Radio Reading Between Christmas Tunes?

Whether you’re planning your road trip to Grandmother’s house or you’re spending hours next to the tree wrapping gifts, chances are you’re spending a little time listening to the radio sound system.

Are the holiday songs beginning to drive you nuts? But you don’t have time to sink into an audio book during your family drive or gift-wrapping session?

Here’s a solution for you! How about a short, refreshing burst of fiction from NPR? I have seven lucky Tracks readings that aired on WYPR’s The Signal. Each one is between 10 and 15 minutes or so, set to music and sometimes even sound effects. You can listen to any or all of them at www.tracksnovel.com/radio.html.

In a nutshell, here’s the audio assortment. And note that you don’t have to download them—just click the link and hit the “play” button.

Mountain of Sand
A poet tries to find his muse on the train in a story NPR describes as "a tale about the limits of luck and the curse of easy fame."
http://yourlisten.com/channel/content/98472/Mountain_of_Sand


Prewitt's Plans
Despite his diligent planning, Prewitt finds that his best-laid plan may be to put aside his daily planner.
http://yourlisten.com/channel/content/76670/Prewitts_Plans_from_TRACKS

A Good Beer Needs a Good Stein
A couple relearns a valuable lesson as they focus on a collectible beer stein and all it represents.
http://yourlisten.com/channel/content/76668/The_Silences_from_TRACKS

The Silences
A love story, of sorts, about a young couple and the silences slithering between them.
http://yourlisten.com/channel/content/76673/The_Silences


Reunion
Returning to Baltimore to take care of the death of her parents, Joan doesn't want to become the head of the family. She wants to lose herself in love.
http://yourlisten.com/channel/content/84379/Reunion


One Last Hit
An aging mobster contemplates his initiation into a life of crime as he works his way out of it.
http://yourlisten.com/channel/content/76676/One_Last_Hit

Futures
Christi must make a decision on the train: leave her boyfriend and Baltimore or turn down a future career in Chicago.
http://yourlisten.com/channel/content/89787/Futures%20from%20Tracks


More fulfilling than an eighth rendition of “Jingle Bells.” Less time commitment than the audio version of War and Peace. Escape that fifth play of “Christmas Shoes” before you turn to a Scrooge! Tune into www.tracksnovel.com/radio.html

This Holiday Season, Buy Local

Holiday shopping can be stressful. Let me make it easy for you. Buy Tracks for the readers and train enthusiasts on your gift list!

People often ask me, where should I go to get a copy of Tracks? I usually tell them the easy and obvious places where most people go these days: my publisher’s online bookstore (http://atticusbooksonline.com/books/tracks) and Amazon (http://www.amazon.com/Tracks-Stories-Eric-D-Goodman/dp/0984510575).

But then I encourage them to help support local business and to buy Tracks locally. If you live in the Baltimore are, here are some of the shops that have Tracks in stock now:

The Ivy Bookshop

Cyclops Books

Barnes & Noble – Towson

Greetings & Readings

The Watermark Gallery

Minas

Atomic Books

Ukazoo Books

York Emporium

Politics & Prose

That’s just a few. In fact, any bookstore can sell you a copy of Tracks; if they don’t have it on the shelves now, ask them to order a copy for you and a few to stock.

If you prefer online shopping, Atticus and Amazon (links above) are good places to check out. You can find some of them at http://www.tracksnovel.com/buy-now.html

And don’t forget—if you do decide to order Tracks online in time for the holidays, there’s just a few more days left to get free shipping in time for Christmas at some online retailers!

Learn more about Tracks at www.TracksNovel.com

Baltimore Jewish Times on Tracks: Structural Genius

Last week, the Baltimore Jewish Times gave a stellar review to Tracks: A Novel in Stories in their “Must Read” section, in print and online. Here’s a little of what reviewer Gila Heller wrote about Tracks …

… Goodman expertly weaves the characters in and out of each story. In addition to its structural genius, “Tracks” boasts a creative cast of characters …

…. Goodman manages to work plenty of action into the slow-moving train …

Throughout, Goodman’s voice is observant and authoritative. He draws the reader’s attention to rich details, providing a glimpse into the lives of each character.

Baltimore natives will especially love Goodman’s descriptions of local scenery and architecture, but the story can captivate any interested reader.

Read the full review in last week’s Baltimore Jewish Times at the link below.

http://www.jewishtimes.com/index.php/jewishtimes/book_reviews/tracks_a_novel_in_stories/

I’ve Never Read Anything Quite Like Tracks

Erin Reads is a popular literary blog with the goal of bringing good books to live by bringing them to readers. Recently, Erin Reads read Tracks and offered some thoughts on the book. Having read her write-up about Tracks, I have to say: she really got it!

Here’s a little of what she had to say about Tracks:


The way Goodman subtly shifts back a few hours or jumps ahead a little in time has the neat effect of creating that sort of discombobulated feeling you get while traveling on long-distance public transportation, that sense that you’re somehow apart from the outside world, in transition, as you make your way from one place to another. Very effective.

