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 books are coming in this week, and author Mark Wukas has agreed to sign the first 250 copies. Wish him luck. His arm should be cramping around book number 50. The Kiss of Night ships out to everyone who ordered it next week. Details coming soon about his launch party.
=Next week it's Flip Side's turn. Author Ken Churilla is making the same appearances in Indiana. Next Tuesday night (March 4) he'll be on Tom Lounge's NPR radio show. The interview/music program airs live from 7-8pm Central and can be streamed live in real time on the station website at: www.lakeshorepublicmedia.org.
=The following Saturday (March 8), you'll have two chances to meet Ken in person. He'll be at the Highland branch of the Lake County Public library (2841 Jewett St) from 10-12pm, and then shuffle over to the Merrillville branch (1919 81st Ave) from 2-4pm.
=It would only be appropriate if you lined up outside each of the branches of the library the night before the signings to recreate the magic of The Flip Side.
=Thursday night 15 former Loopers gathered for drinks in Brookfield. See if you can spot any of them in the photo. Among them former Brandmeier show members (Artie Kennedy, Brendan Sullivan, Jimmy Mac), former Kevin Matthews show members (Cara Carriveau, Geli Corbett, Wendy Snyder), former Steve & Garry show members (Leslie Keiling, Stan Lawrence, Rick Kaempfer), former Danny Bonaduce show members (Neil Sant, Joy Masada, Joe Kraslen), former promotions gurus (Anne Marie Kennedy, Bridget Kaempfer) and former big cheese Larry Wert. All of them are in the book.
=The Loop Files goes international. This photo was sent to us by Jim Danner with the message "A great read as we pull into Martinique!"
Ken Korber
=Korber is the king of the Eckhartz Press childrens book. We have published quite a few of them. This week he chatted with Chicken Soup for the Soul's Jack Canfield (photo) about those books, and Jack told him that his work was "akin to Chicken Soup for young readers."
=One of the Korber books in the Eckhartz Press catalogue got a great review this week from Prarie Book Review.
Korber’s child-friendly prose leans into the absurd, turning Marvin’s hair into an unstoppable force of chaos. The rhyme and rhythm of the text add to the escalating absurdity, making Marvin’s suffering all the more comical. His woes are exaggerated but relatable. Korber plays up the humor in Marvin’s stubbornness, while Grace steps in as the friend who sees the obvious solution. Jaime Buckley’s vibrant illustrations crank up the humor. The art doesn’t just complement the text: it amplifies it, turning Marvin’s exaggerated misery into pure visual comedy.
=Eckhartz Press author Lee Kingsmill made another appearance over the weekend on WGN Radio (Steve & Johnnie show)...
=Beth Jacobellis launched her debut novel this week in 2018, Cameo. Here she is getting her very first copy of the book.
=Rick Kaempfer is hard at work on the 7th edition of EveryCubEver, which should be coming out around opening day in Chicago. In the meantime, he has been posting daily EveryCubEver profiles on the Just One Bad Century facebook page and his personal Blue Sky page. Here's an example from last week...
=An incredible example of life imitating art. In 2023 Will Wagner released his novel Talking 'Bout My Generation, which was about what happened to Pete Townshend's guitar after he tossed it into the crowd at Woodstock. This week in 2024, Paul McCartney's bass was returned to him after being lost in 1961.
Leslie Keiling
=This week in 2019, just a few weeks after Pat Colander's death, Lit Pop published a wonderful tribute to the author of Hugh Hefner's First Funeral.
=How interesting was Eckhartz Press author Chet Coppock's life? This week in 2014 (Feb 27) he told the tale of the time He once wrestled a bear. He also knew how to promote. I'm sure Tony Randall (born Feb 26) and Jack Klugman were happy to have his help.
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=This time of year is the busy season for movie expert/Eckhartz Press author Eric Litt. This week in 2022 Eric appeared on the Nick DiGilio podcast to talk about some examples from the past when the Oscars got it wrong.
=This week he'll make his fifth appearance on Minutia Men Celebrity Interview, picking this year's Oscar winners. (Pod drops on Wednesday)
=One of the most compelling parts of the family memoir written by the Gentile brothers is the intersection of the mob and Hollywood. For instance, stories about two people who would have been celebrating birthdays this week, Jackie Gleason (Feb 26) and Elizabeth Taylor (Feb 27) appear in the pages of Mob Adjacent.
=This week in 2014, Joel Daly was making the publicity rounds promoting his Eckhartz Press memoir about his legendary television career. This is the audio of his interview with WGN radio, along with a photo below.
=Here's an example of Joel in action from 1983, reporting on the biggest television event from the 1980s, the final episode of M*A*S*H. How big was it? Joel was reporting for Channel 7 (ABC) about a show that was airing on Channel 2 (CBS). Still one of the most watched shows in history (2/28/83).
=This week (Feb 28) is the anniversary of late WGN radio morning man Bob Collins' birth. Chuck Swirsky worked with Collins for many years and writes about him in the pages of his Eckhartz Press book Always a Pleasure. He also tells that story in this podcast. Another one of Swirsky's favorites is also celebrating a birthday this week (February 25), former Bull Joakim Noah.
Jerry Reinsdorf
=Would you believe that White Sox & Bulls owner Jerry Reinsdorf turns 89 years old this week (Feb 25)? He also appears in three different Eckhartz Press books. You'll find stories and photos of him in Rich King's book Ike & Me, Chet Coppock's book Your Dime My Dance Floor and Chuck Swirky's book Always a Pleasure.
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=Speaking of the White Sox, this week in 2022, Eckhartz Press authors John Owens and Dr. David Fletcher appeared on Rick Kogan's radio show to talk about their book Chili Dog MVP. Kogan is a big White Sox fan and loved the tale about Dick Allen and the 1972 White Sox.
=This week in 2014, Eckhartz Press author Chuck Quinzio was getting some love from the NABAT Union.
=CBS broadcaster James Brown is celebrating a birthday this week (February 25). James was kind enough to provide this endorsement for Randy Merkin's Eckhartz Press book...
“While we cherish champions in the world of sports, we cheer louder for champions in the game of life. Character, integrity and honesty matter. That sums up Randy Merkin.”
=This week in 2017, New City debuted in Chicago. The Chicago publication gave this wonderful testimonial to Donald G. Evans' collection of short stories An Off-White Christmas
- With offhand grace and humor, Evans captures the characters’ burning desires to escape from in-between stages of their lives and their disappointment at the outcome. Illustrations by Hannah Jennings throughout the book resemble ornaments that could hang on a Christmas tree.
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