On the road again!

October 3, 2015
Hi, All!
    The past few months have simply flown by.  I've continued to stay incredibly busy with book readings and events related to Ain't No Harm to Kill the Devil.  I've mentioned this in previous posts, but in the case of this book, the "timing" of the publication could NOT have been better.  This year, 2015, is the 150th anniversary of the end of the American Civil War, so the book, which is set in 1856 just before the war, has been a favorite of book clubs, history groups, and a organizations devoted to the preservation of the Civil War in particular and American history in general.  I'm still booked fairly solid to do book readings all the way up through the holidays, which is a wonderful circumstance for a writer.  I absolutely love going out to visit with readers, so the time on the road is very precious to me.  The real treasure of being on the road is meeting so many wonderful people at each stop.  This summer I met and worked with docents at historic homes, historians at many different types of archives/records centers, and have met with the nicest people in book clubs of all types.  In short, this was a *wonderful* summer.
    I suppose it is time I also mention I have a new book coming out in March.  This book was written specifically for those who have written books (or wish to write one or are in the process of writing one) but who have not had experience conducting book readings, promotions, and events.  Many people feel a great sense of accomplishment and relief when a book is finally completed.  However, in today's world of publishing, getting the book published is only the first step in the process of "getting the book out there."  My new book, which is titled I'm Published! Now What? -- An Author's Guide to Creating Successul Book Events, Readings, and Promotions, draws upon my thirty years of experience in writing books and preparing for book readings and events.  In the book, I discuss and give recommendations for what authors (both new authors and those who are experienced as well) can do before, during, and after events to build success.  I believe the advice will help writers with an area that is learned, sadly, all too often by "trial and error" (with great emphasis on the ERROR part....).  The book will also be heavily illustrated (pictures of my life on the road)

to help demonstrate the main points presented.  So, look for the book in March.  Even for those who haven't yet written a book, I think all will find the stories "from the road" entertaining and enlightening.
     I wish everyone a magnificent fall (my favorite season)!
     More soon.....
JSC

Book Tour Fun

June 23, 2015
Hi, All!
     I just returned from a 2,500 mile book tour, which is one of the longest stretches I've done in the continental United States.  I had a *wonderful* time. The stops along this tour were the important Underground Railroad depots and historic homes I mentioned in Ain't No Harm to Kill the Devil.  The crowds were excellent at each stop, and the discussions following the readings/presentations were so much fun.  This year is the 150th anniversary of the end of the Civil War, so people are right now very interested in anything related to that conflict -- which made my book a perfect "fit" for the celebrations and commerations taking place all across the country.  While on the road, the rainy weather seemed to follow me everywhere, from Lake Erie right down through Kentucky.  Sections of Interstate 90 were even flooded and closed around Cleveland!  Actually, the storms didn't bother me one bit.  As a matter of fact, the lightning and thunder made for a good backdrop to the discussions of this volatile time in our history.
    I'm also always encouraging other writers to make the time to enjoy each region traveled through while doing book events.  On this trip and other recent travel, I've been able to see some pretty interesting places, including the birthplace (cabin) of President Grant, the boyhood home of President Taft, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, the Pro Football Hall of Fame, the Louisville Slugger factory (where Major League Baseball bats are made), and even the Bush's Beans factory in Tennessee.  I'm going to attach three pictures to this post.  One is of a "critter" who wanted to have breakfast with me one morning in the Smoky Mountains, one is of me and one of my best friends (Ron) at the Bush's Bean factory (Ron is inside the giant bean can!), and the last is of the world's largest baseball bat at the Louisville Slugger factory.  I love being on a book tour, but I also love stopping to see the local sights/sites as well.  Making these stops and meeting new people are two reasons that being an author is so special and fun.
     Ain't No Harm to Kill the Devil is still selling very well (thanks to all of you who have purchased it!).  It is really heartwarming to see how the story is touching the people who attend the book events.  I tried to make a part of our history come alive, and it is so wonderful to see that coming about through the readers.
    I also want to wish all of you a wonderful summer.  Have fun -- and be safe!

