Postcards from Jekyll Island

DECEMBER 2009

2009-12-01T15:40:00.000-08:00

WHEW! Where has this year gone? Last time I wrote on this BLOG, the book was finished writing and going into print. Now we have several thousand copies of Splendid Isolation, and more book events to attend than I can count on all toes and fingers. Hallelujah! It’s all wonderful!

I’ve thanked many of the people who helped me throughout the process of book writing and editing, but I’ve failed to thank those of you who have supported me as family, friends and fellow readers. It warms my heart to see that you care about me, my characters and this awesome island, Jekyll. So many of you have stopped what you were doing to let me know that. The words “thank you” seem so insipid, but I cannot find a better way to truly express my gratitude. Just know that you are appreciated.

Great things are happening to us and the book! We’ve been on television and in newspapers already, attended two HUGE book signings (we’re doing pre-release sales in our neck of the woods as the book is a 2010 release nationwide). We’ve also brought on board Mr. Albert Carter from the College of Coastal Georgia, whose initiative and technical skills are broadly expanding our horizons!

We’re definitely feeling the Christmas spirit as we sign at Christmas shows and holiday events. Check our calendar for events near you. Praise God for all these blessings!

Please follow us on Facebook and LinkedIn. We would love you to become fans as well! Also, you can check out our activities on BookTour.com.

As always, I’m happy to answer questions and work with you in this intriguing world of writing and publishing. Our virtual door is always open!

Have a very merry Christmas, peaceful holiday season and a blessed New Year.

Warmest Blessings,
Pamela

Book is written!

2009-06-24T16:21:00.000-07:00

July/August

Just as I’m finishing up another book (#8), we receive the glorious news that our last book, Aloha Crossing, handed me the title of the 2009 Georgia of the Year for Middle Readers! As if that were not enough to send us over the moon, that same week we were notified by the Independent Publisher Book Awards that Aloha Crossing won the Gold medal for the Juvenile/Young Adult Fiction category. You can imagine our joy and delight at that news!

As all writers know, there’s a long lonely trail from writing at home to picking up your book in a store. And it’s a hard, stressed and often crazy journey to reach the end, but we all know it’s worth the pain.

Splendid Isolation: The Jekyll Island Millionaires’ Club, 1888-1942 is nearing the end of her gestation period and will soon be born. Like those before her, she will consume my energy and a huge part of my time for the next year or so. She will also be my most beloved for a short while. Her seven siblings understand, because they too, experienced all of this with me.

I want to share another passage of this book with you, hoping to animate my readers and give you something to look forward to.

Anyone approaching the island from the river is greeted by thousands of Spanish moss-draped ancient oak trees competing for space with the palmettos and magnolia trees. After the blinding light and heat of the coastal plain, it’s like waking up in another world. The circular turret of the imposing Club House, lit so that its cream brick glows against the dusk, is topped by a slip of a flag that ripples in the wind. Behind it, a picturesque windmill water tower rises before the dense pine forest. My eyes sweep over the dark brown shades of the monstrous old live oaks and their silvery curtains of moss. In the background I see some of the island’s seasonal mansions, referred to as “cottages” by their owners, and their perfect dark green velvet lawns. Colored men searching for oysters stand waist-high in the river as we draw near the dock. I even see two brilliant cardinals flying overhead!

We’ve arrived at this magical little island they call Jekyl – a most delightful spot, with a diversified beauty of trees and beaches. It is quite unlike any other place I’ve seen; a tiny paradise, I should think.

A fairy scene opens out in wide prospect beyond. The foreground, south, west and north is one mass of verdure wall, dotted with semi-tropical plants and flowers. On the Atlantic side, the island is blessed with miles of wide, gently sloping white beaches. The grey-blue Atlantic Ocean glitters under the high sun, as if sprinkled with diamond dust. The very hard packed sand invites the islanders to bicycle and ride horses and drive automobiles over them.

