Cover Story

 

The writing has become a bit overwhelming of late. I have three new books in flight - "A History Lover's Guide to Mobile and the Alabama Gulf Coast", Best Easy Day Hikes Birmingham, and "Everyone's Gone to the Moon". I thought I had everything lined up to work on one, then the next, then the last one that has a due date of - YIKES! - December 1.

Well, you know about the best laid plans. I finally start getting deep into completing the "Everyone's Gone.." book when what shows up? The edits for the other two and they are due in a week. 

Maybe I need "Indeed", LOL! Anyway, it's all good. I'll know when I've bitten off too much when in the new book about life on Earth in July 1969 and the flight of Apollo 11 I write a chapter that begins with the miles and directions for a hike in Birmingham. "When Armstrong first set foot on Peavine Falls at Oak Mountain State Park..." 

But seriously, another exciting day yesterday. I love it when a new cover design arrives. Yesterday it was for the new travel guide to historic sites in Mobile, Alabama, "A History Lover's Guide to Mobile." Rough draft by the editor but I like where it's heading.

Have a great day, all!

A Haunting We Will Go

 

Arguably the most haunted town in America and as a result, ghost hunting is a big business in Gettysburg, PA. There are many great ghost walks and paranormal investigations you can join in on, my latest article on TravelAwaits.

Event: Book Signing Saturday October 1st

 I'm excited to announce my first book signing for my book Space Oddities. If you are in the area, I hope you will join me. See you there!

The Grand Finale

 

We’ve finally reached the end, the last episode of the Space Oddities Podcast series. It's titled Odds 'n Ends. 

On this episode, we’ll take a look at a few more space related marketing ideas, a couple that you may remember from when you were a kid. I’ll also tell you my favorite out-of-this-world space marketing story culled from the pages of my new book, Space Oddities: Forgotten Stories of Mankind’s Exploration of Space.  

By the way, the book is now available at your favorite online and your favorite hometown bookstore. The audio book read by Tim Dixon is available online on Google Play and Audible. 

Space Oddities Podcast Episode 9 Has Dropped!

 

We all know that the first American woman in space was Sally Ride who flew aboard the space shuttle Challenger in 1983, but in the hearts and imaginations of millions of young girls around the world in 1965, the title belonged to another woman, well, she was only a doll, but Astronaut Barbie made girls believe that one day, they could actually fly into space themselves. 

That same year, the Hasbro toy company introduced their own astronaut – Astronaut GI Joe. 

This episode will discuss the history of both Barbie and GI Joe in space and how Barbie is now a model for inspiring girls to literally reach to the stars through STEM programs which stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math.

It will also discuss how Astronaut GI Joe helped convince Werhner von Braun and NASA to develop the lunar rover that would be used on the Apollo moon missions.

You can download the episode from Buzzsprout, Sticher, Audible, and wherever you download your favorite podcasts.

A Request

 

I'm moving ahead with my second non-fiction historical book on the space program and I'm looking to personalize some of the stories contained within. If you or someone you know have a compelling life story or memory of July 1969, or maybe you know someone who worked with NASA during the flight of Apollo 11 (crawler driver, engineer working the launch tower or Vertical Assembly Building, making spacesuits, etc.), I'd love to hear from you. Please drop me a note through Messenger or via my website's contact page. 

Thanks!!!

A Little Conspiracy

 

We are up to Episode 8 of 10 in the Space Oddities Podcast series. Today's episode is titled, "History is More the Product of Chaos Than Conspiracy" and begins with a story culled from my new book, “Space Oddities: Forgotten Stories Of Mankind’s Exploration Of Space”. It’s a story about how the Soviet Union actually thought that if they were the first to land humans on the moon, the world wouldn’t be able to see it and the announcement may be deemed a hoax.

Sound familiar, right? Their answer was to nuke the moon. We also shed light on the United State's plan to also nuke the moon.

