Copper Empire wrap-up for 2013

This year proved to be filled with new and exciting (and nerve-wracking) adventures for me.  After writing a historical novel titled Copper Empire (yes, it really took me over two decades to write and complete a novel), I decided it was time to publish and distribute.

I joined the Upper Peninsula Publishers and Authors & Association and received a wealth of advice and encouragement from its membership for which I'm very grateful.  I decided to publish using CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform which was fairly easy to do, although it took me several weeks before I could find a decent illustration for my book cover.  I had books shipped to me, loaded them in my car, and drove to the U.P. in mid-May to sell books for the first time as well as attend the UPPAA conference.  As a salesperson, I was nervous because selling is way outside of my comfort zone.  I was pleasantly surprised though, by how nice the store owners were.  A total of 40 stores bought copies of my book which blew me away.

I also worked on a PowerPoint presentation about the 1913 labor strike and Italian Hall.  My nephew Sean created a wonderful short video that accompanied my presentation perfectly.  Although I had to work through alot of nervousness, I've managed to do the presentation at Fort Wilkins in Copper Harbor, the Port Huron Library, the Lyon Township Library and the Huntington Woods Library.  Through it all, I met many interesting people with U.P. tales of their own.  I also did alot of personal growth and confidence building as a result of doing the presentations.

The Thumbprint News recently published an article I wrote about the 1913 strike leading up to Italian Hall.  You can download the article to your tablet, or print out pages 1, 20 and 21: http://www.thumbprintnews.com/

As always, Copper Empire is available in many U.P. stores as well as Amazon.com.  You can also purchase a Kindle version:  http://www.amazon.com/Copper-Empire-Donna-Searight-Simons/dp/1482656698/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1386257816&sr=1-1&keywords=copper+empire

Thank you all for your support during this past year.  Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Copper Empire Presentations

I've given two presentations about my book and how it relates to the 1913 Copper Country labor strike, leading up to the Italian Hall tragedy.  The first presentation took place in late July at Fort Wilkins in Copper Harbor.  The second one was last week at the Port Huron Public Library.

After much preparation (I rehearsed the lecture once per week), I think both presentations went very well.  Not only do I bring some display items (including a copper piece and a carbide lamp), but I have a short video that depicts the Copper Country in 1913.  I'm so grateful to my talented nephew, Sean Davidson, for putting the video together as it really enhances the lecture!

I've met many audience members who talk to me before and after the presentation to let me know their own experiences with the Copper Country.  One woman answered a phone call a long time ago(maybe the 1940's) to learn that a couple of her family members were killed in a Copper Country mine.  It's those kind of real-life stories that encourage me to continue presenting.  While the Copper Country is fascinating, it's also filled with some tragedy that has destroyed lives.

Anyway, I've been asked by more libraries to give my presentation which I'm so honored to do!  I'll be presenting at these places:

Saturday, November 2nd at 2pm
Lyon Township Public Library
27005 S. Milford Road
South Lyon, Michigan

Wednesday, November 13th at 7pm
Huntington Woods Public Library
26415 Scotia Road
Huntington Woods, Michigan

I hope to see you some of you there!  Below are a couple of pics from the Port Huron presentation.  Sorry about the poor quality--I had to scan the photos and couldn't figure out how to crop them!

 

My family and I just returned from a trip to the U.P.!  We had a great time and enjoyed much cooler weather (60's) and mostly sunshine.  The picture to the left has some of my family members.  I'm in the back row to the right.  We are at the Devil's Washtub in Copper Harbor.  It's a bit of a rocky hike, but was worth the climb.

On the way to the Copper Country, we stopped by Hartwick Pines and Manistique.  In Munising, I did a book signing at Falling Rock Bookstore and Cafe and was surprised that my friend and author Donna Winters had driven an hour from Fayette to keep me company at the book signing!

We continued westward and stopped at Canyon Falls in L'Anse which was beautiful.  By the time we arrived in Houghton, it was evening and we were exhausted.  We rented bicycles the next day to bike around the waterfront, then met up with Jim and Joyce Floriani for dinner at Gino's.

The next day we continued northward for another book signing at Copper World in Calumet.  Tony (the owner) and his son were gracious hosts.  Afterwards, we took a tour at Calumet Theatre, stopped by the Calumet Visitors Center as well as Italian Hall to pay our respects.  When we reached Copper Harbor, we quickly had dinner so I could prepare for my presentation at Fort Wilkins.  The presentation went fine as I had rehearsed my lecture many times over the last six months.  After the presentation, I could finally do some relaxing!  But instead of kicking back, we took time to sell more books. . .Copper Empire is now being sold in over 35 stores which I'm very grateful for.  I truly hope people enjoy the book.

Anyway, we stopped for lunch at Lac La Belle, had a peaceful visit at Bete Gris and took a tour at Delaware Mines.  And to top of it off, we had an energetic hike at the beautiful Estivant Pines, then took a smaller hike around the Copper Harbor Lighthouse.

We had a wonderful up north!  And now it's back to work for me.  :)

UP: Here I Come!

