A New Week Begins

 

Good morning, everyone! Well, winter has unofficially arrived here on the Gulf Coast last week. Just a note to my northern friends - yes, it does get chilly down here. No, we don't get snow, although we have been known to have a surprise dusting every now and then, and it's rare for temperatures to go below zero, but we can expect temps to regularly hit the upper 20s with lower windchills. That's what happened here last week. I guess the New Jersey in me is finally starting to fade away after 43 years here in L.A. (lower Alabama.) I used to be able to tinker around the yard in weather like that in short sleeves and shorts. Not anymore! Give me a blanket and a cup of green tea any day. Ah, age.

So, what's new in my little writing world? The big news is that this Saturday, I will be joining some amazing local and regional authors for a big holiday book sale and signing at the Mobile (Alabama) Public Library West Regional Branch from 10am to 1pm. If you're in the area, I hope you can make it out and find your next great read.

Every year I do a holiday giveaway and this year is no exception. If you visit my "Giveaway" page on my website, you will find several downloads I hope you will enjoy including short stories, a sample of the audio book version of "Space Oddities" read by the amazing vocal talents of Tim H. Dixon, a preview of my new book due out in April, "The Pig War and the Pelican Girls," and a preview of my cozy mystery, "Dead Air," which I have made available as a PDF or an eBook you can read on Kindle or Nook readers. If you have any issues downloading a file, drop me a line at joecuhajauthor@gmail.com and I'll get it to you.

And keeping with the holiday spirit, here is one of my favorite short stories from my "Joe Cuhaj's Shorts" collection. When I was in radio, sometimes I would tell these humorous stories about growing up in the 60s when I was doing an overnight show. Years later, I would write them down for the collection and then a few years later, I recorded them for a podcast reading them just like I did on the radio so many years ago. So enjoy this story, "A Wish Book Christmas."

That's all for now. I hope to see you Saturday in West Mobile for the book signing, and don't forget you can follow me on Facebook and now on Bluesky. Until next time, have a great week.

The Busiest Time of the Year

 

Hi, again everyone. Hope you survived Thanksgiving, the scuffle of Black Friday shopping, and are now enjoying gallons of turkey soup, turkey sandwiches, and turkey casserole. 

This is always the busiest time of year for me when it comes to writing. I have a lot of irons in the fire Nothing unusual there. First and foremost, I had an email from one of my publishers saying that I needed to have more exposure on social media. I resisted Twitter and X for the longest time but now I've found a home on BlueSky. If you're on the platform, I hope you will follow me - @joecuhajauthor.bsky.social.

Oh, and I have a book signing coming up. Myself and authors from around the area will be selling and signing copies of our books at the Mobile Public Library's Holiday Market December 14th from 10am to 1pm at the library's West Regional Branch on Grelot Road in Mobile. Mark it on your calendar, come on out, and find your next favorite read.

The P.R. work for my new book, The Pig War and the Pelican Girls, has officially begun. Today, I begin writing the scripts for the 10-part companion podcast. It's one of my favorite parts of writing non-fiction history as it brings me back to my radio roots, although this is scripted and not off-the-cuff (and insane) like my old radio shows. We're shooting for a February 24th debut with the book set for release April 22nd.

No updates yet on my new cozy mystery, "Dead Air." It's circulating around several publishers and agents but it's a process that could take months before I get a response. One of the inspirations for the mystery is the film series, "The Thin Man." The book is set in a Gulf Coast port city (any resemblance to actually cities is purely coincidental :) ) but it is not a 40s noir mystery like a Raymond Chandler. It's a typical cozy - set in a quaint town with unique characters and a budding romance. What I was shooting for in the romance between our two sleuths is the unique humor we see between the characters of Nick and Nora Charles in the "Thin Man" movies. Good natured, snarky, a bit sarcastic at times, but always with love. I'll keep you posted on whether or not the book finds a home. Fingers crossed

And that's it from the old writing room this week. Have a great week, everybody! More soon.

