Slightly Off the Mark: History Press

Showing posts with label History Press. Show all posts

Stars of Stage, Radio, and Podcast

We're hitting the media hard--not literally, because that would be bad.

On Wednesday morning Emily and I are traveling down to Fort Wayne to have an on-air visit with Jack Hammer, host of the morning show on WXKE 96.3. It's a classic rock station that hangs out here: https://963xke.com/

The brothers from the TV show Supernatural listened to a lot of classic rock, so there's your connection between WXKE and Haunted Noble County, Indiana. This is the hill I'll haunt on.

Supernatural is a very serious TV show.

It should be around 7:30 a.m. or so. You can check out all-around Fort Wayne guy Jack Hammer here:

https://www.facebook.com/FortWayneGuy/

Plus, the "Easily Distracted by Cemeteries" podcasts we're in--two of them!--are up:

https://rss.com/podcasts/easilydistractedbycemeteries/2252321/

Emily and I in the middle of the easily distracted podcast gang. We had fun!

So check that out, and let us know what you think. Maybe we'll start our own podcast. Maybe not.

Meanwhile we still have the October 30th thing at the CLC in Kendallville, which I'm contractually obligated to mention every post between now and then. Of course, that's only nine days.

https://commevents.eventcalendarapp.com/haunted-noble-county

As I've mentioned before, there's an entry fee, which makes me deathly afraid no one will show up at all. But if you do, there'll be snacks and a slide show, or whatever the kids are calling slide shows these days, and since it's on a Thursday I'll stick in at least a few jokes*.

*Most comedians will tell you that, for reasons unknown to science, jokes are funnier on a Thursday**.

**I'm totally making that up.

Of course, just because we step into the limelight once in awhile doesn't mean you can't just read our books:

· Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/-/e/B0058CL6OO

· Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/"Mark R Hunter"

· Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4898846.Mark_R_Hunter

· Blog: https://markrhunter.blogspot.com/

· Website: http://www.markrhunter.com/

· Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ozma914/

· Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MarkRHunter914

· Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markrhunter/

· Twitter: https://twitter.com/MarkRHunter

· Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@MarkRHunter

· Substack: https://substack.com/@markrhunter

· Tumblr: https://www.tumblr.com/ozma914

· Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/ozma914

· Audible: https://www.audible.com/search?searchAuthor=Mark+R.+Hunter&ref_pageloadid=4C1TS2KZGoOjloaJ&pf

Remember: Various forms of media come and go, but books go on forever.

Grandkids, Pooches, and Public Speaking

I spent most of the weekend relaxing with the grand-twins and their dog, Indy. The oncoming Big Weather Change and an attack of allergies made me feel like I'd come down with man flu, so relaxing is about all I felt like doing. But at least I wasn't schedule to work all weekend, like Emily was. (As I write this it's Saturday night, and looking like the Saddle Barn will be canceled by weather tomorrow.)

Indy's just a little guy, but, like Steve Rogers before he got the super soldier injection, Indy could lick faces "all day".

I mean, Steve was saying he could fight all day, not lick faces. Never mind.

This is fall break for the twins, and they spent most of it with us. The problem is they like to play a lot of video games, but one is into the fighting type, and the other is into the sports type. So they showed up with ... another TV!

Can you imagine? When I was that age my family had a console TV, and that wasn't going easily into anybody's car. Once, when I was about ten, someone brought over a "portable" TV, and we ran an extension cord into the back yard and watched it in a tent. Rabbit ear antennas. Eleven inches of glorious black and white!

This duel TV thing worked, somehow. The only problem I had was whether I wanted to concentrate on the football game, or the cowboys raiding through a blizzard. (Red Dead Redemption something?) Then one of them went to Fortnite, and what kind of craziness is that thing, anyway? I'm pretty sure I just saw someone blow up Scooby-Doo.

*****

That wasn't our only weekend activity. On Friday evening Emily and I drove to the Ligonier Public Library, where we put on a presentation about our book, Haunted Noble County, Indiana. We were met at the front door by a fun surprise: A Halloween display featuring the book.

We had a great turnout, and nobody threw any rotten fruits or vegetables. I did most of the talking (I lost the coin toss), and not a single person booed me.

In fact, of the ten copies of Haunted Noble County, Indiana we brought in with us, we sold nine. (Naturally, me being the paranoid person I am, we had more in the car.) We also sold a few copies of Images of America: Albion and Noble County, and Hoosier Hysterical: How the West Became the Midwest Without Moving at All. Emily only put out our historical related books, including Smoky Days and Sleepless Nights: A Century or So With the Albion Fire Department, and I have to start using shorter subtitles.

