Derrick Bang, the man behind the Peanuts anniversary book 50 Years of Happiness and editor on the collection of Schulz’s other strip, It’s Only a Game, is casting about for stories about how Peanuts has affected people. Let me turn the blogmike over to him:
Calling all Peanuts fans!Don Fraser, a former Peanuts master licensee for more than 35 years, and co-founder of Aviva Enterprises and founder of Inetics, Inc., and Derrick Bang, author of 50 Years of Happiness: A Tribute to Charles M. Schulz and Charles M. Schulz: Li’l Beginnings, have embarked on a new project – and they need your help.
Security Blankets: How Charles M. Schulz Touched Our Lives (a working title) will be a collection of heartwarming, poignant, uplifting and celebratory tales of how Schulz and his characters Charlie Brown, Snoopy and all the rest have made an impact on us all. The book will be published by Andrews & McMeel, a long-time participant in the Peanuts franchise.
Think of the “Chicken Soup” books, but with a Peanuts focus.
We’re seeking short – between 500 and 600 words – anecdotes that reveal how Peanuts has made a difference in your life: a tale of how Peanuts affected you, not a friend or family member.
The narrative must be written in the first person (“I’ve loved Snoopy since…”), and it must concern a truly pivotal event in your relationship with the Peanuts gang. We don’t simply want a list of your enormous collection, or a short saga about how you adopted a beagle and named it Snoopy. We’re after events and encounters that transformed you and/or loved ones: a story that shares how Charlie Brown and his friends became an integral part of your life.
What are we looking for? We’ve heard from folks who still own the plush Snoopy they received during a traumatic hospital stay; or exchanged the same Peanuts greeting card, back and forth, for years and years; or, while serving in the Armed Forces overseas, received a Peanuts card or item at an important moment… that sort of thing. Don’t worry that your story might be the same as somebody else’s; we’ll make that decision.
If we use your story, you’ll receive credit and a copy of the finished book. And all stories, regardless of their possible use in this project, will be forwarded to the Charles M. Schulz Museum in Santa Rosa, and considered for inclusion in their permanent archives. That said, the Schulz Museum will not be involved, in any way, in the creation of Security Blankets.
Please note: By submitting your story and photo, you are granting all book usage rights to us authors, and if your story is used you will be asked to sign a release to that effect.
If possible, we also want a photograph to accompany your story: a picture that shows you holding the plush Snoopy you=92ve owned since childhood, or standing alongside the hand-crafted outdoor Peanuts Christmas decoration that has made you a neighborhood icon. These photos should be of good quality, and suitable for reproduction. Please, ask us for photo details when responding with your Peanuts anecdote.
Stories should be submitted by regular mail or e-mail to:
Derrick Bang
4350 Cowell Blvd.
Davis, CA 95616
(530) 747-8047dbang@davisenterprise.net
Questions? Don’t guess – call or write!
