An interview with Randy Richardson

Eckhartz Press author Randy Richardson chats with the folks at Bookcast about his book "Cheeseland"

A message from Randy Richardson

"Cheeseland" author Randy Richardson checks in to update all of us regarding his wonderful novel. Take it away Randy...

Since the release of Cheeseland at the end of May, I have been on a radio tour that covered 14 states and made personal appearances at a dozen bookstores and libraries across Chicagoland. Whew! It has been a fun ride.

In case you missed it, here are a few of the highlights of the last few months:

Ranked #1 Goodreads Best Coming of Age Books

Named to Conversations Book Club's list of Top 100 Books of 2012

Featured by Hypertext Magazine, Evanston Public Library's Off the Shelf, and on the All Write Already! Podcast.

4.47/5.0 rating on Goodreads (based on 36 Ratings and 23 Text Reviews) and 4.8/5.0 rating on Amazon (based on 12 Reviews)

Again, a big THANK YOU to all of you who have supported Cheeseland in so many different ways. If you got a new e-reader during the holidays, be sure to download Cheeseland: The E-book at its new low price of $2.99. See what some others have said about Cheeseland. And keep those Goodreads and Amazon reviews coming!

Randy

And don't forget..."Cheeseland" raises money for suicide prevention. Randy is donating $1 from every soft cover sale of his book to the Elyssa’s Mission, a Northbrook, Illinois-based not-for-profit foundation that provides help, support and suicide prevention programs to prevent teen suicide. Donations will help to fund the Mission's Signs of Suicide Program, which they currently provide to junior and high schools in Illinois.

Some Cheeseland Love

There's a great interview with Randy Richardson in the current Hypertext Magazine. He talks all about his excellent novel "Cheeseland", his experience working with this awesome local publisher named Eckhartz Press, and much more.

You can read it here.

Some More Love for Cheeseland

Earlier this year Eckhartz Press released Randy Richardson's excellent novel, "Cheeseland". We thought so much of it, we nominated it for several "best of the year" book competitions.

But of course, we're biased. We published it. Don't believe us. Here's what some unbiased readers have been saying and writing about Cheeseland. It's the #1 ranked coming of age novel at GoodReads thanks to comments like this...

"This is a fun coming-of-age novel with one of those archetypal "bad influence" friends from your adolescence. I really enjoyed this book. The protagonist is even-keeled Daniel McAllister, a guy who grew up in a working-class neighborhood in Chicago and then went on to better things. His best friend as an adolescent was Lance Parker -- one of those great, universal characters. We ALL had a Lance in our lives...the "bad influence" kid your parents didn't want around. Or maybe YOU were "Lance" when you were growing up...the guy who always had the crazy, irresponsible idea to do something you shouldn't do (in this case, go on a road trip to Wisconsin instead of going to your high school graduation ceremony). Somehow, we're never quite able to say "no" to the Lances in our lives, and in Cheeseland, Randy Richardson shows how that plays out over a lifetime. There are serious undertones to this novel, including some dark secrets that haunt Daniel and Lance from adolescence into adulthood. But there is also a lot of humor, especially on the aforementioned road trip, which hit close to home. I was a bit of a "Lance" in my day, and I remember all too well how a spur-of-the-moment idea like a road trip can lead to lots of fun -- and lots of trouble. You get both in Cheeseland. Bottom line: this is a very well written coming-of-age novel. Highly recommended.
---Mike O'Mary, author of "Wise Men and Other Stories" (5 stars out of 5)

"Being a Chicago native myself I loved all the Chicago references in this fine coming-of-age novel. From easy access to Pabst Blue Ribbon beer just over the Wisconsin border, where the drinking age was lower, to a rock concert in the heart of the Kettle Moraine, to mindless midnight runs up and down I-94 between the south suburb of Dolton (where people are known as „dolts“) to the airport – I almost felt this was my story! These were my songs. The main characters are bound by blood by a series of events that happened in high school, and the story is a kind of exorcism of their past, spanning three decades. The author sprinkles plenty of surprises in the story, so that I really did not know what was coming next at any juncture. I especially loved the character of Buck, a voice of reason and sanity for boys just trying to survive their childhood. If you liked Larry McMurtry’s The Last Picture Show, you’ll love Cheeseland, Chicago’s answer to that Texas classic. Highly recommended!"
---Frederick Brooke (5 stars out of 5)

