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Saturday Special from the Vaults: Intro and Chapter 1 of Johnny Cash: The Man in Black
I've posted the openings to my Enslow biographies of Janis Joplin and Jimi Hendrix--guess it's time to give Johnny Cash his due. I enjoyed writing about Johnny Cash because a) he was a really interesting guy and b) I grew up listening to him. My folks liked country music, and Cash was one of their favorites. My only regret was that I didn't find a place in the book to mention that Cash liked to fish in northern Saskatchewan. Normally, I never pass up an opportunity to sneak a little Saskatchewan into a book. Herewith the introduction and first chapter of Johnny Cash: The Man in Black. And, of course, a ...Saturday Special from the Vaults: Andy Warhol: Everyone Will Be Famous for 15 Minutes
For this week's Saturday Special, another opening to another biography written for Enslow Publishers, this one about artist Andy Warhol. Like my biographies of Janis Joplin and Jimi Hendrix, it was for the series American Rebels. I actually studied a bit of art history and minored in art at university, and we make a point of visiting art galleries wherever we go, so this one was fun. Even more so since a Warhol exhibit passed through Regina while I was in the early stages of working on it. Herewith, the introduction and first chapter to Andy Warhol: Everyone Will Be Famous for 15 Minutes. But first: a link where ...Saturday Special from the Vaults: Janis Joplin: Take Another Little Piece of My Heart
Another Enslow book, Janis Joplin: Take Another Little Piece of My Heart tells the story of another '60s rock star who died at age 27--within just a few weeks of Jimi Hendrix's death. Since I also wrote biographies of Johnny Cash and Andy Warhol for Enslow, I spent several months kind of stuck in the '60s. (I won't say "reliving the '60s, because I was a pre-teen in that decade and can't say any of the social or musical upheaval impacted much on my consciousness!) Enjoy! And if you feel so inclined, here's a link to the Amazon page where you can purchase the book....Saturday Special From the Vaults: Introduction to Jimi Hendrix: Kiss the Sky
For several years I wrote numerous non-fiction books for Enslow Publishers, ranging from science books to biographies. Among the biographies were four for a series called American Rebels, for which I wrote books on Johnny Cash, Janis Joplin, Andy Warhol...and Jimi Hendrix. For this week's Saturday special, the introduction (complete with footnotes!) to Jimi Hendrix: Kiss the Sky. Which you can purchase here, if you're interested! ** Jimi Hendrix: Kiss the Sky By Edward Willett Introduction Shortly after 9 a.m. on Saturday, September 24, 1966, a young black man stepped off a Pan American Airlines airplane at London’s Heathrow Airport. All he had with him was $40 in borrowed cash, a small bag containing ...My bios of Johnny Cash and Andy Warhol are out!
Both are listed as "In Stock" on Amazon and I have my author's copies, so it must be true! Here are the covers (and the back-cover copy) for each: Johnny Cash: The Man in Black When country music legend Johnny Cash took the stage at Folsom State Prison in 1968, he solidified the public's perception of him as a rebel who followed his own path. Born in Arkansas during the Great Depression, Cash endured poverty, the death of his older brother, and a difficult relationship with his father. He turned to gospel and country music to express the pain, and after many years of struggling, his songs of hardship ...Audiobook of Jimi Hendrix: Kiss the Sky now available
I had a nice surprise in the mail today: the audiobook version of my children's biography of Jimi Hendrix, Jimi Hendrix: Kiss the Sky. The book was published by Enslow Publishers; the audibook was created by Recorded Books. [caption id="attachment_9899" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="Narrator Ezra Knight"][/caption] Narrator Ezra Knight does an absolutely fabulous job, not surprising considering what an accomplished actor he is. In fact, as I started listening to the book, I had to get out my print copy because it sounded so good I actually thought they must have rewritten the introduction--but no, ...That other biography-writing Edward Willett
I am not the first Edward Willett to write books; nor am I the first to write biographies. Long before I squalled my first cries in the foothills of the mountains of New Mexico; long before I first set crayon to paper as a boy of six in the public schools of Tulia, Texas; long before we made our weary way north, north, through plains and hills (but mostly plains) from Lubbock to Saskatchewan; long before that fateful day when, the weather not being clement, I and my friend Richard Straker set ourselves to write short stories, an act from which ...My Janis Joplin bio arrives!
Today I received my author's copies of Janis Joplin: Take Another Little Piece of My Heart, the biography I wrote for Enslow Publishers. Another book out--the first of five or six bearing my name that should appear this year.Here's the back copy:Born in Port Arthur, Texas, Janis Joplin spent much of her adolescence looking for a place where she belonged. In 1967, she found that place onstage, singing with Big Brother and the Holding Company, a band from San Francisco. Joplin became a household name after the Monterey Pop Festival, and her star burned bright until her untimely death in 1970 ...Cover of my Janis Joplin book
As I noted in the previous post, my children's biography of Janis Joplin, Take Another Little Piece of My Heart, will be out from Enslow Publishers as part of their American Rebels series sometime this year (currently, Amazon says May).I just discovered the cover art has now been posted on Amazon, and here it is!This is the same series that my biography of Jimi Hendrix, Kiss the Sky, published last year, is part of, and the same series I'm writing books about Andy Warhol and Johnny Cash for this year.Cover of my Janis Joplin book
As I noted in the previous post, my children's biography of Janis Joplin, Take Another Little Piece of My Heart, will be out from Enslow Publishers as part of their American Rebels series sometime this year (currently, Amazon says May).I just discovered the cover art has now been posted on Amazon, and here it is!This is the same series that my biography of Jimi Hendrix, Kiss the Sky, published last year, is part of, and the same series I'm writing books about Andy Warhol and Johnny Cash for this year.