You can download the episode from Buzzsprout at the link below or from many of your favorite podcast sites: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Amazon Music, Stitcher, iHeartRadio, Audible, Pandora, TuneIn+Alexa, Podcast Addict, you get the idea.

https://spaceoddities.buzzsprout.com/1966798/11053575

Space Oddities Podcast Episode 7 Posts

 

In episode three of our Space Oddities Podcast series, we learned that the dream of sending civilians into space was nothing new. In the early 1960s, just a few years before we had actually landed men on the moon, the U.S. based Pan American Airlines began “taking names” and was compiling a list of passengers to be among the first civilians to go to the moon. It was called the First Moon Flight Club. Of course, it was an advertising gimmick but it worked and over 90,000 people signed up.

Before the Pan Am First Flight Club took off, and a few years before that first lunar landing, another business mogul, Baron Hilton, was taking that same concept and expanding on it, but unlike Pan Am, he was serious. The Hilton Hotel chain wanted to build a hotel on the moon.

Listen to "Episode 7: Stay Hilton, Go Everywhere...Literally" here or wherever you download your favorite podcasts. And be sure to take a look at the fascinating show notes included with the episode including clips from the TV series "Mad Men" about the Lunar Hilton.

The Space Oddities Countdown Begins

I would say that I am super excited about the upcoming release of my new book, Space Oddities:Forgotten Stories of Mankind’s Exploration of Space, but you all probably know that already since that’s all I’ve been talking about for weeks. 

The pre-release reviews have been great. It’s good to read that I hit the mark with my vision for the book. Some people did say that they already knew a few of the stories retold within the pages, that they weren’t “obscure” and “unknown”. 

I’ve mentioned this before but with only 40 days left until it hits bookstores, I felt it needed repeating. This book isn’t for diehard space geeks. It is for general readers who love a good tale and for those who love history and want to know the story behind the story. 

You will not find any technical discussions within its pages. It is simply a collection of fascinating stories from the early days of the space race that have either been long forgotten and pushed to the dustbin of history, have never been told before, or if they have been told, have a slightly different take on it. 

I was surprised to read but not really surprised since I get this ALL the time with all of my books, both the outdoor recreation and non-fiction history books, is: “why didn’t you include blah blah or blah blah? Shouldn’t that have been included?” 

Friends, there is only so much you can cover in a publisher limited word count. Trust me, there are many chapters sitting in a special folder on my laptop that needed to be told but didn’t make the cut, that’s why there is a companion podcast cleverly titled, “Space Oddities”, to bring those stories to life.

Even with the podcast, there are even more tales to tell, but I’ll leave those for another book.

But what I wanted to say is thank you to all who have pre-read the book. I take your reviews to heart and I am humbled by the glowing comments. It is so gratifying to read that my vision for Space Oddities has hit its mark. Thank you! 

The book is scheduled for release on August 15^th and will be available at your favorite local or online bookstore.

 

Space Oddities Episode 6 Has Dropped

Episode 6 of the Space Oddities Podcast is titled, “The Sue Me, Sue You Blues (With Apologies To George Harrison." The episode takes a look at several of the lawsuits filed against NASA and its astronauts. Most were trivial, some very serious including one in which the space agency actually sued one of their Apollo crew members. 

The title of the episode comes from a song written by former Beatle George Harrison during the band’s breakup and subsequent litany of lawsuits that followed. 

Click HERE to download / listen to the episode.

Space Oddities Podcast Episode #5

 

My favorite episode of my Space Oddities Podcast has dropped! It’s called, “Sputniks and Mutniks”. I am a music lover by nature and began thinking about the great – and not so great – songs that were written and performed during the early days of spaceflight, in particular from Sputnik to the American Gemini program. Turns out, there were many!

This episode will introduce you to a few of the artists and sample some of the songs they recorded that documented our early days in space.

Be sure to look through the show notes where there are links to 20 more songs of the space age you can listen to with some trivial tidbits about the songs so you can amaze your friends on trivia night.

Space Oddities Episode 4 Has Dropped

 

Good morning, everyone! Episode 4 of the Space Oddities Podcast has just dropped. This episode takes a look a the lunar modules of the Apollo missions to the moon. They were never designed to return home to Earth and were destroyed one way or the other in space. One, however, escaped its preordained date with death and is still flying today over 50 years later. This is the story of the little LEM that could, how astronomers found it deep in space decades later, and the question - can it be brought home?