I'm busily preparing for my upcoming trip to the U.P. at the end of July. . .I'm very excited to return to my "second home".  I can't wait to see the small towns, friendly people, slower pace, the blueness of Lake Superior, the beauty of the U.P. landscape, etc.  I'll be doing a book signing at the Falling Rock Bookstore in Munising on July 20th at noon.  I'll also sign books at Copper World in Calumet on July 22nd at 1pm, then later that evening I'll present on the 1913 labor strike at Fort Wilkins.  It'll be a vacation revolving around my book, but I hope to have a moment or two just to sit and back relax.  Hope everyone is having a great summer!

FREE BOOK GIVEAWAY!

If you're interested in winning a free copy of Copper Empire, be sure to check out the Goodreads link: 

http://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/show/55622-copper-empire

In other news, I'm still preparing for my presentation on the 1913 Copper Country labor strike on July 22nd at 7:30pm at Fort Wilkins in Copper Harbor.  I will also be signing copies of my book at the Falling Rock Bookstore & Cafe in Munising on July 20th at noon.  I hope to meet some of you there!

Hurry, hurry!  If you're interested in receiving a free copy of my book, all you need to do is read this interview and post a comment at the end of the page to be entered in a drawing: http://www.greatlakesromances.com/blog/donna-simons.html

A big thank you to my friend and author Donna Winters who wrote and posted the interview on her blog, Great Lakes Romances!

I've been keeping busy making plans to visit the U.P. in late July.  I'm giving a presentation about my book at Fort Wilkins in Copper Harbor on July 22nd at 7:30pm and have been practicing the Powerpoint presentation.  I also hope to arrange some book signings around the U.P.  I'll post more soon.

Have a wonderful summer!

Book Update

My book is now being sold across the U.P.!  You can visit these fine locations to purchase a copy:

Calumet
Copper World

Escanaba
Canterbury Book Store

Houghton
Book World

Marquette
Snowbound Books

Sault Ste. Marie
Island Books & Crafts
Up North Books


You can also find Copper Empire at the Michigan Historical Museum in Lansing as well as Amazon.com.  A special thank you to Jim Floriani for helping me start the book selling!

The Advisor Source Newspaper published an article about my book last Thursday.  They did an awesome job!  Check it out:  http://sourcenewspapers.com/articles/2013/03/28/news/doc5154aa9b2bf75651683250.txt

Exciting News!

Copper Empire is now available for purchase via Amazon.com:  http://www.amazon.com/Copper-Empire-Donna-Searight-Simons/dp/1482656698/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1363367175&sr=1-2&keywords=copper+empire

If you are local and can pick up the book from me directly, send me an email at dksyooper@yahoo.com and I can give you a discounted rate on the book.

Copper Empire will also be available soon at bookstores and giftshops in the Upper Peninsula.  Having the books available at bookstores in the metro Detroit area has become a challenge that I'm still trying to figure out.  It seems that we either have Barnes & Noble or small bookstores that only carry used books.  I've sent an inquiry to B&N to have the book available in their stores in the Metro Detroit area and am hoping for a positive response soon.

Copper Empire is timely in its historical significance:  it was 100 years ago when copper miners became fed up with dangerous working conditions (particularly being forced to work with the one-man drill), low pay and long hours.  The miners became so disgruntled, that membership increased with the Western Federation of Miners.  Several months later, the men voted to go out on strike.

Self-publishing Copper Empire has been a major undertaking with all the details to look after, including editing, printing and publicity.  I've learned alot throughout the process and I'm sure I'll learn more throughout the year.  It has helped to be a member of the UPPAA (Upper Peninsula Publishers and Authors Association).

I plan to do book signings in the U.P. this spring and summer and have been working with local libraries to coordinate a presentation on the trials of being a copper miner in 1913.  I look forward to meeting some of you this year. . .thank you for your interest.  :)

My first novel

One hundred years ago marked a tumultuous time in Michigan's Copper Country.  Copper miners were fed up with dangerous working conditions, long hours and low pay, so they joined the Western Federation and went out on strike in July of 1913.  To make matters worse, on Christmas Eve, five months into the strike, an unthinkable tragedy occurred that forever changed the Upper Peninsula.  How did the Houghton and Keweenaw counties go from mines filled with hard-working men to daily picketing, confrontation, accidents, and even death?

Although I've written many freelance articles over the years, I've never had a novel published.  That fault is soon to be corrected!  I am self-publishing a work of historical fiction, Copper Empire.  With a release date of May 1, 2013, this book has been a labor of love for more than twenty years.

Believe it or not, I first started writing the story when I was 20 years old and fresh out of college.  Even with a Bachelor's degree in Journalism, I had no idea what I really wanted to do with my life, but I knew I had a passion for writing.  I went on a vacation to the Upper Peninsula with my dad, stepmom and sister and fell in love with the copper country.  I was intrigued by its local history and the fact that my grandmother was born and raised in Houghton.  I wondered how in the world she ever survived the brutal winters.  I was also curious if she knew the copper miners. . .especially the ones that had gone on strike in 1913--100 years ago!  My grandmother would only have been ten years old, but I still feel connected to the saga that copper miners endured through her yooper heritage.

Copper Empire is a historical novel based on real events.  The story centers around Paul and Marie Weyburn in Calumet, Michigan and how they survive a copper mining strike that threatens financial ruin for their family. 

Please visit the book's website: https://sites.google.com/site/copperempire/   Also, stay tuned for blog updates.  In the meantime, leave a comment (including your email address) and you will be entered into a book drawing for a copy of the book.  Thank you for stopping by!