Tag: Ghostly Tales of Route 66

I drove from 1:30 p.m. until 7:30 p.m. to come back to the Bank of America to “activate” the credit card that I signed up for on June 13^th. I tried activating the card—which did not arrive by snail mail for a week— from my home in East Moline, but the bot at the special activation number immediately asked me what account I was calling about. This is confusing, since I was calling about a card, not an account. It was imperative that the card be connected to my personal BoA account, so I did not incur late fees when I move among three addresses. I initially typed in the account that the card would be paid from. The bot informed me that it could not find the account and hung up on me.

I tried a second time, this time using the number on the card, alone.

The bot, once again, tried to verify me by sending a code (known as an ADF) to my land line—again. This was what I hoped we had fixed on June 13th, but I was told that it would take SIX WEEKS to fix, so sending me the new credit card and then trying to send “verification codes” to me at a land line a mere week after I went in, in person, to fix this, was a futile doomed move. Once again, the bot attempted to send the code to my land line. (Six weeks had not passed.)

I finally wrote a snail mail account of my unsuccessful attempts to activate this new BoA credit card. I mailed the account to Felipe at the BOA on Roosevelt Road and Canal Street in Chicago. I also made an appointment, in conversation with a HUMAN BEING, to go in in person at 2 p.. today, July 15^th.,

APPOINTMENT #2

When I entered the bank, no one “greets” you. You just mill around or get in line. The line for the cashier at the cage was three people deep. I got in it and stood there about 20 minutes. The Black guy in front of me seemed to be talking to himself in some African language, via ear buds. (I thought he was mumbling to himself, at first, like homeless people do.) The woman behind me was speaking Chinese to a companion. I was just standing there and hoping, at age 81, that I wouldn’t have to stand in line too long. I have cancer, Type II diabetes, fibromyalgia, asthma and various lesser ailments. I passed out 4 times recently due to the heat, including Grant Park during the Gold Coast Art Show and Opening Night of SXSW inside the Paramount Theater. It was 97 degrees outside, (although very cool inside) and I now had driven to Chicago twice, 15 hours of driving, to “fix” these issues.

Finally, it was my turn.

I told the cashier that I had a 2 p.m. appointment—hopefully with Felipe, who knew the entire story and met with me on June 13th. Someone named Valentina Bullocks (last name sounded like Bullocks, anyway, which seemed appropriate), while consulting a clipboard, said she had no record of an appointment for me. [I made the appointment with a human being on the phone and it took forever, as does anything involving calling the bank and waiting for a “live” person. My son related waiting 2 hours, recently, to dispute a bank charge.]

We ended up in the very same office that Felipe and I had used, after I explained that now the Big Problem was activating a credit card, which shouldn’t be that big a deal. She agreed.

Valentina had truly long pink fingernails—-Barbra Streisand length. I complimented her on them, but wondered how she managed to use them to text on small phones. We chatted.

Another good question is—since this “verification” problem was going to arrive and again require verification, apparently….why didn’t someone who works at the bank figure out that I was being set up, again, for hours of frustration? It feels so much like the decisions the Trump Administration makes where sufficient planning and forethought do not go into actions taken. Someone should have suggested that I NOT get this great new credit card until six weeks elapsed, since now I was right back in Verification Hell.

SECOND BAD DECISION

For that matter, the physical card, itself, is a bad choice. It looks exactly like the regular red debit cards from BoA, except for printing being vertical on one and horizontal on the other—a dubious executive decision. The average elementary school teacher could point out that this would prove confusing for both old people, dumb people and people who assumed that the card would at least be a different color. My enthusiasm for the hunky-dory new card was quickly ebbing.

SUGGESTIONS

So far, there are six things that BoA should take note and try to correct:

1) Make your debit card different in color and appearance from your credit card. The horizontal/vertical thing isn’t enough of a difference.

2) Do a better job on directions on the activation line. Asking the customer “which account” if all that is wanted is for the customer to type in the credit card number is confusing. Reconsider the recorded instructions.

3) If you are having a bot send “verification codes” to a land line and the customer goes in, in person, twice, driving fifteen hours to get to the closest BoA, don’t then send the customer anything that will need to be “verified” before you have fixed the original verification problem (i.e., the change of the cell phone number from the land line number.) I was told that the number wouldn’t be “fixed” for 42 days. It actually can be done manually much sooner, as the Pope found out. But, as also noted, I’m not the Pope. Being a 37-year customer (*which Jennifer credited me with when she came on the phone) didn’t count for much.WHATEVER HAPPENED TO CUSTOMER SERVICE?

[*I actually wonder if Jennifer was right. Could the BoA have made another mistake? My own time-table of when I started with BoA only goes back to 2003, when I closed on my Chicago condo, but I’ll take her word for the length of time I’ve been a loyal customer, which makes this story worse.]

