Hiking Alabama 4th Edition Hits the Shelves

This one took a lot longer than usual to hit the book shelves but I'm thrilled to announce that the fourth edition of "Hiking Alabama" has hit the book shelves! I can't say enough about the editors at Falcon Books for the job they did on this edition. It is truly beautiful.

The most notable change is that it's in color. The previous three editions (four if you count the original published by Beachway Press) were in black and white. How many times have I been asked why I didn't publish it in color. Uh, it wasn't up to me but the publisher. So my patented answer was, "here's a crayon. Get to work."

I'm just kidding but that's how it went for many years but now the true beauty of Alabama's landscapes can be seen.

The second big change is that it had been awhile since the trails had been re-walked for the book and many were closed or re-routed due to the storms of the past few years. This gave me a chance to not only revisit my favorites but add new ones. That's ALWAYS exciting.

So there it is - "Hiking Alabama 4th Edition". I hope it serves you well like the other editions. Happy Trails!

Who Knew?

Or actually "who would have ever thought"? Who would have ever thought that I would be sitting here looking at not one, not two, but five books with my name on them on bookstore shelves and online at places like Barnes and Noble and Amazon.Com? Yes, it was a lot of hard work but it is humbling that you have accepted these books and plunked your hard earned money down for them. For that I am forever thankful.

The latest book, an eBook titled "Living in a Banana Dream" has been literally YEARS in the making. I actually started writing it after I graduated high school during my time in the Navy. It is a collection of short stories about growing up told in what Jean Shepard called "the universal eye", they could be about you, or about me, all with the common thread of life's experiences when the toughest part of the day was making sure you had enough players for a pickup game of baseball or when you learned how to drive with the poster child for road rage - your Dad. Oh, and that first time you asked someone on a date, and on and on.

The stories are stand alone and a few have actually been published over the years in such magazines as "Reminisce" (for which I received not monetary compensation but a die-cast replica of a 1960 Chevy convertible. It was a bank but didn't come with any money.) For the book the stories are all linked together by a reunion of old friends as they relive the past.

For those of you who have read the book, it's kind of a mash up of two towns I lived in while growing up - Allendale and Mahwah, New Jersey. Great places to grow up where you could ride your bike to the sweet shop or flatten pennies on the railroad tracks.

This is kind of a culmination of dreams for me. My idol growing up was humorist Jean Shepherd. I would listen to him tell stories in the early morning darkness over a static filled AM radio, his voice booming out of a make shift studio on WOR radio. Oh, the stories he told. Most of you are familiar with the film "A Christmas Story". That was him. It was listening to Jean that made me want to get into the radio business and for many years I was fortunate enough to do so as an on-air personality, news reporter and anchor, even program director.

His books were masterpieces - "Wanda Hickey's Night of Golden Memories", "The Ferrari in the Bedroom", and of course, "In God We Trust, All Others Pay Cash". I wanted to write like him, chronicling everyday life with razor sharp precision. So with the release of "Living in a Banana Dream", my second dream has been fulfilled.

While both of my dreams have been fulfilled there's more to come as I work on the audio book of "Banana Dream"hopefully coming out in December.

Thanks everyone again! More to come....Joe

Heee's Baaack!!!

Hello again, everyone! Yes, I know, it's been a LOONNGG time since I posted to the old blog. I know, the publishers all say the same thing, "keep up with your blog to keep readers interested." Trouble is, writing gets in the way as in new books! Work is underway on a brand new book for Falcon Books, "Hiking the Gulf Coast" (the best hikes from Corpus Christi, Texas, to Tampa, Florida), and exciting news about "Hiking Alabama" and my short story collection, "Living in a Banana Dream". Stay tuned! I PROMISE I'll be here more often now.

A Little Down Time, a Lot of Writing Time

Last year at this time I was side lined with a heel bone spur surgery that took weeks to heal, not a good thing for a writing hiker / outdoor enthusiast especially when one book, "Best Tent Camping Alabama" was just set to hit the book stores and needed PR time and another, "Hiking Alabama (4th Edition)" was contracted and I had to hit the trail to research 50+ hikes.

But somehow it all came together and everything worked out fine. "BTC Alabama" made it out successfully and "Hiking Alabama" is now in the editing stages. BUT...and there's always a but...I'm down again with another bone spur on my right heel. Surgery went well yesterday and I'm doing much better than the first time, probably because I know what to expect.

This just gives me the perfect opportunity to move forward with more projects I've been wanting to do. Oh yes, there are hiking projects now in the works, one about hiking the "Third Coast" (the Gulf Coast from Lousiana to Florida) and an historic hikes of Alabama manuscript, but also a few things outside my comfort zone. The highlight being a documentary on the book Tamra Carraway and I worte called, "Baseball in Mobile."

The documentary process is an interesting one and I will try to post and share my knowledge with you as the journey begins.

4th Edition of "Hiking Alabama" is "In The Can"

The research (translation: hiking way over 50 hikes) for the latest edition of "Hiking Alabama" is done and the manuscript is off to the publisher, Falcon Books.
          This edition is a departure from past editions, the biggest change everyone will notice is that all photos and maps will be in color. There is also a new "Trail Finder" section that helps hikers find the trek that best fits what they are looking for in a hike, like best trails for waterfalls, swimming, history, or family hikes.
          Readers of previous editions and die-hard Alabama hikers will find that a few of the hikes from the past have been dropped to an "Honorable Mention" status. Since the first edition was published in 2001 the number of trails in the state has increased tremendously and I wanted to include several of the new trails. The only way to do that was to bump some down, but that doesn't mean that they aren't great trails!
          Another change is the length of the hikes. I've found that most people are looking for quick day hikes so I've limited the length of the hikes in the book but have added plenty of information so that you can extend the hikes into longer, full-day hikes or weekend (or longer) backpacking trips.
          So, the editing begins! I'll keep you posted on the progress. Happy trails!

"Best Tent Camping Alabama" PR Begins / "Hiking Alabama" 4th Edition Update

I'm on the road again this weekend doing research for the fourth edition of "Hiking Alabama". Severe weather in north/central Alabama forced me to cancel last week's trip but we're back on it Saturday. 

I'd like to thank John Pilati for being such a good host last week on his talk show, "Straight Talk" heard over WGOL 920am in Franklin County. It was a great first interview for "Best Tent Camping Alabama". I really enjoyed myself. John also penned a piece for the Franklin Free Press on the book.  

Speaking of "BTC Alabama", the book should be hitting shelves right now. There are a lot of appearances and signings coming up. The first one will be June 1st at the Books-a-Million in Gulf Shores at 1pm. Hope to see you there.

Hiking Alabama 4th Edition Well Underway

I have to tell you, since the first edition of "Hiking Alabama" almost eleven years ago, Alabama has truly become a hiking destination. I'm really enjoying getting out and checking out the many new trails in the state and revisiting old favorites. I originally had a list of the hikes I was definately going to include in the book. Only trouble is, I keep finding something new that I want to include.  It's a good bad problem.

What's even better is seeing the hundreds of families out there on the trails. Children of all ages from infants in carriers to teens joining their parents for an outing in the woods. I was at Red Mountain Park last Saturday and there must have been a good mile of cars lining both sides of Frankfurt Road at the trailhead, most of them loaded with families. A great sight.

So, the research continues. Heading to the northeast corner of the state this weekend.