It goes without saying that we had copies of the other eight books with us--just in case--but it was a night for history stuff. Maybe if I ever do standup comedy, I'll put the humor books out in front.

And now I have to start preparing for our next appearance, at the Community Learning Center in Kendallville--on Halloween Eve. Well, October 30. That's Halloween Eve, isn't it?

Yeah, that's us there on the bottom, although it could be argued that the end of October is the peak of the month. With a little more time to get ready, we're putting together a PowerPoint presentation for this one. Okay, Emily is. More info to come.

On rainy days like this, you can always look for a good book:

· Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/-/e/B0058CL6OO

· Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/"Mark R Hunter"

· Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4898846.Mark_R_Hunter

· Blog: https://markrhunter.blogspot.com/

· Website: http://www.markrhunter.com/

· Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ozma914/

· Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MarkRHunter914

· Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markrhunter/

· Twitter: https://twitter.com/MarkRHunter

· Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@MarkRHunter

· Substack: https://substack.com/@markrhunter

· Tumblr: https://www.tumblr.com/ozma914

· Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/ozma914

· Audible: https://www.audible.com/search?searchAuthor=Mark+R.+Hunter&ref_pageloadid=4C1TS2KZGoOjloaJ&pf

Remember: Family is more important than books, but why not both?

What a Month--Welcome To Our Newsletter

Don't panic! You're not signed up for the newsletter, unless you did it yourself. I'm just posting the link here:

https://mailchi.mp/6a8b29fa7a15/what-a-month-and-more-to-come?e=2b1e842057

And then, because I'm nothing if not too repetitive, I'm also pasting some of the contents here. It would be great if you all signed up for the newsletter, or possibly my substack at https://substack.com/@markrhunter, which is where all the kids are going these days.

But what I really want is for you to come to one of our two author talks this month, if you live within a reasonable distance, or have a personal airplane, or you're a superhero who can fly. One of them, you'll notice, is this coming Saturday. So, while the newsletter covers other things, like how our book sales are doing, and a scary photo of our late dog Beowulf, it also contains what you hopefully are about to read. We'll bring plenty of books, and also be entertaining. Try to be entertaining.

I can hope to sell out and get a standing ovation, but I'm trying to be more reasonable in my older age.

Emily and I are making two author appearances in October: One is at the Ligonier Public Library, a place actually mentioned in the book.

The other--on Halloween Eve Eve!--is at the . The former , it's also in the book.

Read all about it here:

https://commevents.eventcalendarapp.com/haunted-noble-county

It will be on October 30 from 6-7:30 p.m. at 401 E. Diamond Street, and, to my surprise ... there will be a $15 cost to attend.

This came as something of a shock to me because, like many writers, I suffer from . I have a hard time believing a lot of people will pay to see Emily and I speak, but we'll see. I'll do my best to entertain everyone, and if they happen to buy a book on the way out, so much the better.

Also like many writers, Emily and I are what today they call , and those appearances will probably use up all our outgoing energy for the month. Still, we'll see what we can come up with for November.

Meanwhile, don't forget to look us up at all the usual places:

· Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/-/e/B0058CL6OO

· Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/"Mark R Hunter"

· Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4898846.Mark_R_Hunter

· Blog: https://markrhunter.blogspot.com/

· Website: http://www.markrhunter.com/

· Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MarkRHunter914

· Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markrhunter/

· Twitter: https://twitter.com/MarkRHunter

· Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@MarkRHunter

· Substack: https://substack.com/@markrhunter

· Audible: https://www.audible.com/search?searchAuthor=Mark+R.+Hunter&ref_pageloadid=4C1TS2KZGoOjloaJ&pf

A Haunted, but Official, Book Press Release

I promise to post something not related to the new book next week!

Yes, it's true: News releases still exist, and authors still release them. Where they fly after that--it's hard to tell. Some authors might find this useful; If anyone wants to, feel free to send this off to the media/social media/internet thingy/newsletter/skywriting airplane of your choice.

NEWS RELEASE

Albion Authors Write the Haunted History of Noble County

An Albion couple steps into the supernatural with their new book, Haunted Noble County, Indiana.

Published by The History Press, the book is part of its Haunted America series, and comes out on August 12^th. Mark R. Hunter and Emily Hunter spent over a year researching the book, and collected stories from many sources, including eyewitnesses.

“Every area has ghost stories,” Mark explains. “We just put them together and added pictures.”