4) Why is there no Bank of America physical bank in the Quad Cities of Iowa/Illinois? We have 385,000 residents. Why is the closest bank a 7-hour round-trip away?

5) WHY DOES IT TAKE 42 DAYS TO SIMPLY CHANGE A WRONG PHONE NUMBER? Isn’t the point of automation to speed things up? Yet the Pope had to lobby for a manual change of his information, to speed things up (and threaten to take his business elsewhere), so are people actually better at this than bots?

6) I was CEO of two businesses. I made a vow that a live human being would always answer the phone. It probably isn’t a coincidence that the Bettendorf Chamber of Commerce once named us Best Business of the Year. (Sylvan Learning Center #3301 and Prometric Testing Center.) Answer your phones in under two hours—and I don’t mean using a bot.

RESUMING THE STORY

Valentina asked me to open my accounts on my two devices (phone and Ipad), and that went well. I opened the personal account on my Ipad and she suggested we call the very same phone number that Felipe had previously told me to call: 800– 276-9939. I was on hold for well over 30 minutes, waiting for a “real live” person to help us. I would ultimately spend two hours in the bank and closer to an hour waiting for the phone agent.

JENNIFER

While Valentina left for long periods with my new card, leaving me alone in a freezing office while she dealt with ADF codes, Jennifer (who finally came on the line after the better part of an hour) sounded like a mature agent. Jennifer had a sense of humor. All of us were polite and frustrated by modern technology, which has made banking much harder rather than much simpler.

Jennifer, Valentina, and Felipe were polite, as was I. They were employees attempting to work within a system that is flawed Big Time. Such things as picking unnecessarily confusing credit cards (the red vertical/red horizontal thing), not being able to change a phone number in less than 6 weeks, making verification into an endurance test, making the wait time on the phone to get a “live” person run hours, represent huge steps backwards from the banking days of my youth and adulthood. The use of bots is a disaster of the first magnitude, somewhat akin to driverless cars that drive right into flooded streets.

America has to do better. It is getting worse with each passing year. PLEASE FIX THIS STUFF. Give us back the English-speaking live human beings, get the time frame to “fix” the phone numbers down to under 42 days, use some common sense. Somebody should have vetoed the identical card idea along with the idea of getting automated bots that simply hang up on you. And would it kill you to greet your customers and maybe say “good bye” to them rather than simply walking off and leaving them waiting in an office, wondering if the employee was planning on coming back at all?

VERIFICATION, AGAIN

Jennifer (the agent on the phone) was intent on “verifying” me. I certainly understand that it is necessary to “verify” but it shouldn’t take 20 hours of driving and literally hours on the phone. I told Jennifer I was IN THE BANK, in person, and then I handed the phone to Valentina who confirmed this. Jennifer said she would make a note of my presence on the premises, which would be acceptable as “proof” and certainly quicker than waiting around for 42 days to simply get a phone number changed or driving 17 hours with 2 forms of ID.

I was now “verified.” [Woot!] I didn’t even have to surrender my firstborn child or give blood.

I told Jennifer that it had taken me 5 hours to drive from the Quad Cities to Chicago on I-80, longer than usual since 55N is under construction. I have cancer, Type II diabetes, fibromyalgia, and many minor ailments, so driving 14 to 21 hours just to gain access to a bank is not my idea of a good time.

When the hurdles being thrown up could have been anticipated and could be eliminated, you get very frustrated. Is this really the best customer service that one of our largest banks can manage? I’m a longtime customer. The hurdles and obstacles put before me were, for the most part, unnecessary and not problems just because I’m old. They are systemic failings of the bank’s systems.

LOST OR STOLEN

I explained to Jennifer that Valentina and I had been attempting to authenticate my credit card for over an hour.

Jennifer then said that the credit card had been declared lost or stolen.

W-H-A-A-T?

Who declared my card lost or stolen? It did not even reach me until June 20^th and today was July 15^th, so it had been in my wallet, awaiting help in activating it on this second trip to Chicago. It had not even been a month.Plus I had written to Felipe to tell him of my unsuccessful attempts to activate it, so the bank should have been aware of the situation (if they read their snail mail.) Nobody called or offered to help. A call would have saved me an entire driving trip to Chicago.

I’m guessing that cards put in the mail are declared “lost or stolen” after a certain number of days. Well, I didn’t even GET the card for a week (USPO) and I was supposed to be spending $1,000 in the first 90 days according to this particular credit card’s offer. Not quite a month had passed since I signed up to receive this credit card. It did arrive, but it did not arrive quickly and the cell phone/land line switch had not been implemented. Maybe when Felipe got my snail mail note, he could have called me back to warn me of the time table on declaring a mailed card “lost or stolen” versus the time limit of 6 weeks to make a very simple change of my phone numbers. I would not have had to drive in if the verdict was that the card was not able to be activated (and nobody appeared to care to offer me one when the 6 weeks would be up.)

