Chicago Writes

On this the final episode of Chicago Writes, Time Management for the writer. Part two of my conversation with Paul Bryan Roach author of Jack's Rogues available on Amazon. The art of the Press Release and building a Media Contact List. Plus, we catch up with The Spine Bookshop owner Lindsay Schultz on her historic fight against book bans in Tennessee. 
And I say so long to this great CWA audience. Visit my Substack at WCTURCK.substack.com. Classic Storytelling across the Virtual Campfire.
There are some great sources online for building a media contact list. But here are a few tips to get you started:
A media contacts list, simply put, is an updatable and managed directory of journalists, editors, bloggers, and influencers relevant to your business.
There are a few important components of a media contacts list:
Contact Names and Positions: Note the names and job titles of journalists or media influencers. This helps tailor your pitch.  Prowly’s Media Databasewith more than one million contacts free for 7-days. prowly.com/media-database/
Email Addresses and Phone Numbers: make sure you have up-to-date email addresses and phone numbers. Accurate contact details are crucial for communication. compile a list of journalists from news sites. There are tools like Muck Rack to find email addresses and social media links to help build that list.
Outlets and News Sites: List the media outlets or news sites they work for. This helps in aligning your story pitch with their publication's focus.
Social Media Links: Note their social media profiles. Engaging on platforms like Twitter or LinkedIn can enhance relationship-building.
Identify journalists and outlets whose beats and audiences match your target demographic. With data from Semrush, Prowly offers the most reliable, in-depth audience and traffic analytics on the market.
Notes and Preferences: Include any personal notes or preferences for contact, such as the best time to email.
Remember:
Element
Description
Industry Focus
Journalists specializing in your sector
Email Distribution
Collect relevant email addresses for outreach
Social Media Links
Evaluate platforms for deeper engagement
 
Clients-contacts-testing.
There are a many social media anylytics services that can allow you to measure engagement, such as agencyanalytics.com, supermetrics.com and www.hootsuite.com, who has a novice friendly dashboard.
And that should get you started. You’re in the big leagues now. This is the business of publishing a book. Go get ‘em!

We spent the past couple of episodes with an exploration of the science fiction genre. Fantasy and magic are popular subgenres. Often over-looked is the spiritual sub-sub-genre. Paul Roach served twenty-seven years in the US Navy Medical Corps, with multiple combat and noncombat deployments. His memoir, Citizen-Surgeon, recounts his experiences as a combat surgeon in Afghanistan. His latest novel is the first part of the Jack’s Rogues Trilogy- Operation Agos, a supra-natural, that is, transcending the natural, a supranatural thriller. His Substack describes his genre as Fantasy - Magical Realism - Metaphysical Fiction.
The website is: paulbryanroach.com
I looked up some research techniques for Fiction writers: From Owl Mountian.com: Research is the secret ingredient that transforms a good story into a great one. Whether you’re diving into historical events, exploring cultural nuances, or nailing down technical details, solid research lends authenticity and depth to your fiction. But how do you ensure your research enhances rather than overwhelms your narrative? Here are some tried-and-true techniques to help you weave facts seamlessly into your storytelling...
owl-mountain.com/2025/02/04/effective-research-techniques-for-fiction-writers/
 

Jotham Austin, is a Research Associate Professor at the University of Chicago. He is also a Chicago Writers Association Board Member and Director of the Book of the Year Contest. Professor Austin is the author of the sci-fi psychological thriller, ‘Will You Still Love Me, If I Become Someone Else?” He is also the co-host of the Rabbit Hole of Research Podcast, which explores the science in fiction and tries to separate the “Handwavium” from the actual facts in the things we read and see in Sci-Fi, fantasy and pop culture. When he is not in the laboratory or writing, he can be found gardening, woodworking, or enjoying a craft beer.
The Website is:https://www.jothamaustin.com  
Autumn is the perfect time to work on that project you were putting off all summer. At the www.chicagowrites.org/speakers_bureau we have something for everyone!
And don't forget to visit our blog for useful tips and resources on writing at chicagowrites.substack.com
Become a member today! Visit Chicago Writes.org
Visit my Substack at WCTurck.substack.com