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Thankful

 

Before everyone goes over the river and through the woods tomorrow, I wanted to wish all of you a Happy Thanksgiving and say thank you for supporting my writing and books over the past 20 years.

And while we're on the subject of Thanksgiving, and since I'm preparing for the release of my new Prometheus book, "The Pig War and the Pelican Girls: 21 Extraordinary Tales of American History," there is one story that didn't make it into the book - the story of Franksgiving.

Ever hear of "Franksgiving"? In 1939 and 1940, President Roosevelt believed that moving Thanksgiving from the traditional fourth Saturday of November to the third would boost the economy, giving Christmas shoppers an extra week to buy their gifts. The move caused much confusion and protest, especially with college football teams that had to reschedule their normal end-of-season games. The name "Franksgiving" was coined by Atlantic City, NJ mayor Charles D. White, a riff on "Frankenstein." In 1941, Congress passed a resolution that was signed by Roosevelt officially making the fourth Thursday of November Thanksgiving. The move by FDR was immortalized with a short cartoon in the Bing Crosby holiday movie, "Holiday Inn."

You can read more about "Franksgiving" HERE. And here's the clip from Holiday Inn. Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

Book Signing Alert

 

This just in - I'll be signing books during the Chapter Crafters Holiday Market at the Mobile Public Library West Regional Branch from 10am to 1pm along with a passel of other great local and regional authors. It will be a great time to pick up that last minute Christmas gift for the reader in your life, or yourself.

Going to Press

 

I just received the final cover design for my new book, "The Pig War and Pelican Girls" and I couldn't be more pleased with it. I think the bright colors and graphics will make it stand out on book shelves. And with that, that's a wrap. The book heads to printing. Pre-sale orders ship in February, the book hits bookstores in April.

Weddings in World War II

 

Good Monday morning, FB friends. It was a gloomy, rainy Sunday yesterday and looks like the rain is carrying over into Monday, perfect writing weather (I don't feel so bad about not doing any chores around the house). Made some great progress on my new History Press book, "Notable Women of Alabama," and while I wait for replies to my proposals for my mystery, "Dead Air," I started work on the sequel.

As I mentioned, Dead Air is set in a Gulf Coast radio station in the 1940s. Our sleuths are a couple of the station employees who attempt to solve a tricky murder at the station. I completed my beat board for the sequel (went through many sticky notes until I got it just right), wrote up biographies for new characters that will join our sleuths, and learned a lot about weddings in the 1940s.

One thing that puzzled me is what did they do for a wedding cake in 1943 since sugar was being rationed. Well, I found out there were many recipes that used little or no sugar. I've posted two below. Red Velvet cake was one of the most popular of the day. To get the red color, they used crushed beets. Wonder what that tastes like?

   

Also, fabric was being rationed. Many women simply wore their normal everyday attire. Some were lucky enough to obtain used and discarded parachutes to stitch together their own unique dress.

Guess I need to come back to the present now and continue writing. Until next time...

A Weekend with Old Friends

 

When you're on a roll, you keep on rolling. I asked a few fellow authors to preview my cozy mystery, "Dead Air," before sending it out to publishers and agents. After reading it, their first words were, "will there be a sequel?" Oh yes, there will be. As a matter of fact, most publishers ask for a series in this genre, a tidbit I wasn't aware of. But, I was already thinking of a sequel and I spent the weekend outlining how radio station WRCB and our sleuths, Judy Campbell and Art Foley, get mixed up in another murder investigation.

I have a long way to go with it but I couldn't stand it and dove back into the world of 1943 Crystal Bay to revisit my friends Judy and Art. I became so involved I had this urge to keep writing so I ditched the outline for a bit and ended up spending the weekend immersed in writing a full first chapter setting up the next book.

I feel very comfortable writing in this genre now especially since the first manuscript is receiving good reviews. Hopefully from publishers and / or agents who are looking at it right now.

New Video Release

 

Happy Friday, everyone! Just a quick note here to announce that I have just finished producing the first book trailer for my upcoming book, The Pig War & The Pelican Girls. Hope you enjoy it.