FINALE

I asked for a scissors and cut the prospective credit card in half and left it there, in pieces. There was no way this was going to turn out well.

I never saw the branch bank manger (Jessica Vallela) nor did anyone wish me well or say good-bye to me as I left. (But, then, nobody greeted me as I entered, either.)

I was polite. Jennifer was polite. FeLipe was polite. Valentina, who had left the desk numerous times for various unspecified reasons, was polite. Then she simply disappeared.

I sat there, alone, in the Felipe office for a while. After a short time, I got up and left, thinking to myself that the good years in this country are definitely behind us when systems like this are the way things “work”(or don’t work) in modern-day America.

End of “Bank of America, Ghostly Tales of Route 66” and Me.”

Bank of America, Ghostly Tales of Route 66 & Me: Installment #3

By Connie Wilson

On June 27, 2026

In Books, Editorial, Humor and Weird Wilson-isms, Local, News, Of Local (Quad Cities') Interest, Pop Culture

Bank of America

Sep 20, 2025 — The emblem was a stylized monogram “BA”, with both letters merged in one smooth symbol with thick rounded lines and shortened horizontal bars.

Going to my Bank of America outlet in Chicago at Roosevelt Road and Canal Street requires a 7-hour drive—3 and ½ hours up and 3 and ½ hours back. Why don’t we have a Bank of America outlet in the Quad Cities?

I don’t know. Do you?

POPE LEO & ME

I went through a “verification” process similar to that described by Pope Leo (Installment #2) and it ended with me making a trip in, in person, to meet with a representative (supposed to be Caesar Hernandez, but I got Felipe) on Saturday, June 13^th. I took the 2 forms of ID, although, when I was told I needed my Social Security card (a passport would not do), I think I responded that I had not seen my Social Security card since I was sixteen. It did cause me to search for it, however, and—voila!—I found it! (Will wonders never cease?)

However, since the entire goal of “verification” seems to be to make things as obtuse and as computer-dependent as possible, I was told that the employees could not get to my page unless I gave them the specific amounts and dates of deposits from Amazon. Since I lost access to my Amazon account about the same time as I last saw my Social Security card, this turned out to be an impossible task. After the trouble with advertising “BEE GONE” and the directive that my cover had to be “changed,” things descended into the Stephen Colbert Canyon of Censorship. There didn’t seem to be much urgency about cracking the code on how to get back into my Amazon account to “write long”, once I tip-toed over to blogging full-time on WeeklyWilson.com and resumed reviewing movies on www.TheMovieBlog.com, I’ve been reviewing non-stop since 1970. Since Rex Reed and Gene Shalit recently shuffled off this mortal coil, I can try to lay claim to being the longest continuously-reviewing film critic in the U.S. (whether it’s true or not…and it might be.)

SOLUTION?

I don’t know the head of the Bank of America, so I didn’t have the route that Pope Leo took to get things fixed and updated in my literary account, where a REAL LIVE HUMAN might assist me in “fixing” and updating things without me having to drive 14 (fourteen) hours. (I know I said 7 hours, earlier, but this story goes on in installments, remember. This third installment only takes us through the first in-person meeting at the Roosevelt Road and Canal Street with Felipe. There is more).

FELIPE

Felipe was the one bright spot in the Bank of America verification process. Felipe is good. I will excuse him for asking if my granddaughter was “in the room” to help me during a recent phone call. No, Felipe, the granddaughters are in Texas. I’m in Illinois, talking to a bot most of the time. For hours. Becoming very aggravated. Wondering why I never got any reports on my literary account for over 7 years.

Felipe got stuck with me when Caesar got stuck with somebody else. There were lines of people queuing up at the cashier’s window at noon that Saturday (June13). They close at 2 p.m. I can vouch for the fact that it took all of the 2 hours to figure out how to recover my literary account. I still don’t know why I did not receive any “reports” or updates on that account since 2019. I received paper reports on my personal account, but my literary account seemed to reside only in my head and in the form of the checks I have that are supposed to allow me to use it. Both seem to be in limbo.

On June 13^th my personal account seemed to be chugging along okay, paying bills via auto-pay. However, that may have changed, as “suspicious” activity was noted because I went to the cashier’s cage, on June 13^th, IN PERSON, and moved cash from my personal account to the literary account. Let me repeat that: I did this IN PERSON, IN THE BANK. Yet this caused my account to have difficulties noted as suspicious thereafter. (This story isn’t over—yet.) My teacher’s pension is deposited in this account (a princely sum, as you can imagine, since I did not hit the Magic 20 number one must reach in order to actually be able to live on that money in retirement).

