Tag: Octavia Books

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David Duke, Bloody Knife Feature in Next Episode of Tenured Cynic’s Hopeful Podcast

Chapter 11 of ‘The Little Girl Book Podcast’ named for BRPD narc impeached at LSU

Baton Rouge, LA — February 5, 2024 — An incident at LSU involving a bloody knife and a future KKK grand wizard makes literal headlines in the next installment of author Jeremy White’s The Little Girl Book Podcast. Starting Friday, February 9, listeners can hear White narrate Chapter 11 of The Little Girl at the Bottom of the Picture: A Journey of Selfless Discovery, White’s memoir detailing how his wife, Edie, discovered her biological family in 2018 and the insanely beautiful, transformational journey that ensued.

“Chapter 11’s namesake, Gus Tabony, was impeached as a member of LSU student government in 1974 for being employed by Baton Rouge Police as an undercover agent, and he haunts the nightmares of Edie’s birth father to this day.”

“This is where we learn how Edie’s pacifist father came to be cited in two books about David Duke by challenging the Nazi with a bloody knife at LSU’s Free Speech Alley,” White said of an incident depicted by his media center’s header image, as printed on the front page of The Daily Reveille in 1969. “Additionally, Chapter 11’s namesake, Gus Tabony, was impeached as a member of LSU student government in 1974 for being employed by Baton Rouge Police as an undercover agent, and he haunts the nightmares of Edie’s birth father to this day.”

White adds that he’s excited about the opportunity to share their “unicorn of a story about love and forgiveness that the world so desperately needs right now.” Citing his book’s preface, the author notes, “In an age characterized by sickening inhumanity, this work celebrates the best of our humanity. Transcending issues of genealogy, The Little Girl appeals to readers seeking empathy in a divided land, and authentic beauty in an increasingly ugly world.”

In lieu of a traditional audiobook, the tenured cynic is narrating his hopeful book in weekly episodes, each one covering a chapter from White’s retelling of how Edie solved a mystery that had been plaguing a gangster-adjacent, Ukrainian American family for 65 years. Nearly a dozen chapters recount Jeremy and Edie traveling on COVID’s eve to Seattle, Austin, Chicago, and California wine country to meet her far-flung new folks. The Little Girl Book Podcast is available for subscription on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Google Podcasts, with new chapters arriving on Fridays.

White Lines Press published the ebook and 468-page hardcover editions of The Little Girl at the Bottom of the Picture on July 1, 2023. Signed editions are available at LittleGirlBook.com and through partnered indie bookstores around the country, including Blue Cypress Books and Octavia Books in New Orleans. For more information and resources, visit our media center. Inquiries should be sent to media@redstickcomedy.com.

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Tenured Cynic’s Hopeful Book Garners Early Press After July 1 Launch

State’s largest paper covers The Little Girl at the Bottom of the Picture in Sunday edition

Click for full-sized image of the July 20 edition of The Pointe Coupee Banner.

Baton Rouge, LA — July 31, 2023 — Multiple newspapers have dedicated many column inches to covering Jeremy White’s new memoir about his wife, Edie, finding her biological family in 2018 and the beautifully insane story that ensued. One day after the launch of The Little Girl at the Bottom of the Picture: A Journey of Selfless Discovery, the July 2 edition of The Sunday Advocate included a report on the tenured cynic’s hopeful book.

More recently, Edie White’s hometown newspaper ran a full-page, full-color feature on her and the book in which she’s the hero. Kevin Fambrough’s in-depth coverage in the July 20 edition of The Pointe Coupee Banner features several photos, including some taken during a launch event at Cavalier House Books. That’s where Fambrough interviewed the 1988 valedictorian of Catholic High School-Pointe Coupee for his report.

Edie White’s hometown newspaper ran a full-page, full-color feature on her and the book in which she’s the hero.

Readers of The Little Girl learn how, literally overnight, the baby of Edie’s adopted family becomes the eldest sibling in a new, amazing family, fathered by a pacifist cited in two books for challenging David Duke at LSU with a bloody knife. During her pre-COVID travels with Jeremy to Seattle, Austin, Chicago, and California wine country, Edie ultimately solves the last of three mysteries presented to her: What happened to the little girl at the bottom of the picture? It’s a question that plagued an enthusiastic horde of gangster-adjacent Ukrainian Americans for more than 65 years.

The Pointe Coupee Banner began operation in 1880 and has published without interruption during wartime eras and numerous natural disasters. Meanwhile, The Advocate is a Pulitzer Prize-winning newspaper with the largest circulation among all dailies in Louisiana.