Don't forget, while the book will not be released until April, you can pre-order copies by visiting Bookshop.org. A portion of the proceeds helps support independent booksellers worldwide.

The Party's Over

 

Turn out the lights, the party's over. Historic Oakleigh House Museum Literary Lawn Party was a great success! It was a pleasure meeting everyone who came out and catching up with some old friends. Thank you to the staff and volunteers who made it happen. The good / bad news is that I was so busy meeting and greeting that I didn't have time to take any pics. These are courtesy of the Oakleigh House Museum. I do have to mention the Mobile Belles who were in attendance. This group of young ladies are ambassadors to the museum who greet visitors. I was so impressed with their knowledge of Mobile history and their goals in life to become historians, political science majors in college, and more. Hats off to you!

And by the way, I have added an extra freebie to my website's giveaway page. Click here to to visit the Giveaway Page or click the individual links below for your freebies:

* The Pig War & Pelican Girls Preview Chapters

* Dead Air Cozy Mystery Preview

* My Favorite Shorts (as in short stories )

* JUST ADDED: Space Oddities Audio Book Sampler read by Tim H. Dixon

Join Us, Won't You?

 

What are you doing tomorrow? I know where I'll be - the Oakleigh Literary Lawn Party from 11am to 4pm with over 30 amazing authors from around the region. Come on out and join us! I'll have copies of my books Everyone's Gone to the Moon, Hidden History of Mobile, and a History Lover's Guide to Mobile and the Alabama Gulf Coast. Visit the Historic Oakleigh House Museum Facebook page for more details.

A New Week

 

Good morning, everyone. Well, it’s a fresh new week and I’m ready to tackle all of my writing goals I set for myself for the week. 

First and foremost, we are just days away from the big Oakleigh Literary Lawn Party this Saturday (10/12) from 11am to 4pm. There will be discussions on writing, a chance to meet some of your favorite local and regional authors who will have copies of their books available, and maybe find your next favorite read. I will be there and I hope to see you there! It all takes place at Historic Oakleigh Mansion in Mobile. Visit their Facebook page for more information and a list of authors who will join us.

   

Besides the big Literary Lawn Party this Saturday, it’s time for me to start thinking about finding a publisher or agent for my new cozy mystery, “Dead Air.” Putting the proposal together might be a little challenging for me this time. It's just a wee bit different from my other 19 outdoor recreation and non-fiction history books. I love the way the manuscript came out and so far I’m getting good feedback from authors and general readers who have read it. Now to bring that excitement and enthusiasm to publishers.

The reason I finished writing “Dead Air” in the first place since I began writing it 20 years ago (then stopped and started ever since) was because of the feedback I received at last year’s Mobile Literary Festival in Mobile, AL. The short pitch I sent in was well received by the audience and the guest agent / judge. So, that told me I had something. If any of my author friends out there know of any publishers looking for the best cozy mystery ever written. Okay, those are my words.

I’m also producing the first book trailer for the new book, “The Pig War & Pelican Girls.” I love combining my old radio career with my writing to produce these as well as the companion podcasts. The book will not be available until April, but planning and PR work starts now.

We’ll see how the week goes. Right now, I’m on top of the world and excited about the future for my little writing career. The week is young. I’ll let you know how that goes by Friday.

Have a great Monday, everyone!

 

Odds 'n Ends

Good morning, friends. I have a busy, busy week ahead. Tomorrow will be an exciting but scary day for me. I hate asking fellow authors to critique my writing. First of all, it scares me to hear their reaction (I think that's a writer's natural response), but seriously, I hate to impose. They have enough to do without me asking a favor.

I did ask a few to read and critique my first ever cozy mystery, "Dead Air," and so far the feedback has been positive. They've provided invaluable insight that I have incorporated into the manuscript. Tomorrow, I'm meeting with two of my favorite authors and friends, Joe Formichella and Suzanne Hudson, to discuss the book and where it falls short. Joe and Suzanne are award winning authors who have really offered some great advice over the years in my publishing journey. This is one meeting I'm looking forward to.