"Cheeseland is a refreshing, entertaining, and profound bro-mance about choices one makes because of an unforgiving past... Without giving too much away, the ending plays out like a Shakespearean tragedy. It was the only way this kind of story could end both in fiction and in real life. The setting was a big hit with me. As a Chicagoan, I knew the highways, places, towns, and other details Mr. Richardson used. Especially liked his mention of Alpine Valley-many warm and hazy memories from my adolescence. I cannot help but compare Mr. Richardson’s work to Frank McCourt’s Angela’s Ashes and Dennis Lehane’s Mystic River. A five star drama!"
---Dina Rae (5 stars out of 5)

We're #1

Well lookee here.

The #1 Coming of Age novel listed on GoodReads is the Eckhartz Press release "Cheeseland" by Randy Richardson.

Meet Kim & Randy

This Thursday night Kim Strickland will be part of the lineup at the Book Cellar in Lincoln Square (4736 N. Lincoln Avenue, Chicago). They are staging a "ChicagoNow Bloggers Author Night", and Kim writes the blog "A City Mom" for ChicagoNow. She'll be signing copies of her Eckhartz Press book "Down at the Golden Coin" at the Book Cellar, along with fellow ChicagoNow authors Jimmy Greenfield, Carrie Goldman, Kirk Mango, and Fern Ronay. The festivities begin at 7pm.

This Saturday (December 8) Eckhartz Press author Randy Richardson will be appearing in Woodstock at "Read Between the Lynes" from 2-4pm. He'll be signing copies of his novel "Cheeseland". Read Between the Lynes is located at 129 West Van Buren Street in Woodstock.

Meet Randy Richardson

It's local author night at the Book Cellar in Chicago (right next door to the Brauhaus in Lincoln Square), and one of the featured authors this month is Eckhartz Press' very own Randy Richardson ("Cheeseland").

The other authors scheduled to be there include Bree Housley (We Hope You Like This Song: An Overly Honest Story about Friendship, Death, and Mix Tapes), and Samantha Hoffman (What More Could You Wish For).

Come on out and support your local Chicago authors!

Meet the Eckhartz Press Authors

Next week and weekend there will be several chances to meet the Eckhartz Press authors around Chicagoland.

On Tuesday October 9th, from 12:30-1:15, Brendan Sullivan ("The Living Wills") will be conducting a writing workshop at Oakton College on their Des Plaines campus, in the Library (Lower Level). Everyone is welcome--there will be snacks.

On Saturday October 13th, from 11am--3pm, Randy Richardson ("Cheeseland") and Kim Strickland ("Down at the Golden Coin") will be appearing at the Joliet Public Library (3395 Black Road) for Author Fair 2012. There will be lots of other authors there too--a good time should be had one and all.

Also on Saturday October 13th, at 12:30, Brendan Sullivan ("The Living Wills") will be at iBAM (Irish Books Arts & Music) at the Irish American Heritage Center.

Randy Richardson: A Review, An Interview, An Event

There he is, Randy Richardson reading page 24 of the Sept./Oct. issue of Conversations Magazine, Cyrus Webb's review of "Cheeseland". Cyrus writes, "Delivered with skill and captivating from beginning to end, "Cheeseland" reminds us of the preciousness of life and the importance of making the most of each and every day." Nice.

Here's an interview with Randy at Dina Raye's Write Stuff.

And if you'd like to meet Randy, he'll be here this coming Sunday: "This month the incomparable Rose Metal Press partners with Sunday Salon Chicago. They’ll be featuring two of their authors, Aaron Teel and Kyle Minor. Chicago writers Randy Richardson and Paul Jones fill out the bill. Please join us in the super-cool back room at Black Rock. You'll have fun and go home happy, we guarantee it! 8-9:30pm, Black Rock Pub & Kitchen, 3614 N Damen Ave, Chicago, Illinois 60618"

Randy Richardson at the Beverly Arts Center

Attention Chicago South Siders! Mark your calendars for this Sunday. Penny Golden will interview Eckhartz Press author Randy Richardson about his new book, "Cheeseland", at the Beverly Arts Center (2407 W. 111th St) at 2pm.

Penny does a wonderful job interviewing authors, and Randy has a distinctly south side story to tell.

