Tag Archives: author

Making ‘wicked’ progress on my next book

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I’ve been researching at breakneck speed for my second book, “Wicked in Columbus, Indiana.” The book, which will be published by The History Press, should be out sometime early 2017. It focuses on some of the crummy stuff the city has experienced (although nothing more recent than 1980). I also talk about how some of this crummy stuff has been cleaned up.

I’m about 90 percent done with the research for three of the chapters, which center on a public fight between the oldest editor and the youngest mayor in the state of Indiana in 1877, the Ku Klux Klan’s presence in Columbus and Bartholomew County over the years, and a look at two doctors who were poisoned and the investigation into who did it.

Many more chapter to work on, including two areas of the city that were considered the worst slums the city has ever seen, a bevy of brothels in the early 1900s, as well as a few murders and robberies and a few other topics.

Click on the photos below to see caption information.

Isaac M. Brown, editor of The Evening Republican when he got into a public fight with Mayor George W. Cooper in 1877.
Isaac M. Brown, editor of The Evening Republican when he got into a public fight with Mayor George W. Cooper in 1877.
Death Valley was an poor area of Columbus that featured substandard housing and seasonal flooding through the first half of the 20th century.
Death Valley was an poor area of Columbus that featured substandard housing and seasonal flooding through the first half of the 20th century.
Geroge W. Cooper, who was 26 years old when he fought 56-year-old Isaac M. Brown in Columbus in 1877.
Geroge W. Cooper, who was 26 years old when he fought 56-year-old Isaac M. Brown in Columbus in 1877.
Dr. Griffth Marr's lunch was poisoned at Bartholomew County Hospital in 1977. He survived.
Dr. Griffth Marr’s lunch was poisoned at Bartholomew County Hospital in 1977. He survived.

So, I think I’m an expert?

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My schedule is set for Imaginarium Convention in Louisville Oct. 7-9. Below are the sessions that I’ve been chosen to serve on as a panel expert.

The event is centered entirely around creative writing, including the worlds of books, movies, gaming, music, and comics/graphic novels. It will be held at the Crowne Plaza Hotel. Click here for more info on the convention.

Besides serving as a guest panelist for the five sessions detailed below, I’ll also be doing a book signing Saturday at 10 a.m. Signed copies of my first book, “Murder in Wauwatosa: The Mysterious Death of Buddy Schumacher” will be available for $10 each. You’ll have to wait until early 2017 to get my second book, “Wicked in Columbus, Indiana” yet. Both are/will be available in print and e-book formats from all your regular book outlets online and in bookstores.EntertheImaginarium

Historical Writing
Whether it’s immersive content or just a hint of flavor for the period, historical writing can challenge your skills with setting and the portrayal of historical events for a contemporary audience.
Friday, Oct. 7, 5 p.m.

New Author Boot Camp
So you wrote a book…now what? This panel will take you through the steps of being a new author – from publishing to promotion, the tools you need to succeed, making friends in the industry, and the hard lessons learned from simple mistakes.
Friday, Oct. 7, 6 p.m.

Faith in Fiction
A general discussion about presenting spiritual beliefs in fiction, how to be culturally sensitive to others’ beliefs and your audience, and how to write about religions/spiritual paths you do not know.
Saturday, October 8, 7 p.m.

Breaking into Freelance Writing
Many individuals want to write full time, but they do not yet have the financial freedom to do so. Freelance corporate writing can offer flexibility and financial security as they pursue a full time fiction/non fiction writing career. This panel will explore how to break into freelance corporate writing, the skills required, where to find clients, what they can expect to earn and more.
Sunday, October 9, 10 a.m.

Homonymns, Semi-Colons, Serial Commas, Oh My!
Grammar Geeks, come on down! Panelists discuss why grammar is so important to a writer, why editors enforce the rules, and best resources for those tricky little squiggles.
Sunday, October 9, noon

This is going to be great!

Tons of writing topics to be covered at Imaginarium

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Tons (figuratively) of topics will be covered at Imaginarium Convention in Louisville, Kentucky, Oct. 7-9, an event that I’m proud to be a part of for the first time this fall. The event is an annual event centered entirely around creative writing, including the worlds of books, movies, gaming, music, and comics/graphic novels.

