News From Brendan Sullivan

He writes on his Facebook page today...

"This Spring, Marist High School's "Chicago Literature" class is reading "The Jungle," "The House on Mango Street," "A Raisin in the Sun" and "The Living Wills," by yours truly and Rick Kaempfer. Not bad company. I'm ecstatic and humbled."

Congrats to Eckhartz Press authors Brendan and Rick!

Jockline Daily Plugs "Records Truly Is My Middle Name"

Jockline Daily goes out to disc jockeys across the country...

FEBRUARY 26thTH, 2013 –– Landecker's "Records Truly Is My Middle Name" Available By Pre-Order March 1st. Chicago's iconic host, John Records Landecker's new book which debuts on March 28, but it will available for pre-order at www.eckhartzpress.com beginning March 1.

It's called "Records Truly Is My Middle Name" by John Records Landecker (Produced by Rick Kaempfer). It covers John's 40+ years in broadcasting (WLS, WIBG, CFTR,WLUP, WCKG, WJMK, etc), features some GREAT stories, incredible pictures, and additional stories about John from more than 30 other people that have worked with like (shown L-R,) Tommy Edwards, Steve King, Yvonne Daniels, Larry Lujack and Bob Sirott and many, many more. NOTICE: Landecker and many greats from the legendary "Big 89/WLS," will be joining Morning Show Boot Camp in Chicago in August for a special "Learning from the Masters" segment, moderated by Cumulus' Jan Jeffries. Stay tuned for details coming soon.

PHOTO: Courtesy of Tommy Edwards

The Living Wills in the Classroom

We've just gotten word that the Eckhartz Press novel "The Living Wills" (written by Brendan Sullivan and Rick Kaempfer) is going to be read by Marist High School in their Chicago literature class.

Kudos to Marist alum, Brendan Sullivan. That must be a thrill for him.

Rick Kaempfer

Eckhartz Press co-publisher and author Rick Kaempfer is featured in the current issue of Illinois Entertainer magazine.

The piece, written by Cara Jepsen, is about his co-founding of this company, his previous writing and radio career, and his upcoming book on Eckhartz Press.

You can read it here.

Some Love from Shore Magazine

An excerpt from Pat Colander's Everyday Living blog at Shore Magazine...







Catching up with Shore Columnist, Renaissance Man and World's Best Dad Rick Kaempfer: I'm beginning to lose track but I believe when the The Balding Handbook starts shipping next week (November 16th) it will be the fourth book for his Eckhartz Press, which Rick launched about a year ago. The first was a novel Rick wrote with Brendan Sullivan called “The Living Wills,” a comic morality tale about a bowling team I thoroughly enjoyed. (Can't wait for the movie!) This season, The Balding Handbook by David Stern is going to be a hit for creative gift-givers who are victims—or members of the family of victims---of involuntary hair loss. Stern describes the five-stage grieving process including denial, anger, bargaining, depression and finally acceptance. On the cover, the author is shown working through Stage 4. At the end of the process, Rick says, the fully actualized bald man can emerge whole into the light. “Of course, you'll need sunscreen when you get there, but the few extra bucks you shell out to the Tropicana people is a trifle when you consider the incredible life that awaits you after reading this book. Whether you're a fellow sufferer or just a mean person that wants to give this book as a gag gift to that baldy you know (Tee hee, Get it? You're bald.) The Balding Handbook is for you.”

Next up for Eckhartz? The long-awaited story of John Records Landecker, Records Truly is My Middle Name will be published as part of John's 66th birthday celebration in March. With Rick's help---not to mention his other famous friends and colleagues including Bob Sirott, Jonathon Brandmeier, John Gehron, Joey Reynolds, Jan Jeffries, Catherine Johns, Eric Ferguson, Bill Zehme, Kevin Matthews and Don Wade---John has managed to tap into his inner playlist and remember an astonishing amount of what actually happened during the past 40 years. You heard that number correctly Boogie Checkers. John Landecker first conquered nighttime radio in Chicago, oh, I don't know, probably some time in the 1970s or 80s. I mean who cares, right? But Landecker is still going strong in the same time slot from 630 – 11 pm weekdays on Cumulus Media classic hits WLS-FM (94.7) Keep your eye on this blog for more information on this upcoming bestseller. Who knows you could be in it?

Meet Rick Kaempfer

Eckhartz Press co-publisher Rick Kaempfer will be appearing at the Writers Block Party - Meet the Presses panel discussion and networking event on Saturday, August 11, 1 - 4 p.m., at the Gail Borden Public Library in Elgin.

