“You will read this book by the great-grandson of its central figure—Thomas E. Murray—and feel as if you surely must be reading a rich and remarkable historical novel. Only this story is true, one of triumph and tragedy and secrets and lies. In the end, this is an American ‘Great Expectations’ about all the possibilities of the American century, only made more amazing by this: It all happened.” —Mike Lupica, columnist and best-selling author

“Real Lace descendent Tom Murray takes us on a deeply felt and richly researched journey of his illustrious Irish-American family that is by turns triumphant, tragic, harrowing, suspenseful, mysterious, and impossible to put down. I could not recommend it more highly!”

—James MacGuire, author of Real Lace Revisited

“Tom Murray has written a fascinating and sweeping family saga, warts and all—from rags to riches to crushing loss, a truly American tale, connecting the dots of aberrant behavior between the generations, when no one talked openly about any of it.” 

—Lee Woodruff, author of the number one New York Times bestseller In an Instant

“Every family carries its mythology. Tom Murray has written far more than a family memoir. Wickapogue is a rich American tapestry—part history, part love letter to the generations who built, shaped, and sometimes haunted the East End. Deeply researched and vividly told. Every sentence of this book carries remarkable tenderness. There is no judgment in these pages, only curiosity and compassion.”

—Melissa Errico, actress, singer, and New York Times contributor

“Tom Murray's memoir is unsparing about the drinking, the madness, and the money. Books about this world usually stop at the fortune. Murray keeps going.”

—Amanda M. Fairbanks, author of The Lost Boys of Montauk

“Tom Murray has written a memoir equal to his remarkable family. Like that other great Catholic clan with a compound by the sea—the Kennedys—the Murrays were handed as much bad luck as good, and Wickapogue brims with both amusing and moving portraits of the family through its triumphs and trials. It’s a beautiful book, ultimately a powerful tribute by the author to his father.”

—Jim Rasenberger, author of A Perfect Coincidence, The Extraordinary Friendship and Astonishing Deaths of John Adams and Thomas Jefferson

“Wickapogue may follow a familiar route—in this case from the southwest of Ireland to the immigrant streets of the 19th century Albany, and then to an oceanside palace in Southampton. What came next, over the course of the generations that followed, is the heart of Tom Murray's engaging, unsettling, and deeply felt memoir.”

—Daniel Okrent, author of Stephen Sondheim: Art Isn’t Easy, and Last Call: The Rise and Fall of Prohibition

Positioning Statement

A sweeping multigenerational saga of immigrant ambition, electric genius, and inherited darkness, Wickapogue chronicles the remarkable rise—and the hidden costs—of one of America's most extraordinary industrial dynasties. Thomas E. Murray, born in Irish-immigrant poverty in 1860 Albany, clawed his way from school dropout at age nine to become Thomas Edison's greatest collaborator, amassing some 500 patents and building the first ten power stations that became the foundation of Con Edison. Yet beneath the gilded surface of Wickapogue, the family's oceanfront Southampton estate, a shadow of dysfunction, despair, and tragedy cut across three generations of Murray men. Part biography, part memoir, and part American myth, this is the story the Gilded Age left untold—the price of genius, the weight of a name, and the light and darkness that define every great family.

Market

Market Opportunity and Audience

Comparable titles: Ideal for readers of Hidden Valley Road (Robert Kolker), The Glass Castle (Jeannette Walls), Say Nothing (Patrick Radden Keefe), and The Immortal Irishman (Timothy Egan)—all New York Times bestsellers with strong crossover between narrative nonfiction, family memoir, and American history

American memoir boom: Narrative nonfiction and memoir accounted for roughly 45% of all adult nonfiction sales in recent years; family sagas with historical depth (e.g., Erik Larson titles routinely sell 500,000+ copies) demonstrate robust appetite for this genre

Gilded Age and industrial history resurgence: Growing fascination with America's great industrial families—Vanderbilts, Carnegies, Rockefellers—has driven strong performance for titles like The Vanderbilts: An American Dynasty and podcast series such as American Scandal; Wickapogue offers a fresh, intimate lens on this era

Irish-American identity market: Approximately 31.5 million Americans identify as Irish-American (U.S. Census); titles exploring Irish immigrant experience and upward mobility have strong built-in readership, especially in the Northeast

Mental health and family dysfunction narratives: Post-2020 destigmatization of mental illness has accelerated demand for narratives exploring generational trauma; The Body Keeps the Score spent 200+ weeks on the New York Times bestseller list, signaling mainstream hunger for these themes in narrative form

Long Island / Hamptons lifestyle market: Southampton and the East End have become culturally aspirational touchstones; books set in this world (e.g., titles from the Elin Hilderbrand sphere, memoir and fiction) consistently perform strongly, particularly in regional retail and affluent coastal markets

Edison and invention history: The Thomas Edison cultural brand remains powerful; books examining Edison's collaborators and the actual mechanics of electrifying America tap into a well-documented popular appetite—Matthew Josephson's The Robber Barons-style histories continue to find large audiences