As always, the episode has video and image show notes. Take a listen. I'd love to hear your comments.

Click HERE to hear the episode.

Presentation & Book Signing June 4th

 

This Saturday, June 4th, high atop Alabama's tallest mountain, Cheaha State Park will be celebrating mankind's best hiking partner and friend - our pups during Bark in the Park. It is a three day event with plenty of activities and presentations for you and your dog. I will be there on Saturday from 11am to 2pm selling and signing copies of my book, Best Dog Hikes Alabama and will do a presentation at noon on what you need to know about hiking with your dog and the best places to hike in the state with them.

The complete schedule can be found here. Hope to see you there!

Space Oddities Episode 3

 

In case you haven't you missed it, episode 3 of my Space Oddities podcast has posted. It's titled, "The First Moon Flights Club" and can be heard now on Buzzsprout or wherever you download your favorite podcasts.

Space Oddities Podcast Episode 3 Debuts May 23rd

 

The next episode of the Space Oddities Podcast, the companion to my new book of the same name, will drop next Monday, May 23.

Episode 3, The First Flights Club, travels back in time to the mid-1960s. Long before Jeff Bezos sent civilians into space aboard his privately funded rocket, New Shepard, another company was taking reservations for passengers to fly to the moon.

As always, there are some interesting show notes with additional video, audio, and images that will bring this fascinating story to life. 

Episode 3 premiers next Monday, May 23^rd.

Upcoming Events

 

I’m getting back to my hiking roots with a couple of book signings in June and I hope you can join me.

June 4: Bark In The Park – Cheaha State Park, Delta, AL

Author Joe Cuhaj will be at Cheaha State Park June 4  to discuss hiking with and without your dog: gear, safety on the trail, and the many beautiful hiking destinations across Alabama. Joe will be selling and autographing copies of his many Falcon guidebooks.

June 27: Madison Public Library, Huntsville, AL – 6pm

Meet Joe Cuhaj, author of Best Dog Hikes in Alabama. Learn where the best dog-friendly trails are and get advice before you head out with your best friend. After the presentation, Joe will be selling and autographing copies of his many falcon guidebooks.

You Can Never Learn Enough History

 

I've finally caught up with my pressing deadlines and I'm diving in to start writing two new non-fiction history books that I have contracted to write for History Press and Prometheus Books.

First up is a new historical look at Alabama's Gulf Coast, Mobile and Baldwin Counties. The book will be  titled, A History Lover's Guide To Mobile And Baldwin County (sums it up, doesn't it?) and will be an historical travel guide to the region. Each chapter will introduce readers to a particular aspect of Alabama Gulf Coast history then take them to places where they can experience that history and have it come alive. 

Maybe it's a museum, a cemetery, a church. The goal of the book is to bring the rich history of the area (the city was founded in 1702) to life for visitors and residents.

The second book is one I've been toying with for a couple of years now and was put aside so that I could work on Space Oddities. With the glowing reviews from readers who received pre-release copies, my publisher, Prometheus Books, asked if I had something else up my sleeve that would be in the same vein. I immediately sent them a proposal for, Everyone's Gone To The Moon, Life On Earth And The Epic Voyage Of Apollo 11.

The premise of Everyone's Gone To The Moon is to take a trip back in time to the month of July 1969. It will be a journey through the entire month telling little known and forgotten tales of our first moon landing, Apollo 11, from preparations to splashdown and a hero's welcome.  

But more than that, it will bring to life stories of life here on Earth during that time. Yes, on July 20, 1969, it seemed like everyone had truly gone to the moon. Just about everyone alive stopped and watched in wonder as Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin took those first tentative steps on another celestial body. But except for that brief, fleeting moment, the world continued on - wars waged on, protestors filled the streets, and families were just trying to make ends meet.