Jotham Austin, is a Research Associate Professor UChicago. He is also a Chicago Writers Association Board Member, Director of the Book of the Year Contest. Professor Austin is the author of the sci-fi psychological thriller, "Will You Still Love Me, If I Become Someone Else?” He is also the co-host of the Rabbit Hole of Research Podcast, which explores the science in fiction and tries to separate the “Handwavium” from the actual facts in the things we read and see in SciFi, fantasy and pop culture. When he is not in the laboratory or writing, he can be found gardening, woodworking, or enjoying a craft beer.
The Website is: https://www.jothamaustin.com

A great city writes its own blood and spit and sweat and Chicago is a writer’s city. That muscle and toil can never be told from the outside but can only be rightfully told by those who have lived and walked the avenues and alleyways. Sinclair’s The Jungle was written here. We are at once bellicose and pious, corrupt and righteous. Chicago built its metropolis from the heartland and the heart demands incorruptible voices bearing witness... 
Celtic Knot by Robert Patrick Conlon is an interesting case. The first thing that comes across, and may be more poignant through the prism of today’s headlines is the struggle unique to each immigrant and their families. It is a true life story of a grandfather told lovingly and in fictious form, a faithful retelling of a family story passed down word of mouth across many generations, perhaps rounded and deepened a bit, but reinforced through the prism of historical background.
Robert Patrick Conlon is a retired trial attorney and a Founding Partner of the Chicago based law firm, Walker Wilcox LLP. The website is eckhartzpress.com/shop/celtic-knot/
Brad Meinecke is the son of two Chicago personalities, Chicago’s first children’s show host Angel Casey and a prolific Chicago artist Tristan Meinecke. He writes his memories of growing up in Chicago.
A link to my conversation with Brad about Tristan and Angel

First up, Sharon Woodhouse is a former Chicago-based indie publisher, and the current owner of a book business agency, Conspire Creative. Sharon is also the author of the new book, The Profitable Author: 1,001 Ways to Build a Business You Love Around Your Books.
Sharon is offering a free six-part writer’s workshop at indie-bookstores around Chicago, running every other Tuesday beginning July 15th through Sept 23rd, titled,  Summertime and the Business Is Easy Mini-Workshop Series
The website is www.conspirecreative.com
Ashley Honeysett’s critically acclaimed, award-winning debut novel is titled, Fictions. The book is an innovative story of a new mother and a struggling writer, but also a metaphor on the nature of creativity and storytelling. Ashley studied creative writing at Stephens College in Columbia, Missouri, and published poetry and prose in journals at Columbia as well as at Michigan State University. Fictions is one of our Book of the Year winners.
The website is: www.ashleyhoneysett.com
David W. Berner’s latest book of poems, titled Garden Tools, is filled with wonderful imagery and intimate recollections around the theme of gardening as metaphor for our lives. David is a critically acclaimed, award-winning author and long-time broadcast journalist. And a former Writer-in-Residence at the Jack Kerouac Project in Orlando and at the Ernest Hemingway Birthplace Home in Oak Park, Illinois.  
The website is www.davidwberner.com, which is worth a visit just to see a sublime example of marketing and author branding done right.
Don't forget, this year the Chicago Writers Association has added recently published books of Poetry and Prose to the Book of the Year contest. Become a member and visit Chicagowrites.org for details.
The Chicago Writers Association is a resource for writers and authors here in Chicago, around the country and worldwide. Join today! Visit Chicago Writers Association
 

