Special Challenge/Contest!

March 4, 2013
Hi, All!
     I can not begin to tell all of you how much fun I've been having with Shell Games. I absolutely love going out to visit with readers, and I've been blessed by having a full schedule of book readings and events.  At the same time, I've been thinking about something quite a lot lately.  Before I moved into writing literary nonfiction, I had written over twenty textbooks -- and was one of the most hated people in America!  Why?  Simple: because I was the person who did the books from which students had to do their homework -- with books ranging from those for children in the early elementary grades up through books for those in college classes.  I can recall being in classrooms in the schools and finding my textbooks in the rooms, books with my picture in the back of them.  In many cases, students had drawn on my pictures arrows through my head, horns coming out of my hair, and assorted scars and other marks all across my face.  Yep -- I was not exactly their favorite person...  Now, however, it is so much fun and makes my heart smile so much to see people actually enjoying what I write!  So, I feel so lucky - and so blessed.

     Whenever I've done book readings for events related to Shell Games, I've given a "challenge" to the folks in attendance.  Here's the background of that challenge:  Whenever a writer crafts a piece about a time period some distance back (Shell Games took place almost exactly a hundred years ago), he/she must make sure that all words, phrases, and pieces of background material match what would have been said and done in that time period.  I call this "No Lincoln with a cell phone!"  Catching words and phrases that don't belong is tricky -- and is something both the author and the publisher really concentrate upon in the editing phases of a manuscript.  Well, to make a long story short, I made a big mistake with one phrase/expression in Shell Games.  Even though the manuscript was gone through with a fine-toothed comb, I still managed to use a phrase/expression that would not have been used at the time the story unfolded.  As a matter of fact, the phrase/expression in question would not have been used until almost twenty years after the story ends!  These things just happen at times.  So, I've been giving a challenge to those who attend my readings and other book events:  find the mistake!  So far, I've had dozens of readers write to me and ask if a certain phrase/expression is the one that slipped through.   None had -- that is, none had found it until this past Saturday when a reader sent me a note stating she "thought" she had found it.  Well, she really had found it!  Bravo to Judy!  I'm now going to send out to her, as a prize for finding the out-of-place phrase/expression, a good half dozen pearl buttons that were made in the same plant where Pearl McGill worked -- at the same time Pearl was there!  There is no way of knowing whether Pearl actually handled these buttons when she worked in the Shipping Department of the plant, but there is always that possibility.......    I've also decided I'll open this up this challenge to all my readers.  If you can find the phrase/expression that doesn't fit the time period of the story, I'll send to you a half dozen of the original pearl buttons as your prize!  I'll be interested to see how many of you can find it.  Have fun with this!
      I've also been asked quite a few times recently how the work is progressing on my next book.  I'm happy to report I'm well into the story -- and having a wonderful time putting it together (and am really excited about it).  I'll have more about the progress on that manuscript in the next entry.
    In the meantime, I wish all of you health, happiness -- and great reading experiences!
    Take care!
Jeff!

Best Seller lists and etc.!

Hi, All!
     I'm terribly sorry I haven't posted in a while, but my schedule has been mostly a whirlwind -- and a *wonderful* one at that!
     Shell Games continues to sell very well, and I'm so happy and grateful for that.  It has been on several of the different Best Seller lists, a much welcomed and pleasant surprise.  I've also had readers send me messages about the story from as far away as Rome, Italy -- and as close to home as Muscatine, Iowa.  As a matter of fact, I've had more mail about Shell Games than anything else I've ever written, and I can not tell you how much I've enjoyed corresponding with those who have read the story.  I've also had many write to me to tell me they had relatives who worked in the early button industry and/or in the early labor unions in the U.S.  I have even had several relatives of those presented in the book write to me and thank me for bringing the memories of their loved ones back into the light.  For a writer, those are treasured pieces of correspondence.  Just knowing how a story has touched the lives of so many readers makes me smile so deep inside.
     I've been able to do readings and presentations about Shell Games across the country, and I'm now also scheduled to travel to the United Kingdom for a book tour in late spring.  I can't wait!  Just being on the road and meeting people is such a beautiful gift that comes with the publication of a book.  I feel so blessed -- and lucky -- to be able to do this.
     At the same time, a writer can not rest on his or her laurels.  There is always the *next* book to keep in the hopper.  As I stated in a previous post, I'll have a children's book coming out soon.  It was originally scheduled for the late fall, but it was decided it would probably be better to release it at the start of the upcoming summer (because I've been too busy with Shell Games events to devote the proper time and energy to another book release at the same time), and I agree with the logic behind this.  I'm also "knee-deep" in the background research for my next book for adults and young adults.  This next story will also be a work of literary nonfiction, and it will be set just before the American Civil War.  That's all the "teaser" I'll provide now, but I'll be giving additional details in future posts -- so stay tuned!
     Again, I'd like to thank everyone who has written to me about Shell Games.  Your words have touched me deeply.  Thank you -- and bless you -- for your kindness and support.
     I'll write more soon.  In the meantime, I wish all of you joy and happiness as the holidays approach.
Jeff

Shell Games doing great!