These long forgotten stories of the pop culture, the politics, weather disasters, and life in general in Hometown, USA took back seat to the historic space feat. This book weave those stories with that of the Apollo 11 mission, and from my research so far,

I think you will love the book and the snapshot of life here on Earth during a turbulent time.

My deadline for the Mobile history book is September and we're hoping for a holiday release. The deadline for Everyone Has Gone To The Moon is December 1st with a spring 2023 release. Oh, and it will be my first hard cover book. 

I'll keep you posted on the progress!

Space Oddities Podcast Episode 2 Has Posted

Episode 2 of my new book, Space Oddities: Forgotten Stories of Mankind's Exploration of Space, has dropped. 

This episode is titled, "What a Spectacle!" and tells the fascinating story of a commercial airliner, its passengers, and crew that had a truly remarkable view of Apollo 11 returning from the moon in July 1969. It was a view that no one else on Earth had and they were the first to confirm that Apollo 11 had made it home.

Listen to the episode and view additional video clips and images here.

Space Oddities Podcast Debut!

I'm proud to announce that episode one of Space Oddities: The Podcast has posted!

This ten part series is a companion to my new book, Space Oddities: Forgotten Stories of Mankind's Exploration of Space, that will be on book shelfs August 15th. The podcast features more lesser known and forgotten space tales that couldn't fit in the book.

Episode 1 is titled, "Moon Dust In Your Lungs, Stars In Your Eyes", and discusses NASA's plans to keep the Earth from being contaminated by lunar germs during the Apollo missions that unfortunately had a few flaws that will make you chuckle. We will also meet the first man to (accidentally) touch the moon and a young woman who got an unexpected shot of moon dust.

The title for this episode came while doing online research for the book. It was posted on one of those online quote sites and was credited to "anonymous." The full quote was, "Moon dust in your lungs, stars in your eyes. You are a child of the cosmos, a ruler of the skies."

The quote summarized the episode quite nicely.

You can download the episode HERE complete with show notes featuring images, videos, and more or from many of your favorite sites where you get your podcasts.

Space Oddities Podcast Debut

Recently I mentioned that things have become rather busy for me here at the old writing desk. Hiking Alabama 5th Edition is on bookshelves and doing well, thank you very much and I'm researching and writing three new books. But what is really exciting is that pre-publication publicity for my new book, Space Oddities: Forgotten Stories of Mankind's Exploration of Space, is beginning with a special series of podcasts.

The book tells some of the unknown, offbeat, and obscure stories of spaceflight, bringing the human side of man's greatest adventure to life. The stories are sometimes humorous, sometimes tragic, but always fascinating. The are the lesser known and often forgotten stories of spaceflight.

As it turns out, there were way too many stories to put in the book so I decided to create a companion 10-part podcast cleverly titled, Space Oddities. The podcast will tell even more of these tales complete with rare audio clips. Each episode will come alive show notes that include newspaper articles, audio and video clips, and photographs related to the story.

The book hits bookshelves August 15th, but in anticipation of its release, the podcast will debut April 25th with a new episode released every other Monday until the book hits your favorite online or local bookstore.

You will find the Space Oddities podcast wherever you download your favorite podcast or by visiting the links below. 

Mark your calendar for the premier April 25th. I hope you enjoy it!  

• Buzzsprout\SpaceOddities
• Space Oddities Podcast Page

Book Release and Podcast Update

Things continue to heat up here at the old writing desk with deadlines looming and release dates on the horizon.

I had quite the surprise the other day when my latest hiking guide, Hiking Alabama 5th Edition, showed up on my doorstep - three month early! 

The book looks great. The editors at Falcon out did themselves on this one. This edition has many new hikes, plenty of updates to old favorites, and as always, all of the details you need to hike 50+ of the best hikes in the state.

The book is available at your favorite online and hometown bookstore or you can pick up an autographed copy by clicking here.

Meanwhile, the release of the new book, Space Oddities: Forgotten Stories of Mankind's Exploration of Space, is getting closer. As I wait for the release date, I'm continuing work on the Space Oddities podcast. The podcast will premier on April 25th with an episode being released bi-weekly up to the book release on August 15th. I'll be posting the link to the podcast page soon.

