This week I had the pleasure of discussing my writing career and the genesis of my novel Curse of the Fairfield Witch (Fire & Ice Books) with a large and enthusiastic crowd at Oronoque Village. We had a fine dinner and sold quite a few books, with some titles selling out! During and after our book signing I was able to have some great conversations with audience members about the writing process and the subject matter of my various titles. Thanks to Bob Krakovich for extending the invitation. It was a fun evening at beautiful Oronoque Village, and I hope to do it again someday.
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Recently I received a copy of the book There Are Faces I Remember by Dr. Angie McCartney, Sir Paul's stepmom, and her daughter Ruth McCartney. It was a Father's Day gift from my daughter Caroline, and it was a memorable gift, indeed. This is because, believe it or not, I'm featured in the book! It all started a year or so ago when I received a questionnaire from Angie explaining that she was putting together a book about all the family, friends, and other people she has met over the years who have a Beatle connection. I was selected because she loved my novel 30 Minutes in Memphis: A Beatles Story (Amazon), which led to my appearance on Angie and Ruth's Teaflix Tuesdays Facebook show, where we discussed the book and my Beatle memories. So, I filled out the questionnaire and included a requested author photo. Little did I know that I would be one of 183 people who would end up with their own profile and individually styled artistic "portrait". The book, which is large handsome coffee table tome that comes in its own slipcase, features a cast of incredibly varied celebrities, musicians, authors, family members and friends. And so, yours truly found himself in a mix with such people as Sir Elton John, Sir Rod Stewart, former President Bill Clinton, John Cleese, Richard Branson, Sir George Martin, and all the Beatles, their wives and children, etc. In addition to using the information I provided, the ladies wrote some very sweet comments about my book and our subsequent friendship, which I cherish. If you are a Beatles fan like me, you can check out the book on Amazon through the provided link. I've included my "artistic rendering" here for your perusal. Special thanks to Angie and Ruth for including me in this "fab" Beatles retrospective! www.amazon.com/There-are-Faces-I-Remember/dp/B0CNY7F7SQ/ref=sr_1_1?crid=JOKGEZFLUI5F&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.RhRXUTBspS3RUZsFDPhlOe1-KiKB6W-7UEmXPy88cS_GjHj071QN20LucGBJIEps.n8bRlNkS9-tUkdymGridFhZgojveFwRxO5yj7yKzj3g&dib_tag=se&keywords=there+are+faces+i+remember+book&qid=1718734716&sprefix=there+are+faces+I+remember+bo%2Caps%2C94&sr=8-1 I was pleasantly surprised to see that my six page feature article on Dodger aficionado Jerry Kurtz's man cave made the cover of the June 1st SCD. What a collection! Kudos to Jerry for sharing it with us. BTW, our Facebook page is mentioned in the article. There's also a great article in this same issue about the late, great Carl Erskine, written by Matt Bosch, a collector who corresponded with the former Dodger hurler. Anyway, try to pick up this issue of SCD. It's a true Brooklyn Dodger collector's item! A couple of years ago I had the pleasure of writing an article for Sports Collectors Digest on Ken Finnegan's ingenious idea of featuring classic ballparks on beer coasters he had created. Well, this idea evolved into a handsome coffee-table book entitled Remembering Torn-Down Ballparks Over A Cold Beer (Skyhorse Sports Publishing). Ken presents each ballpark (34 in all) with a brief historic retrospective, including basic "Tombstone Facts," and adds photos of his commemorative beer coaster, choice artifacts, vintage images of the park, and what its site looks like today. I'm honored to be featured in a "back cover blurb" as a Stadia author and included in his acknowledgements. Ken's book is the perfect companion to a cold brew in your baseball room. I hope you check it out - you won't be disappointed! Recently I was asked to do an interview for Authority Magazine about standing up against Antisemitism, Racism, Bigotry, and Hate through the power of the printed word. Using my novel The Girl Who Stole J.E.B. Stuart as an example, I tried to explain why stories like this are crucial in starting discussions among our young people about those problems that plague our society, and why the banning of such books only holds us back. It is especially at this time of year, with all that's going on here and abroad, that we take the time to consider the lives of others, and how we in some small way can make this world a better place. As you will see from the magazine's homepage, there's a pretty impressive lineup of people from all walks of life who are interviewed about a variety of timely topics. Anyway, this is a pretty cool magazine, and both I'm pleased and proud they contacted me! https://medium.com/authority-magazine https://medium.com/authority-magazine/upstanders-how-paul-ferrante-is-standing-up-against-antisemitism-racism-bigotry-and-hate-cfb88b2b1fb4  On September 1 I had the pleasure of speaking to the Stratford Men's Club at the Baldwin Senior Center about The Kid From Dodgertown. Many of the men were longtime baseball fans, and we had a great dialogue about the Brooklyn Dodgers and Baseball History. These conversations continued through the book signing. Overall, it was a great experience with a knowledgeable group. Special thanks to Bob Mastroni for the invitation. I hope to see you again. On August 3-5 Maria, Caroline and I journeyed North to Cooperstown, NY for my second speaking appearance at the National Baseball Hall of Fame. We took in all of our favorite sites around town including Doubleday Field, the shops on Main Street, and Lake Otsego before touring the museum and setting up for my talk and book signing in the Hall's Bullpen Theater. Our audience, which included a surprise visit from my former teaching colleague Cheri Balckom and her son Jesse (my former student!) were attentive and asked some great questions. Afterwards we had a fine meal at the legendary Otesaga Resort, where the Hall-of-Famers and their families stay during Induction Week. Then it was time for a stroll down by the lake before our trip home through the scenic Catskills. Special thanks to Caroline for handling the tech duties during my talk; Bruce Markusen, director of the Hall's Education Dept. for extending the invitation and making sure everything ran smoothly; and those fans who purchased books. Your interest led to the Hall placing another order! As a prelude to my appearance at the Baseball Hall of Fame on August 3, I was featured on News 12 Connecticut to talk about The Kid from Dodgertown and the honor of being asked to speak at the Hall of Fame. Reporter Mark Sudol, cameraman Frank Bruce Rosen and I had a blast talking Baseball in the "Man Cave". Below is the link to the resulting video spot. Thanks, News 12! https://connecticut.news12.com/stratford-author-heads-back-to-baseball-hall-of-fame This week I had the pleasure of being interviewed by radio host Mark Moses on central Florida's all sports station The Fan 1560. We talked about The Kid from Dodgertown, my upcoming appearance at the Hall of Fame on August 3rd, and a lot of other baseball topics. I think he did a great job. Mark is very knowledgeable and enthusiastic, and it comes through in this interview. I hope to speak with him again down the road. So sit back and enjoy our little chat! https://markmosesshow.podbean.com/e/paul-ferrante-interview-070523/ This weekend I had the pleasure of connecting with my buddy Brad Meltzer at the Vero Beach Bookstore, where he was making an appearance for his newest bestseller, The Nazi Conspiracy. Brad and I met back in 2013 at Mohegan Sun Casino in Connecticut, when my debut novel, Last Ghost at Gettysburg, was coming out, while he was already an established literary star. Since then Brad has been a sounding board and constant source of encouragement for me, as well as hosting two hit TV series on the History Channel, (Decoded & Lost History) while turning out both adult best-seller thrillers and biographies of notable Americans geared to young audiences. He's also a top-notch speaker and promoter, which is imperative in this industry. But more important , Brad always has time for everyone, be it his thousands of fans or a fellow writer like myself. So, it was very cool to do an author book exchange in Vero Beach, signing our novels to each other at the same time. I'm glad we got to meet up again and hope to see him down the road. |
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