White Lines Press published the 468-page hardcover edition of The Little Girl at the Bottom of the Picture on July 1. Signed editions are available at LittleGirlBook.com and through partnered indie bookstores around the country, including Blue Cypress Books and Octavia Books in New Orleans. For more information and resources, visit our media center. Inquiries should be sent to media@redstickcomedy.com.

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Uptown Merchant Helps Tenured Cynic Launch Hopeful Book

Octavia Books taking pre-orders for The Little Girl at the Bottom of the Picture

Baton Rouge, LA — June 21, 2023 — Octavia Books in the New Orleans West Riverside neighborhood has partnered with White Lines Press in launching Jeremy White’s upcoming debut book about his wife discovering her biological family in 2018 and the insanely beautiful, transformational journey that ensued. The Little Girl at the Bottom of the Picture: A Journey of Selfless Discovery details how Edie White solved a 65-year-old mystery that plagued a Ukrainian American family near Chicago, after initially learning her pacifist father is cited in two books for challenging David Duke with a bloody knife at LSU.

“In the latter chapters of our incredible journey,” author Jeremy White says, “I offer readers a taste of New Orleans, which hosts happy reunions at Oktoberfest, Greek Fest, and Mardi Gras. Readers also learn about the krewes of Muses, Bacchus, Thoth, and Box of Wine. Same goes for the 610 Stompers and Mr. Bingle.” White adds, “For nearly a quarter century, Octavia Books has encapsulated the flavor of New Orleans, and we’re excited to be partnered with the community-minded folks there.”

Octavia Books underwrites The Reading Life, a weekly radio show hosted by Susan Larson on WWNO, and serves as the official retailer of the Tennessee Williams & New Orleans Literary Festival.

Owner Tom Lowenburg, along with his wife, Judith Lafitte, opened Octavia Books in 2000 at 513 Octavia Street in a historic building at the corner of Laurel. Locals learned of the duo’s commitment to the city when they managed to reopen their doors just over a month after Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans in 2005. Octavia Books underwrites The Reading Life, a weekly radio show hosted by Susan Larson on WWNO, and serves as the official retailer of the Tennessee Williams & New Orleans Literary Festival. The store will soon double in size upon the completion of renovations that also incorporate Scrambled, a restaurant next door.

White Lines Press is publishing the 468-page hardcover edition of The Little Girl at the Bottom of the Picture on July 1, but readers can pre-order signed copies at LittleGirlBook.com, where 1 in 20 customers will win a signed “lagniappe” copy. Signed hardcover editions are also available through partnered indie bookstores around the country. For more information and resources, visit our media center. Inquiries should be sent to media@redstickcomedy.com.

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WAFB airs Greg Meriwether’s powerful interview with tenured cynic about hopeful book

Jeremy White opens up in first interview as author of The Little Girl at the Bottom of the Picture

Baton Rouge, LA — June 15, 2023 — Jeremy White, author of The Little Girl at the Bottom of the Picture, opened up to award-winning anchor Greg Meriwether, who produced a TV news segment so compelling it evoked a laugh-inducing “I’m intrigued” from his co-anchor upon its conclusion. WAFB’s Elizabeth Vowell’s off-the-cuff remark on live TV drew a guffaw from Meriwether on Wednesday, June 7, during  the CBS affiliate’s 6 p.m. newscast. The nearly five-minute video represents White’s first interview since penning the immersive account of his wife, Edie, discovering her biological family in 2018 and the beautifully insane adventure that ensued.

“He’s made a living making fun of things, putting the ‘sin’ in ‘cynic,'” Meriwether jokes in introducing White to viewers. “He wasn’t always a big believer in miracles. He says, though, it’s a miracle of sorts where his life is now.” Meriwether describes Jeremy as a former “part-time comic, part-time high school referee, full-time cynic” who “traded in all of that for the wonder of discovery, to write a book to try and answer a very simple—and yet terribly complicated—question: Who is the little girl at the bottom of this picture?”

“For 65 years, they’ve been living with this,” White says of the family pictured. “You’ve got all those other children sitting on the steps behind her. These are women in their eighties,” he notes, who “had never seen their little cousin since that picture was taken.”

Fighting back occasional tears, White explains that for “a very large, enthusiastic, Ukrainian American family,” the photo depicted on his debut book’s front cover “had to suffice as the lasting image” of his titular character.  “For 65 years, they’ve been living with this,” White says of the family pictured. “You’ve got all those other children sitting on the steps behind her. These are women in their eighties,” he notes, who “had never seen their little cousin since that picture was taken.” In addressing his shy wife, Edie, and her initial reluctance to having her life being published for public consumption, White concludes, “Eventually, she’s realized this is really something that could really impact, in a positive way, a lot of people.”