Mark Taylor is a former newspaper and trade magazine reporter who covers the business, financing and delivery of healthcare. Taylor is a former Kaiser Fellow and a co-founder of the Association of Health Care Journalists. He is the author of Hospital, Heal Thyself: A Mathematician’s Plan for Saving American Lives and Billions of Dollars, available at Amazon… Mark Taylor is also one of our book of the year winners.
Stephen Zimmer is an award-winning author, filmmaker, and broadcaster based out of Lexington, Kentucky. He specializes in the Sorcery and fantasy genres. His visual work includes the feature film Shadows Light, shorts films such as The Sirens and Swordbearer, and the Rayden Valkyrie: Saga of a Lionheart TV Pilot. Mr. Zimmer also co-hosts the Star Chamber Show, a weekly live audio podcast featuring creative talents from around the world. If that doesn’t keep him busy enough, Stephen Zimmer is the editor-in-chief of Seventh Star Press, a small press with multiple imprints, Stephen founded and co-directs The Imaginarium Convention, a 12th year annual convention held in Louisville, Kentucky for writers and storytellers of all genres.
His latest novel is Embrace of the Sun.
The website is www.stephenzimmer.com
Visit the Chicago Writers Association at chicagowrites.org

Adam Kaz on getting published with Zines, and a writing and organizing technique. Adam talks about beat words. Connect with Adam at thegroundisuneven.com and check out his portfolio at kazadam97.journoportfolio.com. And on Facebook and  Instagram you can find him at kazadam97.
Zine World’s website, www.undergroundpress.org, has event listings, a list of zine libraries and infoshops, how-to articles, and links to many other resources.
Zinebook, www.zinebook.com, has articles on zine history, legal issues, how-to advice, and more. Templates for organizing pages for printing.
Our featured guest is Journalist and author Amy Yee. Amy currently writes for the Chicago Sun-Times Her book, Far from the Rooftop of the World: Travels among Tibetan Refugees on Four Continents, is one of our Book of the Year winners for 2024. A travelogue, a human saga, a memoir. For more on Amy Yee visit, amyyeewrites.com, and The University of North Carolina Press at uncpress.org/book/9781469675510/far-from-the-rooftop-of-the-world/
Jason Page is the author of The Mental Hospital Survival Guide, now in it’s 4th edition. Available on Amazon.
To hear my unedited conversation with Jason, visit my Substack page at wcturck.substack.com.
For more on Lindsay Schultz and her battle against book bans, visit The Spine Bookshop.
Visit PEN America and authorsagainstbookbans.com
The Chicago Writers Association is open to writers and authors all over the year. Unlock a wealth of writing resources by becoming a member today. Visit chicagowrites.org.

On this episode of Chicago Writes, Christopher Hawkins is an award-winning author and a current book of the year winner from the CWA. His works of short fiction have been published in numerous magazines and anthologies, including Cosmic Horror Monthly, Fusion Fragment, Underland Arcana and The Big Book of New Short Horror. He is a member the Chicagoland chapter of the Horror Writers Association. His latest novel is Downpour. The websites are: downpourbook.com (Downpour by Christopher Hawkins, is that through your publisher? And www.christopher-hawkins.com.
Don't forget to check out: A Plot Structure for Writing Terrifying Horror Fiction, by Pamela Koehne-Drube at Novlr.org
Unlock a wealth of writer's resources at chicagowrites.org

Lindsay Schultz owns/manages The Spine Bookshop in Smyrna, Tennessee. Lindsay is battling efforts to ban or restrict books at schools and libraries. She is also the host of The Spine Bookcast on Youtube. The website is The Spine Bookshop. com
Sharon Ann LaCour’s debut literary novel, The Meeting of Air and Water, tells the story of three generations of Cajun women.
The Meeting Of Air And Water was a novel-in-progress finalist in the William Wisdom-William Faulkner novel competition in 2019. Visit sharonannlacour.com
Ana Castillo's latest novel is, Dona Cleanwell Leaves Home: Stories.
Consider joining or giving the gift of a Chicago Writers Association membership and unlock a wealth of author and writing resources by visiting chicagowrites.org