CHRISTMAS WITH THE PARTRIDGE FAMILY ON WUSB.FM!

Don't miss my guest appearance tonight (Saturday, Dec 17th) at 6PM on 90.1 FM WUSB! It's a special Christmas radio broadcast of The Partridge Family and The Carpenters Christmas music! You can link to it at: http://wusb.fm/ 

HERE'S THE PROMO FROM WUSB: 

Captain Rockit's Time Machine brings you the holiday event of the season. It's a Christmas Special featuring 2 of the most popular artists of all time, The Carpenters and The Partridge Family. Returning to the WUSB airwaves for this special event will be authors Johnny Ray Miller and Randy L. Schmidt. Johnny Ray Miller's book on the Partridge Family "When We're Singin' is being released just in time for this holiday season. And so is David Cassidy's new Christmas EP! Johnny will update us on the release of the book and the holiday music of both David Cassidy and The Partridge Family! Randy L. Schmidt is the author of "Little Girl Blue" The Karen Carpenter Story, as well as other books. He will be with us to tell us about his latest endeavors as well as offer his expert opinions of The Carpenters holiday music. So if you want to hear a Christmas Special like they used to be, please tune in December 17th at 6 PM Eastern for "An Old Fashioned Christmas", only on 90.1 FM WUSB and WUSB.FM streaming live on the internet worldwide.

Proof for Text Body is in!

Hi gang!

Wanted to let you all know that Kristina has finished the first proof for layout of the book body. I received the proof and I have already gone through it and passed it on to Donna. (copy editor). Once Donna is finished, it will then return back to Kristina. She will make all edits/corrections and then provide us with a second proof to look over. If all goes well, at that point, it goes to print. For fun, check out the picture of Kristina working on the book at her office! 

I will be back with all of you as I share the step by step process of these final stages! By the way, happy anniversary, all of you! (Did you know yesterday was the debut of The Partridge Family, 46 years ago?) Yep...we're THAT old!

Countdown....6....

Book Cover in Layout! Countdown at Nine!...

Hi gang,

Just a quick update for you.

The text and final artwork for the book cover is currently in the layout stages. Kristina Danklef of Sourballpython Studios (Sourballpython.com) will be taking the book through the final stages of layout, including the final design for the book cover.

Kristina is from Salem, Ohio, and has a long background in graphic art. She recently completed work on several books, including "Wisdom from the Woods, Seasons," and she has taken on our Partridge Family book with tremendous excitement.

David Cassidy in Melbourne, March 10, 1974. (this is not the book cover...just a photo for your enjoyment!)

First thing on deck is the book cover, and she will be sending me proofs to look at in the coming days. I am as excited as you are, and as soon as I get the first proof, I'll be back with all of you to fill you in! 

For now...we countdown to NINE! 

Johnny

Countdown begins at.....TEN!

Number 10!

We are going to layout!

This week, the text is sent to the graphic designer's for initial layout! During this stage the graphic artist will work closely with our editor, and myself, as well as our photographers who keep an eye on photos, colors, that sort of thing.

Over the past week we have had several meetings as a team. Some of you have asked where the book is being printed. I am proud to say the book is being printed in the U.S.A.!  

Signature Book Printing Inc. in Maryland will be printing our books once we complete the layout process. Signature Book Printing is highly reputable in their work, producing high quality and quantities of their books. In addition to standard books and paperbacks, they also do high end coffee table books, so they are a great choice for us, given the 64 page color section.

We will be back with you next week to continue counting down!

Let the bus ride continue!

Johnny

IT'S ALMOST TIME!!

Hi everyone!!

The 64-page color photo section is done and will be going to the print sometime next week! (The photo section goes to print separately from the text section, which will be ready in a few more weeks!)

In the meantime, I have sent out a survey form to all of my individual backers. This feature is only offered as a one-time feature through Kickstarter. It allows me to get your shipping address and your name, as  you would like it to appear in print and on the website. I have saved the survey until now, knowing I can only do it once, because I wanted to send it out as close to the print date as possible. You should be getting it about the same time you receive this update!

Once the text section is sent to print I can announce an exact release date, which will be approximately five weeks following the printing process because the book is being printed in the U.S.A., (as opposed to 4 months delivery time if it were printed in China or anywhere overseas). 

I know it has been a long wait for all of you, but I hope the added work on the book will prove worth the wait! I appreciate each and every one of you and all the support you have given me through this past year. Not just for the backing, but for all the kind emails and words of enthusiasm that you have sent as well!

More big news coming soon! Time to get back on the bus! :)

Johnny Ray Miller

Book Updates!

Hi All!