Documentary crossover audience: The author's film Dad's in Heaven with Nixon aired on Showtime and is available on streaming platforms including Apple+, delivering a pre-built audience already invested in the Murray family story and primed to purchase the book

Club and society reader market: Confirmed events at institutions including the Colony Club, Racquet & Tennis Club, Maidstone Club, and Devon Yacht Club speak to an affluent, highly literate reader demographic that purchases and gifts hardcovers at above-average rates

Regional New York powerhouse: The Tri-State area (NY, NJ, CT) accounts for disproportionate book-buying in the United States; strong Albany, Long Island, and New York City connections give this book three distinct regional audiences within the country's most lucrative book market

Author Credentials

Award-winning documentary filmmaker: Dad's in Heaven with Nixon premiered on Showtime and is available on Apple+ and other streaming platforms—proof of audience interest in the Murray family story and the author's ability to engage large audiences

Veteran journalist and broadcaster: Career spanning print, broadcast, and on-camera anchoring; credits include production work for Court TV, ESPN, and Fox Sports, plus branded content for Ford Motor Company, General Motors, Stellantis, and The Henry Ford Museum

Boston College, cum laude: BA in English; scholar-athlete background (hockey and lacrosse) adds dimension to the author's public profile and media appeal

Dedicated author platform: Active website at themurraystory.com featuring video content, historical photographs, and family background; active social presence connected to the Murray/McDonnell family Facebook page and additional platforms including TikTok and Ingram

High-profile endorsements: Blurbs secured from Mike Lupica (legendary sports columnist and bestselling author, with decades of New York media presence) and James MacGuire, author of Real Lace Revisited

Confirmed institutional access: Invitations to read and sign at Colony Club (NYC), Racquet & Tennis Club (NYC), Southampton Social Club, Meadow Club, Maidstone Club, Devon Yacht Club, and Guild Hall of East Hampton demonstrate deep community trust

Publicity

Print, Broadcast & Major Media

Major trade reviewers: Publishers Weekly, Kirkus Reviews, Library Journal, Booklist and others

National newspapers: The New York Times (Sunday Book Review, Metropolitan section, T Magazine Hamptons coverage), The New York Post (Page Six adjacent interest given Hamptons angle), The Wall Street Journal (American business history angle), The Washington Post, USA Today, Los Angeles Times

New York regional press: New York magazine, The New Yorker (Talk of the Town), Gothamist, amNew York, The Daily News; Albany Times Union, Albany Business Review (hometown son angle); Newsday, Dan's Papers, Southampton Press, East Hampton Star, 27East, The Independent (East End papers with strong local readership)

Long Island and Hamptons lifestyle: Hamptons magazine, Dan's Hamptons, Behind the Hedges, Avenue magazine, Quest magazine—affluent print/digital publications serving exact target reader demographic; potential for photo essay and author profile

Irish-American media: Irish America magazine (circulation ~100,000; strong interest in rags-to-riches immigrant stories), Irish Echo, IrishCentral.com (one of the largest Irish diaspora digital platforms, 1M+ monthly visitors), Boston Irish Reporter

American history and culture: Smithsonian magazine, American Heritage, American History Magazine, Lapham's Quarterly; particular interest in Edison angle and Gilded Age industrial history

Broadcast television: CBS Sunday Morning (ideal venue for a visually rich American family saga), PBS NewsHour, C-SPAN Book TV, ABC News/GMA (Hamptons lifestyle hook for summer segment), local NY affiliates for author profile pieces

Op-ed and essay strategy: Bylined pieces for The New York Times (Edison's unknown collaborator; the price of genius), Smithsonian.com (the real story behind Con Edison), Dan's Papers and 27East (Wickapogue and Southampton's hidden history); potential excerpt placement at Air Mail (confirmed interest)

Air Mail excerpt: Confirmed potential for second-serial excerpt in Air Mail, the popular digital publication founded by Graydon Carter, which reaches an affluent, culturally engaged audience perfectly aligned with this book's readership

Podcasts

American history and biography: American History Tellers, American Scandal, Revisionist History (Malcolm Gladwell), Hardcore History (Dan Carlin), Founders, The History of the United States, American Heritage Podcast

Memoir and family narrative: Fresh Air with Terry Gross (NPR flagship; essential), Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard, We Can Do Hard Things (Glennon Doyle), Unlocking Us with Brené Brown, Family Secrets (Dani Shapiro), The Moth Radio Hour

Books and literary: Totally Booked with Zibby (confirmed likely booking), Book of the Month Podcast, Between the Covers, Literary Disco, The Biblioracle Recommends, First Draft with Sarah Enni

New York City focus: WNYC-connected podcasts, New York Times podcasts (The Daily, Book Review Podcast), Gothamist podcasts, New York Magazine's podcast network

Irish-American interest: The Irish Passport, Irish Roots, Irishman Abroad, Far and Away (Irish diaspora podcasts with large North American audiences)

Business and entrepreneurship: How I Built This (NPR; strong Edison/innovation angle), Acquired, American Innovations—TEM's 500-patent legacy and role in electrifying America is a natural fit