Some of the stories are well known to locals, including the legend of Spook Hill, which inspired a famous poem by Indiana’s former State Poet Laureate. Others stem from events from Noble County’s history, such as the hanging of a horse thief and accused murderer at Diamond Hill, near Ligonier. Still others were told directly to the Hunters, including their favorite: “The Thing In the Basement”.

Do the authors believe?

“I’ve seen a few things,” Mark admits, “and I keep an open mind. But most of the people we talked to directly are absolutely convinced they saw something supernatural, and we respect that.”

They were also able to dispel some rumored hauntings, and in a few cases were disappointed to find no stories at all. “Look at the Noble County Old Jail Museum,” Mark says. “How could a place that atmospheric not be haunted? But we found no ghost stories there.”

Photo by Mark R. Hunter, who had a lucky lighting day.

Many of the stories they did find were from normal homes, but historical hauntings include places such as the former Kneipp Springs Sanitarium in Rome City, The Strand Theater in Kendallville, and the former Noble County Asylum near Albion.

The resulting book, Haunted Noble County, Indiana, is available on the Arcadia Publishing website, the Hunters’ social media sites, their website at www.markrhunter.com, and various retail locations around Noble County.

It’s not the Hunters’ first foray into local history. Together they produced the books Smoky Days and Sleepless Nights: A Century or So with the Albion Fire Department; Images of America: Albion and Noble County; and Hoosier Hysterical: How the West Became the Midwest Without Moving at All.

Mark R. Hunter is also the author, with Emily’s help, of two humor books: Slightly Off the Mark: The Unpublished Columns, and More Slightly Off the Mark: Why I Hate Cats, and Other Lies. He also has three published books set in Noble County: the novels Coming Attractions, Storm Chaser and its sequel, The Notorious Ian Grant, as well as a related short story collection, Storm Squalls. His young adult adventure, The No-Campfire Girls, is set in southern Indiana. Another novel, Radio Red, is set in Michigan.

Mark is a 911 dispatcher and volunteer firefighter in Albion, and Emily is a trail guide at the Pokagon State Park Saddle Barn. He blogs at https://markrhunter.blogspot.com/ or https://substack.com/@markrhunter, and can be found hanging out on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/MarkRHunter/.

Note to Media: Mark and Emily are available for questions and interviews, and can be contacted through the website at www.markrhunter.com.

Call For Books, and Authors Appear!

I can type again! .... some.

A few author appearances are coming up:

On September 20 we'll be at Albion's Fall Celebration, which is on a Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Lots of vendors, plus a car show, all on the Noble County Courthouse Square in Albion. We plan to have all of our books available, and fingers crossed for good weather. Honestly, outdoor appearances make me very nervous, what with rain and all the paper.

https://www.albionstarteam.org/fall-celebration

On September 28th Emily and I are going to be guesting on the Easily Distracted by Cemeteries podcast, in a discussion I suspect will involve ... cemeteries. They're based not far from Diamond Lake, which, along with its accompanying hill, has a rich tradition of the supernatural.

https://rss.com/podcasts/easilydistractedbycemeteries/

"Join us as we discuss cemeteries, ghosts, and the antics of those visiting cemeteries with many distractions and laughs along the way."

We're starting at 2 p.m., but I assume this isn't live. I'll let you know when I have a broadcast time.

On October 30, from 6-7:30 p.m., we'll be at the Assembly Room of the Community Learning Center in Kendallville. I'll be giving a talk, then hosting a Q&A. But on the brighter side, I'm told there'll be drinks (non-alcoholic) and snacks. I'm reasonably certain I'll be able to string two words together, maybe three.

https://thecommunitylearningcenter.org/

This will be a ticketed event, which wasn't my idea, and please show up! It's to cover the CLC expenses, and it's a pretty great organization. The Community Learning Center is at 401 E. Diamond Street, in the old Kendallville High School, which was more recently the old Kendallville Middle School.

Hope to see everyone there, which would be quite a crowd. But if you can't make it ours books are all available online, pending operations by Skynet:

· Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/-/e/B0058CL6OO

· Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/"Mark R Hunter"

· Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4898846.Mark_R_Hunter

· Blog: https://markrhunter.blogspot.com/

· Website: http://www.markrhunter.com/

· Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ozma914/

· Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MarkRHunter914

· Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markrhunter/

· Twitter: https://twitter.com/MarkRHunter

· Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@MarkRHunter

· Substack: https://substack.com/@markrhunter

· Tumblr: https://www.tumblr.com/ozma914