Greg Meriwether is an EMMY and Edward R. Murrow award-winning anchor and reporter who has been at WAFB for nearly two decades. Meriwether anchors the CBS affiliate’s 5, 6, and 10 p.m. newscasts and is WAFB’s managing editor. The Kentucky native came to WAFB after studying journalism and history at Western Kentucky University.

Jeremy White is a tenured cynic who penned this hopeful book. He founded South Louisiana’s premier satirical publication in 2004, eight years before relaunching the award-winning Red Shtick Magazine as its all-digital progeny, The Red Shtick. The passionate Cajun can often be heard on various popular radio shows as either a guest or a guest host. A longtime football official and Mardi Gras krewe captain, Jeremy earned a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering at LSU, where he and Edie met. They’ve been happily married since 1992 and live in Baton Rouge with their cat, Waffles.

White Lines Press (an imprint of Red Stick Comedy, LLC) is publishing the 468-page hardcover edition of The Little Girl at the Bottom of the Picture on July 1, but readers can pre-order signed copies at LittleGirlBook.com, where 1 in 20 customers will win a signed “lagniappe” copy. Signed hardcover editions are also available through partnered indie bookstores across the country, including Blue Cypress Books and Octavia Books in New Orleans. For more information and resources, visit our media center. Inquiries should be sent to media@redstickcomedy.com.

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Tenured Cynic’s Upcoming Hopeful Book Hits No. 1 on Amazon

The Little Girl at the Bottom of the Picture tops new releases in adoption

Baton Rouge, LA — June 12, 2023 — Jeremy White’s The Little Girl at the Bottom of the Picture: A Journey of Selfless Discovery claimed the top spot on Amazon’s list of new releases in adoption weeks before the book’s official publication date of July 1. On Thursday, June 8, the hardcover edition from White Lines Press sat at No. 1 on the site’s list of new releases in the popular category, while the ebook edition also has been near the top.

In The Little Girl, White immersively details how his wife, Edie, discovered her biological family in 2018 and the insanely beautiful, transformational journey that ensued. Literally overnight, the baby of Edie’s adopted family becomes the eldest sibling in a new, amazing family, fathered by a pacifist cited in two books for challenging David Duke at LSU with a bloody knife. During her pre-COVID travels with Jeremy to Seattle, Austin, Chicago, and California wine country, Edie ultimately solves the last of three mysteries presented to her: What happened to the little girl at the bottom of the picture? It’s a question that plagued an enthusiastic horde of gangster-adjacent Ukrainian Americans for more than 65 years.

“It truly warms my heart to know readers are lining up to experience a real-life unicorn of a story about healing that the world is begging to be added to the human narrative right now.”

“It’s wild to think that both the hardcover and digital versions of my first book—which don’t come out for weeks—are both top 10 new releases in adoption on Amazon,” White admits. “It’s an insanely beautiful story that we’ve largely held close to the vest for five years, and now we’re literally telling the world about it, so it’s mind-blowing to have such an overwhelming response before we’re even officially out the gate.” He adds, “It truly warms my heart to know readers are lining up to experience a real-life unicorn of a story about healing that the world is begging to be added to the human narrative right now.”

Jeremy White is a tenured cynic who penned this hopeful book. He founded South Louisiana’s premier satirical publication in 2004, eight years before relaunching the award-winning Red Shtick Magazine as its all-digital progeny, The Red Shtick. The passionate Cajun can often be heard on various popular radio shows as either a guest or a guest host. A longtime football official and Mardi Gras krewe captain, Jeremy earned a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering at LSU, where he and Edie met. They’ve been happily married since 1992 and live in Baton Rouge with their cat, Waffles.

White Lines Press is publishing the 468-page hardcover edition of The Little Girl at the Bottom of the Picture on July 1, but readers can pre-order signed copies at LittleGirlBook.com, where 1 in 20 customers will win a signed “lagniappe” copy. Signed hardcover editions also are available through partnered indie bookstores around the country, like Blue Cypress Books and Octavia Books in New Orleans. For more information and resources, visit our media center. Inquiries should be sent to media@redstickcomedy.com.

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2022 Louisiana Writer Award Winner, NYT Best-selling Author Laud Tenured Cynic’s Hopeful Book

David Armand, Susan Mustafa among those praising The Little Girl

Baton Rouge, LA — May 18, 2023 — Accomplished South Louisiana writers are among a growing list of award-winning authors singing the praises for Jeremy White’s upcoming debut book from White Lines Press. The Little Girl at the Bottom of the Picture: A Journey of Selfless Discovery is a memoir about White’s wife, Edie, discovering her biological family in 2018, and the insanely beautiful, transformational journey that ensued.