For years (and years and years) one-half of all Social Security payments made to government employees (i.e., teachers and firemen, etc.) was taken from us because we were public employees. It was patently unfair and resulted in years of legal wrangling until, quite recently, that one-half was restored. However, Social Security is not deposited into this account. It goes into the TBK less-well-known bank in the Quad Cities which has not yet made me come in twice in person to “fix” errors which cause bots to try to send verification codes to land lines and take over 6 weeks to “fix.” (Yes, I still have a land line. Deal with it.)

I always got PAPER reports on my personal account, although I did not get them for my literary account. As far as I am aware, I did not get e-mail reports, either, although I admit to moving from Einnoc10@Aol.com to Einnoc9876@gmail.com some years back. For almost 10 years, the state of Illinois has hovered over my literary account, eagerly suggesting it was “abandoned” and only too willing to take whatever pittance might reside in it. “Seized” is the chief goal of the state of Illinois with failing authors’ accounts, apparently. (I actually have a close friend who says she once worked on the “seize abandoned accounts” team in the state of Minnesota. Sheesh.)

A still from Seized by Sharon Liese, an official selection of the 2026 Sundance Film Festival. Courtesy of Sundance Institute | photo by Jackson Montemayor.

Each of the three times I received written notices that the state of Illinois was hovering once again, hoping to “seize”my money, I wrote and explained that it was NOT an “abandoned” account. I was merely an unsuccessful (monetarily-speaking) author who didn’t have masses of eager fans gobbling up her books. The account, via Amazon, had its moments. Most of those moments can be laid at the feet of “Ghostly Tales of Route 66,” so kudos to Bruce Carlson for figuring out that ghosts were a guaranteed best-seller.

I did not intend to write only ghost books for my entire literary life. I wrote what interested me at that moment in time, whether politics, children’s books, horror stories, movie and television reviews—short and long—or one random book containing previously published columns and poetry. One can’t accuse me of not taking on a range of topics. Or, as one snarky guest writer at a QC Writers’ events once said, “You’ve ruined your platform.” (And then he went on ad nauseum to talk about writers’ platforms, ignoring the variety of things that a Stephen King, for example, might write about, aside from things that go bump in the night).

So, on June 13^th, I thought Felipe had “updated” all of the phone numbers (etc.) in my two BoA accounts. I even bit on the new Bank of America credit card, which sounded like a pretty good deal. I think Felipe was Top-Notch and whatever is now happening, to prevent me from being able to authenticate that credit card, is probably not his fault. It’s probably an inherent flaw in the BoA system and I’ve been victimized by it to the tune of a 14-hour driving trip. CEO of BoA: take note.

Me applying for a brand new BoA credit card was where things ended after my FIRST 7-hour “in person” trip to the Bank of America with everything “fixed”—or so I thought.

But, of course, things were not settled at all.

The bot was not finished with me.

Two New Route 66 E-Book Offerings Available Now

By Connie Wilson

On January 10, 2015

In Books, Local, Of Local (Quad Cities') Interest, Pop Culture, travel

Some time ago, I traveled most of Route 66 with my husband and wrote 3 volumes of Ghostly Tales of Route 66 for Quixote Press.

Years after the initial publication of the paperback ($9.95) and the E-book that contained all of Volumes II and III, I have begun breaking out the individual states along Route 66, because I removed the pictures when I had the book converted to an e-book, and priced it too expensively (although getting TWO $10 books for $9.95 seemed like a good idea, at the time.)

These new state-by-state e-books have many more pictures than the original e-book, and will periodically go on sale for 99 cents as they are released. Right now, only one state is up: Oklahoma. Also, I used only the Oklahoma stories that appeared in paperback in Volume II, although there are also Oklahoma stories in Volume I. That is because the Fort El Reno Ghost Tour was the centerpiece of Volume II, and that is where I got an actual “ghostly orb” picture (among many others).

I combined the states of New Mexico and Arizona, because I did not have enough stories from New Mexico. But that volume is still plenty long for that plane trip and there are many pictures. It is entitled “Ghostly Tales of Oklahoma: Route 66” and the new book is “Ghostly Tales of New Mexico & Arizona: Route 66.”

The original e-book with the ’57 Chevy fin in red will probably go back up in due time, but, for now, I’m working on the individual states, and next up will be Texas, after the New Mexico/Arizona compilation.

No press release or publicity, yet. I’m waiting until I have more states out there in e-book format.

I remember being at an authors’ gathering at the East Moline Library and I was selling a different book when a gentleman approached me and said, “And the Route 66 ones are good, too!” The original Volume I was Chicago to Oklahoma. Volume I was Chicago to Oklahoma. Volume II was Oklahoma to Arizona. Volume III was Arizona to the coast.