Hi, all!
     The past few weeks have been so much fun.  I've been watching the Best Seller rankings via Amazon.com, and Shell Games continues to be on the list in its category!  It has gone up and down in the rankings, depending upon spikes in sales.  It has been as high as #5 and as low as #80 (boo hoo).  It has been mostly somewhere between 10-25 for the past several weeks now, and this has been so much fun for me to check this out.  As a matter of fact, I've checked this so often I may have to be de-programmed!  Interesting fact (at least to me!): The book sells much better in the morning than it does in the evening hours.  Wonder why?  It has just been so much fun having a book out there that people are enjoying.  I feel so lucky - and blessed.
     Yesterday afternoon my editor sent along the first review of the book.  This particular review source typically doesn't do anything more than "just the facts," but I'm still very pleased by the tone of what they had to say.  I'll list it here for you:

Got this descriptive blurb from BookNews yesterday:

Shell games; the life and times of Pearl McGill, industrial spy and pioneer

labor activist.

  Copeland, Jeffrey S.

  Paragon House, c2012

  978-1-55778-899-3    HD6079        $21.95  (pa)

Pearl McGill was an early-20th-century labor union activist in the small

town of Muscatine, Iowa, once the button manufacturing capital of the world.

McGill's union activities drew the attention of Helen Keller, who offered

McGill a scholarship to go to teaching college. McGill taught for ten years

before she was murdered in 1924 by an unknown assailant. In this account of

her life, Copeland (languages and literatures, University of Northern Iowa)

adopts the voice of Pearl McGill as the first-person narrator to tell the

story of her early life and her decision to put her own dreams of education

and teaching aside to fight for the rights of workers. An epilogue

speculates on her murder. B&w historical photos are included.

     One thing about working as a writer:  A person can't take too much time to bask in the afterglow of publishing a book.  There is always another project looming.....   My next book will be a children's book that will be published in late fall.  I'll provide information about it in an upcoming post.  In the meantime, I hope all of you are well and having fun as the warmer weather approaches.
     Take care!

Jeff

Media Interviews

April 19, 2012
Hi, all!
I've recently had the honor and pleasure of being interviewed by quite a few members of the media. Shell Games is doing very well, and many folks are interested in hearing more about the story. Hot-Links are not allowed on a blog site, so I'll list a few of the links; then, all you'd need to do is "copy and paste" the addresses into your browser, and this should take you right to the interviews.
I've done several National Public Radio interviews - -and some state-wide talks as well. I even got to do one show that was streamed out over the Armed Forces Radio Network so that our men and women serving across the globe could hear a voice from back home; I was so, so proud to be part of that show.
And still more good news: Shell Games is still an on-line retailer Best Seller! After peaking at #5 on Amazon.com, it was still at #23 when I got up early this morning -- and it was up the ranks on several other indexes as well. So, I want to thank everyone for their interest in the story!
I'll now try to post a few of the links:
A. This first one is to an interview I did with the wonderful host of Iowa Public Radio, Charity Nebbe. The interview gives away, in my opinion, a little too much of the story, but Charity really did her homework before the interview -- and it shows. Here's the link to the interview:
http://onlinemedia.iowapublicradio.org:8010/documents/news_stories/3611.mp3
NOTE: If that address does not take you to the site because of the way your computer works, you can go directly to the archive at Iowa Public Radio at the following address and simply scroll down to April 9, 2012, which will have an icon you can click on to listen to the interview. That main address is as follows: http://iowapublicradio.org/news/talk-of-iowa/past-shows.html
B. I just posted on my Amazon.com Author Central Site a video of me talking about Shell Games. It is a silly video, but I did it in one take! Well, I'm not sure that is necessarily a good thing....... Still, I hope you enjoy it, especially the part where I keep pulling "clues" to a murder. The link is as follows: http://www.amazon.com/Jeffrey-S.-Copeland/e/B001JS13XU/ref=ntt_dp_epwbk_0
C. My favorite radio personality of all-time is Don Marsh. To me, he is the Best-of-the Best when it comes to interviewing authors. Don is, in a word, ELEGANT in his approach to a piece of literature. I recently had the pleasure of being interviewed by Mr. Marsh for the "St. Louis on the Air" program, which was broadcast out over NPR. The link to that program is as follows:
http://www.stlpublicradio.org/programs/slota/archivedetail.php?date=%272012-03-29%27

I hope you enjoy the interviews and the video!

More soon......

Jeff

Best Seller!

