Protecting Mrs. Kennedy: Cape Cod News

By Heather Wysocki
hwysocki@capecodonline.com

Cape Cod Times/Zhenru Zhang

HYANNIS — In 1961, President John F. Kennedy famously proclaimed he was "the man who accompanied Jacqueline Kennedy to Paris."


But another man was there every step of the way as well, to protect her in happier moments and comfort her in tragic ones.

"She was an elegant, classy, very intelligent lady who eventually became a good friend," Clint Hill, one of two Secret Service agents assigned to protect the first lady, said.

On Sunday, Hill and Lisa McCubbin, who co-wrote the new book "Mrs. Kennedy and Me," spoke to a packed Fellowship Hall at the Federated Church of Hyannis about those days. The talk was sponsored by the John F. Kennedy Hyannis Museum Foundation.

Hill's image was burned into the country's collective memory on Nov. 22, 1963, when the photo of him diving across a car to protect the Kennedys from additional gunfire was published across the world.

Hill had joined the Secret Service at age 27 after a stint in the Army, and he was assigned to protect President Dwight Eisenhower.

Upon Kennedy's election, though, his assignment switched, to his chagrin.

"Before, the wives' protectors went to tea parties and fashion shows. ... She didn't want me there and I didn't want to be there but we had to find a way to get along," he said of Jackie Kennedy.

Hill was there, he said, for the happier moments of the first lady's life, from travels around the world to trips to the Cape.

"If 100,000 people showed up when Mr. Kennedy was there, double that showed up to see her," Hill said.

He traveled with her to India, Greece, Pakistan and Italy, and on Sunday chronicled the more amusing times.

"I was thinking, 'How am I gonna get that damn horse back? We were just given two tiger cubs," Hill said of two memorable gifts Kennedy was given from Pakistan and India, respectively.

The moments that stressed out Hill were the ones that delighted his charge the most.

"She was spontaneous. She just wanted to have fun," McCubbin said.

Hill's favorite moments were the quiet ones spent with the Kennedy family and children in Hyannisport, he said in an interview after the talk.

"That's when they really had the opportunity to be themselves," Hill said. "She wanted her children to grow up as normal as possible."

He was also in attendance for many of the family's tragic moments — including infant Patrick's death and the president's assassination, which Hill watched from just feet away.

"I reacted as quickly as I could," he said of his choice to dive onto the car. "You're trained to cover and evacuate."

Reliving those moments for the book, which he and McCubbin began discussing during her work on another book about the Secret Service, "was tough," Hill said. "But it was necessary, I think, for people to understand."

Hill retired from the Secret Service in 1974.


Copyright © 2012. Dow Jones Local Media Group, Inc

Guest Post: The War Between Faith and Doubt by Dennis Palumbo

Hollywood on the Couch

The inside scoop on Tinseltown, USA.

by Dennis Palumbo

It's not a war, it's a balancing act.


A misspent childhood watching Saturday morning cartoons has left an image indelibly imprinted on my memory: a character is in conflict between doing right or wrong, prodded to do good by a tiny angel whispering in one ear, while an equally tiny devil argues the opposite position in the other.

Of course, since these stories were aimed at kids, the ethical dilemmas were usually pretty clear-cut: i.e., whether or not to tie an over-sized napkin around your neck and eat your co-star. However, there was still an almost theological aspect to the sight of funny talking animals — rabbits, ducks, and “puddy cats” — with competing imps sitting on their shoulders, caught in some Warner Bros. version of moral angst.

This image occurred to me again recently, when I came upon something written by Lillian Smith. “Faith and doubt, both are needed, not as antagonists but working side by side, to take us around the unknown curve.”

Often, working with my actor, writer and director patients, it sometimes seems as though little twin entities — one named Faith, the other Doubt — sit on their shoulders, whispering their respective messages, like those winged imps in the cartoons.

Which can be a real problem. Because what gives these cartoon scenarios their curious power, what makes them so compelling, is the illusion of moral clarity they provide. The animated image of these imps is of two competing forces, of which one must inevitably win out. And, of course, one is represented as unequivocally better than the other.

With anyone struggling to grow and maintain a Hollywood career, it’s frequently the same. We all want Faith to win out over Doubt. We want Faith whispering constantly in our ear — inspiring us, encouraging us, instilling hope. And make no mistake, these are blandishments every creative artist needs. It’s too daunting a task otherwise.