Authors, illustrators, poets, publishers, podcasters, gamers and more will benefit.

Here are just a few of the topics to be discussed:EntertheImaginarium

What’s in a Name?
How to create names for your characters that fit your world’s language and culture.

Controversy!
Panelists discuss how to navigate the minefield of controversial topics without censoring yourself or offending the masses.

Faith in Fiction
A general discussion about presenting spiritual beliefs in fiction, how to be culturally sensitive to others’ beliefs and your audience, and how to write about religions/spiritual paths you do not know.

New Author Boot Camp
So you wrote a book…now what? This panel will take you through the steps of being a new author – from publishing to promotion, the tools you need to succeed, making friends in the industry, and the hard lessons learned from simple mistakes.

Query Crazy!
The book is done and polished. Now…to query. Our panelists provide tips on how to write a query which will sell your book.

Getting Into Illustration
You like to draw and would like to do it for books. How do you go about it? Do you need an agent? What’s it like to work with the author? This panel will cover these questions and more.

Creating Your Romantic Lead
Romantic leads don’t have to look like Fabio anymore. What makes a good romantic lead, male or female? They can be quirky, nerdy, and even a little bit evil … so long as we love them.

Game of Thrones
All things GoT! Panelists discuss the books, the tv adaptation, and how the two can coexist so peacefully in such a hard world.

Page to Screen
What books-to-screen have worked, and which could have worked better? Does a great book make for a great TV show or movie?

The Language of Fear
Good horror is all about atmosphere. Panelists discuss how to set the scene for a good scare without going too far.

Promotion for Self-Pubbers
How to cost-effectively promote your books on-line and in person without the support of a publisher behind you.

Podcasting 101
Technology has lowered the bar…you should be podcasting! Our panelists will tell you how and why.

Historical Writing
Whether it’s immersive content or just a hint of flavor for the period, historical writing can challenge your skills with setting and the portrayal of historical events for a contemporary audience.

The Psychology of Speculative Fiction
Why do people write (and read) it? Using examples – and writers – to help explain the effects of being creative in this field. I’ve never had a boring session moderating this panel!

Why Young Adult Works for All Ages
From The Hunger Games and Harry Potter to Goosebumps, writers discuss the universal appeal of writing for the YA audience – and why it’s never just for teens.

Again, this is just a tiny smattering of topics to be covered. See the entire list here.

Specific times and dates and my schedule to be announced.

 

Young authors event

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I had a great time helping inspire aspiring writers and illustrators on April 9 as part of an expert panel at the Young Authors & Illustrators Forum at the Bartholomew County Public Library in Columbus, Indiana.

The event was sponsored by the library and Pen It! Publications. The panel also consisted of Debi Stanton, president of Pen It! Publications; Korey Woods, an accomplished illustrator; Cheryl Jenkins, an author and writer who spoke on good editing; and Jeri Maynard, a young adult author.

We spoke on a great number of topics, such as getting better at writing and illustrating, who might want to publish your work, what kinds of places hire writers and graphic artists, and much more.

The event was free. I hope to be a part of another one of these before too long.

 

Learn about ‘Bold Women in Indiana History’

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Vivian Carter
Vivian Carter
Margaret Ringenberg
Margaret Ringenberg
Madam CJ Walker
Madam CJ Walker
Louise Hillery
Louise Hillery

Did you know that a record company based in Gary, Indiana, was the first U.S. distributor of Beatles records? That same label also had such legendary artists as the Four Seasons, Jimmy Reed and John Lee Hooker. That company, Vee-Jay Records was owned by the husband/wife team of Vivian Carter and James C. Bracken.

 
I have the honor of reading a portion of Vivian Carter’s story at a book release party for Louise Hillery‘s “Bold Women in Indiana History” on Sunday, April 3 at Hotel Indigo in Columbus, Indiana. The event starts at 7 p.m. Local authors will read a little about some of the women Hillery profiles in the book. Hillery’s book will be available for purchase, as will books by other authors in attendance (yes, I will have my book there).
 