Goodman also lets his characters observe one another. With each new story the reader experiences, another piece of the puzzle falls into place. The next time a character visits the lounge car or passes someone in the aisle, there is an ever greater chance of it being someone we’ve already met, one of the stories we’ve already read. This casual layering of perspectives is extremely well done and rather delightful to experience.

I think my favorite part of Tracks was how it makes you realize everyone has a story. Each story would have worked on its own, but together, linked by the thin thread of the train, they amount to something bigger than the sum of the parts. Goodman accomplished this masterfully in Tracks.

Erin obviously put a lot of time and thought into her musings about Tracks. Read more of them (and more of her thoughts on other books) at Erin Reads.

http://erinreads.com/2011/10/thoughts-on-tracks-by-eric-d-goodman/

The PA Leg of the Tracks Tour

It’s a sunny Pennsylvania weekend for Tracks with two events lined up in the Keystone State.

Lancaster

Catch Tracks at Books-A-Million in City Park Mall, Lancaster, PA, from 1 to 4 p.m. on Saturday. I’ll be signing copies of Tracks and talking to customers about trains. Joining me for the event is Loree Lough, author of more than 80 books with more than 3 million copies in print!

Philadelphia

This Sunday from 1 to 3 p.m., Tracks will make it’s debut in The City of Brotherly Love. I’ll be the featured reader at the “Hidden River Arts Live” Gallery and Salon. The event takes place at The Foremost Building, 525 South 4th Street, Suite 255, in Philadelphia. This event is the opening reception for the work of artists Warren Keyser and Robert Panzullo. Live, improvisational musical theatre will be provided by the folks of Suggestical: The Musical.

Event organizer Debra Leigh Scott has a suggestion: “consider buying Eric's book as a gift, or buying a painting, and providing the gift of art to yourself or a loved one!”

Both events are FREE and all are welcome.

Make Tracks For Lancaster This Saturday

This Sunday I’ll be reading from Tracks in Philadelphia. But on the way to Philly, Tracks will be making a stop in Lancaster.

Catch Tracks at Books-A-Million in City Park Mall, Lancaster, PA, from 1 to 4 p.m. I’ll be signing copies of Tracks and talking to customers about trains.

Joining me for the event is author Loree Lough, the author of more than 80 books. More than 3 million copies of her books are in circulation! That’s a lot of books.

But don’t worry—there are still plenty available to buy at Saturday’s event. And just in time for the holidays.

Learn more about Loree at her website.
www.loreelough.com

Learn more about Tracks at my website.
www.TracksNovel.com

Tracks Stop in Philly

This Sunday at 1 p.m., Tracks will make it’s debut in The City of Brotherly Love.

I’ll be the featured reader at the “Hidden River Arts Live” Gallery and Salon. The event takes place from 1 to 3 p.m. at The Foremost Building, 525 South 4th Street, Suite 255, in Philadelphia.

This event is the opening reception for the work of artists Warren Keyser and Robert Panzullo. Live, improvisational musical theatre will be provided by the folks of Suggestical: The Musical.

And, as event organizer Debra Leigh Scott describes, “Writer Eric Goodman will be reading from his highly acclaimed collection of related stories TRACKS.”

And Debra has a suggestion: “consider buying Eric's book as a gift, or buying a painting, and providing the gift of art to yourself or a loved one! This event is FREE and all are welcome.”
Don’t miss Tracks in Philly, along with some great art and music!

http://www.meetup.com/Hidden-River-Arts-Live/events/43353592/

Here's What You Can Do With Your NaNoWriMo Novel

Tens of thousands of writers attempted to write a novel during National Novel Writing Month in November. Thousands crossed the finish line to complete a manuscript of 50,000 words or more. Now, what can you do with it?


In a nutshell? Rewrite it. Revise it. Edit it. Make sure it’s the best book it can be. Then start looking for an agent and editor.


That’s what I did. It took me a month to write that first draft of Tracks, then a few years to take the spillage and sculpt it into a novel I could pitch to agents. The result? Representation by one of New York City’s top ten agents! (See Daily Top Ten at www.dailytop10.net/top-10-literary-agents-in-new-york-part-1.)


And a book deal with Atticus Books! (http://atticusbooksonline.com)


But it all started with a month of intense writing, as you can read in Ally E. Peltier’s story about the beginnings of Tracks as a NaNoWriMo novel.


Here’s a snippet from her article:


Eric began writing Tracks five years ago, during NaNoWriMo. He wrote about 60,000 words that year, then went on to add and subtract stories, rewrite and revise, until he had a final draft ready to take to publishers. “The nice thing about NaNoWriMo,” Eric says, “is that you’re forced to write even when you’re not sure you have it all figured out. And for a first draft, that’s good. Tracks is a different, and better, book than that original draft. But the original draft helped make it possible.”


She also uses Tracks to teach some writing lessons, such as the importance of staring small, reading other writers, avoiding traps like procrastination and perfection-seeking.


Read Ally’s article about Tracks and NaNoWriMo, published in her monthly newsletter, at the following link.

http://www.allypeltier.com/blog/2011/11/success-story-eric-d-goodman/