Check them out in e-book format if that is your desired format. The website is www.GhostlyTalesofRoute66TheBook.com.

Halloween Has Come…and Gone

By Connie Wilson

On November 7, 2010

In Books, Local, Of Local (Quad Cities') Interest

It’s been quite a while since I’ve been here, writing about anything going on in my world. That is because I was in Chicago covering the Chicago Film Festival for nearly all of October, at Bishop Hill with other authors, and am now getting ready to launch promotional things for my newest nonfiction book, “It Came From the ’70s: From The Godfather to Apocalypse Now.”

But, first, a look at the signing on October 30th, the day before Halloween, for the final “Ghostly Tales of Route 66” book in the trilogy of “Ghostly Tales of Route 66.”

Find me next on December 4th at Barnes & Noble at Northpark with my nonfcition movie book and stay tuned for news of some other local signings, with the possibility of winning movie passes if you purchase a book.

The young duckling doing the signing is granddaughter Ava, whose twin sister, Elise was off on an “enjoy and destroy” mission of Barnes & Noble at Northpark Mall in Davenport on October 30th.

Drury Designs in Glen Ellyn for Book Fair

By Connie Wilson

On June 30, 2010

In Books, Pop Culture, travel

Drury Design, Glen Ellyn, Illinois

On June 19th, the community of Glen Ellyn had its first book fair. I signed up to participate ($25) and was told (eventually) that my signing spot was the Santa Fe Cafe. I both called and sent literature to Olga Jimenez, the charming owner of the Santa Fe Cafe, a downtown eating establishment that has been written up in “Chicago magazine.

I then set about having myself put on the free “Daily Herald” calendar, saying I would be at the Santa Fe Cafe and I sent some hand-outs to Olga, asking her to post same. She did so on her front door.

Less then a week before the June 19th event, I learned that I was being moved to Drury Designs, a kitchen and bath remodel store on the outskirts of the town. I was to share time/space with a writer of romance novels. I mentioned that Olga and I had already agreed that, since she doesn’t open till 11:00 a.m., I would sign from 11 to 2, rather than 10 to 1, and I was told that I couldn’ t do this because it “wouuldn’t be uniform.”

Actually, many other writers were signing at places around town in connection with the book fair at times other than 10 to 1, including J.A. Konrath, who signed at the downtown pub at night, and John O’Donnell, who had Randy Hundley of the Chicago Cubs come in as a celebrity to help him sell his baseball book.

I also learned that the “keynote” speaker was going to be speaking at a gym, which is not near the downtown, and that tickets were being sold for the speaker. However, none of we less-well-known writers were invited to have a table at the back of this gym while the “keynote” speaker did her thing.

I protested that, having just helped run a book fair in Davenport, Iowa, not having the rank-and-file of writers near the keynote speaker (who is, let’s face it, supposed to be the one who will draw a crowd for the smaller fry) seemed somewhat unfair to those of us stuck in the boonies. And, since I had already made some small efforts to advertise my presence at the Santa Fe Restaurant, moving me at the last minute to a place much further away from the action didn’t seem wise. The response was that the committee wanted to “draw people into the downtown stores.”

I certainly have no argument with drawing people into the downtown stores and I, personally, did my part, buying $80 of dresses for the 17-month old grand daughters, but I do think it (the notice that I must move to a different location than the one I had just told the newspaper) came sort of late in the day, and the reason given (“wouldn’t be uniform”) was bogus.

The romance writer and I saw exactly one woman who was not a committee member, during our 4 hours at the Drury Design, which is a lovely award-winning store. There were 3 other people who came in during the 4 hours, but they had appointments about their kitchen or bathroom remodeling jobs. Jim Drury, the owner of the establishment, was kind enough to buy one thing from each of his 2 authors, which was very nice of him, and I, in turn, said I would post an article about this lovely shop.

I also noted that all 35 to 40 authors could have been fit inside the Drury Design, and the downstairs has a place (separate room) where the keynote speaker could have spoken, although admittedly it is not the size of a school gymnasium. I hope you enjoy the pictures of my set-up inside a kitchen display. The lonely ghost welcomes the readers who did not come to the “Ghostly Tales of Route 66.”

Printers’ Row in Chicago, June 12 and June 13

By Connie Wilson

On June 13, 2010

In Books, Pop Culture

Printers’ Row for the second day (Sunday, June 13th). For the second day, intermittent rain.

My tablemate (Chris Bell) did yeoman’s work, covering for us this morning from 10 to 2. (Yesterday, we did the A.M. shift). Today, we did the afternoon shift, 2 to 6 p.m. 6 p.m.

Stil more rain forced us into Bar Louie twice during the days, which was a small sacrifice. (Great spinach dip).