Stay cool, enjoy summer, and stay tuned for the September BLOG.
Cheers!
Pamela

MAY/JUNE

2009-05-07T05:10:00.000-07:00

Whew! I’ve finished the book on Jekyll Island: Splendid Isolation! At least the first draft, which is now in the hands of my editor. That has kept me so busy I’ve neglected my BLOGS, for which I apologize.

So, rather than asking questions about the Gilded Age, Great Depression, etc. to my BLOG readers, I would like to share with you a small section of the Jekyll Island story. Hopefully, this will whet your appetite for the book to come!

None of the Millionaires escaped the scathing editorials in Mr. Pulitzer’s newspapers, and all reluctantly admitted that there was some truth to them. Nevertheless, they respected Mr. Pulitzer’s keen mind and even more, his integrity. Joseph Pulitzer also provided entertaining comments at any social event, and was known to be charming if he wanted to be. Club President Lanier decided to seat him next to the guest of honor, Andrew Carnegie.

“Are you enjoying your stay at the Dungeness with Miss Lucy?” asked Mr. Pulitzer, gingerly spooning small portions of steaming squash soup into his mouth. He had heard occasional rumors from other members that Andrew Carnegie and his sister-in-law Lucy did not get on very well.

“Not particularly Sir,” Andrew replied with a grin and a shrug. “Print that if you like.”

“Not a bad idea.” Mr. Pulitzer offered him a sly smile. “This seems to be a slow news week. Perhaps I’ll send it out tomorrow.” Across the dark dinner table he could feel rather than see the frown on Mr. J.P. Morgan’s face.

During the third course of the dinner, Joseph Pulitzer posed another question.
“Andrew, we’re about the same age, more or less. I believe we have some commonalities in our backgrounds as well. Weren’t you born in Europe and emigrated to America at a young age?”

Mr. Carnegie contemplated him for a long moment. He knew that Joseph Pulitzer did his homework and seldom made polite conversation.

“I came over with my Scottish family when I was thirteen, and got my first job working in a textile mill that same year,” he replied, swirling brandy in his amber Belgium snifter.

“I see. And I was an impoverished seventeen-year-old Jewish boy in Hungary when my family sailed for America.” Mr. Pulitzer rubbed his long fingers over his eyes. “Even then, I had poor health and eyesight, and the Austrian Army wouldn’t take me.”

Andrew Carnegie placed his hand on Joseph Pulitzer’s arm. “And now we’ve both made more money than we can ever spend. And all we can do is give it to the less fortunate,” he whispered reflectively. “I pray that’s enough.”

Neither man spoke for several moments. Leaning down to retrieve his linen serviette, Mr. Pulitzer asked casually, “Tell me something, Andrew. Did your brother Thomas and Lucy build Dungeness over at Cumberland Island because the Millionaires Club didn’t invite the two of you to join?”

Mr. Carnegie whirled around to stare at Mr. Pulitzer. Then his face softened and he threw his head back and roared.

“You old coot! You know very well they had already begun construction on Dungeness several years before your Millionaires Club came into being!”

Joseph Pulitzer grinned, his blue eyes sparkling with mischief. “So true. And by the by, they only asked me to join them so they could keep their enemy close. And even with that, they’ve not been able to quash the truths I publish about them in The World.” He lowered his voice and leaned forward to whisper in Mr. Carnegie’s ear. “I don’t think Jay Gould has ever forgiven me for buying his paper out from under him and then turning it into a big money-maker.”

Enjoy your summer!
Pamela

January/February 2009

2009-01-21T18:18:00.000-08:00

At the beginning of each new year, many of us like to reflect on what we accomplished last year and project our goals for the upcoming one. I’ve made just one resolution: to complete the writing of the Jekyll Island Millionaires Club story!

You may have discovered in my past BLOGS that Joseph Pulitzer is one of my “favorite” Millionaires. His “rags to riches” life story is compelling. Yet I consider his philanthropic tendencies to champion worthy causes praiseworthy.

