Tampa Bay Times Festival of Reading This Saturday

This coming Saturday, October 26, I will be attending The Tampa Bay Times Festival of Reading to promote Walkin' Lawton, my award-winning biography of legendary statesman Lawton Chiles.

I invite you to join us for a grand celebration of history and literature. The book fair will run from 10AM to 4PM at University of South Florida, St. Petersburg.

My presentation on Chiles will run from 2PM to 2:45PM at USF Davis Hall #130. Book signing and sales will follow.

Next month, I'm invited to the Miami Book Fair International. I will present on either Nov. 23 or 24.

Hope to see you there!

The Tampa Bay Times Festival of Reading

On Saturday, October 26th, University of South Florida will host The Tampa Bay Times Festival of Reading. It will be an all-day book fair. And it will feature Walkin' Lawton.

I'm looking forward to it!

Walkin' Lawton Book Tour Part III

Thanks to everyone who made my Florida book tour experience last week such a treasure. Here is my public schedule of Walkin' Lawton events for May.

Book Signing hosted by Lawton Chiles Preparatory School

Monday, May 20; 6PM to 8PM

Eola Wine Company

430 E. Central Blvd

Orlando, FL 

Book Signing and Talk

Tuesday, May 21, at 4PM

Room 108, Lawton Chiles Center for Healthy Mothers and Babies

3111 E Fletcher Ave Tampa, FL

Florida Book Tour - Part II

The second leg of my Florida book tour for Walkin' Lawton begins this week and continues through May. Below are the public events that I wish to advertise:

Book Signing

Wednesday, April 10 at 8PM

Books & Books of Coral Gables (265 Aragon Ave)

Book Signing at University of Central Florida Book Festival

Saturday, April 13
My book signing will be from 11AM to 11:30AM at the Barnes and Noble bookstore. 
My author panel activity will be from 10AM to 11AM.
The entire book fair will occupy 9AM to 4PM on Saturday

UCF Arena, Orlando

Book Signing and Talk

Tuesday, April 16 at Noon

Florida Historic Capitol Museum, Tallahassee

Book Signing and Talk

Tuesday, May 21, at 4PM

Room 108, Lawton Chiles Center for Healthy Mothers and Babies

3111 E Fletcher Ave Tampa, FL 

Hope to see you there!

Tom Staed

Hotelier Tom Staed, one of Lawton Chiles' premier supporters in Daytona Beach, Florida, has passed away.

Staed helped on both Chiles' Senate and gubernatorial campaigns.

I interviewed Staed a few years ago. We sat in his office at one of his oceanside hotels in Daytona. We talked about the Chiles campaigns and how unique they were. It was a privilege to hear so many details from a partner in these pioneering campaign strategies.

I'm grateful that I had the opportunity to record so many insights from elders while they lived, and print the best of them in Walkin' Lawton.

My paternal grandfather was a WWII veteran and an ace pilot. He would relate story after colorful story about life in the skies, life in rural Virginia, life as a storyteller and newspaperman. I'm fortunate to have learned the nuances of oral history from such a talented practitioner. So many of his stories are seared in my memory for all time.

When I sat down with elder Chiles associates like Staed, I did my best to apply the lessons learned at the knee of my Grandpa. Mostly, in my grandfather's living room, I learned how to listen effectively. Many of his stories were told twice or thrice or many times more. For me, the game was to listen for what new shade of intrigue my grandfather offered during his new telling. That novelty was an adventure always.

The political legacy of Tom Staed and many other luminary Chiles associates--a great oral history--lives on in the pages of Walkin' Lawton.

Details on UCF Book Festival

Just received my schedule for the University of Central Florida Reading Festival in April. I will be joining a panel discussion about "Making an Impact in the Political Process" with 2 political experts.

I'm looking forward to a great event. 

University of Central Florida Book Festival

It's just been confirmed that Walkin' Lawton will be one of the featured titles at the University of Central Florida Book Festival on Saturday, April 13th. The event will be all day at the UCF Arena in Orlando, Florida.

Here is a link to the author page for Walkin' Lawton: http://education.ucf.edu/bookfest/author_detail_2013.cfm?id=49 (photos will be added soon)

I'm excited to participate in the festival and meet other authors.