The ghost books sold well and my roommate and fellow tablemate expressed the opinion that the large wooden thing that says, “Ghostly Greetings” was a good eye-catching prop. (I use it to proop one book up.) If anyone knows where you can buy a more slanted plastic book holder thing, like bookstores use for signings, let me know where to purchase one.

So, next week (June 19th, Saturday), Glen Ellyn Book Fair. I’ll be at Drury Designs (kitchen remodels) from 10 to 1 and then I’m going over to Santa Fe restaurnat at 1:00 p.m. and (hopfully) signing until 2:00 p.m. if Olga Jimenez will allow me o do so.

See you there!

Book Signing(s) in Chicago for June 12, 13, 19

By Connie Wilson

On June 11, 2010

In Books, Pop Culture, travel

Author to Sign Books in Drury Design June 19^th from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. During First Glen Ellyn Book Fair

Author Connie (Corcoran) Wilson will be signing 6 of her most recent book releases within Drury Design from 10 a.m. until 1 p.m. on Saturday, June 19^th, as part of the first Glen Ellyn Book Fair. Nearly all of Mrs. Wilson’s books are priced at (approximately) $10, (with the exception of her 80,000 word novel.) Three form a trilogy of true ghost stories, including pictures taken during a 2,800 mile journey along Route 66 in November of 2008 that took the author on the Fort El Reno (Oklahoma) Ghost Tour, the last tour of the Fort’s season.

Connie will also be at Table #164 (Quadrant #2) on Saturday, June 12, from 10 to 2, and on Sunday, June 13th, from 2 to 6 p.m., at Printers Row in Chicago, downtown on Dearborn Street.

Wilson is a long-time writer (54 years) of both nonfiction and fiction, with a teaching career spanning 41 years spent as adjunct faculty at 6 IA/IL colleges. She has published 8 books covering many genres. There’s literally “something for everyone” in her books published by 6 small independent publishers since 2002.

She began writing at age 10 for her hometown (Independence, Iowa) newspaper and continued writing in high school, college and beyond, while studying at Iowa, Berkeley, Northern Illinois University and the University of Chicago..

Connie attended the University of Iowa on a Ferner-Hearst Journalism Scholarship and graduated as an English major with a Journalism minor. She taught writing both to junior high school students and to college students in writing classes at every college in the Illinois/Iowa Quad Cities. She has also interviewed many famous writers for publication, including Kurt Vonnegut, John Irving, David Morrell, Anne Perry, William F. Nolan, Frederik Pohl and Joe Hill. Recently, she attended the Hawaii Writers’ Conference and she will be at Table 164 at Printers Row on June 12 and June 13. On May 8^th she helped head up the First Annual Quad City Book Fair in Davenport, Iowa.

Wilson’s early writing was primarily for 7 newspapers, including 15 years (1970-1985) spent serving as the film and book critic for the Quad City Times (Davenport, IA) while employed full-time as a teacher at Silvis (IL) Junior High School. In 1987 Connie founded the second Sylvan Learning Center in the state of Iowa (Bettendorf, Iowa) and in 1995, she founded a Prometric Testing Center. She served as CEO of both businesses while also writing humor columns for the Moline (Illinois) Dispatch and raising 2 children with her husband of 43 years, Craig.

Today, she writes regularly for 7 blogs, including Associated Content, which named her its Content Producer of the Year for her political coverage during the 2008 presidential campaign (AC is a Top 50 blog and was recently bought by Yahoo). She also has her own blog, www.WeeklyWilson.com. You can find more information about the author at www.ConnieCWilson.com.

Today, Connie continues to review film and television for www.GetYourGoodNews.com , an online newspaper in the Quad Cities, and she has written for www.blogforiowa.com (archived); www.speakaboutit.com (archived); www.JollyJo.com (second coming stories); and www.helium.com (archived). On March 20th of this year, Connie was named the Writer of the Year by the (Davenport, Iowa) Midwest Writing Center, receiving its David R. Collins Memorial Award.

With the sale of both her businesses in 2002, Connie (Corcoran) Wilson has turned her attention to writing longer works. She has published 6 books since 2002 and 8, total (none of them self-published).

Her most recent release is the third book (Volume III) in a trilogy of true ghost stories set along Route 66, entitled Ghostly Tales of Route 66. (www.GhostlyTalesofRoute66.com). The books are PG-rated, small and amply illustrated, beginning in Chicago with Volume I and moving along the Mother Road as far as Oklahoma. Volume II picks up in Ft. Smith, Arkansas, site of an earlier version of the route, and takes the reader to Arizona. The final volume (Vol. III) goes from Arizona to California and was just released on June 4th.