David Armand, winner of the 2022 Louisiana Writer Award, says The Little Girl “reads like a great literary mystery and love story combined in one—only this tale is true.” Armand holds the Leola R. Purcell Endowed Professorship in English at Southeastern Louisiana University and has authored award-winning novels, poetry collections and a memoir. “Jeremy White’s amazing story,” Armand continues, “is at once inspiring, humorous and an overall testament to the indomitable will of the human spirit: the will to love, the will to persevere and the will to discover the truth, a truth which ultimately serves to heal and help grow—not only for the people in White’s story, but for any readers who find themselves lucky enough to read this book.”

David Armand, winner of the 2022 Louisiana Writer Award, says The Little Girl “reads like a great literary mystery and love story combined in one—only this tale is true.”

White’s work is “a must-read for anyone who enjoys a true-to-life love story,” according to New York Times bestselling author Susan Mustafa. “This heartwarming rendering shows that a balance can be achieved between adopted and biological families, and that we truly have enough love within us to embrace the old and the new with equal fervor,” the true crime writer explains. “Edie’s story is about understanding, forgiveness and compassion, spiced with humor and adventure.” Mustafa has authored several books about serial killers, including The Most Dangerous Animal of All, as featured in an FX series by the same title, about the Zodiac Killer.

The Louisiana Writer Award, which is presented annually by the Louisiana Center for the Book in the State Library of Louisiana, recognizes outstanding contributions to Louisiana’s literary and intellectual life exemplified by a contemporary Louisiana writer’s body of work. Recipients before Armand include James Lee Burke, John M. Barry and Ernest J. Gaines, who was the first writer to be honored with the award in 2000.

Others lauding The Little Girl include Robert Mann, author and professor of mass communication at LSU, and Julie Ryan McGue, author of the award-winning memoir Twice a Daughter: A Search for Identity, Family, and Belonging. Their glowing remarks are available at LittleGirlBook.com, alongside praise from some of White Lines Press’s indie partners, which include Blue Cypress Books and Octavia Books in New Orleans.

White Lines Press is publishing the 468-page hardcover edition of The Little Girl at the Bottom of the Picture on July 1, but readers can pre-order signed copies at LittleGirlBook.com, where 1 in 20 customers will win a signed “lagniappe” copy. For more information and resources, visit our media center. Inquiries should be sent to media@redstickcomedy.com.

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Tenured Cynic Opens Up About Hopeful Book With Radio Host Jim Engster

Jeremy and Edie White atop Rattlesnake Ridge with the Cascades in the background

Author Jeremy White gives first live interview about his debut work

Baton Rouge, LA — May 1, 2023 — Talk Louisiana host Jim Engster recently chatted with author Jeremy White about his upcoming nonfiction book, The Little Girl at the Bottom of the Picture: A Journey of Selfless Discovery. The nearly ten-minute radio segment represents White’s first live interview about his hopeful memoir detailing how his wife, Edie, who was adopted at birth and raised by a loving family, discovered her biological family after altruistically submitting her DNA in early 2018.

White opens by explaining how the longtime satirist and former football official shed much of his identity—represented by his social media handle, comicref—just before the pandemic to focus on this deeply personal literary project about his wife of over 30 years. “It’s nothing short of a miracle,” White tells Engster and his audience, “that someone as private as Edie has come to see that her story is one that the world is begging to be added to the human narrative right now.” Edie’s husband goes on to describe her as “the last person to ever bust into somebody’s life like the Kool-Aid Man.”

“It’s nothing short of a miracle,” White tells Engster and his audience, “that someone as private as Edie has come to see that her story is one that the world is begging to be added to the human narrative right now.”

Engster then brings up the bombshell that propelled the two college sweethearts into this beautifully insane, life-altering adventure. White describes to listeners how AncestryDNA’s iPhone app sucker-punched Edie at work with news that John Hart—a beautiful, complicated man—is her biological father. The former teenage missionary was fragged in Vietnam before becoming a grad student at LSU, where the devout pacifist crossed paths with David Duke at Free Speech Alley in 1969. The headline-making incident is cited in two books about the former Ku Klux Klan Grand Wizard.

Talk Louisiana connects listeners with Louisiana newsmakers through live interviews. Hosted by award-winning journalist and broadcast veteran Jim Engster, Talk Louisiana airs live every weekday at 9 a.m. on WRKF-FM, where it is later rebroadcast at 9 p.m. Listeners can hear White’s interview on the show’s podcast episode from April 17.

