Chicago Curiosities

21 January 2011

I wanted to create a video trailer for Chicago Curiosities that would give people a sense of what it's about and why they might (or might not) want to read it. I hope I succeeded! (And I hope it makes everybody want to read it!)

13 January 2011

Be sure to check out my new series in the main blog, featuring photos you won't see in the book. I took many more pictures on my travels around Chicago than the book contains. I'm sharing those pics plus additional commentary you won't find in the book.

--------------------------------
24 September 2010

I am just now going through the page proofs for Chicago Curiosities (Globe Pequot Press / 2011). This is when a book starts to feel REAL. I'm seeing the pictures with the entries, and the page layouts just as they will appear in the final product.

It's "speak now or forever hold your peace" time for me, as the author. My last chance to catch errors or fix things that absolutely MUST be fixed. I have to refrain from recasting sentences and editing the manuscript unless it is absolutely necessary for some reason.

With this book, I'm feeling good about the writing for the most part, so that's a plus. I did come across two instances where the photo caption did not match the photo. The photo matched the entry topic, but I had given 2-3 options for pictures to the editor, and somewhere along the way, we crossed wires so that I sent the wrong pictures for the captions I provided in these two cases. (I suppose it's good that it's only two cases!)

Anyway, I do love this book and I hope other people will pick it up and enjoy it. It's sort of a guide book -- but not a typical guide book. Even the obvious, standard tourist sites are given a bit of a twist due to "curious" circumstances or conditions that surround them.

========================




My book Chicago Curiosities will be published by Globe Pequot Press in January 2011. The book is part of a series produced by Globe.

For Chicago Curiosities, I discovered around 100 "curiosities" in the Chicago area. Most are people, places, or things you can visit and see for yourself. Some of the entries are about people or incidents that occurred in the past.

The book is divided into "regions" of the city, and maps are provided indicating the location of each curiosity. Almost every entry has an accompanying photo that I took myself while in Chicago.The tone of the book is light and entertaining. It is intended to be fun, surprising, and intriguing.

Chicago Curiosities is now available for pre-order through Amazon, Borders.com, etc.