Set on Chicago’s south side, “Cheeseland” is a story about loyalty, friendship and the self-destructive nature of secret-keeping and unresolved anger. In the first part two high school boys take a road trip through Wisconsin as they grieve over another friend’s suicide. The journey of recovery is filled with comical twists as the two teens navigate Cheeseland, a place that blurs the line between adolescence and adulthood.

The second part takes place 30 years later as the novel's long and winding road comes full circle and the two friends finally confront their past and come to grips with their present lives. “Cheeseland” is a published by Eckhartz Press.

An attorney and award-winning journalist Randy Richardson’s essays have been published in the anthologies “Chicken Soup for the Father and Son Soul,” “Humor for a Boomer’s Heart,” “The Big Book of Christmas Joy,” and “Cubbie Blues: 100 Years of Waiting Till Next Year,”as well as in numerous print and online journals and magazines

Meet Randy Richardson

There are quite a few events coming up in the next few weeks where you can meet Eckhartz Press author ("Cheeseland") Randy Richardson.








*Evanston Writers Conference, August 25, 2012

*Chicago Writers Conference September 15, 2012

*Author Afternoons at the Beverly Arts Center September 23, 2012, 2 PM
(Randy will be doing a reading from and discussing "Cheeseland" with moderator/interviewer Penny Golden)

*Sunday Salon at Black Rock Bar, Chicago, September 30, 2012 8 PM

*Authors on the Fox at Gail Borden Public Library, Elgin, IL, October 21, 2012, 1:30 PM, register here beginning August 25, 2012

*Local Authors Night at The Book Cellar, Chicago, November 14, 2012, 7 PM
(One of our favorite local independent bookstores)

"Cheeseland" the e-book

Randy Richardson's critically acclaimed "Cheeseland" is now available as an e-book!

Find it...

On Amazon for your Kindle.

On Barnes & Noble for your Nook.

On Sony for your Sony E-Reader.

And coming soon to the Apple store!

The links to every available Eckhartz Press book in every available format can be found at the Eckhartz Press website.

You can also simply click on the direct links on the left hand column of this blog listed under "Link List".

Meet Brendan & Randy

If you're on the South Side of Chicago this coming weekend, be sure to stop by The Bookie's and 7-11 Parking Lot party.

Date: 7/7/12
Location: 2419 W. 103rd Street, Chicago Illinois (Next to the 7-11)
Time: 5-8pm

Not only will Eckhartz Press authors Brendan Sullivan (above, co-author of "The Living Wills") and Randy Richardson (below, author of "Cheeseland") be on hand, so will a host of other local authors. The Wrecker Brothers will be performing live music, the 7-11 will be selling $2 hot dogs and handing out free slurpees, there will be a raffle with some fun prizes, and of course, you can purchase some books (and have the authors autograph them).

Full details are here.

Sounds like a great time! See you there!

Randy on the Radio

If you're a radio fan, and would like to hear Eckhartz Press author Randy Richardson discussing his book "Cheeseland", you don't have to be in the town of the radio stations to hear him. Simply click on the station call letters to listen to the interviews streaming live on the station websites...

*June 18, 2012
Monday, 9.20 AM EDT/8.20 AM CDT
Morning Show (Bob Langstaff) WAMV 1420 AM
(Amherst, Virginia)

*June 20, 2012
Wednesday, 9.10 AM CDT
Breakfast Club WCUB AM
(In Cheeseland!)

*June 21, 2012
Thursday, 10:30 am CDT
KORN 1490 AM Let’s Talk (Clay Mick)
(South Dakota)

*June 26, 2012
Tuesday, 7 pm CDT/6 PM MT
The Ken Hudnall Show
Borderland Radio Network
(EL Paso, TX)

*June 28, 2012
Thursday, 9 AM PDT/11AM CDT
The Two O'Clock Show (Ken Johannessen)KPQ Radio
(Washington)

*July 2, 2012
Monday, 9.35 AM EDT/8.35 AM CDT
WOCA AM AM Ocala
(Florida)

*July 12, 2012
Thursday, 8.30 AM CDT
Talkline (Bob Krejcarek) WLDY AM
(In Cheeseland!)

*September 13, 2012
Thursday, 3 PM PDT/5 PM CDT
Red River Radio No Limits
(California)

Cheeseland in Chicagoland

Eckhartz Press author Randy Richardson and Dana Campbell, the community relations manager of the Schaumburg Barnes & Noble at Randy's Saturday appearance.