I guess my latest Prometheus Book, "Everyone's Gone to the Moon: July 1969, Life on Earth, and the Epic Voyage of Apollo 11" is getting recognition. Three times this week I've had people stop me and say, "You're the moon book fellow, aren't you?" :) That's easier than trying to pronounce my last name. I'll take it.

And finally, six months out from the release of my new book, "The Pig War and Pelican Girls:Extraordinary Stories from American History," and it's time to get serious about promotion. I used to love doing PR work for my books, but with all of the social media that has to be dealt with, it's rather daunting. Or is it my age telling me that? "I remember when I was a young whipper snapper, we'd hang up posters on telephone poles to get the word out." LOL! Ok, I'm not THAT old, but still... So, it will be a fun day of putting together contact lists, book signing options, etc. Oh, and my favorite - I'm starting production on the 10 part companion podcast. Now THAT is fun.

Anyway, that's what's new here. More to come.

You Never Know What You'll Find

 

Late last night I was snooping around YouTube and found a few book reviews for a couple of my books and was surprised to find this video created by Charles Harvell. He and his wife used my "Hiking Waterfalls Alabama" guide to visit one of my favorites in north Alabama, Bethel Springs. Nice video and so glad Charles and Gabby enjoyed the hike and found the guide useful. Copies are available at your favorite local book store or online.

Another Piece of Forgotten History

 

I recently completed my cozy mystery set in a 1943 radio station, “Dead Air.” In the book, the station’s main actress, a seductive temptress named Samantha Starr, is murdered. I relied heavily of research dealing with life on the home front during World War II and the fashion of the day but there was a fact that I did not know that friend, author, poet, songwriter Mike Turner sent to me – how red lipstick became a symbol of patriotism during the war.

Red lipstick was considered blasphemy when the United States was born. Preachers of the 1700s called the makeup frivolous and it made American women look Oriental.

The first use of red lipstick to make a protest statement came in the early 1900s when cosmetic manufacturer Elizabeth Arden, who was a staunch supporter of the suffragette movement, handed out tubes of her red lipstick to marchers and protestors who were demanding the right to vote. The lipstick would show solidarity between the marchers.

In the mid-1930s, the Axis powers came into power in Europe. Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini each proclaimed that they hated women using red lipstick and virtually banned its use. At the same time, Arden and her competitor, Helena Rubenstein, were brought in by the U.S. Army and Marines to create makeup for the Marine Corps Women’s Reserve and the Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps. The main makeup item in the kit was bright red lipstick that was designed not only as a compliment to the women’s uniforms, but also as a slap in the face to the Axis leaders. The designers said the lipstick was to “fight fascism in style.”

Suddenly, World War II propaganda posters began springing up across the country featuring women like Rosie the Riveter wearing red lipstick. Red shades with patriotic names such as Victory Red, Tussy’s Fighting Red, and Regimental Red appeared in stores and the women of America loved it. In fact, the government would not allow rationing of the ingredients to make the cosmetic because women needed to “maintain their femininity while working in factories and on the front lines of the war effort.”

An interesting and forgotten fact from American history. Thanks for sharing, Mike Turner!

The Story of the Pupniks

 

One of the toughest chapters to write, and read, in my book, “Space Oddities”, tells the story of using animals to study spaceflight technologies. There was a few happy stories as well including the story of Pushinka, the Russian space dog. Adding to the story is this clipping from the New York Times from this date in 1963.

As the story goes, in early 1963, President Kennedy and Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev were having a heated discussion on some issue. To ease the tension, First Lady Jacqueline walks into the room and starts talking to the Premier. She asks how the Russian space dog Strelka was doing after her flight. Khruschev told her she’s doing fine and recently had a liter of puppies. Jackie got excited and asked that he send the Kennedy’s one of the puppies. A few weeks later, a fluffy white dog named Pushinka (literally translated means “fluffy”) arrives at the White House.

The Kennedy kids loved the dog, even teaching it how to climb up the ladder of a slide and slide down.

Well, Pushinka had a one-night-stand with the Kennedy’s other dog, Charley, and had a liter of puppies herself. The press called them “Pupniks” and on this day 61 years ago, the White House mail room and switchboard was inundated with phone calls. People wanted to adopt one of the space pups.