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Magebane
“Spectacular” – Publishers Weekly (starred review)
“Evil wizards, multi-level conspiracies, hidden kingdoms…Lee Arthur Chane…has done a marvelous job…Magebane is a very entertaining book and well worth the time.” – A.M. Donovan, Night Owl Reviews
I happily recommend Magebane and I’ll certainly give Chane’s next novel a try based on this one.” —Bill Capossere, Fantasy Literature
“…an original and delightful tale of epic fantasy and magic, steampunk science, adventure, tragedy, and love…” – Errant Dreams Reviews
Eight centuries ago, the world changed. A devastating war swept the lands, and the MageLords, who had long ruled by virtue of their spell powers, were driven to a distant place, separated from those they had ruled by a magical Barrier. With magic banished from the rest of the world, the MageLords became mere legend and people turned to science to improve their lives. But if one man has his way, all that is about to change….
Written as Lee Arthur Chane (the middle names of my older brothers, Jimmy Lee and Dwight Arthur, and myself, Edward Chane Willett).
Marseguro
Winner of the 2009 Prix Aurora Award for Best Long-Form Work in English
Water world Marseguro is home to the Selkies, a water-dwelling race created from human DNA. When an unmodified human seeks revenge on a Selkie by activating a distress beacon taken from the remains of the original colony ship, a strikeforce is sent from Earth to eradicate the genetic abomination. Yet Marseguro will not prove as easy to conquer as the Earth force anticipates…
Terra Insegura
Finalist for the 2010 Prix Aurora Award for Best Novel in English
Marseguro, a water world far from Earth, is home to a colony of humans and the Selkies, a water-dwelling race created from modified human DNA. For seventy years the colony has lived in peace. Then Earth discovers Marseguro, and a strike force is sent to eradicate this “abomination.” But Marseguro has created a genetically tailored plague to use against Earth’s Holy Warriors. With the enemy defeated, the people of Marseguro feel they are safe. But Chris Keating, the traitor who signaled Marseguro’s location to the Holy Warriors, has fled to Earth, unknowingly carrying the deadly plague within him. The people of Marseguro feel they must send a ship to Earth with a life-saving vaccine. Only time will tell what awaits them when they reach their destination.
Lost in Translation
Kathryn was a human empath whose world and life had been destroyed when the alien S’sinn slaughtered her parents before her very eyes. Jarrikk was a young S’sinn, an unproven warrior who’d seen his flight mates slaughtered by the humans who’d sought to colonize his world.
As humans and S’sinn found themselves on the brink of war, these two Translators had to work together to find a common ground and avert catastrophe. But whether their Translators’ oath and training could overcome the enemies leagued against them was very much in doubt…
Archives
Song of the Sword
My new YA fantasy novel from Lobster Press
Before the Lady called her, Ariane’s life was a mess. Two years ago, her mother disappeared. She bounced around different foster homes until her aunt finally took her in. The meanest clique at her new high school has decided to make Ariane their prime target. And to top it all off, she is having frightening premonitions, and they are becoming more intense. The moment water touches her skin, she sees visions of a lake, a lady, and a sword. When a staircase opens up in the middle of Wascana Lake and the water begins singing to her, she has no choice but to answer the call….
Historic Walks of Regina and Moose Jaw
Ten walks to points of historic and architectural interest in the cities of Regina and Moose Jaw (eight walks for Regina, two for Moose Jaw).
Johnny Cash: The Man in Black
When country music legend Johnny Cash took the stage at Folsom State Prison in 1968, he solidified the public’s perception of him as a rebel who followed his own path. Born in Arkansas during the Great Depression, Cash endured poverty, the death of his older brother, and a difficult relationship with his father. He turned to gospel and country music to express the pain, and after many years of struggling, his songs of hardship and hope would finally reach the ears of those waiting for an artist who represented them, ordinary people fighting to survive.
Andy Warhol: Everyone Will Be Famous for 15 Minutes
“Paintings are too hard. Machines have less problems…” In the 1960s, Andy Warhol became the most famous creator of a new style of art called pop art, which transformed mass-produced items of popular culture into fine works of art. From Campbell’s Soup cans to photographs of Marilyn Monroe, Warhol’s willingness to use anything and everything from the mass media in his work expanded the range of subject matter available to artists. His avant-garde films, artistic usage of American icons, and unconventional social life made him a controversial figure, both greatly admired and deeply reviled. A trendsetter rather than a trend-follower, a dispassionate observer of both the seamy and celebrity sides of life, Warhol was a true American rebel.
Disease-Hunting Scientist
The true stories of six real disease hunters. Epidemiologists travel the world trying to keep us safe from deadly diseases—from high-tech labs in Canada to remote villages in Africa. Learn how these “disease detectives” are coming up with new ways to fight disease, and find out if you have what it takes to become an epidemiologist, too!
The Bounty Mutiny
The Bounty was a British ship visiting Tahiti in 1789 when some of the crew overthrew the captain, William Bligh, and set him adrift in a tiny boat with sailors loyal to him. The mutiny resulted in a number of trials–both of the men who mutinied and of Bligh for losing command of his ship. These fascinating events have been the source for numerous Hollywood movies, most recently The Bounty. The Bounty Mutiny: From the Court Case to the Movie explores the famous case and the movies it inspired.
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