family has mixed emotions about the announcement made Tuesday, 5/13/25, by @MLB Commissioner Manfred that finally removed the @WhiteSox 3rd baseman from baseball’s permanently ineligible list after more than a century.
— David J Fletcher MD (@DJFletchMD) May 16, 2025
Weaver is arguably the most tragic figure in… pic.twitter.com/0quIbmJYDx
=Bob Conlon's novel about early 20th century Chicago is now also available on Amazon.
=It already has its first five star review on Amazon from James Shapiro (president of Chicago Literary Club) and it's a doozy. Here's a small part of it...
A dramatic escape from an orphanage run by a pedophile monk, a young orphan’s harrowing story of survival in Chicago’s red light district, avoiding a mobster’s hit after witnessing a murder, and banshees visiting the family home—Celtic Knot has all this, and then some.
=Thanks to everyone who came out to the horror flick marathon at the Drive-In this past weekend. Nick Digilio sold out of books in just a few minutes. The horror movie fans love Nick. Just wait until they see his next book (coming out this fall). It's all about horror movies.
=Also, thanks to everyone who came out to Lake Theater in Oak Park this week to buy Nick Digilio's book, and watch this month's Nick's Pix. This month he showed the classic comedy Stripes. The last photo below will give you a hint about the next two of Nick's Pix.
=Another review from another journalism giant. This time from Lester Munson...
"Sirens in the Loop" is just wonderful. It was a great trip down memory lane for me. I was a copy boy at the Chicago Daily News during the summer of 1959 and applied for a job at the City News Bureau in the summer of 1962. I was not offered a job, but I went to work at the Daily News and for the next three years found myself working in various degrees of competition with the other three papers and City News. I worked at police headquarters (11th and State) with Patricia Leeds, Johnny Paster, Tommy Tucker, Joe Morang, and various City News "kids." I particularly enjoyed midnights where I succeeded one night in discovering the assassination of Ben Lewis, a powerful Black alderman, a story I had alone through the next morning. Bob Wiedrich, the best dressed of all police reporters, became something of a pal. Did Walter Spirko carry a gun? He certainly did. He was the leaders of a police reporters organization that met monthly at a restaurant south on Wabash. He made sure we all saw the gun. It was a joy for me to read of all these great characters in your book. My boss was Maurice (Ritz) Fischer, who was as you described him, "a prissy little man" and the city editor of the Daily News. It should be mentioned that Fischer was instrumental in moving Mike Royko from reporter on the middle watch to star columnist. Thank you for this amazing book.
=This week (May 25) in 1979, there was a famous plane crash at O’Hare airport. The story was broken and covered by City News Bureau. Paul Zimbrakos and Jim Elsener tell that incredible tale in the pages of Sirens in the Loop. You'll never believe how the reporter got out there to the crash site to cover the story.
=Big day in The Kiss of Night history. This week in 2014 (May 18) Father Robert Banzin celebrated his 50th anniversary as a priest. The Kiss of Night is dedicated to him.
=Don't forget, it's also an e-book at amazon...
=Larry Rosenbaum was at the Chicagoland Collectors Show in Countryside this week last year, signing and selling his great book The Flip Side. Pete Kastanes from the excellent Vanished Chicagoland site came out and bought a book. Pete passed away a few weeks ago. A big loss to the Chicago media community.
=From the Flip Side archives this week. May 19, 1987—Ozzy Osbourne appears at Flip Side records in Hoffman Estates. (Photo: Ozzy with Carl Rosenbaum)
=One of the great attributes of the Doug E. Jones novel Take Me Back to Chicago is the way it takes you back in time to 1974 Chicago. One of the locations the main character has to navigate is Good Times-era Cabrini Green. You'll never forget that chapter. The housing project opened this week (May 22) in 1942. (Photo: A Cabrini Green gang leader shows off his Rolls Royce in 1974)
=Dan McNeil's book I Bear Witness is a pretty comprehensive look at the Bears since their Super Bowl year. One of the former Bears coaches who gets the full chapter treatment in Dan's book is celebrating a birthday this week (May 21), Dave Wannstedt.
=Cubs owner Tom Ricketts is celebrating a birthday this week (May 23). You know what book he thinks you should own? The 7th edition is available now!
=This week (May 19) is Pete Townshend's birthday. His guitar from Woodstock is the main character in Will Wagner's imaginative novel Talking Bout My Generation.
=Lorelei Shark celebrates a birthday this week (May 20). Who is Lorelei, you ask? Well, she's the girl who launched a radio station, which later launched our most popular book ever, The Loop Files, and has since launched an exhibit (featuring Lorelei) at the Museum of Broadcast Communications.
=Last Comiskey author Ken Smoller was on WGN-TV this week in 2024 promoting his book.
=Three years ago this week (May 21), Rich King had the launch party for his book Ike & Me at new Comiskey Park (or whatever it was called at the time). Ryan Baker from CBS-2 in Chicago was there to interview him, and so were many of his television friends...
=Rich was everywhere that week. He and Ike appeared on WGN-TV...
