The latest news from Eckhartz Press, and a chance to peek into some of the great previous offerings from our humble little publishing company.
Happy Birthday!
=Eckhartz Press author Tom Weinberg (Chasing the Lost City) celebrated a birthday this week (June 17). Tom's book came out during the holiday season of 2017. It's the fascinating true story of his quest to find the ruins of a lost city in Honduras. Great story, great pictures. Happy birthday Tom!
New Book Announcement!
=Available for pre-order beginning this week, To the Men I've Loved, by Patricia Motto. She writes her love-life memoir with great humor and skill. This is the book synopsis...
The course of true love may never run smooth, but seldom has it hit quite as many bumps, potholes and land mines as it does in Patricia Motto’s journey to find the meaning of that all important four letter word. Love. Beginning with the beautiful eyes of a kindergarten boy at nap time and continuing to the man for whom she did not get off the plane, there are stops along the way for, among others, a first kiss boyfriend, the American League’s Most Valuable Player and a twice convicted armed robber. Sometimes hilarious, sometimes heartbreaking, the trip is never dull.
=During the flurry of media surrounding the book launch party of our latest book, Last Comiskey, we neglected to mention a few of author Ken Smoller's media appearances. For instance, this interview on WGN Radio with Steve Dale and this interview on WCIU-TV with Kenny McReynolds.
=Ken is coming back to town. He will be at Blue Island Brewing on June 29 selling and signing his book from 2-4pm, and then he'll be at the Windy City Thunderbolts game that same night at 6:05.
Ken Korber
=Our children's author extraordinaire released two different books this week in history. June 20, 2020 was the release date for Grace's Musical Haiku Adventures, and June 21 was the day the second book of his four seasons of musical tales was released, Grace and the Musical Willow Tree, A Summer Adventure. That book is also still available at Eckhartz Press
=Eckhartz Press author Roger Badesch will be performing on stage in July. Mark your calendars. He notes: It’s been a ‘Covid-minute’ since I had the honor and pleasure of joining my fellow SAG-AFTRA Chicago Radio Players in a live performance of classic old-time-radio (OTR) programs. So I’m happy to announce that we’re on stage again at the Chicago Cultural Center (old main Chicago library) downtown July 14th at 1:30pm. Two shows FREE - Call Northside 777 (I’m the narrator) and My Favorite Husband. Make plans now!
=Last week Surviving Sue celebrated it's one year anniversary. Author Vicki Atkinson wrote about that milestone on her blog. You can read that here.
=Also coming soon, mark your calendars, Vicki has an event in July in Woodstock.
Randy Richardson
=Randy has published three books with Eckhartz Press, Cheeseland, Lost in the Ivy, and Cubsessions. Christine Sneed is a Chicago treasure, even though she lives out west now.
Recalled to Life
=This week in 2013, Dan Burns held a book release party for his debut novel, Recalled to Life. The party was held at a fancy boutique in LaGrange, Illinois.
=One of the subjects of study in Paul Banks' book about American players playing in Europe, and European teams playing exhibition games in America, is the recently retired coach of Liverpool, Jurgen Klopp. He's celebrating a birthday this week (June 16)
=This week in 1995, Frankfurt American Junior High School officially closed (June 16) in Germany. That school is featured in the pages of Rick Kaempfer's novel Back in the DDR.
.jpeg)
=Former ABC-7 news reporter Andy Shaw is celebrating a birthday this week (June 18). Andy is a big fan of the Eckhartz Press novel $everance. Here's what he said about it when it originally came out in 2007...
“Severance is a black comedy that would be funnier if its darkness weren’t so true. And it crackles with the insights and cynicism that made Network and Broadcast News the seminal cinematic treatments of today’s dumbed-down news business. Move over Christopher Buckley—-Rick Kaempfer is in town!”
The Balding Handbook
=Talk about an exciting day. It was exactly ten years ago today (June 18, 2014) that Balding Handbook author David Stern got the unofficial endorsement of his book from fellow famous Bald, Mr. Peanut.
Ann Wilson
=The lead singer of Heart (June 18 birthday) is featured in three different Eckhartz Press books. John Landecker has a great story about her in Records Truly Is My Middle Name. Bobby Skafish devotes an entire chapter to her in his interview book We Have Company, and can you guess which book about a radio station also features the lovely Ms. Wilson?
Everything I Know I Learned From Rock Stars
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.
