Thursday, April 28, 2011

Tracks Author is Poet of the Day

Laura Shovan is not only Maryland’s “poet in the schools,” but also the editor of the poetry anthology Life in Me like Grass On Fire and Little Patuxent Review. She also keeps a blog about writing, teaching and parenting called Author Amok.


For National Poetry Month, She has been featuring a Poet of the Day each day. And today’s poet is … yours truly!


Laura featured my poem, “Submission to a Student Journal (from a writer who’s burning out).” She writes about her thoughts on the poem and what it means, offers a writing exercise based on the poem, and writes a little about me and my writing.


It seems appropriate that this poem—an older writer speaking to a younger one—be published during the week of my 40th birthday. And believe it or not, this is the second item I’ve had published since turning 40 on Monday! The decade is off to a good start.


Pay a visit to Author Amok.

http://authoramok.blogspot.com/


Go directly to her feature on my work here.

http://authoramok.blogspot.com/2011/04/national-poetry-month-issue-27.html

Tuesday, April 26, 2011

Readers of the Lost ARC


The ARCs are in!

If you’re in the writing or publishing industry, you probably know what an ARC is. An Advance Reading Copy is a big part of publishing a book.

The Advance Reading Copies, or ARCs, for Tracks, my novel in stories, are here! I’m even sharing a few photos to prove it! It’s a good feeling for a debut author — to actually hold your advance reading copy in your hand.

RCs are also known as “uncorrected proofs.” They serve several purposes. ARCs are used by the publisher, author, editor, and proofreading staff to look for errors one last time before the final print. Arcs are sent to other authors in hopes of getting endorsements, quotes, or “blurbs.” They’re sent to key book stores and book buyers in hopes that they’ll be ordered and featured on the shelves of the brick & mortar shops. And they’re sent to reviewers in the hope that they will be reviewed. With so many books being published and only a small fraction of them actually scoring reviews, it can be a challenge to get a reviewer to take note. (Even better than getting any review is getting a good one—but just getting one is sometimes good enough.)

Tracks ARCs aren’t only in my hands. Lucky for me, Atticus has been great at getting ARCs into the right hands. One hundred or so ARCs were priority mailed to prominent authors, reviewers, and independent book stores nationwide (and even some international).

Fingers crossed that some of them will be as thrilled to receive their copies as I was to receive mine.

Learn more about Tracks at www.TracksNovel.com.

Saturday, April 23, 2011

Tracks Author at Poetry Reading this Monday

Looking for a way to celebrate National Poetry Month? This Monday evening is your opportunity!

Join local poets who have been published in the new anthology, Life in Me Like Grass on Fire: Love Poems.

Readers include: Nicole Schultheis, Eric D. Goodman, Jane Elkin, Lalita Noronha, Ann Bracken, Regina Sokas, Fernando Quijano III, Janice Lynch Schuster, Christophe Casamassima, Judith Goedke, Brian Smith, and Tapendu Basu.

The event takes place at the Towson Library on Monday, April 25 at 6:30 p.m. Refreshments will be served, and copies of the anthology will be available for purchase. The readings will be just enough to whet your appetite.

Learn more about the Towson Library and how to get there at this link:

http://www.bcplonline.org/branches/branch_to.html

Read more about Life in Me Like Grass on Fire here.

http://marylandwriters.org/publications.html

Monday, April 18, 2011

Harlin and Prewitt, at the Bar on the Train

As many authors will tell you, sometimes a character is just asking to be treated badly. Hurt. Or even killed.

Recently I had this discussion with acclaimed author Rebecca Barry. Rebecca is the author of Later, at the Bar—a collection of linked stories selected as a New York Times Notable Book and praised everywhere from People to Vanity Fair. Reviewers from Bookslut to Chicago Sun Times praised Later, at the Bar.

I mentioned to Rebecca that I really liked one of her recurring characters, Harlin. Things don’t go well for Harlin, but as you read, you understand that it’s the only way they can go for a person like him. Sometimes your characters demand a particular treatment—be it love, loss, death, or redemption. Readers sometimes imagine that authors are engineers when in reality it is oftentimes our characters who are in control of what happens.

After reading Tracks, Rebecca said, “I felt the same way about Prewitt as you did about Harlin.” But no matter how you feel about a character, what must be, must be. “Sometimes it's just what the book demands.”

See what the New York Times had to say about Rebecca’s novel in stories.

www.nytimes.com/2007/05/06/books/review/Trussoni.t.html


Find out what happens to Harlin in Later, at the Bar.

http://www.rebeccabarry.net/

Find out what happens to Prewitt in Tracks.

www.TracksNovel.com

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Friday, April 15, 2011

Fitting Font Found

Tracks makes the top ten list!