Jeremy White is a tenured cynic who penned this hopeful book. He founded South Louisiana’s premier satirical publication in 2004, eight years before relaunching the award-winning Red Shtick Magazine as its all-digital progeny, The Red Shtick. The passionate Cajun can often be heard on various popular radio shows as either a guest or a guest host. A longtime football official and Mardi Gras krewe captain, Jeremy earned a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering at LSU, where he and Edie met. They’ve been happily married since 1992 and live in Baton Rouge with their cat, Waffles.

White Lines Press (an imprint of Red Stick Comedy, LLC) is publishing the 468-page hardcover edition of The Little Girl at the Bottom of the Picture on July 1, but readers can pre-order signed copies at LittleGirlBook.com, where 1 in 20 customers will win a signed “lagniappe” copy. Signed hardcover editions are also available through partnered indie bookstores across the country, including Blue Cypress Books and Octavia Books in New Orleans. For more information and resources, visit our media center. Inquiries should be sent to media@redstickcomedy.com.

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White Lines Press Launches “Lagniappe” Copies Pre-order Campaign for Tenured Cynic’s Hopeful Book

Promo video stars author’s niece he didn’t know existed five years ago

Baton Rouge, LA — March 23, 2023 — A Renton, WA, 10-year-old is melting hearts in a video announcing “the lagniappe copies pre-order giveaway for my Weird Uncle Jeremy’s book, The Little Girl at the Bottom of the Picture.” With an adorable voice and expert delivery, Hadley Hart explains how, “for every twenty signed hardcover pre-orders from White Lines Press, someone from the story will roll a 20-sided die to determine who gets a signed lagniappe copy.”

“Because when you’re done reading,” author Jeremy White says, “you’re going to want to talk to someone about it.” He and his wife, Edie, first learned about their adorable niece five years ago. “Like I tell readers, I never imagined a 5-year-old flat-out stealing my heart, but that’s exactly what Hadley did shortly after first meeting her in 2018.”

A few moments into the video, Hart loudly whispers the correct pronunciation of “lagniappe” (Cajun for “a little something extra”) before explaining how readers can opt to reserve their signed hardcover copies from one of White Lines Press’ growing number of indie bookstore partners, like Cavalier House Books in Denham Springs. Owners John and Michelle Cavalier describe the Kennydale Elementary fourth-grader’s pitch as “hilarious.”

The Little Girl at the Bottom of the Picture: A Journey of Selfless Discovery immersively reveals how Edie’s altruistic decision to submit her DNA results in a bombshell, propelling the college sweethearts into this beautifully epic, transformational adventure. Literally overnight, the baby of Edie’s adopted family becomes the eldest sibling in a new, amazing family, fathered by a pacifist cited in two books for challenging David Duke at LSU with a bloody knife. Jeremy and Edie travel on COVID’s eve to Seattle, Austin, Chicago, and California wine country to meet her far-flung new folks, some of whom see her as a wonderful expansion of their incredibly loving families. Others see her as a bona fide miracle. And at least one person considers Edie the answer to a long-secret prayer that she didn’t expect to receive until the afterlife. With a smattering of bittersweet moments, The Little Girl is heavy on happy reunions, including a mind-blowing, poetic parental reunion of sorts, one involving a Baton Rouge bookstore, no less. Transcending issues of genealogy, The Little Girl appeals to readers seeking empathy in a divided land, and authentic beauty in an increasingly ugly world.

Jeremy White is a tenured cynic who penned this hopeful book. He founded South Louisiana’s premier satirical publication in 2004, eight years before relaunching the award-winning Red Shtick Magazine as its all-digital progeny, The Red Shtick. The passionate Cajun can often be heard on various popular radio shows as either a guest or a guest host. A longtime football official and Mardi Gras krewe captain, Jeremy earned a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering at LSU, where he and Edie met. They’ve been happily married since 1992 and live in Baton Rouge with their cat, Waffles.

Viewers can see Hart’s video at LittleGirlBook.com on the Get Your Copy page. That’s where readers can pre-order from White Lines Press (with a 1 in 20 chance of winning a signed lagniappe copy), or they can reserve their signed hardcover edition from one of several partnered indie bookstores around the country, including Blue Cypress Books and Octavia Books in New Orleans. White Lines Press (an imprint of Red Stick Comedy, LLC) is publishing the 468-page hardcover edition of The Little Girl at the Bottom of the Picture on July 1. For more information and resources, please visit our media center. Inquiries should be sent to media@redstickcomedy.com.

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