Just finished another terrific book so I had to write to the author!

 

Nampa, Idaho - December 9, 2025 - I realize that it’s unlikely I’ll hear back from an author, but I write to them anyway, especially after I've been thoroughly entertained by their wonderful book. 

Here’s what I wrote:

Dear Ms. Koppel,

I love nonfiction books about the 50s and 60s; yet, I’ll admit I kept avoiding The Astronaut Wives Club every time I saw it on a shelf and when it’d pop up as a suggestion on my phone. I think it was because the cover features seven June Cleaver types arranged around the Mercury capsule. “Here we go. Another girlie book pushing the feminine agenda.” 

I couldn’t have been more wrong. Not only was the AWC a thoroughly entertaining book that matched the storytelling of best-selling author Bill O'Reilly, but it also served as an undisputed microcosm of everything that was happening in America during that turbulent time. Not only did you capture the all-important human elements behind the launches and splashdowns of the Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo programs, but you also addressed the monumental geopolitical, social, and cultural changes during those early NASA years.

Thank you for writing this wonderful book. It’s one of my all-time favorites.

 

Sincerely,

 

Chuck Trunks

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All my books can be found on Amazon. 💓💓💓

Trunks Art moved from Columbia, South Carolina, to Nampa, Idaho, in 2025 and has made this city his home and writing inspiration.

To see more of my work, please have a look at more posts or email me at chucktrunks@gmail.com. Or, visit my website at www.trunksart.com.  Also, you can find me on Instagram (chucktrunks) and Facebook (Chuck Trunks).

Sometimes Authors DO Write Back!

 

Nampa, Idaho - November 18, 2025 - I realize that it’s unlikely I’ll hear back from an author, but I write to them anyway. However, sometimes I get lucky—as I did with Elizabeth Greenwood.

Here’s what transpired:

Dear Ms. Greenwood,

I just finished reading your captivating book, Love Lockdown: Dating, Sex, and Marriage in America’s Prisons. You’re receiving this letter of gratitude through your website—rather than an Amazon review (five stars, by the way)—because I found your book at my local library. I want you to know that I feel so much smarter and more informed about a facet of our society that so many of us disregard or relegate to titillating soundbites on shows like A&E’s Lock Up.

By showcasing the various couples throughout the book, you put real faces and emotions into stories that all of us can relate to. Of course, most of us aren’t having to navigate the conundrum that is the prison system of the United States to see our loved ones, but we can all relate to what you wrote on page 357: “But all relationships, in their very essence, are acts of delusion.”

Thank you for all the work you put into this wonderful book, Ms. Greenwood, and thank you for opening my eyes (and my heart) to those courageous wives who are willing to sacrifice so much for the chance of finding true love.

Sincerely,

Chuck Trunks

- - - -

Chuck, you have made my day, week, month, year!!! Thank you so much for reaching out to let me know your experience of reading the book. It really means the world to me. Thanks again!
xo liz

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All my books can be found on Amazon. 💓💓💓

Trunks Art moved from Columbia, South Carolina, to Nampa, Idaho, in 2025 and has made this city his home and writing inspiration.

To see more of my work, please have a look at more posts or email me at chucktrunks@gmail.com. Or, visit my website at www.trunksart.com.  Also, you can find me on Instagram (chucktrunks) and Facebook (Chuck Trunks).

Spot Me: A Gym Memoir is available on Amazon! Only excellent reviews so far!

 Nampa, Idaho - October 29, 2025 - An excerpt from Chapter 5:

“After finding out that Phillip had only been training for a month, giving him a measly eight months to prepare for a 26.2-mile marathon, I didn’t have the heart to tell him that if he completes it, he’ll earn a finisher’s medal along with two extra parting gifts: at least one lifelong injury and a burning hatred for running. Over the following four weeks—prior to going silent—I shared my first marathon experience with Phillip, even going as far as offering training tips I had learned from veteran coaches in my former running clubs. To his credit, he never hit me up for a donation to support his efforts for the Leukemia Society.”

Back Cover:

If you’re struggling with having to pay monthly fees to a gym or wondering why you even have a gym membership in the first place—you’re not alone. More than five years ago, I reached my breaking point and added the commercial gym experience to my ever-growing list of things I used to do. Now it’s right up there with voting, air travel, concerts, movie theaters, and most restaurants.

If the corporatization of gyms didn’t turn them into soul-crushing places like Crunch Fitness, 24 Hour Fitness, and Planet Fitness, then the phone-laden, headphone-wearing members did. Besides their homes and work, Americans used to have a third space to go to—like gyms, coffee shops, parks, and recreation centers—to find community and forge friendships.