The event is co-sponsored by the Chicago Writers Association, In Print, and Author! Author! Book & Author Marketing Network. Register to attend through Eventbrite at http://writersblockparty.eventbrite.com/.

Tickets are free but space is limited.

Rick was profiled in this interview in anticipation of that event.

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.

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?

The VVA reviews "The Living Wills"

In the May/June issue of the Vietnam Veterans of America magazine ("Veteran"), esteemed Vietnam writer and veteran Marc Leepson reviewed "The Living Wills". Rick and Brendan are thrilled to get the seal of approval from this great organization. The headline of the review was: "Good-Hearted Veteran Cast Populates "The Living Wills". The review is not available on-line yet (when it is, we'll post a link), but in the meantime, here is an excerpt...


Two author novels are rare. The main reason: Writing fiction is such an intimate, personal business that it's extremely difficult for two people to come up with one literary vision, not to mention implement it. So you have to give credit to Rick Kaempfer and Brendan Sullivan, the two authors of "The Living Wills" (Eckhartz Press, 336 pp, $15.95 paper), a fast-reading novel set in Chicago in 2005, for coming up with a creditable work of fiction. Kaempfer is a Chicago writer and Sullivan is an improv artist in the City of Big Shoulders.

How did the two men put the book together? "We improvised the story lines together using (Sullivan's) techniques," Kaempfer explained, "before sitting down to plot it out and write the chapters of the book--it was a completely collaborative process." The authors "didn't set out to write a Vietnam book," Kaempfer said, "but when we improvised, it simply emerged."

How did the collaboration turn out? Not badly. The dialogue-heavy story hums along rapidly. It's a multi-character affair, centering on veteran Henry Stankiewicz and his late-in-life effort to make amends with his upwardly mobile lawyer son. It's not an easy task, as young Peter is extremely bitter about having suffered from an absent father for most of his childhood while the elder Stankiewicz struggled with postwar emotional and physical issues.

Several interwoven subplots include one involving a depressed middle-aged corporate type and another centering on a group of Henry's bowling buddies. There's also Peter's struggles with his work situation in a big law firm and his relationship with his girlfriend, who happens to be a lawyer at the firm. The main plot deals with something that happened to Henry in Vietnam, and the continuing fallout from that traumatic event in his life and in the lives of a group of his war buddies.

Henry and the other Vietnam veteran characters in the book are good-hearted men who have (to one degree or another) overcome their war-related emotional and physical problems. Henry holds down a blue-collar job, is happily married to a good woman, and has a positive mental outlook. One of his buddies still struggles with alcohol; another is a well-adjusted family man. In other words, the authors have come up with a cast of realistic, non-sensationalized Vietnam veterans living out their lives in the early 21st century--no Nam vet stereotypes here...

The Living Wills is a more-than decent novel filled with sympathetically drawn Vietnam veteran characters. That in itself is worth the price of admission.

Meet the Eckhartz Press authors

If you live in Chicagoland, you'll have several chances to meet our Eckhartz Press authors in June.

*In fact, you can meet them all in one night, if you come out to "The Chicago Way" at the Hidden Shamrock (2723 N. Halsted) in Chicago on June 3rd, from 7-8:30pm. The Chicago Way literary series launches the newest title from Eckhartz Press, "Cheeseland" by Randy Richardson. Joining this special Eckhartz Press Night celebration for readings and discussion will be Eckhartz authors Kim Strickland ("Down at the Golden Coin"), and Rick Kaempfer and Brendan Sullivan ("The Living Wills"). All authors will have books available for sale.

*If you're going to the Printer's Row Lit Fest on June 9th, you'll have a chance to meet "Down at the Golden Coin" author Kim Strickland. She'll be selling and autographing copies of her book. Look for her in the Society of Midland Authors tent from 2-4pm.

*That same day (June 9), "Cheeseland" author Randy Richardson will be appearing at Barnes & Noble in Woodfield Plaza Shopping Center, 590 East Golf Road in Schaumburg, from 1-3pm.

*On June 10th, Randy will be manning the Chicago Writer's Association booth at the Printer's Row Lit Fest.

*For our south side friends, Kim Strickland will be at the Beverly Arts Center for a special evening on June 14th. "Author Afternoons" host Penny Golden is convening a special Thursday night version of her book chats for Kim. Come one, come all.

