Back at it

It's been a while since I dropped an entry into the old blog. Been a little busy to say the least. Since the last post I finally had a chance to do what I've been wanting to do for quite some time - revamp the website. It's slowly coming together. When you visit www.joe-cuhaj.com  there will be a few links that currently aren't connected but they will be very soon.

One thing you'll notice about the new website is several new features including an overview of each of my books plus a new backstory link that will give you my "behind the scenes" look at how a book came about, the writing process, why I wrote it, and more.

The last we met the contract had just been signed to write "Hiking Through History Alabama" for FalconGuides. Well, just about a year or so later and we're in the final stages of getting it to your favorite bookstore. I've just received the edits for both the manuscript and maps with a deadline of this Monday (3/28) to have it back to the editor. Got some heavy reading to do. The only bad part about the editing process is that it has been so long since I last visited the manuscript it takes me a a little bit to familiarize myself with the project again. But, we'll get there.

By the way, the book is do out September 1, 2016.

That's all for now! Cheers!

Contract Signed and "Hiking through History Alabama" is Underway

Even before the printing machines at Falcon Books have begun churning out the first copies of my new book, “Hiking the Gulf Coast” (which is due out October 1^st), Falcon and I have contracted to write another new book, “Hiking through History Alabama”. For those of you who have read any of my outdoor recreation books you know that I love hikes and paddles that have an element of history behind them. This is my chance to bring some of the amazing history of the state, both good and bad, alive.

There are some incredible hiking trails in the state that trace the footsteps of those who have gone before. It’s a rich story and one that I am anxious to get started on. As a matter of fact, I am really anxious to get started on this one – the first deadline is in June with the complete manuscript to be completed by December 15^th so we can have a spring release!

So, here I go again, starting a new outdoor book at the beginning of the south Alabama rainy season and yellow fly season, but it’s all good and I am so appreciative of this opportunity to bring more fantastic hiking adventures to you!

It's Like Christmas

There's only one thing that is just as exciting as seeing your new book hit the shelves and that is to see your new book's cover for the first time. Falcon sent me the cover of "Hiking the Gulf Coast" yesterday. I send a good handful of photos to them as suggestions for the cover and they choose what they think is best. I think they chose the best! This photo was taken at Big Lagoon State Park in Pensacola.

First Online Mention of "Hiking the Gulf Coast"

It looks like the release date for “Hiking the Gulf Coast” has been set. In my search on the internet the today I saw that across the pond in the U.K. website Waterstones.Com is advertising the release date is “213 days” away (from today, March 2^nd). That puts the release on October 1^st, a perfect time to hit the trails of the Gulf Coast! Low heat and humidity and fewer mosquitoes. By the way in England the going price is listed as 13.95 pounds. Where's my monetary converter? Might have to fly over to pick up a copy. 

https://www.waterstones.com/book/hiking-the-gulf-coast/joe-cuhaj/9781493008124

You Never Know

Every now and then I glance around the internet to see what I’m doing. That’s not as crazy as it sounds. You will be surprised to find where your name will crop up especially in this crazy writing world. For instance a number of years ago I wrote a piece for home improvement expert Danny Lipford’s website “Today’s Homeowner” and found that a recent article by the website “About Roof Tiles” referenced the piece. I had completely forgotten about that article.

http://about-roof-tiles-prices1.blogspot.com/2015/02/asphalt-shingles.html

Book Trailers Released

The book trailers for my latest books, "Hiking Alabama (4th Edition)" and "Living in a Banana Dream" have finally been released. The "Hiking Alabama" video is a combination of clips from hikes taken during research for the book using a Kodak Zi8 HD camcorder. Unfortunately I didn't have the GoPro during these hikes. 

The trailer for "Living in a Banana Dream" is a combination of videos generously provided by "The Wayback Machine" (www.archive.org) that has literally thousands of full length clips from industrial art films of the 50s and 60s, audio, and much more. 

For those of you who don't know, "Living in a Banana Dream" (available as an eBook at Barnes & Noble, Amazon, and iTunes) is a collection of humorous short stories growing up as a late Baby Boomer in the 60s/early 70s all loosely based on faulty memories. The stories are told in what humorist Jean Shepherd used to call the "Universal 'I'" - these are stories we can all relate to no matter your age. Oh, and by the way, "Living in a Banana Dream" is looking for a publisher to call home. We'd love to talk.

Here are the links to the trailers:

Hiking Alabama: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XzYiyDFH1ME

Living in a Banana Dream: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ybOCEMv8E0o

Trailer for Sale or Rent

So, the "Hiking the Gulf Coast" manuscript has been put to bed. What a great adventure it was! I had beautiful weather for all of the hikes up until the last week when I headed to Texas to do the trails there then it was a game of leap frog hopping from one park or refuge to another dodging rainstorms.

Overall, though, I think the manuscript turned out great. It's now in the hands of FalconGuides where it will get the once over, I'll get another whack at correcting everything then out to book stores in the fall just in time for the 2015 Christmas season.

In the meantime I'm busy ramping up the publicity for the fourth edition of "Hiking Alabama" and my short story collection, "Living in a Banana Dream". I'm putting my past media career to work as I create two new book trailers for each. They will premier on YouTube shortly and I'll be posting an announcement when they hit the small screen here, on the website www.joe-cuhaj.com, and on my Facebook page.

It has been a quite a wresting match getting used to the new software to produce the trailers in but that is to be expected. I'm using "PowerDirector 12" by CyberLink. It's actually great software with plenty of features but as with everything there is that learning curve. But, the trailers are coming out great.