The mistake, I think, is to strive to banish Doubt, to see it as the enemy. Because, just as courage has no meaning without fear, faith has no meaning without doubt. They’re the yin and yang of all aspiration.

As creative types, we naturally long to sequester our doubts and fears, to disavow pain and worry. Unfortunately, to vanquish doubt is to leave the domain of the human being. Conversely, to embrace both one’s doubt and faith, one’s fear and courage, is to relate to the totality of the human experience.

The paradox of struggling with doubt — as with all so-called “negative” feelings — is that only by inviting it in, exploring and illuminating its meanings, can we be enriched as creative artists. This is especially true for those writers and actors among you, whose work involves creating life-like characters. The plain fact is, the more willing you are to mine the landscape of your own doubts, the truer and more recognizably human your characters will be. (And the more impact your characters’ faith, if such is their destination, will have.)

Keeping the tension between Faith and Doubt alive within you, without either falling prey to blind optimism or succumbing to despair, is not easy. We veer so often in one direction or the other that, in their exaggerated forms, Faith and Doubt can look like two sides of the same coin.

“But how can that be?” you might be asking. Faith and Doubt are so different, such opposites. Not necessarily, not when taken to extremes.

Let me give you an example. Picture two recent therapy patients of mine, both struggling screenwriters. One is full of confidence, with the faith of a saint in the ultimate success of his career goals. He “feels great” about everything he writes. All he has to do is wait for show business to discover him.

The second patient is full of doubt. He took an evening screenwriting class at his local college, but left after two meetings. He won’t show his work to others because “they’ll probably hate it.” He’s just wasting his time even trying to write, because the odds against success are so huge.

Faith and Doubt, two sides of the same coin. Whether an artist subscribes to one or the other, he’s engaged in a kind of “magical thinking” that leaves him out of the equation. In any creative endeavor, as in all aspects of life, an unquestioning faith is the same as unwavering doubt — both are belief systems employed to try to protect a person from the complicated, sometimes contradictory, always unpredictable ebb and flow of actual experience.

“Faith and doubt, both are needed...”

Which brings us back to those Saturday morning cartoons. Because the truth is, if we each had winged imps named Faith and Doubt parked on our shoulders, competing for air-time, the ideal situation would be for their voices to stay at more or less equal volume. For our attention to shift from one to the other, and back again.

And, ultimately, for us to integrate what each has to say, and to struggle to create and thrive from that place within us where all feelings, including faith and doubt, reside.

DVD Review – The Kennedy Detail

Like Mike

 

Often when I review TV shows they have to be really good for me to hold onto the DVD afterwards, instead of selling it. So when I picked this DVD to watch, I pretty much knew it would be a solid one to review, but was going to hit my ‘To Sell’ pile pretty quickly. Because really, what new information could this tell me?

“JFK’S Secret Service Agents Reveal the Inside Story of an American Tragedy Secret Service Agent Clint Hill was just ten feet from President John F. Kennedy, desperately trying to hurl his body in front of the gunfire, when the president’s head exploded before his eyes. Covered with blood and pieces of the president’s brain, Agent Hill pushed Jackie Kennedy into the back seat and, clinging to the trunk of the open top limousine as it sped away from Dealey Plaza to Parkland Hospital, all he could do was slam his fist in anger, and give the thumbs down sign to the agents in the follow-up car behind him. For nearly fifty years, the close-knit group of men who protected JFK have refused to talk about that tragic day. Until now.”

Despite my own feelings about the assassination of JFK, this Discovery special, 'The Kennedy Detail', was a heartbreaking watch. Seeing grown men of the secret service, nearly 50 years after the fact, crying and sobbing as they recount their stories was hard to watch. The show was both insightful and thought provoking, but really it just reaffirms in me that we lost one of the great people of the world that day. And yeah, I happily put this DVD into my collection.

A From Me!!!

Check Out Essence of Life Chronicles!

Hysteria - Promotion With Heart! - Thank You Mr. Woodruff!!

Story Merchant Client Dr. Warren Woodruff's Dad bought three billboards for the town in which he works to get some hype built up for HYSTERIA.

