More August Chiefs

Hey, thanks to all who came out to the Cheeseburger gig. We had a blast and our crowd was a big part of our being asked back. So, thanks again! Our next performance is going to be back at Whit's Inn in Whiteland on Thursday November 12. We start at 8 o'clock, the free wings start at 6.

Reminder: Upcoming Events

For anyone who plans to be out and about on the north side of Indianapolis on Saturday, October 17th, I will be signing copies of The Incident at the Borders in Castleton. There will be a few other authors involved and there will be some sort of presentation that begins at 1PM.

And for those of you interested in the next August Chiefs performance, come check us out on Friday October 23 at Cheeseburger In Paradise off of Southport Road. Dave and I will be performing acoustical versions of classic tunes, modern hits as well as a few originals. The show starts at 9PM. Hope to see you soon.

Good News

Check out this email I just got earlier today...

Dear 2009 Best Books of Indiana Contestant:
Judging is now complete in four of five categories for the 2009 Best Books of Indiana Comtest. The competition consists of five categories, children’s/young adult, fiction, nonfiction – historical/biographical, nonfiction – creative/instructional, and poetry. A panel of judges in each category considered all entries and granted awards at their discretion. Entries were judged on the quality of writing, with organization and interpretation also considered. The nonfiction creative/instructional category will be announced at a later date in order to give judges ample time to select finalists in this new category.

This year’s finalists are as follows:

Children’s/YA
Diamond Willow by Helen Frost. Farrar, Straus and Giroux. New York , NY
Double-Click for Trouble by Chris Woodworth. Farrar, Straus and Giroux. New York , NY .
Gobble Gobble Crash! A Barnyard Counting Bash by Julie Stiegemeyer. Dutton Children’s Books. New York , NY .

Fiction
Anathema by Colleen Coble. Thomas Nelson. Nashville , TN.
Blood on the Rimrock by Phil Dunlap. Avalon Books. New York , NY .
The Incident by Stephen Lucid. New Century Publishing. Indianapolis , IN.

Poetry
Bloodroot by Norbert Krapf. Indiana University Press. Bloomington, IN.
The Floating Bridge by David Shumate. University of Pittsburgh Press. Pittsburgh , PA.
A Manatee in Plato’s Closet by Rob Griffith. San Francisco Bay Press. San Francisco , CA .

Nonfiction—Historical/Biographical
The Eccentric Billionaire: John D. MacArthur – Empire Builder, Reluctant Philanthropist, Relentless Adversary by Nancy Kriplen. Amacom Books. New York , NY .
Racing in Place: Collages, Fragments, Postcards, Ruins by Michael Martone. The University of Georgia Press . Athens , GA.
The Ripest Moments: A Southern Indiana Childhood by Norbert Krapf. Indiana Historical Society Press. Indianapolis , IN.
Robert F. Kennedy and the 1968 Indiana Primary by Ray Boomhower. Indiana University Press. Bloomington , IN.

The August Chiefs

Mark your calendars: September 24, 2009. I, along with my good friend David Yates, will be performing under the name The August Chiefs at Whit's Inn in New Whiteland, IN. It will be the first public appearance of this acoustic duo that will hopefully lead to more gigs in the future. But you never know! This could be your only chance to get an earfull of our musical stylings. So come out and have a few drinks, listen to a few tunes and buy a few books. See you there.

An Old Poem

I was going through some old files on my computer the other day and found this silly little thing. It's a short poem I threw together for a writers group. Enjoy...

Narcissistic Lament
Children are best when they’re Yours,
As are Moments, Dreams and Tomorrows.
children who aren’t yours are bores
as are moments dreams and sorrows

Adios Publisher's Notes

If you tuned in at noon last Saturday expecting to once again hear the opening lines of Paperback Writer, you were probably surprised to find something else in its place. This was not a mistake and it was not a one time thing. That's right, Publisher's Notes is now a former show on WXNT. It was a popular show with a loyal following, but, after almost a full calendar year of being on the air, the folks at New Century Publishing have decided to steer their marketing strategy in another direction. I had a lot of fun doing the show and will miss it. For those of you who enjoyed the show, I am hoping to post podcasts of past shows on this site. I'll let you know how this works out.
In the meantime, here is an article I found on MSN that shows why readers of all ages are better people than their non-reading peers.