No, not in the New York Times or Amazon or Barnes & Noble—remember, it hasn’t even been released yet. But the font used to typeset Tracks has been selected by the publisher (Atticus Books) and the book designer (Jamie Keenan) with a little input from me. And the font chosen is one of the top ten typefaces for modern book design.

And the font we found that fits is … FF Scala.

Although FF Scala is one of the first typeface designs to come with both serif and sans serif companions, it is a relatively new font – created in 1990 by Dutch typeface designer Martin Majoor. It’s one of the first fonts designed with digital medium in mind.

You can see why it’s such a popular design for books, magazines, even museum catalogs. It’s attractive and easy to read. Classic and modern. The perfect font for a novel in stories set on a modern day train—contemporary sensibilities in a nostalgic setting.

See the font and learn more about it at The Font Feed. It’s number three on the top ten list. While on the site, hover over the header to watch a parade of fonts!

http://fontfeed.com/archives/top-ten-typefaces-used-by-book-design-winners/

Read more about FF Scala at Wikipedia.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FF_Scala

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Monday, April 11, 2011

Join Tracks Author on Facebook

Sometimes it seems as though I’m living multiple lives—blogs, Gather, columns, facebook, public relations writing, fiction writing, the lit scene, family life … so here’s an attempt to splice a couple of them together.

You read my blog, but did you know I was on Facebook?

In addition to posting everything published here, I also share Facebook-exclusive items on the world’s most popular social networking site. So come on over and “friend” me on Facebook! Look for Eric D. Goodman, or simply hit this link: www.facebook.com/edgewriter.

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Friday, April 08, 2011

Tracks Author on Debut Panel

Dylan Landis, author of Normal People Don’t Live Like This, is one of the panelists on (and the organizer of) a panel discussion at the upcoming Conversations & Connections Conference in DC: Debut Authors and How They Got There.


The panel is being moderated by
Leslie Pietrzyk, author of Pears on a Willow Tree. Panelists in addition to Dylan Landis include Robin Black (If I Loved You, I Would Tell You This), Janice Shapiro (Bummer), and yours truly (Tracks).


The discussion is all about people who have a first book coming out, or just had one, and how they got from slamming their head against the wall to first book out.


Recently, Dylan interviewed her fellow panelists, myself included, for the Conversations and Connections website. See her article at the link for a preview of our panel discussion. The event takes place on April 16.


You can also find out more about the conference and register at the same link.

http://writersconnectconference.com/word/?page_id=143

Wednesday, April 06, 2011

Tracks at CityLit Festival 8

Mark your calendar for April 16—that’s the date for the 8th annual CityLit Festival.

Once again the CityLit Project partners with Enoch Pratt Free Library to present the annual CityLit Festival, Baltimore's day-long celebration of literature. Don't miss what Baltimore magazine has called "a can't miss event on the city's cultural scene."

Tracks will chug its way into the festival. Look for the Tracks table, where you’ll be able to pick up some Tracks swag—a card, postcard, press kit, press release, or maybe even a train pencil or bumper sticker.

Headliners of this year’s CityLit Festival include Danielle Evans, Andrei Codrescu, and Jaimy Gordon. Also there will be Jessica Anya Blau, Ron Tanner, Elissa Weissman, Susi Wyss, and a Maryland Writers Association presentation of the new anthology Life in Me Like Grass on Fire.

This busy festival features several concurrent programs and a bustling Literary Marketplace that showcases Baltimore’s rich literary community. The event takes place at the Enoch Pratt Free Library in downtown Baltimore, 400 Cathedral Street, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Learn more at www.citylitproject.org.

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Monday, April 04, 2011

Help Me Pick My Pic

The time has come to select an author photo for Tracks. I’d like to ask your help in picking the best picture.

Jamie Keenan created such a great cover (front and back) that Atticus suggested using the photo inside. My author’s picture will be included on the “About the Author” page at the back of the book.

Recently I had my photo shoot at Penn Station in Baltimore (which is where Tracks begins). Of the pictures taken, we’ve narrowed it down to the top six. You can find them as part of this post or below this post.

Leave a comment and let me know which one you think would look best in print (keeping in mind it would be rendered in black & white).

On second thought, please comment and let me know your number one and number two choices. (I have a feeling I know which one most of you will pick first.)

This gives a whole new meaning to model railroad.

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Tracks Photo Shoot at Penn Station