American Pickers

Hey there!
I hope all of you are having a wonderful and safe Labor Day holiday. I've had a blast. Yesterday I got to spend some time with Frank and Danielle from the "American Pickers" television show. It airs every Monday night on the History Channel, and if you haven't yet seen the show, you really should. It isn't the Top Rated cable television show in America for nothing! All I can say is this: Frank and Danielle are wonderful people! I also visited the American Pickers' shop, and if you get a chance, you should, too. It is like a museum to the past -- and a lot of fun to see how the business is run.
I'm also writing today because I wanted to share what Danielle is now reading. Take a look at the picture attached to this post and you'll see her holding a copy of Olivia's Story! I know this all probably falls into the area of shameless self-promotion and I'll apologize in advance for that, but I was so impressed by Danielle that I wanted to share this.
Again, I hope you are all having a wonderful holiday weekend.
More soon!
Jeff

Wonderful Travel!

Hello, all!
All I can say is this: The British Isles are gorgeous! I did some book stuff and sightseeing while making my way through England, Ireland, Scotland, and Wales. I did a major chunk of a chapter for the new book while on a ferry in the Irish Sea, visited a wonderful historic site in Ireland related to the subject matter of the new book to get inspiration, and even sketched out more chapters while in London. Of everything I've seen along the way, I think I loved Edinburgh, Scotland the most. Edinburgh was home for Sir Walter Scott, Robert Louis Stevenson, Robert Burns -- and even J.K. Rowling is claimed now as a "family member of Edinburgh." I did see the restaurant where she wrote a good part of the first Harry Potter book, and I can now certainly understand how the city inspired her. I also got to visit the Writers' Museum in Edinburgh and was struck by just how important this city has been to the world's literary heritage. I'll post with this message a picture of the view from my balcony in Edinburgh. What a beautiful sight to see upon waking each morning! What a place to write!
I'll write more soon.

JSC

St. Louis Writers Guild

The *wonderful* folks at the St. Louis Writers Guild asked me to speak to the group this past April about writing narrative nonfiction stories. I had a great time with this group of incredibly talented writers. After the presentation, I was also asked to write a few words about the literary elements of narrative nonfiction, and these words were just published in their publication called "The Scribe." My article is called "The Art of Narrative Nonfiction" (on pages 1 and 6). For those who'd like to read the article, the article appears in the "Summer 2010" edition, so please get a copy of that. Also, here is the link to the St. Louis Writers Guild: stlwritersguild.org

Enjoy!

Jeff

Exciting News!

Exciting news! A mighty fine writer/producer from Hollywood has just secured rights to work on making Olivia's Story into a made-for-tv movie. We visited several times about this, and the made-for-tv movie format just seems to be a perfect fit for a story of this type. I'm so excited about this I can barely sit still! Right now, a "story-treatment" is being put together, and I've been asked to consult as this is being created. A story-treatment is, basically, like a "story board." That is, it is more or less a very detailed description of the different events and scenes that will be in the production. I am really looking forward to helping with this project. Hey -- when the made-for-tv movie is completed, that will also be the excuse I need to get a new, gigantic, flat-screen tv!
More later..................

Researching new book!

Hello again!
I'm sorry I haven't written in a while. I have been doing quite a few book events related to Olivia's Story, which was released in February. I've participated in events at bookstores, writers' guilds/groups, student groups (at the high school level and at a university), and even talked with a genealogy society that was interested in how to conduct historical research for stories. I've had a great time at all these events, and I will have many more related to Olivia's Story as the summer moves along. Olivia's Story has also rekindled interest in Inman's War, so I've also been asked to speak to more groups about that. Some groups have even asked me to come speak about both of these books! I also found out some wonderful news yesterday. A very talented Hollywood producer has decided Olivia's Story would be a fine story for a "made-for-tv" movie, and he is now in the process of agenting the project to the appropriate television networks that do original movies specifically for the tv format. I'd *love* to see Olivia's Story as a made-for-tv movie, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed. I should know more about this soon and will give updates as I can.
I'm also already under contract to write my next book, and I've also been on the road quite a lot to do the background research for this project. I typically take about a year to do the background research for a book, and then it takes me about six months to write it. A writer can not rest after a book is published -- he or she is always looking at the next project; that's just the life of a writer. It was back when I was doing research for Olivia's Story that I actually ran across information that spiked my interest for my next book. At this point I'm not supposed to say any specifics about what the next book will be about, but I can tell this much: It will be another historically true story told through the voices of the people who were involved in it. I can also say it will be the story of an important American who eventually ended up being murdered. I can also say I think I can now, beyond a shadow of a doubt, show that the person who was said to have done this murder really didn't do it! The story will have plenty of mystery, mayhem, and even an exciting tale of murder. The only other clue I'll provide now is that the picture of the statue posted with this entry has something important to do with the story. Sorry -- that's all the clues I can give now. I'll write more about my research for this book from time to time and will be adding more clues as I write along.
I hope all of you are enjoying Olivia's Story. If you get a chance, I'd appreciate it if you'd send me a note (either here at the site or in care of Paragon House) to let me know what you think of it.
Take care -- and read on!
Jeff

Wild, wonderful week!