Literally thousands of cars per day pass this sign in the tiny town of Spencer, Indiana, which is the crossroads from Indianapolis to Bloomington and Evansville. No way to get to these cities except passing through Spencer!

He took four women he works with to the IU theatre in Bloomington, IN—the only place around showing the film. They all loved it!  Te theater normally would have  28 -30 people go to see this kind of Indie films, but the place had over 100 people per night. 

 Not such a fancy “billboard” but his heart was in the right place and it filled the theatre three nights in a row!

You gotta love the advertising copy here!

Guest Post: The Secrets to Getting More Book Reviews (Even if Your Book Is Already Out) by Penny C. Sansevieri

We hear it all the time: "the window for reviews is shrinking." And yet we still see reviews appearing everywhere. So how can you capture a share of this market? It's true that often reviews from big-name bloggers go to equally big-name authors. Well, can you blame the blogger? If someone had a choice between reviewing Shades of Grey and one of my recent books, I'm sure Shades would win and I totally get that, but it's hard when you're starting out. You often get reviews when you get reviews, so the old adage of "media draws media" is very true. Then where do you start?

Year ago, when I was first in the industry, it was pretty simple. You could find a reviewer, send him or her a copy and that was that. Now, it's a lot different. Bloggers get hundreds of books mailed to them by publishers on a monthly basis, while book review departments in newspapers have either shrunk or been removed entirely. It's a whole new world. The good news is that there are still great opportunities to get reviewed, but you need to understand the new rules of exposure.

Blogger reviews: Blogger reviews are still great (even though bloggers are busier than ever) but in order to get your fair share, I recommend networking with the bloggers. How do you do that? By following their blogs and posting authentic and helpful comments on their posts -- or by retweeting a review of a book that you particularly loved. Get to know the bloggers you'll be pitching to. They will also appreciate that you took the time to read their blog, instead of just pitching them. It's true with any kind of networking. You tend to go to the front of the line when you know someone, right? So get to know the bloggers.

If you have a series of bloggers you are following who are influential but don't necessarily review books, you could ask them if they might let you guest blog or perhaps run an excerpt of your book on their website or you might coordinate a book giveaway with them. As a blogger myself, I love it when someone writes me for an interview and has actually read our blog. How do I know they've done this? Often they'll weave that into their pitch. For example, "Dear Penny, I saw that you wrote about mobile marketing in January and interviewed Gillian Muessig in May, I think my topic would be a nice addition to your blog because..." See? Now that's much better than: "Dear Penny, I have an idea for your blog I think you might like..." there's a chance I will love it, but a far greater chance I won't because the person pitching just spotted our website and thought: "They might like this." It takes a bit more work to do it the other way, but your returns will be greater and you're also building relationships as you go, making the tradeoff worth it.

Review other books: In order to get reviews, you might need to become a reviewer. I know this might sound crazy. Who has time to review books? Well, that's how we got here in the first place, remember? Reviewing other people's books (who write about similar topics to you) is not only a great thing to do for your industry but a great way to network. I review every book that's appropriate to my market (on Amazon). People love peer reviews, trust me. Imagine if the person you're reviewing reviewed you? See how that works? Make sure to send them the review when you're done. It's a boatload of great karma that could help you get some reviews, too.

Media connections: With newspapers eliminating review departments, how on earth can you get some traction for your book? How about articles and write ups? And even when newspapers do reviews, it can still be a hard road to get them. Especially if your book is self-published, POD or eBook. With 1,500 books published each day, it's tough to weave through the maze of authors out there trying to get attention for their book, too. Here's what I recommend. Get to know the media in your market. Pick a series of newspapers in your immediate area or state. You can find a pretty good listing here: www.newslink.org. You can also select other areas, depending on your book, the reach of your topic or your business. Often smaller regions of the US will still have active review departments so be sure to check all appropriate papers for both reporters who write about your topic, and review department criteria (where they want you to send the book, etc.). By getting to know the reporters who write about your topic, you can network with them early (pre-release) by commenting on articles they've written, or offering them ideas or statistics for future pieces. Remember the networking piece for bloggers? That works here, too and it's a great way to gain attention for your book and get a mention or review in a local or national paper.

Media Leads: I wrote an article on media leads, how to get them and how to respond to them. You can see it here and suffice it to say that the sooner you start with this (yes long before the book is out), the better. It's another great way to network with a reporter.