The latest episode I am working on deals with the intersection of pop-culture (particularly the music) and the early days of the space program. Oh, there are some real gems out there. I do love this one in particular. It's a blues tune from 1957 by Roosevelt "Honeydripper" Sykes called "Satellite Baby".

Enjoy!

A Long Time Coming?

 

The date is now set in concrete: the official release date for Space Oddities: Forgotten Stories of Mankind’s Exploration of Space is August 15th (pre-order now).

In the meantime, I’m busy working with the Prometheus Books PR department to get the word out. (By the way, if you are in the media, let me know through Messenger or email and I can direct you to the publisher to get a review copy to you when they hit the warehouse and also schedule interviews, book signings, and online presentations).

Anyway, we have a lot of ideas for promoting the book including the release of my 10 part podcast with even more stories that couldn’t make the book. The publisher’s parent company, Rowman & Littlefield, publishes a literary magazine and asked me to be featured in an article. They told me that the book is highly anticipated in the UK (ROAD TRIP!!!...one can only hope).

They asked me a question that took me by surprise only because I never really thought about: "Is this a project you've been planning for a long time?"

I guess you could say it has been in the planning stages for many years. I just didn’t know it. I would read or hear many of the stories that appear in the book over the years and tuck them away in the back of my mind. It wasn’t until I had finished writing another book on the history of the town and area I currently live in – Mobile, Alabama – that I realized just how much I love history and writing about it, but not just everyday history. The offbeat and obscure history.

When writing "Hidden History of Mobile", I found myself gravitating to obscure stories found in the city’s early newspapers that have been long since forgotten. Tales about everyday life here in the Port City – the struggles the people who lived here faced, the humorous anecdotes that made the city what it is. It made the book go from being a stodgy old history book with “this happened on this date”, to a retelling those lost tales, the human side of the city’s history.

That got me thinking about those odd and obscure space stories I had heard about so many years ago and my love of the space program. I told a couple of the stories to some friends in casual conversation just to see what their reaction would be, and it was what I had hoped for: “There should be a book about that!”

And now there is.

Can’t wait until you all get a chance to read it!

A Suitable Sub-Title

 

I’ve been splitting my time between a ton of projects: Researching three new books (Best Easy Hikes Birmingham, A History Lover’s Guide to Mobile, and Everyone’s Gone to the Moon), working on weekly travel articles, and gearing up publicity for Hiking Alabama 5^th Edition and Space Oddities that come out in July and August respectively. 

For that last title, Space Oddities, a sub-title was easy to write. The book tells funny, obscure, and off-beat stories from our voyages into space hence the title, “Space Oddities-Forgotten Tales of Mankind’s Exploration of Space.” 

For the new book, “Everyone’s Gone to the Moon”, I was quite content with that title until I was contacted by my editor at Prometheus Books saying, “not so quick, sport. We need a sub-title.” 

The book will weave the story of Apollo 11 with what life was like here on Earth week by week from July 1^st to July 31^st, 1969, not as a day-by-day calendar but an intricate telling of the stories and how they relate. There are many fascinating, long since forgotten stories from not only the flight but life on Earth – the pop culture, news, etc. 

But this one stumped me. I had a really hard time coming up with a sub-title for this one. I loved: “The Moon Above, The Earth Below.” Trouble was, it was a copyrighted CBS news documentary title. I knew it sounded familiar. 

I asked a couple of my best friends what they thought. They came up with some great titles. One was a joke: Everyone’s Gone to the Moon…and All I Got Was This Lousy Shirt. 

Funny thing is, the publisher liked it, not as a title for the book but for when the book is published for publicity: “We’ll make t-shirts out of it!” 

Finally at the last minute I just threw some words down on the page and sent it in: 

Everyone’s Gone to the Moon - A Snapshot of Life on Earth and the Epic Voyage of Apollo 11

Bingo! We have a winner! So now that that is out of the way, the research begins in earnest.

More to come. Watch this space.