News and Announcements

Oh Mother, That Man’s Here Again!!

I’m delighted to announce that I’ve edited and published a new book: “Oh Mother, That Man’s Here Again!!  The Christmas Cards of Charles W. Carvin.”

Check out the Video teaser on You-Tube at

It’s a fun-filled, full color look at the culture and politics of the 20th century.
For nearly fifty years, the celebrated humorist Charles Carvin (1897-1974) drew his own Christmas cards, elaborate cartoon productions that sometimes unfolded to several oversized pages, filled with his humorous cartoons.  From the Great Depression through World War II to the space race and the civil rights movement, he poked good-natured fun at political and cultural icons  ranging from Calvin Coolidge and FDR to John Kennedy and Lyndon Johnson, from Adolf Hitler and Franklin Roosevelt to Nikita Krushchev and Fidel Castro, from Mae West and Will Rogers to Bob Hope and Milton Berle, from E.C. Segar’s Popeye to Charles Schulz’s Charlie Brown and Snoopy.  This complete collection of the cards and other drawings has 218 full color illustrations,  with explanatory notes and an introduction by the artist’s grandson (me).  And it’s good for more than the laughs it provides:  it’s a trip down memory lane with a unique, year by year look at the history of the mid-twentieth century.
 It’s ISBN No. 978-0-9768183-5-9 and it’s available, starting today, at  Amazon.com and at BarnesandNoble.com.  A great Christmas gift, coffee-table book, and conversation piece. (Click here for Amazon:)
Oh Mother at Amazon

Another Piece of the Pie

I’m happy to say that my 2005 book, “A Piece of the Pie: The Story of Customer Service at Publix,” is now available once again, after many years of being out of print.  I’ve seen this book offered on line, used, for a penny (plus S&H) and I’ve seen it at used (rare) book sellers offered for over $160.  Now, you can get the new edition, “hot out of the oven,” for only $11.95 (retail price) at Amazon.com, BarnesandNoble.com, and the like, or for less, when the book sellers start giving discounts.

ISBN 978-0-9768183.

It may not be great literature, but its an easy read and gives insight into the award-winning customer service of a fantastic company.

Joe

Visions of Africa

My golf buddy Gerry Graham and I just got back from a trip to South Africa that was billed as a “tented safari.”  Gerry took lots of great pictures.  We did enjoy the safari and got to see lots of cool animals, but as pointed out in the attached video, there was no tent.

For that and other surprises, you can check out the You-Tube video here.

(Warning – it may start in the middle.  Also, it contains “R-rated” material at the end…)

Reader’s Companion

If you’ve already read (or have at least begun to read) my novel, Alemeth, you may have experienced difficulty figuring out how much of it is true and how much fiction.  If so, you might be interested in the latest addition to www.jwcarvin.com.  It bears the intentionally old-fashioned and pretentious title, “A Reader’s Companion to Alemeth, with Commentary by the Author, in Which Particular Attention is Given to What is Real, and What is Not.”

It’s a free, downloadable .pdf file, which you can find at the Alemeth page of the website, or simply by clicking here:

Reader’s Companion

Warning: The Reader’s Companion contains plot spoilers and other material which might detract from enjoyment of the novel itself.  It is strongly suggested that you not read any further in the Reader’s Companion than you’ve read in the novel; ideally, it’s suggested you not read the Companion at all until you’ve finished the novel.

Masterful???

I’m delighted with the new Kirkus review published yesterday regarding my novel, Alemeth.

A bildungsroman follows a troubled boy’s upbringing in a politically charged antebellum South…   Carvin… masterfully brings to life a South in dramatic transition, and he avoids the binary categories of pro and con that often typify the genre. Eliza’s character, in particular, is well-drawn in subtle hues. She’s not quite an outright abolitionist, but her Christian compassion precludes an embrace of slavery… [T]his is a thoughtful, sensitive rendering of a complex period in American history… A philosophically challenging look at the inner turmoil of the American South in the 19th century.” — Kirkus Reviews

If you want to see someone giddy that maybe he hasn’t wasted the last seven years of his life after all, come by my house.  If you’re interested in the book, you can visit my website, jwcarvin.com (where you can download a copy for free) or, doggone it, just buy one from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, etc.!

Alemeth, the novel

Alemeth has been a long time coming, but as of February 1st, it’s finally in print — all 422 pages, complete with illustrations, maps, and other graphics.  You can read more about the subject matter on the website — just go to jwcarvin.com.

There, you can download a copy FOR FREE as a pdf file.  You’ll also find options in case you feel like buying an actual book (you remember those, don’t you?)

It’s weird how the publishing world operates.  The printer just printed the novel for publication on Wednesday.  I found out last night (Thursday night) that my initial order had been shipped to me that day (yesterday), and is supposed to arrive here on Monday.  Being curious to see whether it was yet listed on Amazon.com and such, I visited Amazon, only to find that certain booksellers were already advertising USED copies of the book!  All I can figure is that some buyers are of the mindset that a used book is always a better buy, so they’re going to opt for the used copy, and these sellers cater to those bargain-minded buyers.

Well, don’t be fooled.  All the copies for sale ANYWHERE at this point are brand new, since they are in fact hot off the press.

If you’re interested, check out the website.  jwcarvin.com.

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