Apollo 11 Specials

This Saturday, July 20th, is the 55th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing. In commemoration, a brand new episode of the companion podcast to my book, Everyone’s Gone to the Moon: July 1969, Life on Earth, and the Epic Voyage of Apollo 11, has just posted! The bonus episode takes a look at some of the television coverage of that historic event on July 20, 1969.

You can listen to the episode on my website by following this link or clicking the image below.

In addition, I'm giving away two personalized copies of the book. To enter, simply visit this link to the contest entry page or click the image below. Winners will be announced and notified Friday, July 19th.

And if that wasn't enough, you can purchase an autographed copy of the book during my anniversary sale for 55% off the cover price! Visit my online bookstore by clicking this link or the image below.

Apollo 11 Anniversary

 

Sunday July 20th is the 55th anniversary of Apollo 11 landing on the moon and in honor of the event, I will be releasing a bonus episode of the Everyone's Gone to the Moon podcast. The podcast is a companion series to my book of the same name that tells little known stories of the flight of Apollo 11, but also the forgotten stories and pop-culture events of that historic month, July 1969.

Besides the podcast, I will be giving away two autographed copies Everyone's Gone to the Moon: July 1969, Life on Earth, and the Epic Voyage of Apollo 11. Plus you can purchase copies of the book at 50%.

Details coming next week!

Oakleigh Literary Lawn Party

 

According to Walmart and Hobby Lobby, we have skipped summer and are already into fall so it's not too early to mark your calendar for a big literary event coming this fall: Oakleigh Mansion's Literary Lawn Party, Saturday October 12th from 11 to 4pm. 40 local and regional authors will be there signing and discussing there books and I will be one of them!

More details to come but for now, here is a writeup on the event that appeared in Well Read Magazine.

Just Ask

 

Today, I'm working on my murder mystery, "Dead Air." Like everything in life, sometimes you need a hand. I mentioned that I recently began re-writing this mystery for the umpteenth time since I finished the first rough draft in 2012.

The story is set in a 1943 radio station, but the one thing that has bothered me all of these years has been the actual method of the murder. It just didn't seem right, plausible, contrived. I have to thank a dear Navy friend for finally getting me over that hump. Sometimes, all you have to do is ask and suddenly, poof! The writing is flowing this morning and I am quite happy with the new angle this is taking. Of course, the method of the murder makes me wonder about how she knows this stuff. Hmm. :)

It's a Mystery to Me

 

Today I've been working on revisiting the characters for my mystery, "Dead Air." I'm fleshing them out, regaining their personalities since the first attempt at writing this probably 15 years ago...or more. It takes place in a small radio station in a Southern port city (guess which one, LOL!) during World War II. The characters are based on people I have known through the years in radio. I completed a rough draft that was sent to a publisher all of those years ago and the first and second chapters made them want more. Then disaster struck and the file and backups were corrupted. Those two chapters survived. This is the beginning of the second chapter (full disclosure - it needs lots of work) but I think you will understand why the character of Samantha Starr was such a hit with the publisher. Hm, I wonder who is going to be murdered? It begins in the station's studio "B"...

# # #

    "Well, Martha,” Trent Goodlow said, “it looks like we’re about to end this charade once and for all.”

    The crash of thunder accentuated Goodlow’s point, momentarily stifling the sound of a torrential downpour in the background.

    “You’ll never get away with this, Trent!” Martha shouted with fear in her voice. “The police are on to you.”

    “Nonsense,” Goodlow said calmly. “Only you and I know we’re here, my dear. Only you and I.”

    Just then, a muffled sound could be heard, unrecognizable at first, then undeniable. It was the sound of footsteps jogging up a rickety staircase. The sound stopped only to be replaced by the sound of a fist pounding on a door.

    “Alright, Goodlow,” a voice drenched in Irish brogue shouted. “This is the police!”

    “But, but how?” Goodlow stammered.