Mental health and family dynamics: The Therapy Show, Where Should We Begin? (Esther Perel), The One You Feed, Hidden Brain (NPR)—for the generational dysfunction thread

Planned / Potential Author Events & Appearances

East Hampton Authors Night (August): Annual event drawing major authors, press, and an affluent, nationally prominent Hamptons audience; author interest confirmed—strong fit given Wickapogue's geographic heart

92nd Street Y, New York City: Potential lecture and discussion confirmed; the Y's prestigious programming calendar draws a loyal, high-income, culturally engaged NYC audience; ideal venue for a New York story of this scale

Southampton Arts Center: Confirmed discussions for screening of Dad's in Heaven with Nixon, followed by author discussion and book signing—a powerful cross-promotional event combining the documentary audience with new book buyers

Barnes & Noble signings: Author in talks with Sag Harbor, East Hampton, and Bridgehampton (NY) locations; East End B&N stores serve a captive summer reading market of wealthy Hamptons visitors; also Brentwood Country Mart (Los Angeles, CA) for West Coast reach

Colony Club (NYC): Confirmed invitation for reading and signing; the Colony Club's all-female membership of New York's social elite makes it an ideal word-of-mouth accelerator

Club circuit: Racquet & Tennis Club (NYC), Southampton Social Club (Southampton), Meadow Club (Port Jefferson), Maidstone Club (East Hampton), Devon Yacht Club (Amagansett)—confirmed interest across multiple venues serving the exact affluent Long Island reader demographic

Guild Hall of East Hampton: One of the Hamptons' most prestigious cultural institutions; hosts major literary events and arts programming for a nationally prominent summer and year-round community

Albany historical organizations: Multiple invitations for readings and signings at historical societies and organizations in and around Albany, NY—TEM's birthplace and early career home; strong local pride angle with built-in media coverage from Albany Times Union and regional outlets

Social Media & Digital Marketing

Author Platform & Built-in Demand

themurraystory.com: Dedicated author website featuring a video book trailer, extensive historical family photographs, and background on the Murray family—an unusually rich digital hub for pre-publication audience building and media research support

Murray/McDonnell family Facebook page: The existing Murray/McDonnell family Facebook community is described as 'very popular' with a multi-generational, geographically dispersed Irish-American following; this organic community represents a high-conversion built-in audience for the book

TikTok and BookTok strategy: Author platform linked to TikTok; BookTok (the books community on TikTok, which has generated over 100 billion views under #BookTok) offers particular opportunity for historical family sagas and memoir; short-form video content using archival family photographs and Edison-era imagery has strong viral potential

Instagram and Bookstagram: Rich visual asset library—historical photos of Wickapogue, the Southampton estate, Edison-era power stations, Murray family portraits—makes this title unusually strong for Instagram; target Bookstagram accounts with 50,000–500,000 followers in memoir, American history, and family saga niches

Influencer outreach: Target memoir-focused BookTokers and Bookstagrammers; Irish-American lifestyle and history accounts; Hamptons and luxury lifestyle influencers; documentary and true crime adjacent accounts interested in hidden family histories

Publisher digital marketing: Email newsletter features, Edelweiss and NetGalley ARC distribution, targeted social advertising on Facebook and Instagram directed at memoir readers, Irish-American interest groups, Hamptons lifestyle followers, and fans of comparable titles

Digital editorial: Confirmed excerpt potential at Air Mail reaches a digitally native, affluent, culturally engaged audience that closely mirrors the book's ideal buyer; strong SEO and shareability in this demographic

Second-serial and excerpt strategy: Potential excerpt placements in Long Island newspapers and regional websites (Newsday, 27East, Dan's Papers digital, Southampton Press); Albany-area outlets for hometown coverage; these placements drive direct-to-retail and indie bookstore sales in the book's geographic heartland

Radio & Broadcast Interviews

Tri-State talk radio: Strong potential for author interviews across New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut talk radio landscape—WOR (710 AM), WABC Radio, WNYC, WCBS Newsradio 880; the Hamptons angle, the Edison connection, and the Irish-American family story each offer distinct hooks for different program formats

NPR national and affiliate shows: Fresh Air with Terry Gross (top priority), Weekend Edition, On Point, 1A, To the Best of Our Knowledge; NPR's memoir and American history coverage reaches the book's core demographic of educated, higher-income readers

Albany radio: Local Albany-area radio stations for hometown coverage; TEM's origin story and connection to Albany's industrial history gives strong local news hook

Irish-American radio: Radio programming on WFUV (Fordham University, New York) and other Irish-American radio outlets; Celtic music and culture programs often feature author interviews on Irish diaspora topics

Summary Statement

Wickapogue: Genius, Madness, and the Murrays of Southampton is a book with extraordinary range: an American immigrant success story, a Gilded Age industrial biography, a Hamptons family saga, and an unflinching exploration of the darkness that can shadow even the most brilliant lives. With a built-in author platform, confirmed events at prestigious venues, documentary crossover potential, and a story set at the intersection of American history, Irish-American identity, and Long Island's most iconic landscape, this title has the ingredients for breakout success in both national and regional markets.