JSC

New Orleans Book Events

April 7, 2015

Hi, All!
     Ain't No Harm to Kill the Devil is still selling very well, and I've been doing quite a few book events related to it.  Plus, I now know I'll be doing what I believe will be a really fun book tour in June.  Basically, I'll be retracing, in a way, John Fairfield's footsteps.  That is, I'll be doing book readings and events at many of the Underground Railroad depots/historic sites Fairfield used when he was helping slaves to their freedom. I can't wait!  I'll be posting the full itinerary soon, and if you are going to be in any of the areas at that time, please stop by and attend one of the events.  At each stop I'll be doing a special reading and "photo presentation" related to the story.
     This past week I spent some time in New Orleans and wanted to jot a few words about that.  The world of technology available to authors is simply incredible right now.  It is still difficult for me to wrap my head around this, but I was actually able to do one book event in N.O. while seated on a bench at Jackson Square, right outside of St. Louis Cathedral (with the Mississippi River only a short distance behind me).  The setting was incredibly beautiful -- and it was mid-80's and bright sunshine the whole time.  The truly amazing part to me was being able to use "Face-Time" on my I-Phone to link up to readers over a thousand miles away -- and hold an hour discussion!  Face-Time can now be linked to multiple computers, so authors can visit easily with audiences all over the country.  In addition, no longer is there a lag where a person's lips move and the sound follows several seconds later on.  At present, with the new applications, everything happens perfectly in "real time" for these sessions, which makes the experience positive for all.  I'm going to attach to this message two pictures.  The first is of the statue of Andrew Jackson, which is positioned right in the middle of Jackson Square and immediately in front of St. Louis Cathedral.  For the book event, I was seated just before the statue.  The second picture was taken over a thousand miles away from me by a few members of a group I was visiting with at the time about my book Inman's War (they were at Prairie).  In the picture, my image can be seen on one of their laptops (this was taken while we were having a Q&A session).  They could see me fine, and they looked like they were all right in front of me as we spoke!  Yes, the new technology is really something.  To think that this type of communication has become so simple and easy to use for authors and readers.  Amazing!
    One other quick note: I just finished the manuscript of another book.  Details will follow in the next post.  In the meantime, enjoy the spring weather -- and happy reading!

JSC

Best Seller.....again!

January 13, 2015
Hi, All!
    I hope all of you had a wonderful holiday season -- and that the new year has started off as you hoped it would.
     I'm posting today because I found out something that surprised me yesterday -- and made me mighty happy.  I was told Shell Games has once again landed on some Best Seller lists!  In the very "different and unpredictable" world of publishing, it is not always easy to know what is going on.  Shell Games was a runaway success when it was first published but, as is the case with most books, popularity eventually wanes.  Therefore, I was surprised, and positively giddy, when I received the following news yesterday afternoon:

Best Sellers Rank:  Shell Games -

         #74 in Books > Biographies & Memoirs > Regional U.S. > Midwest

                  #88 in Books > Biographies & Memoirs > Leaders & Notable People >  Social Activists

     I'm not sure why Shell Games is so popular once again.  I do know that many "history organizations" have discovered the book.  At the same time, biographies are the #1 selling category of books right now, and Shell Games definitely also falls into that category.
     Also, recently an incredibly talented designer, Mary Falchney, who owns and operates a company called "Fabfusions," created a line of purses "themed" around famous and important American women -- and she did a wonderful line of purses about the book and Pearl McGill; national sales of the purses, too, may be sparking interest.  I've recently had several people ask me where they can purchase the Shell Games/Pearl McGill purses.  There are several places, but the easiest for most people would be on ETSY.com, which is an amazing site for all sorts of wonderful items.  All one would have to do is go to the ETSY.com site and type in the name of the company, "Fabfusions," into the search box, and the purses should be in with the other items in that store.  In the meantime, I'll provide with this post pictures of a

couple of the purses so that all can see what they look like.  It's a genuine thrill for an author when a product is created related to his/her work, and I absolutely love what the designer did with the purses.
     Whatever is happening in terms of renewed interest in Shell Games, I'm thrilled.  It is one thing for an author to hear a book has hit Best Seller lists after it comes out; it is another thing entirely when the book suddenly pops back up in popularity again later on.  All in all, this is really great -- and I can't stop smiling today.  Ah, I do love the "different and unpredictable" world of publishing.....
     Another subject:  I'm closing in on finishing another book, but I'm not at liberty to say much about it yet.  My deadline for finishing the manuscript is later this spring, so I'll be posting information about it when I can.  I will say this much for now: I believe it will be of great interest to a HUGE number of people!  That is all I'll say at this time.
     Happy reading!
JSC

Happy Holidays to All!

Hi, All!
     Before I get to the purpose of this posting, I'd like to mention a very special group I visited with recently.  The "Ulysses S. Grant Camp of the Sons of Union Veterans" asked me to come to their Winter meeting to talk about Ain't No Harm to Kill the Devil.  Ain't No Harm takes place mostly in the year 1856 -- and the Civil War started in 1861 -- so the topic of the book was of great interest to this group.  The members of the Ulysses S. Grant Camp group dedicate a great portion of their lives to helping preserve American history and heritage.  They also perform an incredible array of "good deeds" every year, ranging from visiting with veterans groups to making hospital visits to helping with dedications to helping preserve important monuments and battlefields.  As a matter of fact, they seem to be constantly busy -- and help so many people.  I'm attaching a picture of a few of the members of this amazing group.  The uniforms are absolutely stunning.
     I'm also writing today to wish everyone a happy and healthy holiday season.  The holiday season is a great time to sit back and reflect on past events and the possibilities of the upcoming year.  I'm grateful and thankful for so many things -- and wish all of you the very best of the holidays and a glorious New Year!
    Here's to a wonderful 2015 for all of us!