April 17, 2012
Hi, all!
Shell Games has taken off like a rocket! I know that book rankings are fleeting at best (and a writer can't let his/her head get too big about such things), but last weekend Shell Games hit #5 on the on-line retailers list, officially making it a Best Seller. It is already dropping in the rankings, as happens to most, but for that time period I was on Cloud 9 -- and I'll never forget the feeling of waking up and seeing one of my books on the list. Ah, this was a dream come true for me.
The initial responses to the book have also been beyond my wildest dreams. The reviews on Amazon.com have been wonderful, and comments on other review sources have all been very complimentary. A writer never knows what the reaction will be to a book, so hearing these kind words is especially wonderful. I've also been doing quite a few book events and signings, and in most places the book has sold out completely. I did a presentation about the book and a signing last weekend, and 95 copies sold in the blink of an eye - -and everyone wanted me to sign the books for them, so my hand was plenty sore near the end, which is a beautiful woe to have. Also, it's a good thing I can write with both hands! I'll attach a picture of the event last weekend to this post. I had a wonderful time.
The presentations I'm doing for this book are quite different from what I have done with my other books. I'm trying to delve more into *how* the story came about -- and *how* I chose to write it (literary nonfiction). I have been giving a short powerpoint presentation to show as much visual detail as possible about the birth of the book. Then, I've chosen a couple of passages to read to give a flavor for the book. I have then had "audience participation." That is, I have been bringing "whizbangs" to the events and have been passing them out to those in the crowds. For those of you who don't know about these devices, a whizbang is a button on a string that can be wound up so that the button spins around and around on the string as one pulls the string back and forth. These whizbangs were used by workers in the button factories described in the book to help keep finger and wrist injuries at bay; so this is part of the "history" described in the story. The folks attending the presentations have had a great time with this. I'll try to post directions for making a whizbang in an upcoming post.
I'd like to take this time to thank all my readers for their support and kindness as Shell Games was released. I'm glad so many of you are enjoying the story, and I look forward to hearing from you. Also, if I'm in your area, please come to the book event -- and I'll teach you how to use a whizbang!
I'll write more soon. Take care -- and Happy Reading!

Jeff

Shell Games officially released!!!

February 28, 2012
Hi, all!
I am so excited! Shell Games has been released early! It is now available from bookstores and Amazon.com. I'll shortly begin quite an extensive book tour to help promote the book. As a matter of fact, I have events coming up that will range from talks/readings on National Public Radio to television events to the more standard presentations at bookstores and libraries. I'll post a listing of these events in an upcoming post. In the meantime, I hope you enjoy Shell Games. I love the story -- and I hope you do, too! As soon as you finish reading the story, please write to me and let me know your thoughts and reactions. I'd love to hear from you.
More soon!

Jeff

Shell Games release date!

December 1, 2011
Hi, all! I haven't written in a while because I've been finishing the last steps in the process of getting a manuscript ready for publication. At some point, I'll prepare a post about all the different stages in the process -- because many have asked me about this subject in the past. For now, however, I'll skip to the end and say this: My next book will be released March 15, 2012!!! I just finished sending to the publisher the "corrected proofs" of the manuscript, which is typically the last time an author sees the full manuscript before it is published. In plain-English, this means I'm finished with my work on the manuscript, and I have to admit this is the time of greatest joy and fun for me. It's finished! Done! Ready to go! Aaaahhhh -- it feels so good to have everything finally fall into place.
The title of the book is as follows: Shell Games: The Life and Times of Pearl McGill, Industrial Spy and Labor Activist. This is another piece of "literary nonfiction," which means all major events of the story are true - -and are told through the voices of the characters involved. As such, it will read like a novel -- only the story is true to the events described inside the covers. Here is the publisher's promotional blurb about the book:
"Set against a backdrop of murder, intrigue, and industrial labor conflict in the early twentieth century pearl button industry, Shell Games graphically portrays one of the most important battles in the fight for safe and humane working conditions. Filtered through the thoughts and emotions of Pearl McGill, a woman who stood heroically against the injustices destroying the lives of so many around her in the shops and factories, this conflict vividly comes to life and underscores many of the concerns contemporary workers still encounter."

I had a great time doing the research for this book. When I first found out about this remarkable woman, I discovered the story also had tie-ins with the Titanic, Helen Keller, labor fights, and some pretty brutal murders. In short, my attention was immediately grabbed. Then, the more I dug into the history behind the story, the more I saw this was a slice of American history never told before -- and one that *should* be told, especially given the fact that so much of what is taking place today in our world can be traced to what Pearl McGill and her circle of friends and co-workers accomplished. I chose to write this story as a work of literary nonfiction because I wanted everyone to see and understand "why" the characters did what they did. I wanted everyone to see the humanity behind the historic events. I wanted everyone to "feel" their thoughts and dreams and emotions that led to such amazing accomplishments, accomplishments that helped make our world so wonderful today for so many.

I'll attach to this note what the front of the cover will look like. I'll try to post later the back cover as well.

Stay tuned for more updates!

Jeff