Joseph Pulitzer, one of the original members of the Jekyll Island Club, was a Hungarian immigrant who fought in the Civil War and became a successful American journalist. In 1883 he bought a financial newspaper called the World; he already owned the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. A staunch Democrat who vehemently opposed the “aristocracy of wealth” in the pages of his liberal newspapers, he must have greatly annoyed his fellow Millionaires with his accusatory tirades.

When France offered to gift The Statue of Liberty to America, a pedestal fund campaign was launched to build a base in the New York Harbor. After several years of fund-raising, only $182,491 had been collected and $179,624 had been spent. Enter Joseph Pulitzer and the power of his newspapers!

He conducted a whirlwind public subscription to raise the rest of the funds. He asked his fellow Jekyll Island Club members to help out, and was furious with their responses. Pierre Lorillard gave $1000. A few others donated much less.

So he reached out to the ordinary people, setting the goal of the World at $100,000. He taunted the rich (thereby increasing the paper’s appeal among working-class people) and promised to publish the name of every single contributor, no matter how small the contribution. He wrote:

“It would be an irrevocable disgrace to New York City and the American Republic to have France send us this splendid gift without our having provided even so much as a landing place for it…we must raise the money. The $250,000 that the statue cost was paid by the masses of French people—by the working men, the tradesmen, the shop girls, the artisans. Let us not wait for the millionaires to give this money. It is not a gift from the millionaires of France to the millionaires of American, but a gift of the whole country of France to the whole American people. Give something, however little. Let us hear from the people!”

The campaign took on the character of a popular crusade. The press of many other cities rallied to the cause and contributions came from as far away as California, Colorado, Florida and Louisiana. By August 11, less than 5 months after it had launched its latest fund drive, the World announced that the pedestal fund had been completed, and the placing of the Statue of Liberty on Bedloe’s Island was assured.

The Statue of Liberty arrived at New York Harbor on June 19, 1885. Joseph Pulitzer met his goal.

November/December 2008

2008-11-16T08:13:00.000-08:00

It’s the holiday season already! November is the busiest month of the year for us at Piñata Publishing, and December follows closely behind. Each November we participate in several "Christmas Made In The South" shows, and this year we’ll return to exhibit in both Savannah and Jacksonville. Our Event Calendar has those dates so please join us .

I’m delighted to report that after months of researching for the Jekyll Island Millionaires book, I’ve finally begun writing! Due to many school author visits, art shows, and book festivals these past few weeks, I’ve had to write in “bits and spurts.” When I wrote the last few chapters of An Angry Drum Echoed, I went to Tybee Island and hibernated for two weeks, so I could write undisturbed for ten hours a day! Now I’m happy with two uninterrupted hours to write. I’m trying not to give myself an unrealistic deadline for this huge historical saga, so that I can be fair to the characters and the stories.

In the last BLOG I asked if anyone knew how many times Louis Comfort Tiffany visited Jekyll Island. For those who haven’t been here, one of the most beautiful stained-glass windows made by Mr. Tiffany, portraying the theme “David Set Singers Before the Lord,” is here on Jekyll. It was installed in Faith Chapel on March 27, 1921. There has been some question as to whether Mr. Tiffany himself installed the window, but we do know that he was here at least once before that. Only one person attempted to answer the question, so I will leave it on the BLOG for a while longer to see if anyone else can answer. And again, I’ll send the “winner” a copy of one of my seven books.

I’m still looking for interesting anecdotes on Joseph Pulitzer and J.P Morgan. Both characters will be featured throughout the book, and I’m searching for unusual or virtually unknown stories about them. Please share and I’ll give you credit in the Resource Pages in the back of the book.