Hi, all!
The past week and a half included so many book events and was so much fun I don't quite know where to begin. My adventures started when I was invited to be on the "St. Louis on the Air" program on National Public Radio. The host for the program was Don Marsh, a person who is one of the all-time best interviewers. He is always meticulously prepared, asks detailed questions, and makes authors feel right at home in the studio. We talked about Olivia's Story for almost an hour before taking calls from listeners. It was so wonderful to be able to talk about Olivia's Story in St. Louis -- where the events of the story took place. I lived in St. Louis for a long time, so this was like "being home" for me. I'll be posting a link to the program on my website in about a week if you'd like to listen to it.
I next was on Fox television. Television studios today are nothing like what they used to be. The studios once were filled with people lugging cameras around very sparse furniture while trying not to trip over dozens of cords of one type or another. Today, most everything is done electronically, and the programs are choreographed like a fine ballet. Before going on the program, I was asked to stand in a specific spot off to the right side of the main interview area. Then, while the national weather was being reported on the other side of the room, I was directed to move up to the main table to sit with the news anchors. This was done quickly and precisely. The hosts were Andy Banker and Theresa Woodard, two incredibly gifted newscasters. After the weather program finished, the cameras were then focused on us while a photo of the book cover was shown to the side. Both Andy and Theresa asked me questions about the story, and I responded as quickly as I could. Television involves a very specific amount of time allowed for each segment, so all responses should fit the time frame. I don't naturally talk all that fast, so this was a challenge for me. I wanted to give a good background of the story, but I also knew the clock was ticking. I had a *wonderful* time. Everyone at the station treated me so well -- and even let me look around the studio to see how everything is done behind the scenes. I'll attach a picture of me on the program so you can see what the studio looked like that morning.
A book signing followed later on that Saturday at the new Barnes & Noble store in Fenton, Missouri, which is a southern suburb of St. Louis proper. The store manager (Randy Carrington) and the book event coordinator (Deborah Horn) had everything set up perfectly. I brought a sheet cake with the title of the book written in the icing so that those who came to hear me talk about the book could eat and enjoy themselves. I signed a TON of books that day and had a wonderful time visiting with readers. I'll also be posting a picture of this event shortly.
Then, this past Tuesday night, I was asked to be part of the "Live From Prairie Lights" series out of Iowa City, Iowa. This is a reading series in which writers meet at Prairie Lights Book and give a reading and interact with an audience is their studio, which is on the top floor of the building. The program is also streamed across the Armed Forces Radio Network, so I was proud to provide a reading for all those in military service across the globe. This was a fairly unusual program in that I was asked to give the background of the book, read several passages, and then take questions from a live audience. One of the individuals in the audience was Paula Perkins Taylor, who is the niece of Inman and Olivia. I have known Paula for a couple of years, and it was wonderful to see her again. The radio program will soon be archived in the "Live From Prairie Lights" file, so stay tuned......
I have another book signing this afternoon from 2-4 at the Waterloo, Iowa, Barnes & Noble store, so I better sign off. I'll write more soon.
Be save and well -- and happy reading!
Jeff

Hi, everyone!

This will be my last chance to write for about two weeks. I'm headed off for the first part of the book tour for Olivia's Story. I mentioned some of the events in a previous note, but I did want to add another one to the list today. On February 13, the same day I'm doing the signing at the Barnes & Noble in Fenton, MO (a suburb of St. Louis), I'll also be on Fox2 television. I'm supposed to be at the television studio about 7:30 a.m. for "hair and makeup." If you've seen my picture, you are probably also wondering the same thing I am: "What in the world could they do to my hair to make it look better!!!" --ha ha. My hair looks the same no matter what I do to it, so it should be interesting to see what they do to me that morning. Anyway, I "think" the program is scheduled to air live between 8-8:30 a.m. If I find out the exact time, I'll try to sneak back to this blog to give an update.

I'll write again as soon as I can.

Take care.

Jeff

P.S. The chili-burger I had the night the book was released really did make me burp all night! But in the context of that wonderful day, it was also delicious. For an author, there aren't many things more exciting that Book Release Day!