    “You underestimated me, my dear,” Martha said, her voice now calm, reserved, confident. “My real name is Brenda. Brenda Daring. I’m a private eye!”

    “You tricked me!”

    “Yes, just like you tricked those helpless punks on the street who trusted you, who thought of you as their mentor. Then you pulled the rug out from under them and perverted their world, sending them off to either jail or the morgue, you scum. You’re nothing but a two-bit thug, and not a good one at that.”

    The sound of a door bursting off of its hinges broke the momentary silence.

    “Boys,” Brenda said, “take him away.”

    The dramatic sound of an organ sliced the air loudly then faded into the background as a man    with a deep but precise voice began to speak clearly, enunciating every word, every syllable precisely.

    “Be sure to join us again next week for another exciting adventure with Brenda Daring: Private Eye, brought to you by Hoffman’s Fertilizer. Remember, for your Victory garden or cotton farm, use Hoffman’s Fertilizer.”

    The organ stopped and faded to memory. The room went silent until the light bulb that cast an eerie red glow over the only door into Studio B and proudly beamed the words, “On Air”, snapped off.

    “That’s a wrap, boys and girls,” Brad Peterson announced, slapping his hands together then happily rubbing them together briskly. “Thank you, all. Great job tonight. Don’t forget, rehearsals have been moved to nine tomorrow morning. Be prompt.”

    The woman who voiced the character of Brenda Daring, actress Samantha Starr, slung the papers that were her script at an empty desk, the pages skittering off and fluttering to the floor.

    “Be prompt,” she said bitterly. “If Mr. Bandera would care to quit drinking long enough tonight maybe we could make it on time for once.”

    Samantha sashayed across the room heading toward the studio door. She was good looking and she knew it. Each day she would arrive at radio station W.M.A.L. dressed in elegant silk dresses with provocative plunging necklines and even lower cut backs. What material there was didn’t leave much to the imagination, something unheard of in 1943 Mobile, Alabama. The dress clung to every part of her body, outlining her curvy frame. Her black high heels accentuated her already voluptuous figure.

She had elegance that was hard to describe as she walked, throwing her head back just enough to flick her hair seductively over one shoulder, lifting her left hand delicately and holding it mid-air above her waist, the other hand lightly placed on her hip. It was just the way a movie star would do it. But that was Samantha. She was the consummate performer who believed that Hollywood would be calling her at any moment. So far the call had not arrived.

This was a daily ritual for Samantha and one that the men of W.M.A.L. anticipated. Every day she would purposefully do this sensual strut, making sure to walk brisk enough that the slit in her dress would breeze back giving them a good look at her long legs. Out of the corner of her hazel eyes, she would glance over to make sure that the eyes of every man in the room followed her out.

Her husband, Ralph Bandera, who played the role of every villain Brenda Daring would put in jail, watched his wife slink out the door, turning with a flourish as she walked through the transom and into the hallway. Her long, flowing blonde hair whipped around her shoulders, the light from the hallway backlighting her dress so that the faintest outline of her soft body could be seen. You could hear the men gasp in unison ever so slightly.

    Ralph could only roll his eyes and shake his head to show his disbelief and disgust. Taming Samantha was a lost cause.

Time for a Podcast

 

Ok, time to get back to work with the writing. A bunch of proposals are floating around on acquisition desks, waiting on edits for the new book, The Pig War and Pelican Girls, so now is a good time to get the PR work started for that book. Much like Space Oddities and Everyone’s Gone to the Moon, Pig War is a collection of little known and forgotten tales but this time, from American history. Forty two stories in all. 

The image below (courtesy of the National Archives) is from one of the stories. Turns out that in 1940, a 12 year old Fidel Castro had his first communication with a U.S. president - F.D.R. He asked the president to send him $10. You can't make this stuff up. 

The book will be out in the spring of 2025 but I need to start working on the companion podcast that will have – as of right now – 10 episodes with additional forgotten and obscure tales from America’s past. The podcast is scheduled to debut around Christmas time this year. This one could be a heavy lift producing it. Time to don the headphones and hope the old radio voice holds out.