I wanted to get a note out to everyone and fill you in on the book's progress as we head into the spring.

As most of you know, we exceeded our Kickstarter goal by 15%, and we promised that we would expand on the photo section with the extra money. So in the fall, we began work on the photo layout, which went from 48 pages to 64--all color. There was a lot of interest from fans to include the most comprehensive photo section of Partridge Family memorabilia that we could find, so we literally contacted people from all over the world in search of rare items. The end result is a photo section that will have more images of the rarest of collectibles than anyone has ever seen--many of which have never appeared in print. But this has taken a lot of extra time. Not only did we have to locate the memorabilia, but we had to get multiple photographs of everything so we could have the best possible photos to work with. All in all, there are over 400 individual images that will make up the entire photo section!

As of this week, we are nearing the end of the work on the photo section, and the rest of it will be editing. The book is about halfway through editing at this point. I am hoping that in the coming few weeks I will be able to announce an exact release date. 

Thanks, everyone, for your understanding and patience. Rest assured that you have some very talented professionals who are in charge of the editing and the layout, and they are both working daily to get the book out to you as fast as possible.

As the weeks go forward,  you will be getting updates from me more frequently as we approach our "go to print" date. Once the book goes to print, it will be approximately six week after that when we have them in hand to mail out to you. 

I thank you again for your patience and your support, and I'll be back with you very soon!

Johnny 

A Tribute, by Brian Forster

After the sudden and shocking passing of Suzanne Crough, TV brother Brian Forster, agreed to write a very special dedication to her as an exclusive piece for "When We’re Singin.’" The tribute will be included in the book, and it is one of the most heartfelt passages you will ever read from anyone who was ever involved with The Partridge Family.

Suzanne and Brian were very good friends from the time of their youth to the day she passed away. They played together on the set as children, and they attended countless Partridge Family events and reunions as adults through the years. Thanks, Brian, for your generous and heartfelt contribution to "When We’re Singin.’"

Meet Debbie Daum, Grand Prize Recipient!

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During the Kickstarter campaign, it was Debbie Daum of  Indiana that claimed the grand prize, a mini  Fender Stratocaster  signed by the three great Wrecking Crew musicians: guitarist Dennis Budimir, and bass players Max Bennett and Joe Osborn. These three musicians  played on the Partridge Family albums, and all three of their signatures on this guitar make it one of a kind, and an extremely valuable item.

The guitar sports the "When We're Singin'" logo, created by graphic designer Kirk Poffenberger of the Design Studio in Salem, Ohio. The sharp colors and crisp lines were created with the use of vinyl art techniques.

This past weekend, Debbie met with us, along with a few other local backers, and picked up her prize!  Thanks, Debbie, for believing in the book, for getting behind it in such a grand way, and for the great new friendship that we have forged through this process. 

A Long, Overdue THANK YOU to Jason Snyder!

A giant, heartfelt, and long overdue thank you to my buddy Jason Snyder, who has been on board with this book from the very beginning.

Jason is the guy with the bionic ear, who has helped me interpret countless pieces of audio transcript when my ears could not distinguish exactly what was said. Jason and those amazing ears cleared up dozens of details that otherwise would have been lost in transcript. In addition, he was able to help isolate various lyrics in the songs that have been written incorrectly on most lyric sites, and even liner notes from as far back as the ‘70s. 

Jason especially worked countless hours on the transcription of material making this one of the smoothest processes of all the various stages in putting together this book. I can’t tell you all how grateful I am to have this man on the team, and for all the crazy amount of time and work he has put into making this happen.

Thank you so very much, Jason! I couldn’t have done it without you!

Celebrating the 45th Anniversary Today!

We officially declare the next 7 days Partridge Family week!  Come join us for some retro-'70s fun as we celebrate the 45th anniversary of  The Partridge Family! On September 25, 1970 we met the Partridges on ABC Friday nights at 8:30 pm.   

David Cassidy burst out of the gate as an international superstar.  "I Think I Love You" was already climbing the charts when the show premiered,  moving faster and faster towards the No. 1 position!

Pull out your DVD's and CD's and relive some 1970s grooviness as we get ready to launch the release of "When We're Singin' - The Partridge Family and Their Music" in just a few short months! http://www.whenweresingin.com/pre-order-the-book-1/

Brian Forster (Chris Partridge) Hops On The Bus!

Brian Forster will be making an appearance on WUSB.FM Radio to help promote "When We're Singin'"  and celebrate the 45th Anniversary of The Partridge Family! The show is scheduled for this  Thursday from 6-10PM!  You can sign up or simply tune in! Hope to see you all!

Stay tuned!  More updates coming soon! http://wusb.fm/