Hillery’s book is part of a series by Mountain Press. This will be the fifth such book, with offerings also in Texas, Michigan, Colorado and Alaska. Among the women featured in the book are important women from the Miami tribe; Mother Theodora Guerin, frontier educator and Catholic saint; Lillian T. Fox, the first African-American to be employed at a mainstream Indiana newspaper; Madam C.J. Walker, the foremost black businesswoman of the early 20th century; Margaret Ringenberg, a pilot who flew in the U.S. Army’s secret WASP program during World War II; and he woman I’m going to speak on, Vivian Carter, a radio deejay who ended up starting her own record company.
 
Stop by. Have a beverage. Learn something about Indiana’s bold women. Support your local authors.

Photos from the White River library program

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Thanks to everyone who came out to my program on Feb. 3 at the White River branch of the Johnson County Public Library. Here are a few photos to prove it really happened.

Big sign
Don Meyer
Introduction
LJC guys
Paul Kimberly
Paul talks
The projector

Come to my White River Twp. (Center Grove) library program

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I’m looking forward to giving a presentation based on my book, “Murder in Wauwatosa: The Mysterious Death of Buddy Schumacher,” at the White River branch of the Johnson County Public Library on Wednesday, February 3, 2016.

The program is titled “Cold Case Files: Murder in Wauwatosa with Paul Hoffman”

Here are the details:

Location: WRB-Community Room (Whole room) at 1664 Library Blvd., Greenwood, IN 46142. See map to right. Click here to see a map of all Johnson County Public Library locations.white-river-map

Library phone: (317) 885-1330

Event Type: Adult Program
Age Group(s): Adult-Teen
Date: 2/3/2016
Start Time: 6:30 PM
End Time: 8:00 PM (or a little earlier depending on how everyone behaves)

Description: Want to solve a crime? Join Daily Journal Special Publications Editor, Paul Hoffman, as he discusses his book, “Murder in Wauwatosa.” In 1925, 8-year-old Buddy Schumacher was found murdered in the small town of Wauwatosa, Wisconsin. The case was never solved, and the investigation had many inconsistencies.

Registration Ends: 2/3/2016 at 6:00 PM

Books will be available for purchase afterward (just $10 each, which saves you plenty over the retail price of $19.99 and the cost of getting me to mail you an autographed copy, which is $15)

If you’d like to register, click here.

Autographed copies of ‘Murder in Wauwatosa’ on sale!

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Who doesn’t love saving money at this time of year?

From now through the end of 2015, you can get an autographed copy of “Murder in Wauwatosa: The Mysterious Death of Buddy Schumacher” at the ridiculously low price of $15 (shipping and tax included). List retail price is $19.99.

Send a check for $15 per book to: Paul Hoffman, P.O. Box 2611, Columbus, IN 47201

Or send money via PayPal to phof63@sbcglobal.net.

This makes an excellent gift for readers; fans of history, true crime, Prohibition and social justice; Wisconsinites or former Wisconsinites; as well as left-wing, right-wing and middle-of-the-road enthusiasts and people who just want to see me be able to afford to continue writing.

Hurry! Order before I run out of copies in my basement.

705BuddyPostcard

Arson delayed opening of new Wauwatosa West building

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TosaConnection mastheadThe second installment of my Tosa Connection column focusing on some aspect of my hometown’s past has been published.

I chose to write about the 1969 arson that delayed the opening of the new (and current) Wauwatosa West building for a year. See the story in its entirety here.

The magazine, which was originally  planned to publish three times a year, has seen such a tremendous reception that the production schedule has already been increased to five times a year. And the second edition has a bunch more pages than the initial issue.

If you live or work in Wauwatosa, or really close by, chances are really good the magazine has been mailed to you free of charge. Make sure to patronize the advertisers, who make the product possible, and let them know you saw their ad in Tosa Connection.

If you don’t live in those areas, or missed the magazine in your mail, check out the website here.

Look for issues each odd-numbered month except July. That would be January, March, May, September and November.

If you have any ideas on topics I can write about for future issues, just email me at phof63@sbcglobal.net.