Spot Me: A Gym Memoir is my eighth book, and like the seven that came before, it’s comprised of a handful of true stories that serve as gym-related testimonials, each supporting my expressed opinions about the country we live in.

All my books can be found on Amazon. 💓💓💓

Trunks Art moved from Columbia, South Carolina, to Nampa, Idaho, in 2025 and has made this city his home and writing inspiration.

To see more of my work, please have a look at more posts or email me at chucktrunks@gmail.com. Or, visit my website at www.trunksart.com.  Also, you can find me on Instagram (chucktrunks) and Facebook (Chuck Trunks).

TRUNKS ART still believes in giving credit where credit is due.

 

Nampa, Idaho  - October 23, 2025 - Although I realize that I most likely won't hear back from this author, I still believe in giving credit where credit is due. Terrific read.

All my books can be found on Amazon. 💓💓💓

Trunks Art moved from Columbia, South Carolina, to Nampa, Idaho, in 2025 and has made this city his home and writing inspiration.

To see more of my work, please have a look at more posts or email me at chucktrunks@gmail.com. Or, visit my website at www.trunksart.com.  Also, you can find me on Instagram (chucktrunks) and Facebook (Chuck Trunks).

"Spot Me: A Gym Memoir" is Available on Amazon Now! This is Chuck Trunks' eighth book.

Nampa, Idaho - September 25, 2025 - LATEST BOOK (no. 8) by Chuck Trunks (Trunks Art):

Back Cover:

If you’re struggling with having to pay monthly fees to a gym or wondering why you even have a gym membership in the first place—you’re not alone. More than five years ago, I reached my breaking point and added the commercial gym experience to my ever-growing list of things I used to do. Now it’s right up there with voting, air travel, concerts, movie theaters, and most restaurants.

If the corporatization of gyms didn’t turn them into soul-crushing places like Crunch Fitness, 24 Hour Fitness, and Planet Fitness, then the phone-laden, headphone-wearing members did. Besides their homes and work, Americans used to have a third space to go to—like gyms, coffee shops, parks, and recreation centers—to find community and forge friendships.

SPOT ME: A GYM MEMOIR is my eighth book, and like the seven that came before, it’s comprised of a handful of true stories that serve as gym-related testimonials, each supporting my expressed opinions about the country we live in.

Trunks Art moved from Columbia, South Carolina, to Nampa, Idaho, in 2025 and has made this city his home and writing inspiration.

To see more of my work, please scroll through more of my posts or email me at chucktrunks@gmail.com. Or, visit my website at www.trunksart.com. You can find me on Instagram (chucktrunks) and Facebook (Chuck Trunks).

Book No. 8 is coming this Fall..."Spot Me: A Gym Memoir" by Chuck Trunks. Soon to be on Amazon!

Nampa, Idaho - September 15, 2025 - An excerpt from Chapter Four, Axiom:

“Isn’t it crazy,” I began, “that a typical vehicle has around 10,000 moving parts and can reliably perform a myriad of functions in any kind of weather, from adaptive cruise control to fuel injection to personalized climate control, and yet this sauna, whose only function is to heat a pathetically small room using six non-moving parts, is constantly on the fritz! How is that even possible?”

The gray towel raised his eyebrows and, without looking at me, exhaled, “Yep,” as if my clever comparison wasn’t totally on par with something George Castanza might say on Seinfeld.

Trunks Art moved from Columbia, South Carolina, to Nampa, Idaho, in 2025 and has made this city his home and writing inspiration.

To see more of my work, please scroll through more of my posts or email me at chucktrunks@gmail.com. Or, visit my website at www.trunksart.com. You can find me on Instagram (chucktrunks) and Facebook (Chuck Trunks).

There's nothing better than receiving appreciation for your work...

 

Nampa, Idaho  - September 5, 2025 - Receiving confirmation that your book made a positive impact on a reader’s life has to be the most gratifying feeling for any writer. That’s why I’ll take the time to write to an author who’s changed the way I’ve thought about a particular subject. However, I’m always disappointed when I don’t hear back from them. As a writer, I dream of receiving correspondence like this. If I did, you can count on hearing back from me.

All my books can be found on Amazon. 💓💓💓

Trunks Art moved from Columbia, South Carolina, to Nampa, Idaho, in 2025 and has made this city his home and writing inspiration.

To see more of my work, please have a look at more posts or email me at chucktrunks@gmail.com. Or, visit my website at www.trunksart.com.  Also, you can find me on Instagram (chucktrunks) and Facebook (Chuck Trunks).