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Thursday, October 23, 2014

Reviews are Coming In

Great reviews are coming in for "Living in a Banana Dream", available online at Barnes & Noble, Amazon.Com, and iBooks.
"Having lived through many of these shared memories in my own small hometown, "Living in a Banana Dream" had me dwelling on the past long after I put this collection of short stories down. Cuhaj's touch of humor as well as his vivid descriptions of growing up in New Jersey in the 1970's will leave the reader with a smile on their face and their own recollections of their youth. A very sweet selection of family, friends, and the trials and tribulations of growing up."

"This is funny, but semi truthful. Ah, to relive your youth and make people want to read more.I keep getting questions [about] what a Banana Dream is...[You] have to read the book and you find out. The answer may surprise you but growing up then maybe it won`t. Enjoy the book, I really did."

Thanks all! And if you haven't picked up a copy, why not do it today :)

Monday, October 13, 2014

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!


Thursday, October 9, 2014

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


Thursday, October 2, 2014

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.