Amazon Reviews: We've all heard of the big, top ten Amazon reviewers, but like any big-name reviewers they get inundated, too. Amazon is a great portal to expand upon and you should do whatever you can to populate your page with reviews because rarely do readers buy books "naked" (this refers to the book page, not the state of dress). I highly encourage you to review the Amazon list of top reviewers (folks who do post reviews on Amazon) and then pitch the ones that are right for your market. The lure of the top reviewers is that they possess a certain clout, but because of that, the other folks who are solid, faithful reviewers tend to get overlooked. Consider your options with Amazon, and definitely do your research and find some reviewers.

Social sites: Websites like Library Thing and Goodreads offer another great opportunity. First, these communities have millions of very active members and a great place to garner reader reviews. Both sites have a great Reader Giveaway program that we love and use often; in exchange for handing over a free copy members (winners) are encouraged to post a review of the book. Very win-win if you're looking to get the word out there about your book.

While the world has changed a lot in regards to reviews, there are still a lot of opportunities out there for getting to the right people and getting those people to talk about your book. Not only that, but building a strong community of media and blogger contacts will help you not just for your current book, but for future titles as well.

This Blogger's Books from

Clint Hill and Lisa McCubbin will give a slide/video presentation in Hyannis, MA on July 15th

MRS. KENNEDY AND ME – Speaker Series

  ... book signing to follow. Click on the link for details and to RSVP. 

RSVP RESERVATIONS REQUIRED – CLICK HERE FOR RESERVATIONS
space is limited and reservations must be made

By Clint Hill
Special Agent, United States Secret Service
with Lisa McCubbin

When:
Sunday July 15, 2012
4:00p.m

Where:
Fellowship Hall of Federated Church
Main Street, Hyannis, MA (directions)
Authors book-signing immediately following at the
JFK Hyannis Museum, Main Street, Hyannis, MA (directions)

In MRS. KENNEDY AND ME (Gallery Books; On-sale: April 3, 2012; Hardcover; $26.00), Clint Hill gives a first hand account of the four years he spent as First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy’s Secret Service Agent.

In those four years, Hill was by Mrs. Kennedy’s side for some of the happiest moments as well as the darkest. He was there for the birth of John, Jr. on November 25, 1960 and for the birth and sudden death of Patrick Bouvier Kennedy on August 8, 1963. Three and a half months later, the unthinkable happened.

Clint Hill is the agent who courageously ran onto the back of the presidential limousine in the midst of the shooting on November 22, 1963. While he was too late to save the president, he positioned himself on the back of the car in such a way as to ensure that any remaining shots would hit him instead of the First Lady and the already fatally wounded president.

Hill is best known for the role he played that dreadful day, but the story of his earlier time alongside Jacqueline Kennedy is rich with amusing anecdotes from within the Kennedy compound, abroad in locations like India, Pakistan, Greece, and Italy, at the First Family’s country home in Middleburg, VA, and everywhere else the First Lady traveled during that time. He was there for it all.

Written with award-winning journalist Lisa McCubbin, MRS. KENNEDY AND ME gives context to many of the countless iconic images of Jacqueline Kennedy as Clint Hill was there, behind-the-scenes in most cases. Some of the highlights and revelations from the book involve: a conversation President Kennedy had with Hill regarding Aristotle Onassis prior to a trip to Greece in 1961; Jackie’s attitude towards taking shelter during the Cuban Missile Crisis; JFK’s last birthday party, aboard the U.S.S. Sequoia; and many other never before told stories of funny happenings and tender moments.

An intimate memoir of their unique relationship, MRS. KENNEDY AND ME offers insight into the Jacqueline Kennedy few people knew.

Story Merchant Client Warren L. Woodruff Talks About Dr. Fuddle and The Gold Baton

Author Interview - Warren L Woodruff - On My Addiction Books!

Dr. Warren L. Woodruff is a passionate music instructor whose affection for classical music led to the creation of Dr. Fuddle and the Gold Baton. We are honoured to be able to do an interview with someone of such talent.

Welcome Warren.

Warren, how long have you been in the classical music industry?

I’ve been teaching for 26 years, but playing classical music for almost 40 years.

What inspired you to cross the boundaries from musician to author?

