St. Louis event a "huge success"

Martha signs a copy of Deep Water.

We wish to express our thanks to all who came out to tonight's reading/booksigning event in St. Louis, MO. Management of the Ladue Crossing Barnes and Noble was surprised by the large turnout and termed the event a "huge success." We also wish to thank Jennifer L. Lynch, community relations manager of the Barnes and Noble store, for her assistance in planning the event.

Booksigning in St. Louis on June 19

We invite you to attend a reading and booksigning for Deep Water: Joseph P. Macheca and the Birth of the American Mafia at 6:30 p.m., Tuesday, June 19, in the Ladue Crossing Barnes and Noble in St. Louis, MO.

Hardcover and paperback copies of Deep Water will be available for sale before and during the event.

Coauthor Martha Sheldon, a descendant of the New Orleans Macheca family, is a native of St. Louis. She is a graduate of Villa Duchesne Sacred Heart and of Washington University. She has held volunteer positions with SSM Cardinal Glennon Children's Hospital, Malcolm Bliss Mental Health Center and Barnes Jewish/Christian Hospital. She and her daughter reside in the city.

This is the second signing event for Deep Water, which was released in February by iUniverse.

Deep Water signing draws a crowd

We wish to express our thanks to all who helped make tonight's booksigning event in New Orleans such a success, in particular John Macheca, Andrew Dodenhoff, and Britton and Deb from Garden District Book Shop. The event, originally scheduled for 5-7 p.m., had to be extended to 9 p.m.

We were delighted by the large turnout and by the opportunity to meet with former New Orleans Mayor Moon Landrieu and his wife Verna, American Italian Foundation President Joseph Maselli, historical researcher Doug Casey of Metairie and historian/entrepreneur Fernando Cuquet of Mississippi, as well as the many descendants of the Macheca clan who stopped in for the event.

Tom speaks with Fernando Cuquet.

Martha meets with Joseph Maselli.

The authors are interviewed by Christopher Tidmore (99.5 FM).

Booksigning in Crescent City on April 17

NEW ORLEANS, March 7, 2007 — Thomas Hunt and Martha Macheca Sheldon, coauthors of the biography "Deep Water: Joseph P. Macheca and the Birth of the American Mafia," will appear at Garden District Book Shop in New Orleans next month to discuss and sign copies of their book. 

"Deep Water" captures the life and times of the 19th Century New Orleans businessman and gang leader considered by many to be the "godfather" of the first Mafia organization to germinate in American soil. The book answers at last the many questions surrounding the 1890 assassination of Police Chief David Hennessy and the subsequent lynchings, in which Macheca lost his life. The book is published by iUniverse, Inc., of Lincoln, NE. Additional information is available through 1-800-AUTHORS. 

Mr. Hunt is an organized crime historian who resides in New Milford, CT, with his wife and their three chldren. Ms. Sheldon is a native of St. Louis, MO, a descendant of the Macheca Line, and an authority on her family history. 

The event is scheduled for Tuesday, April 17, between 5 and 7 p.m. The Garden District Book Shop is located in the historic Rink property at 2727 Prytania Street.