This month’s tidbit about the Millionaires: During the era of the Big Apple dance craze, the Millionaires decided to have a dance on Jekyll but realized they didn’t know how to dance it. Earl Hill, son of Charlie Hill who worked years for the Maurice family, was talked into inviting twelve black couples to the island to teach them. The Jekyll Island Club members bought new tuxedos for the men and gowns for the ladies, and they were brought over to teach the Millionaires how to dance the Big Apple. The Club employees made up the band, led by “Washboard” Robert Ivory, who later became a professional musician. The band struck up a lively tune and the dancing began. The twelve couples showed how the dance was done, and then the Millionaires tried it, but just couldn’t get the hang of it. So, the couples split up and each danced with one of the Millionaires. Now these twenty-four dancers could rightfully say they had danced with a Millionaire!

Mike and I wish you a loving, peaceful holiday season.

Blessings throughout 2009!

Pamela

October 2008

2008-10-01T12:11:00.000-07:00

Hello again!

Fall is slowly working its way to Jekyll Island, Georgia. The cooler sea breezes sweep over the islands and refresh us on bike rides and beach walks. It’s amazing to think back on that happy day, eight years ago next week, when we pulled into our rental cottage on St. Simons Island with two cats and lots of dreams. We’re just as delighted with the Golden Isles today as we were the first time we saw them in 1988!

Our Greece/Turkey holiday was amazing and intriguing and filled with beauty! After recovering from jet lag, we’re now refreshed and ready to get back to work. If you would like to see our “Kodak Gallery,” we’re happy to share the slideshow with you.

I have found the answer as to whether Thomas Edison personally installed the electric power plant for the Millionaires on Jekyll Island. He did not! “In spite of the fact that several Jekyl members backed Edison’s enterprises, no evidence exists to show that he ever set foot on the island. On the contrary, the George A. Williams Company was contracted in 1902 to build the plant for $36,100. In the end, it would cost $39,500, which was paid, as were most improvements, by private subscription.”
The Jekyll Island Club by William Barton McCash and June Hall McCash

October will find us attending and making presentations at book festivals, art shows and school visits in South Carolina, Georgia and Florida. You can check the Event Calendar on the website to see if we’ll be in your area. If so, please let us know! It’s always fun to combine work trips with visiting friends and family.

This month’s tidbit about the Millionaires: Did you know that Joseph Pulitzer loved Jekyll Island so much that he wanted to spend his last days in unlimited privacy? Sadly, he died on his yacht, Liberty, in the harbor of Charleston, S.C., desperately hoping to reach his Jekyll Island cottage. You’ll learn more about his eccentric character and personality in the book.

Does anyone have any “difficult to unearth” information on Joseph Pulitzer or J.P Morgan that you would like to share? Or, you could send me questions about them to see if I’ve researched enough to get the correct answer!

Question of the month: How many times did Louis Comfort Tiffany visit Jekyll Island? If you know, I’ll send you a copy of your choice of my seven books! I’ll reveal the answer next month.

October is so beautiful in the Golden Isles. Please come on down and let us show you around!

All the Best,
Pamela

August 2008

2008-08-01T19:36:00.000-07:00

Hello friends!

We’ve updated and revised our website, and this is our first BLOG! Our webmaster, Tracy Johnson, has done a marvelous job, and now it’s my turn to make this educational and entertaining. Here goes…

Summer has been an exciting time for Piñata Publishing. In June, An Angry Drum Echoed brought me the 2008 Georgia Author of the Year Award for Young Adult books. In July, our newest title, Aloha Crossing, was launched. This middle reader/young adult novel is the sequel to Hello, Goodbye, I Love You, the story of raising a guide puppy for the blind. In Aloha Crossing, Aloha’s puppy raiser, teenager Diego Escobár, is invited to Georgia to spend two weeks with his beloved dog. Kimberly Louise, Aloha’s blind partner, Diego and Aloha experience new adventures, including a treacherous hurricane and a rattlesnake bite! Aloha Crossing is now available in your favorite bookstore, Amazon.com or on our website!