On May 27^th, Connie was at BookExpo America signing copies of her short story collection Hellfire & Damnation (www.HellfireandDamnationtheBook.com), a collection of short stories with the unifying theme of the sins punished at each of the 9 circles of Hell in Dante’s Inferno. With an introduction by William F. Nolan, the 15-story collection has been widely praised and is nominated for the Horror Writers’ Association Bram Stoker Award this year.

In 2004, Connie collected her previously published Dispatch humor columns to produce Both Sides Now, a collection of David Sedaris-like humorous essays. In December of 2008 Lachesis Published her first collaborative novel, a romantic sci-fi thriller entitled Out of Time (www.OutofTimetheNovel.com), which was pitched to the producer of the Transformers movies in Burbank, California in June.

By August, ARCs (Advanced Reader Copies) of It Came from the ‘70s: From ‘The Godfather’ to ‘Apocalypse Now’ will be released from a small Rhode Island publisher (The Merry Blacksmith). The book is a 250 page nonfiction compilation of 50 movie reviews Connie wrote for the Quad City Times between 1970 to 1979, with an illustration every 3 pages, major cast, and interactive trivia (“Who did the studio really want to play Rocky in the movie of the same name?” Answers are upside down on the page; no fair cheating.)

As she said of the book, “Each review is like a tiny time capsule; the book could never be written this way today, as the reviews were written when movie classics like The Godfather, Star Wars, Close Encounters of the Third Kind and Alien were new. It might mention that Sally Field was on Johnny Carson that night, talking about Alien, for instance.”

Stop by Drury Designs and get a signed copy of Connie’s books. The ghost book trilogy, if purchased as a set of 3m receives a $5 discount from the individual price of $9.95. Check the blogs above, as video trailers appear there for Hellfire & Damnation and Out of Time.

Since 2004, Connie has also been the owner of a condo in the Central Station District of Chicago (Lakeside on the Park), keeping her in touch with her 14-month old twin granddaughters, who live with her son, Scott and his wife, Jessica, in Bridgeport.

Quad City Book Fair Programming Set for May 8th at RME

By Connie Wilson

On May 3, 2010

In Books, Local, News, Of Local (Quad Cities') Interest

The first Quad City Book Fair, to be held May 8^th from 10 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. inside the River Music Experience at 2^nd and Main Street in Davenport, Iowa, will offer something for everyone. Local author Sean Leary will M.C. the presentations from the stage of Mojo’s Café.

First up at 10 a.m. will be Chicago author Lawrence Santoro. Larry is a multiple Bram Stoker nominee and frequently called upon to record other authors’ works. He will read from his new novel Just North of Nowhere immediately after Mary Ellen Chamberlin’s opening remarks to the 40 Midwestern authors assembled.

Following Larry’s presentation will be Cindy Puck, who will talk about “Teens and Money” at approximately 10:30 a.m.

Eight-year-old Anna Shammus of Riverdale Heights, who has written 8 books, will follow Cindy, reading from her works and answering questions until 11:15.

There will be a short break for AV set-up, from approximately 11:20 to 11:30 a.m.

At 11:35 a.m. local author Connie (Corcoran) Wilson, recent winner of the David R. Collins’ Writing Award at the Midwest Writing Center’s March 20^th banquet, will present professionally made trailers of her most recent books, including the three-book trilogy set along Route 66 (Ghostly Tales of Route 66, Vols I through III, www.ghostlytalesofroute66.com) , the short story collection Hellfire & Damnation and her first novel Out of Time (www.outoftimethenovel.com).

At noon, the 40 participants at this first Quad City Book Fair event, some from as far away as Oklahoma, will be welcomed by local politicians, including Mayor Bill Gluba of Davenport and State Representative Jim Lykum.

Karen Craft will follow the dignitaries with her presentation on “Animal Communication” from 12:15 to approximately 12:30 p.m.

At 12:30, the three student winners of the Midwest Writing Center’s essay contest will read their winning 500-word essays on the topic, “My Favorite Book and Why.”

A 40-minute lunch break will follow Ms. Craft’s presentation, from ten minutes of one until 1:30 p.m. (Box lunches will be available inside the RME).

At 1:30 p.m., Muscatine native and author of the graphic novel Road to Perdition Max Allan Collins will speak about writing collaborations. Mr. Collins and his wife have collaborated on several books, and Mr. Collins also was involved in the Dick Tracy comic strip narrative. Collins has been a frequent presenter at the Midwest Writing Center’s summer workshop and at other conferences throughout the nation.

Another well-known author who will be present throughout the day, signing her books at the Barnes & Noble table, is children’s book author, Jill Esbaum, author of Ste-e-e-e-eamboat A-comin’! and Stink Soup.

Cartoonist Steve Lackey will give a 15-minute presentation on cartooning from 2:15 to 2:30 p.m., after which live music begins onstage at Mojo’s Cafe within the River Music Experience and continues until 4:30 p.m, the end of the book fair day.

