Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am the COO of the Newseum in Washington, D.C. Our mission is to promote, explain and defend free expression and the five freedoms of the First Amendment: religion, speech, press, assembly and petition. I have loved history for my entire life. Several years ago, I began researching ancestry and it led to the publication of my first book, “The Forgotten Adventures of Richard Halliburton: A High-Flying Life from Tennessee to Timbuktu.” This was book was about an explorer and writer who was from my hometown of Haywood County, Tennessee.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
I just released a second book, “Odd Words, 1920-1922: An Enhanced Compilation of Early Columns by Odd McIntyre” for Kindle, in advance of a biography on which I have been working for several years. “An Odd Book, How the First Modern Pop Culture Reporter Conquered New York” will be released April 1, 2017. I release “Odd Words” because I wanted to expose readers to this fascinating writer who has been forgotten. I stumbled upon a few of his articles while working on my first book and liked his style so much I went searching for more. Before I knew it, I was working on a biography!
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I am a really early riser so I do most of my writing between 4 and 6 a.m. before I head to by day job. I also have a patient wife and two talented daughters so family time is important in the evenings.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
Years before i worked at the Newseum, I worked for Elvis Presley Enterprises, Inc. at Graceland. I was at the Newseum to participate in the opening of an Elvis exhibit. They also had an exhibit based on James L. Swanson’s book “Manhunt.” The exhibit made such a huge impact on me, I purchased the book. That led to an obsession with the Civil War and my ancestry hobby. Because of that, I decided I wanted to write about history. So I would have to say Swanson made a major impact (as was the Newseum…so much so, I got a job there!).
What are you working on now?
I chose to self publish “An Odd Book, How the First Modern Pop Culture Reporter Conquered New York” so it ate up quite a bit of time. After writing it and getting it edited, I had to learn how to use all the publishing tools. Obviously, the publishing industry is going through a renaissance right now so its fun to see how far one individual can take it using the tools that are available. Now I am going to focus on getting the word out about my two “Odd” books before I start another one.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I will have to let you know that one. I have developed a website for the Odd biography: http://www.anoddbook.com and have been laying the groundwork for months by pushing out content on Facebook, Instagram, Youtube, and through earned media. I also set up a email for news about the book.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Look for new and unique ways of getting what you write in front of people. If you read my biography of Odd McIntyre, you’ll discover that no one wanted to publish what he wrote. He wasn’t just rejected, he was rejected rudely and fired often. Eventually, he and his wife began sending his columns to newspapers around the country, letting editors know they could publish it for free. That eventually led to his becoming the highest paid and most read columnist of the 1920s and 1930s. In some ways, he was the first blogger!
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Never give up.
What are you reading now?
I have a huge stack ready for when by biography of Odd is out. I read everything Eric Larson writes and am waiting for his next one.
What’s next for you as a writer?
I have an idea for a book that I think is going to be exciting to research, but I have to flesh it out a bit and see what sort of stories i can dig up around the idea. More to come on that!
If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
The Bible, a sketch pad with a lot of pages and a book on how to build a raft.
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