I’ve been busily researching my next novel, which will take us inside the lives of the famed Jekyll Island Millionaires Club. Did you know that from 1888 to 1942, about 100 of the nation’s most powerful millionaires lived on Jekyll Island, GA during three months of the year? This exclusive club mandated that you could only step foot on the island as a member or an “invited stranger.” Every year one-sixth of the world’s wealth co-existed on this tiny barrier island, where they spent carefree hours hunting, fishing, riding, and exchanging ideas. They debated politics, discussed wars, families, and world news issues. Joseph Pulitzer was invited to join the club only so he wouldn’t write badly about the rest!

My idea is to write the story from the viewpoint of the employees. I will try to pick four of five of the many employees and have each one cover a decade or so. (I think I can better identify with the employees’ minds than I could possibly understand the millionaires’ perspectives.)

By the way, did you know that after New York City and Philadelphia, Jekyll Island was the third “city” to get electricity? Can you imagine why?

And while I’m discussing Jekyll Island, I’m hoping that one of my readers can answer a question for me:

Did Thomas Edison actually come to Jekyll Island to establish the electrical plant?

And here’s another one I’ve not found the answer to yet:

Did Winston Churchill ever visit Jekyll Island? I have read sources that claim he did, and others that said he never felt the Jekyll Island sand between his toes.

So, if anyone can answer these questions, we’ll share the news next month.

Please stay tuned to more updates in September. We wish you a very happy last month of summer!

Cheers!
Pamela Bauer Mueller

September 2008

2008-09-01T14:25:00.000-07:00

Warm greetings!

September is here already! This is the month where Americans celebrate Labor Day, a day dedicated to the social and economic achievements of American workers. Labor Day is an annual tribute paid to all workers for their contributions in making this country a better place in which to live and work.

Joseph Pulitzer, one of the characters in my upcoming book, (working title: Splendid Isolation: The Jekyl Island Millionaire’s Club), was a strong advocate of the working class in the early 1900’s. His newspaper, The World, which he purchased in 1883 from Jay Gould (father of two Jekyl Island Club members), was the cutting edge of reform. Pulitzer used his power to promote ideals of justice, giving the lower classes visions of the possibility of democracy.

The above spelling of Jekyl Island is intentionally misspelled. At the inception of the Millionaire’s Club in 1886, the charter members misspelled Sir Joseph Jekyll’s name. Sir Joseph Jekyll was one of the original British financial brokers for the 13th American colony, Georgia. General James Oglethorpe named this small barrier island on Georgia after Sir Joseph Jekyll. Unfortunately, the charter members of the Jekyl Island Club (northerners, mostly) did not know the correct spelling of his name.

Through correspondence with the Jekyll family, the spelling error was discovered. Club members agitated for the name of the island to be corrected. On July 31, 1929, the Georgia State Legislature passed a resolution to change the spelling of “Jekyl Island,” declaring “the correct and legal spelling of the name of said island is and shall be Jekyll Island.” Thus, 191 years after his death, the name of Sir Joseph Jekyll was corrected in every piece of legal correspondence in Georgia. This seems to be a fitting end to the tale of a lawyer, judge, and politician.

On my August BLOG, I asked if anyone knew whether Sir Winston Churchill had ever set foot on Jekyll Island. Several of you wrote that he had not; one of you stated that he never received an invitation from the Millionaires to visit.

No one has yet answered the question of whether Thomas Edison came to Jekyll Island personally to establish the electrical plant. Maybe we’ll find that out this month!

For a refreshing and unique view of Jekyll Island, please click on the second link to this BLOG: Memories of Jekyll Island. Enjoy the music and exquisite photos of the island.

Michael and I will travel this month to Greece and Turkey, retracing the footprints of some of the Bible’s greatest writers. We should return refreshed and exhilarated. I believe I’ll be ready to buckle down and start writing!

Blessings,
Pamela Bauer Mueller