New Press on the Book: The Politic

The Politic, a Yale undergraduate publication, has published an interview with me about Walkin' Lawton. I'm proud of this collaboration. I wrote an article for The Politic when I was a student at Yale College. It was excellent practice for me as I worked at my wordcraft.

Reading some of the other articles online now at The Politic, I'm impressed by the journalism. They have been able to attract some very significant interview subjects, too.

Here is a LINK to this latest interview about Walkin' Lawton.

New Book Review

The Tampa Bay Times has just published their book review of Walkin' Lawton. I'm delighted for the Chiles legacy to receive such significant coverage. And I'm pleased that the reviewer found it "compelling."

I did years of research into the St. Petersburg Times (the former name for The Tampa Bay Times) archive to unlock the reams of information necessary to complete my biography. I think it's a fine newspaper that holds the state's governors accountable.

The Rest of the Book Tour

I'm still planning out the rest of the book tour. Ideally, it will continue through the fall. There are several book festivals coming up in Florida.

And I'd like to do another book event in my hometown of Annapolis.

I'm excited for the Florida Historical Society annual conference in May--it will be held aboard a cruise ship sailing for the Bahamas.

Samuel Proctor Award

 Wonderful news to kick of the New Year!!

Walkin' Lawton has won the Samuel Proctor Award from the Florida Historical Society.  It's an award for an outstanding oral history project substantially about Florida.

 

 

Walkin' Lawton in Annapolis

We had a wonderful book signing at Back Creek Books last week--until the power went out due to a local electrical grid malfunction. Nonetheless, the independent, charming bookstore was a fine venue for Walkin' Lawton.

Walkin' Lawton continues to sell well online.

More book events, in Florida and elsewhere, will occur next year. Stay tuned!

Annapolis Event Tonight

Back Creek Books is a splendid independent bookstore on West Street in historic Annapolis. They're hosting me for a book signing tonight!

Please join us!

Thursday, December 20th
6PM - 8PM
Back Creek Books
45 West Street
Annapolis, MD 21401

Florida Sunshine on Capitol Hill

Thanks for a great book event at Florida House last night. Turnout was excellent. Many books were sold and I think the Chiles legacy gained some new followers.

On to Annapolis:

Thursday, December 20th
6PM - 8PM
Back Creek Books
45 West Street
Annapolis, MD 21401

More Book Signings

The holiday season is a great time to put more book signings on the schedule. I'm enjoying the chance to engage my local community with this. The next two book signings are detailed below:

Wednesday, December 12th
5PM - 8PM
Florida House on Capitol Hill
1 2nd Street, NE
Washington, DC 20002
  
Thursday, December 20th
6PM - 8PM
Back Creek Books
45 West Street
Annapolis, MD 21401

Walkin' Lawton Sales Report

Walkin' Lawton in paperback format is now out of stock on Amazon.com. But it will soon be restocked--in time for holiday gift-giving!

Meantime, the Amazon Kindle version is always available at $9.99.

First Leg of the Tour Complete

What a great start to the Florida book tour. We had a terrific slate of talks and signings this week. I'll be back in the Sunshine State for more book events in the spring.

What's next? A bit of rest and then a Walkin' Lawton book release party in Washington, DC at Florida House. Here are the details:

Wednesday, December 12 from 5PM to 8PM
Florida House on Capitol Hill--behind the U.S. Supreme Court building

See you on the trail!

Amazon Kindle Success

Walkin' Lawton is now listed number one on Amazon Kindle's list of hot new releases in Southern U.S. history.

Lakeland

Tomorrow, I will be presenting a book lecture at Florida Southern College in Lakeland, Florida. The Ledger, Lakeland's newspaper, features on article in advance of the event.

What a pleasure to drive through Polk County tonight. I meandered through the main road bisecting Auburndale, on the way to my lodgings. The homes along Lake Alfred were decorated for Christmas. The light from the houses just barely illuminated the waves on the lake.

It's not hard to be inspired by the surroundings that were familiar to Lawton Chiles in his childhood.

New Article in Panhandle Newspaper

The Walton Sun, a newspaper in Florida's Panhandle, has published a new article on Walkin' Lawton.

The Panhandle, as it looked in Chiles' day, shared much in common with the Polk County of the politician's boyhood. For an avid hunter and fisherman, Polk County was a rural paradise.