A writer, reloaded

Today marks the beginning of the fifth day of leisure–if one considers poring over sheets of lined paper with a gel pen, outlining a novel particularly relaxing. Not that I do either, but it’s fun. Especially with four cats thrashing about the apartment. Recently learned that when cats rub against the fresh pages, the friction not only smears the text, it leaves streaks on their fur that resembles crop circles.

At some point Wednesday ( or maybe Tuesday, for in Vacationland the days run together ) I realized I hadn’t been outside in two days, and it was time to do something about that oversight. So I visited a neighbor downstairs. The sojourn took me out of the apartment, without actually requiring that I leave the building. Going outside might compromise the mission, which is to forget that the apartment and its contents, myself included, are still in New Jersey. It’s long running campaign.

While leaving did not require shattering the fantasy, stepping out did mean wearing pants, which made for a bittersweet visit, to say the least.

Anyway, some reviews for The Last Track came in recently, which I’m happy about. There’s another giveaway on GoodReads very soon ( perhaps as soon as Friday ), maybe with a St. Patty’s day theme. Also there’s one definite cool announcement that I can announce in about ten days, and a possibly huge announcement that I can not even speculate about with my outside voice just yet.

Here’s the latest review in for The Last Track.

As happens every March, the students leave for a two week break, and the school allows for a one week vacation. Amen.

Right now, knee deep in outlining the next book. Hard lesson learned  from The Last Track ( and another manuscript that preceded it that will likely never see the light of day ), before diving headlong into a big writing project, I like to be able to do two things:

First, summarize the entire story to three sentences. They can be long compound sentences, the sort generally absent in my writing, or very simple. But the mini synopsis must be concise, coherent and complete. And I’ll bounce that “blurb” off a dozen people. If I sense I’m losing them, that they “aren’t getting it”, then the concept needs more fine-tuning.

Second and more importantly, character sketches. In the hieararchy of development, character motivations matter first and appearance last. Description is a detail and can be added as needed, for flourish. Motivation is what impels a character to act as they do. Characters are not their khakis, Calvin Klein jeans or their Prada shoes. Nor are they black, white or trans-gender. That is incidental. No, characters are what they do, and that rests upon their motivations.

What makes someone tick determines their role in the story, and shapes their interactions with other characters. Most importantly understanding and accepting their motivations forces me to be efficient. Generally that efficacy means letting characters do what they must, consistent with their internal script, and getting out of the way.

And staying out of the way.

So I’m not quite there, but in another week I’ll be close.

GoodReads giveaway wrapped on February 28, 2010. In all, 892 readers entered for a chance at one of five free copies. Winners were selected automatically by GoodReads. The publisher can not disclose or contact the winners ( except to send them the book ), but I can announce that all five copies with personalized signatures shipped this afternoon.

Huge thanks to everyone for taking the time to enter. Please note, there will be further giveaways of The Last Track on GoodReads.com in the near future.

On a personal note, I’m very happy there is a place where readers can share their opinions about books that publishers, be they large large or small, cannot sway with the threat of offering or withholding advertising dollars. It’s really all about the readers. Related lesson to self: bring the A-game, and do so every time.

‘Cause sooner or later, the Internets will have their day in the court of opinion.

So far 678 readers entered the publisher sponsored contest on GoodReads.com for a chance at one of five free copies of The Last Track. Still four days left in the giveaway. Quite a bit better turnout than I expected.

Much thanks to Cyndy for the suggestion.

I believe the writer has two jobs. First, get out of the way of the story and let the characters do theirs. Second, and more importantly, listen to what readers have to say about the story, because well, they tend to have a lot of great ideas.

More importantly, readers actually pay for books.

Cazy week at work, as everyone temporarily transitions from the standard curriculum to the project-based experiential learning program for the next three weeks. Being my fifth time around the block, by Monday afternoon nearly everything will be humming and very little of the day will be spent putting out fires–freeing me up for the bigger picture strategy planning this summer.

Speaking of the day job, last week a colleague heard about the upcoming book release and let a number of people know about it. Definitely a nice surprise and show of support. Not that I hid writing explicitly, just followed the charter that my only priority during the day was addressing the community’s technical needs. Very few people even knew I wrote. Others in my life did know, but that only partially accounts for the outpouring of good tidings as of late.

Been very surprised at how many longstanding but infrequently seen acquaintances sent texts or email of congratulations in the past week; these missives arrived out of virtual air. Guess a lot more lurkers are out there checking the site than anticipated.

Anyway, The Last Track was nominated for the Best Read of 2010 on GoodReads. To vote, all it takes a is a quick and free registration on GoodReads.com–a really great site for a whole lot of reasons.

So please vote for The Last Track on GoodReads.com. Currently ( as of 11:19 PM EST ), it’s tied for fifth place. My thanks in advance.

If there was anything that could make a birthday better, this four star, verified name and purchase Amazon.com review sure did:

The Last Track: A captivating and fast paced thriller

Over the course of the project, the manuscript evolved a great deal from the first draft to final PDF. My writing, whether intended or not, changed by virtue of the near religious adherence to schedule. While the genesis of a few characters were there from the earliest drafts, the story was definitely not. Feedback, I’ve learned, is almost always valuable, rarely ever critical. Routine check ins with readers after each draft made a huge difference to the finished product, forced me to try harder, and proved the single biggest determinant in the book finding a publisher that got the story.

Because while the manuscript changed over its journey from gestation to slush piles, my intention never did. There was always one clear and irrefutable aim. Write a book that hit hard, early, and never let up. To me, the most important thing is the reader’s attention. The ability to hold that interst is the real currency of an author. Without a real reason to continue, there may be a great idea, but there very little point sharing it with the nightstand a reader placed the book upon, unfinished–unlikely ever to bother finding their place.

And the neatest thing about the review, is that it sounds as if my intentions were actually realized; what I wanted to do, I actually got on the page.

Now back to writing number next . . .

So after a long journey, The Last Track ( originally titled Velocity, but Dean Koontz had the same idea for a title at the same time and a fat publishing contract and thirty bestsellers behind him ) officially launches. Excuse my hawking, but after this many years, it feels good link to a respected marketplace that offers my work for sale.

I want The Last Track now. How can I get it?
Buy The Last Track at  Amazon.com
Kindle me, baby. Kindle me!
Try to order The Last Track on B&N.com ( should work in about 72 hours )

Hey, Writer guy, I want an autographed copy of The Last Track. Where do I go to buy one?

Under the Amazon.com listing, the third party seller Bookzeverywhere has signed copies on hand. Bookzeverywhere has a 100 percent positive rating for the last year and more than 1014 buyer lifetime ratings. Absolutely trustworthy vendor. Their price is list price of the book.

Bookzeverywhere listing for autographed copies of the Last Track

More about Bookzeverywhere on Amazon.com

The publisher will also have signed copies available via their website in about ten days. I’ll post that link when it’s available.

I prefer hardcover to paperback or Kindle. When, Writer guy, when?

A hardcover edition will be available in another month or so. Some reviews came in very late and the publisher wants to incorporate them into the jacket flap. More info on that later.

Anything else?

Oh yeah. It’s also my birthday!