=Rich also appeared with Bob Sirott on WGN Radio.
=Tom Latourette's first children’s book came out this week in 2017. 100% of the proceeds (approximately $12 from every book) went to The BTB Foundation, a local charity founded by Tom and his brother that has given over $1 Million to local families fighting cancer!
=This week in 2018 (May 19), Beth Jacobellis had a book signing in Park Ridge at the famous Harp & Fiddle restaurant.
Records Truly Is My Middle Name
=Lots of events from this week in history are featured in John Landecker's book Records Truly Is My Middle Name. On May 20, 1976, Great America opened, and John Landecker was there, broadcasting live on WLS
=The film Star Wars was released this week in 1977 (May 25). John did a bit on the air the day the film opened with two of the stars of that movie, Mark Hamill and Carrie Fisher. You can listen to that here.
=Elton John's songwriting partner Bernie Taupin is celebrating a birthday this week (May 22). In the book Landecker tells the story of Bernie & Elton playing Foosball against Hugh Hefner and Barbie Benton at the Playboy Mansion. John was doing play by play.
=This week in 2013, John Landecker appeared at the Green White Clubhouse in Des Plaines for a Records Truly Is My Middle Name book signing...
To The Men I've Loved (God Help Them!)
=This week in 1973, "You are the Sunshine of My Life" by Stevie Wonder was released. That song just happens to be the musical accompaniment author Pat Motto suggests for chapter 9 of her book To the Men I've Loved.
=Chet Coppock devotes an entire chapter in Your Dime My Dance Floor to something that happened on May 19, 1974. The WHA finals, known as the AVCO Cup finals, took place at a local ice rink in Mt. Prospect. The short-lived Chicago Cougars were in it, and so was one of the all-time greats in hockey history, Gordie Howe.
=Former Blackhawks president John McDonough is celebrating a birthday this week. He also appears in Chet's book...(that's him on the far right next to Chet)
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=This week in 2012 (May 25), Randy Richardson's novel Cheeseland was released. It was only the third book published by Eckhartz Press. This Q&A with Randy goes back to this week in 2012.
=In 2020, in the midst of the pandemic shutdown, Randy was also asked to provide a video for the fundraising effort for independent book stores...
=Randy has a new book out now (on Amazon) called Another Havana Hangover. He'll be coming back to Eckhartz Press later this year or early next year for his next book. It will be his 4th Eckhartz Press book. (He's also the photographer of the Write City Review Volume 5 cover photo above)
=Hall of Famer Reggie Jackson was born this week (May 18) in 1946. Chuck Quinzio grew up a Yankees fan (his only flaw), so naturally when he got a chance to meet his childhood idol, it was a big thrill.
=This week in 2020 (May 20), WGN-TV reporter Nancy Loo left Chicago and moved to Los Angeles. Before she did, she provided this review of Chuck Quinzio's book...
Finished it in one sitting while on a flight from San Francisco to Chicago earlier this month! The writing is crisp and I enjoyed every chapter, many of them quite funny.
=The late Dusty Hill from ZZ Top was born this week in 1949 (May 19). He appears in Bobby Skafish's book We Have Company
=Mike Breen is celebrating a birthday this week (May 22). He is a big fan of Chuck Swirsky's book Always A Pleasure. Here's what he said...
Chuck Swirsky is one of my favorite play-by-play voices in all of sports. His enthusiasm and spirit in every broadcast is something all broadcasters should strive for. But that’s also the way he leads his everyday life, and why he is so beloved by his peers.
=This week in 2023, Chuck appeared on Fox-32 with Lou Canellis (Lou is now on NBC-5)...
Sunday night on @foxkickoff @fox32news @ctsbulls Chuck Swirsky, @chicagobulls Hall of Fame broadcaster & Bulls/@Bears tv voice Adam Amin stopped by and Exec Producer @JohnEskraFox32 👉 putting it all together! Thanks to both for joining @cassiecarlsontv and I on The Sports Zone! pic.twitter.com/QSJPtf2rZV
— Lou Canellis FOX 32 (@LouCanellis) May 22, 2023
=This week in 2012 (May 21), The Vietnam Veterans of America Magazine reviewed The Living Wills. This review meant a lot to Rick and Brendan. Here's an excerpt of what they said...
You have to give credit to Rick Kaempfer and Brendan Sullivan, the two authors of “The Living Wills”. The authors have come up with a cast of realistic, non-sensationalized Vietnam veterans living out their lives in the early 21st century–no Nam vet stereotypes here. That in itself is worth the price of admission.
=In the days before Eckhartz Press was founded, three future Eckhartz Press authors (Randy Richardson, Donald Evans, and Rick Kaempfer) contributed to a book called Cubbie Blues: 100 Years of Waiting for Next Year. This week in 2009 (May 21), a few appeared at the Oak Park Library to promote the book, along with James Finn Garner and Robert Goldsborough. (Photo: Rick, James, Don, Robert against a backdrop of Stephen Green's photography exhibit at the Oak Park Public Library.) The book was published by George Rawlinson, who passed away earlier this year. We still miss you George!