Randy Richardson with Eckhartz Press publishers Rick Kaempfer and David Stern.

Meet Randy & Kim

This weekend you'll have several chances to meet Eckhartz Press authors Randy Richardson and Kim Strickland.

*At Randy's Barnes & Noble appearance/book signing at Woodfield on Saturday, you may even have a chance to win a Nook.
Randy Richardson's Cheeseland: Enter to Win NOOK Simple Touch
Saturday June 09, 2012 1:00 PM, Schaumburg, Woodfield Plaza Shopping Center, 590 East Golf Road, Schaumburg, IL 60173, 847-310-0450


*You can meet Kim on Saturday from 2-4pm. She'll be at the Printers Row Lit Fest, in the Society of Midland Authors Tent (tent HH) on Polk Street west of Dearborn. (Click here to see a map.)


*And then on Sunday, Randy will be there too, except he'll be in the Chicago Writer's Association tent, under Tent H (the Chicago Books United tent) on Dearborn. Randy is the president of the CWA, so he'll be there quite awhile. Stop by and say hello.

Eckhartz Press Night

A few photos from our recent Eckhartz Press Night at the Hidden Shamrock on Halsted Street...



(Left) Randy Richardson reading from his book "Cheeseland"






(Below) The entire Eckhartz Press stable being interviewed by moderator Mary Beth Hoerner. From left to right: Mary Beth, Brendan Sullivan, Rick Kaempfer, Kim Strickland and Randy Richardson.

Eckhartz Press Night at The Chicago Way

Eckhartz Press is really looking forward to this Sunday night, June 3rd.

The literary series "The Chicago Way" (at the Hidden Shamrock, 2723 N. Halsted, from 7-8:30pm) is having a special Eckhartz Press night! It will be the official book launch of Randy Richardson's new book "Cheeseland", but the entire Eckhartz Press stable will be on hand. Brendan and Rick will do a reading from "The Living Wills". Kim Strickland will do a reading from "Down at the Golden Coin", and then Randy will do a reading from "Cheeseland." Then we'll have a Q&A session, moderated by one of the Chicago Way founders, Mary Beth Hoerner.

All three books will be available for purchase, and naturally, the authors will happily sign them for you.

Have we mentioned that The Hidden Shamrock is a bar? That's really the Chicago Way, isn't it?

Countdown to Cheeseland

Randy Richardson's "Cheeseland" comes out next Tuesday (via Eckhartz Press), and is available for pre-order now.

It came off the presses the other day, and it looks just great. We're super excited about it.

If you'd like a taste of what's inside, Randy has posted an excerpt of the novel on his website. You can read it here.

Countdown to Cheeseland

"Cheeseland" by Randy Richardson comes out next Tuesday (although it's available for pre-order now, by clicking here). You can bet that Randy will be hustling to promote his book in the coming weeks.

If you're a radio fan, and would like to hear Randy discussing the book, you don't have to be in the town of the radio stations to hear him. Simply click on the station call letters to listen to the interviews streaming live on the station websites...

*May 31, 2012
Thursday, 10:40 am CDT
Midday Show (Jay Caldwell) WJON
(St. Cloud, Minnesota)

*June 14, 2012
Thursday, 7.05 AM EDT/6.05 AM CDT
The Frank Truatt Morning Show, WTBQ-AM
(Suburban New York)

*June 15, 2012
Friday, 9.30 AM MDT/10.30 AM CDT
Tron in the Morning KCMN
(Colorado Springs)

*June 18, 2012
Monday, 9.20 AM EDT/8.20 AM CDT
Morning Show (Bob Langstaff) WAMV 1420 AM
(Amherst, Virginia)

*June 20, 2012
Wednesday, 9.10 AM CDT
Breakfast Club WCUB AM
(In Cheeseland!)

*June 21, 2012
Thursday, 10:30 am CDT
KORN 1490 AM Let’s Talk (Clay Mick)
(South Dakota)

*June 28, 2012
Thursday, 9 AM PDT/11AM CDT
The Two O'Clock Show (Ken Johannessen)KPQ Radio
(Washington)

*July 12, 2012
Thursday, 8.30 AM CDT
Talkline (Bob Krejcarek) WLDY AM
(In Cheeseland!)