*On June 23rd, Randy Richardson will be at the Glen Ellyn Book Fest. He'll be doing a breakfast talk at the Glen Ellyn Public Library (8am), and then move over to the author tent on Duane Street (a block east of the library) from 10-1.

Remember Chicagoans, the Eckhartz Press stable is also available to appear at your book club. "The Living Wills" co-author Brendan Sullivan (photo) has been appearing at many of them over the past few weeks, as has his co-author Rick Kaempfer. "The Living Wills" has led to lively discussions all over town. Kim's and Randy's novels are sure to do the same. If you'd like to book any of them to appear at your book club party (schedule permitting) for free, e-mail rick@eckhartzpress.com.

The Living Wills in the Daily Herald

Thanks so much to the Daily Herald for this wonderful article about Eckhartz Press author and publisher Rick Kaempfer.

Rick on the Radio

Eckhartz Press author Rick Kaempfer will be on the Ed Tyll show tonight at 7:30 Central Time.

You can listen to show live on TalkRadioX.com livestream, if you're interested.

"The Living Wills" on the Radio

Eckhartz Press author and publisher Rick Kaempfer was on the Steve Cochran show a week or two ago. They just sent us the audio in case you missed it.

You can listen to it here.

The Steve Cochran show airs every weekday afternoon/early evening in Chicago on WIND-AM 560. His show also airs in St. Louis. As you'll hear on the tape, Steve is always entertaining.

A Programming Note

Four years ago Eckhartz Press author Rick Kaempfer founded the website Just One Bad Century, a site devoted to Chicago Cubs history and Chicago Cubs fans.

That same year he wrote a song to fire up the troops. It was called "We can wait 100 years"; a parody of the Proclaimer's hit "I Can Walk 500 Miles".

It got a bunch of airplay on Chicago radio that season: John Landecker played it on WLS, and Johnny B played it on the Loop (WLUP-FM 97.9).

Well this year Brandmeier started playing it on his show again (he's now on WGN) when he was hyping a Cubs song contest. He mentioned on the air that he wished the writer would update the song for him, because it mentions people no longer around (like Lou Piniella and Kosuke Fukodome).

So, Rick rewrote the words, and the guy that sings it, Tom Latourette, went into the studio to re-record it. (Rick will be posting the new version on the website soon.)

In the meantime, you can hear it live on WGN radio tomorrow morning at 8:00. Tom will be singing it live on Johnny B's remote broadcast from outside Wrigley Field. Rick will also be on hand to lend moral support. Please tune in--it should be fun.

Here's the original song for those of you that don't remember it...

Catalyst For Collaboration

That's the title of Rick Kogan's column in the Printer's Row section of the Chicago Tribune this weekend. He wrote a very nice piece about "The Living Wills" (pages 18-19), which included this photograph by Terrence James.





Thanks so much to Rick, Terrence, and the Chicago Tribune.

The Living Wills in the Chicago Tribune

Rick Kogan has been very kind to Eckhartz Press authors Rick Kaempfer and Brendan Sullivan. First he wrote this review featured on the back cover of their novel: "Rollicking and real on so many levels, 'The Living Wills' is a captivating collaboration by two immensely talented writers. I hope this team keeps at it for keeps."

Then, he had Rick and Brendan on his radio show.

And this weekend (Sunday), he is featuring them in his column in the Chicago Tribune's Printer's Row book section. If you're a subscriber, keep an eye out for it. Rick and Brendan even went downtown to do a photo shoot to accompany the piece.

Our gratitude is eternal.

Robert Temple Ayres

You may not know the name Robert Temple Ayres, so if you heard he passed away this week at the age of 98, it may not have affected you.

It did affect Eckhartz Press authors Rick Kaempfer and Brendan Sullivan, however, because Robert Temple Ayres is the artist that created the flaming Bonanza map.

And the book that Rick and Brendan wrote, "The Living Wills", will almost certainly one day be recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records as the novel with the most references to Bonanza of all time. Rick and Brendan even referenced that burning Bonanza map in the pages of "The Living Wills".

They mourn the passing of Robert Temple Ayres.

Rick and Brendan on video

This is a video sample of Rick and Brendan's event a few weeks ago at the Catalyst Ranch. They discuss how the book came to be...

The Book Cellar

Brendan Sullivan and Rick Kaempfer will be appearing tonight at Local Author Night at the Book Cellar in Chicago.

It's their last scheduled book signing, so if you've been putting off coming out to see them, and/or you'd like to get an autographed copy of the book, this may be your last chance.

All of the details are here at the Book Cellar website.