KUUL radio will be outside the River Music Experience, broadcasting live for three hours in the morning and awarding prizes. Within the RME throughout the day there will be interactive activities for children and adults, alike, with prizes awarded every 15 minutes.

Stop by and meet the 40 authors present for the Quad City Book Fair, being held at the same time as the Beaux Arts Fair in downtown Davenport. When the shopping for jewelry and pottery and other crafts takes its toll, come to the River Music Experience at 2^nd and Main, pull up a chair, meet the 40 Midwestern authors present and enjoy.

Second Annual Route 66 Festival Held at the Old Chain of Rocks Bridge in St. Louis on October 3, 2009

By Connie Wilson

On October 5, 2009

In Books, travel

The Second Annual Route 66 Festival at the Old Chain of Rocks Bridge was held on October 3 in St. Louis, and I was one of the featured speakers at the event.

My husband and I had to take “the scenic route” to St. Louis, via Route 61, in order to pick up Volume II of Ghostly Tales of Route 66, which was hot off the presses on Friday. This second volume in the trilogy documenting ghostly tales along the Mother Road has one story that revisits the Hanging Judge of Fort Smith, Arkansas, a precursor to Route 66, as outlined in the history of the road (p. 17).

Many of the stories were told me during the November 15, 2008 Ghost Tour at Fort El Reno, Oklahoma. Those include “Fort El Reno, Communing with the Spirits,” which tells the story of a very weird occurrence that happened to me during the four to five-hour tour; “The Buffalo Soldier of Fort El Reno, Oklahoma”; “The Mysterious Major of Fort El Reno”; and “The Strychnine Specter of Fort El Reno, Oklahoma.”

After the Oklahoma stories, the book moves on to the Texas Panhandle, New Mexico, and ends at the Arizona border. The final book in the trilogy will pick up in Arizona and take the readers through California, documenting stories told me as I traveled the route.

Pictured here are some pictures of the 70 vintage automobiles that were parked on the Old Chain of Rocks Bridge during the Antique Auto Contest. There were vendors…including the man with the seventy-pound pumpkins! (He was selling them at 40 cents a pound.)

After trying out the AmericInn Casino nearby, we all were thankful that, although it was cooler than last year’s Festival, there was no rain. A good time was had by all.

Review: “Ghostly Tales of Route 66” (NVF Magazine)

By Connie Wilson

On January 11, 2009

In Books

Review: Ghostly Tales of Route 66 (Chicago to Oklahoma)

NVF Magazine, November, 2008

Collection co-authored by Connie (Corcoran) Wilson & Michael McCarty

Quixote Press, 138 pages/$9.95

When I was first sent a copy of this first volume of a planned two-volume set of ghost stories set along Route 66, I automatically pictured a massive volume of ghastly, ghostly tales of haunting and possessions, co-written with other authors. Upon receiving the book, however, I was taken aback at first, sitting there holding in my hands a book of (supposedly) real-life events that (supposedly) happened on the infamous Route 66 that used to stretch from Chicago to California. (The first Volume stops in Oklahoma, with Oklahoma to California to follow).

Although the Mother Road is no longer used, it still, after all these decades, lives on in the hearts and minds of many who once traveled it and lived to tell bout it. And, fortunately for a lot of other avid ghost story fans and me, Wilson and McCarty decided to put together a collection of fifteen of these tales for our reading enjoyment.

Although it clocks in at only 138 pages, this neat little package still packs a sweet and creepy little wallop. The tales are short but sweet, and guaranteed to elicit a shiver or two. Although I am not a big fan of ghost stories, I do so enjoy a well-written, well-constructed ghost story collection with stories like “Rachel & David,” so, to me this book was a real guilty little pleasure.

The opening tale, “Resurrection Mary,” the tale of a young beauty killed on her way to a ballroom dance, is one of the real gems of the collection along with “Rachel & David” by Wilson, containing most of the key elements essential to a good old-fashioned “campfire tale” type ghost story: the sad and very dead girl, haunting the area of her demise, a waif-like beauty dressed in flowing white, hitchhiking along Route 66, haunting the ballroom where she danced in real life, searching for rest…peace…love?

It’s all here, as the tales seem to just float on by, late into the wee hours of the night, the reader unable to put the book down…

This book brought back childhood memories and a strong sense of nostalgia as I remembered the good old days, my friends and I huddled around a campfire, telling creepy tales late into the night, though not as good as these, of course.

I sincerely believe that this book would be a welcome addition to the personal library shelves of such literary masters as Stephen King and Peter Straub.

It is most definitely a welcome edition to mine.

Rating: 4 stars. Order by calling 1-800-571-2665.