JSC
     

"Indies First" -- Part 2

Hi, All!
     Please forgive me, but I'm going to be a little "preachy" in this post.  Last Saturday was "Indies First" day, a day when authors donate their time to help out independent booksellers across the nation.  I mentioned in my last note that I was going to be helping out at Left Bank Books in St. Louis, Missouri.  I had an absolutely WONDERFUL time doing that -- and helped find homes for a pretty good grouping of books.  What I wanted to mention today, however, was just how glorious the atmosphere was in Left Bank Books on Saturday.  What I mean by that is this:  The independent booksellers truly are unique in how they serve their patrons (incredible personal attention and care).  The stores also have a marvelous "book smell" to them, a smell that all lovers of good books know.  They are "comfortable" and "slow paced" -- as it should be when we are 

browsing through shelves of books.  They also stock titles from smaller presses, a bonanza for those who like to dig in other territory than best-sellers and "recommended" major titles.  I think my experience Saturday can best be summed up by something I saw one of the staff members do when a customer asked for a specific book and where it could be found in the store.  Rather than just pointing the customer in the right direction, the staff member said, "I'll be happy to show you the way -- please follow me."  First, it was completely obvious that the staff member was, indeed, "happy" to do this for the customer.  Second, I followed their conversation, and the staff member not only got the customer to the shelf where the book was housed, but the staff member also made the time to tell the customer about half a dozen similar titles that might be of interest.  The staff member then stayed there until all of the customer's questions were answered.  After the staff member left to go back to the front of the store, the customer and I made eye contact.  I said, "This is a great store, isn't it?"  The customer, without missing a beat, replied, "No, it's a beautiful store!"  I just smiled..... because that was so true.
     So, I suppose the "moral" to my preaching this morning is that we should all treasure the independent booksellers and do all we can to support them.  I know it is a great temptation to order books from the gigantic e-retailers out there, and I "get" why people do that: they believe they will save a few dollars here and there (but that isn't always true!).  However, is a savings worth it if doing so leads to the demise of one of our greatest treasures?  I think not.  And, many have said to me over the course of time that they make orders for books on-line because that can be done from the home computer or via a smart-phone or similar device.  Today, most of the independent booksellers ALSO have the capability of ordering the SAME books for individuals by on-line means, and if that is done, many of the independents actually profit (not a huge amount, but at least somewhat) from helping customers do that.  In short, whatever we can do to protect and support the independents should be done.  We must keep our treasures prospering!
     I'm also going to attach below a couple of pictures of "Indies First" day at Left Bank Books.  It was so much fun for me to help these good folks find their next books to read.  Oh -- the young man in the picture informed me he is actually using my book Olivia's Story in his doctoral dissertation about issues of race in America!  That made my heart smile.
     I would like to wish everyone a happy, healthy, and wonderful holiday season --and a very Happy New Year.  And, as always, happy reading!
JSC

Indies First!!!

Hi, All!
    Thanks to the efforts of the fine author Sherman Alexie, the Saturday after Thanksgiving is now known as "Indies First" day.  On "Indies First" day, authors volunteer their time at independent bookstores all over the country.  We "mix-and-mingle" with customers shopping for books for themselves and for gifts for the holiday season.  The authors participate in this wonderful event because "brick and mortar" independent bookstores are one of our true treasures, and we'd all like to help support them in all ways possible.  In an era when more and more book sales are taking place via electronic means, we should all be helping the "brick and mortar" stores keep prospering and offering book lovers a glorious haven in which to browse books and visit with other readers.
    I've been asked to participate in "Indies First" at Left Bank Books in St. Louis, Missouri.  Left Bank Books is, truly, one of the finest independent booksellers in America.  It is located in downtown St. Louis in the Central West End district, just a rock throw from the historic Forest Park area.  In short, it is in a *perfect* location for lovers of books and history.  I'll attach a picture of the outside of Left Bank Books to this note.
    In addition to touting my own books with the customers, I've been asked to recommend a few other titles, especially titles of books I feel would make good holiday gifts.  I have to admit my list is rather skewed toward authors who are friends of mine and those I greatly admire, but ALL of these titles would be on my "must-read" list for the upcoming holidays and beyond.  Here are the titles I'll be talking about with customers at Left Bank Books on "Indies First" day, which this year is November 29:
**Of course, my new book, Ain't No Harm to Kill the Devil.
**The Accursed, by Joyce Carol Oates (I believe this is her best yet).
**Blasphemy, by Sherman Alexie (a short story collection - and a darn fine one).
**T. C. Boyle Stories II, by T. C. Boyle (an "elegant" collection of short stories).
The Valley of Amazement, by Amy Tan (I also believe this to be her best story to date.  I actually like
     it better than Joy Luck Club).
**Gray Mountain, by John Grisham (a tad different from a master of interwoven scenes).
**Unbroken, by Laura Hillenbrand (and the movie comes out Christmas Day in most places).

     So, those are my "holiday suggestions" for folks.  If you haven't read these, definitely put them on your list!
      If you are in the area on "Indies First" day, please stop in Left Bank Books and say hi -- and help support our great independent booksellers!
    Happy reading!
JSC