I’ve always wanted to inspire others through the joy of great music, not just through my many students, but in written word. I’ve also faced a lifelong challenge like Beethoven, a degenerative hearing disorder, which threatens my musical career, so I wanted to leave a written legacy, since I am not a genius composer like Beethoven.

Do you find the title of author to merely be an added side to your musical side or do you treat them as separate personas?

They are definitely separate personas. I will always be, first and foremost, a musician, even if my hearing disorder has other plans! But being an author is very important also. Other than writing the series of Dr. Fuddle novels, screenplays and picture books, I have many other written projects I would like to complete, all of them musically oriented, except for one, an unpublished manuscript on religious philosophy.

What is your goal behind this novel of Dr. Fuddle and the Gold Baton?

My goal is to create something classic and very different in today’s market--not something that will just be “hot” for a few years and forgotten. The driving force behind each story is mystery and adventure, to engage and entertain young readers. But I also want to pique their interest in music, particularly classical music, INSPIRE them to excellence, and to find their lifelong passion, as I found mine at a very early age.

From the synopsis I was provided the novel seems to create an adventurous flow between music and an exciting storyline. Can you please tell our readers a bit more? What can they expect from reading it?

They can expect a very fun reading experience, even if they have no knowledge of classical music. This book is not an educational tool to promote my art form. It is an adventure from beginning to end, which happens to be set in the musical, magical land of Orphea. They can also expect to feel a longing to hear the music described in the book and a desire to see the whole story played out as a major motion picture, which is in development.

Does the novel contain some of the beautiful sketches that are beside your characters on your blog? 

Yes. All of the artwork is incorporated into the book at the appropriate places in the storyline.

What age group and genre are you targeting?

This first book, middle grade, from 6th-8th grade, but I’m quickly getting feedback that my adult readers are enjoying it every bit as much as the target age group, just like the HARRY POTTER series. As my series continues, the protagonists will age, and the target age group will become Young Adult.

How has the novel been doing in the open market?

We had thousands of downloads the first weekend and have already gotten twenty-three five star reviews, plus feedback from many readers saying they can’t wait to see the movie!

From a little googling I noticed that there is also mention of another novel called First Lady of the Organ, Diane Bish: A Biography can you give our readers a bit more insight to the novel.

This biography was an extension of my Ph.D. dissertation on the most important and visible female organist in history. She is still alive, performing and signing these biographies at her concerts. The book was self-published in 1994, but is still selling. Talk about a project with longevity!

Where can people find your works?

Right now, DR. FUDDLE AND THE GOLD BATON is available exclusively as an e-book for one year at Amazon.com, but the hard copies are also available at Amazon, and other web stores. Autographed copies will be available through drfuddle.com and            drfuddlesmusicalblog.blogspot.com.

Are you working on anything else currently that we should be on the lookout for?

Yes. I’m working on the next book in the Fuddle series, which will be a prequel to the first book, the back story of how things “got to how they got in Orphea” in the first novel. I’m also redrafting my stage play entitled BEETHOVEN. The dramatic rights will be made available to smaller, off-Broadway type venues. It is the moving account of the life of Beethoven, my greatest hero, in six scenes, with narration and music. Eventually, when the timing is right, I will publish my book on religious philosophy.

How has your journey been on becoming an author?

From a general public perspective I always assumed it was something easy. You write and then you send it in, if people like it they go for it, if they don’t you try someone else. The perception is not at all the case, writing in its own sense is an art.

I’ve mostly just written with ease from the heart in a state of inspiration. Oftentimes the writing experience has seemed--for lack of a better word--supernatural. Parts of DR. FUDDLE AND THE GOLD BATON felt as though I was receiving the words from an unseen source, like it was writing itself. This was particularly true of my book on religious philosophy, too, as though my fingers were moving rapidly on the keys, like an automatic dictation for hours on end, as strange as they may sound. But there were also some times, not often, where writing just seemed like hard work.

Do you have any messages that you would like to leave our audience with?

Open your hearts, minds and imaginations to the totally new world of Dr. Fuddle and Orphea! Be ready to experience literature and music in a way you never dreamed possible.

Thanks so much for taking the time to do this small interview. We wish you well in all your future endeavors.

Available At Beachview Bookstore - St. Simons Island

Seven Ways to Die

Story Merchant Client Terry Stanfill's Realms Of Gold Book Trailer