Cover Reveal: Wrecks and Ruins

Loyola University’s Apprentice House Press has revealed the cover for my forthcoming novel, Wrecks and Ruins.

The cicada sketch featured as a woodprint on the front cover is a variation of a cicada sketch from the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural history, with wood photography by Patrick Fore.

I’m excited to share the book cover. Stay tuned for more news to come on Wrecks and Ruins.

www.EricDGoodman.com

Watch for Cicadas This April

My forthcoming novel, Wrecks and Ruins, now has a launch date. The short novel, being published by Loyola University’s Apprentice House Press, will be released on Tuesday, April 19, 2022.

Wrecks and Ruins will be my sixth published book, and my third consecutive book released by Apprentice House Press. Scroll down to previous blog for more information.

While you’re waiting for Wrecks and Ruins, learn more about my last novel from Apprentice House, The Color of Jadeite, at the link below.

https://www.apprenticehouse.com/?s=jadeite

 

New Mexico’s “El Portal” publishes my fiction

Eastern New Mexico University’s literary journal, El Portal, published my short fiction, “Traffic Report” in their fall 2020 issue. “Traffic Report” is an excerpt from my novel, Setting the Family Free. El Portal was first published in 1939.

Check out “Traffic Report” from Setting the Family Free in El Portal at the link. 

https://elportaljournal.files.wordpress.com/2021/01/el-portal-for-web-3.pdf

 

“Evening Stroll” published in Contrapuntos VIII

 

California’s Digitus Indie Publishing is publishing my story, “Evening Stroll,” in the literary anthology, Contrapuntos VIII.

The anthology will be available both in print and online, includes work in English and Spanish, and is guest edited by Ángel M. Rañales Pérez.

Previously, in 2016, my story “Getting Ahead” was published in Contrapuntos IV.

Learn more at http://www.digitusindie.com

Animal Pandemic as Metaphor

A literary journal editor recently accepted an excerpt from Setting the Family Free for publication and made an unexpected comment. When local authorities in my novel warn people to stay indoors and avoid going out, it was seen as a metaphor for our current COVID situation. Of course, Setting the Family Free was written well before any thoughts of a pandemic, focused solely on the release of dangerous animals. But an interesting insight.

 

Baltimore Magazine Promotes Setting the Family Free

Here’s a blast from the past: this time last year, in 2019, before we began sheltering in place, we enjoyed a book launch event for Setting the Family Free at The Ivy bookshop in their previous location. The event included animal-themed wines, animal crackers, a reading from the novel, and a great conversation with the audience participants.

 

Baltimore Magazine was kind enough to promote the event, and the novel.

 

In a related note, a literary journal editor recently accepted an excerpt from Setting the Family Free for publication and made an interesting and unexpected comment. When local authorities warn people to stay indoors and avoid going out, it was seen as a possible metaphor for our current COVID situation. Of course, Setting the Family Free was written well before any thoughts of a pandemic, but it’s an interesting insight.

 

You can still get your copy of Setting the Family Free today, at The Ivy Bookshop’s new location, from other book stores, or online!

 

https://events.baltimoremagazine.com/event/meet_the_author_eric_d_goodman_setting_the_family_free#.X5we1i2ZP-Y
 

Deborah Kalb’s Jadeite Interview

 

Since 2012, Deborah Kalb has been interviewing authors about their books and the writing process. Her interviews are always inspiring and informative. Recently, I had the opportunity to discuss my latest novel, The Color of Jadeite with her.

 

Why the change of genre, from literary to thriller? What inspired the idea? Were there any surprises that came about when conducting the research for this novel? These and other questions are asked and answered at Debora Kalb’s Author Q and A Blog.

 

http://deborahkalbbooks.blogspot.com/2020/10/q-with-eric-d-goodman.html

JMWW Reveals Origin of Jadeite

Recently I was invited by the literary journal, JMWW, to write about the origin of my new literary thriller, The Color of Jadeite. From the first spark of an idea to the first draft, what went into the creation of this adventure novel? How was it different from my other novels in terms of creation? What came first, the characters or the plot? Or, in this case, something completely different?

 

Explore the origins of The Color of Jadeite, brought to you by JMWW.

 

 https://jmwwblog.wordpress.com/2020/10/05/origins-the-color-of-jadeite-by-eric-d-goodman/

 

Do Writing Habits Change With Genre?

That is the question posed to me by Savvy Verse and Wit, the DC-based blog dedicated to literary and poetic works. That is a hefty question, so rather than respond with a quick and simple answer, I responded with an entire guest blog post.

 

A good story is a good story, regardless of genre. However, I did find my approach in developing and writing The Color of Jadeite to be different because of the amount of plotting, number of characters with their individual situations, and the logistics of getting them from one setting to another.

 

Learn more about the writing and plotting of The Color of Jadeite by reading my guest blog post published by Savvy Verse and Wit.

 

https://savvyverseandwit.com/2020/09/guest-post-do-writing-habits-change-when-switching-genres-by-eric-d-goodman-author-of-the-color-of-jadeite.html

 

Give the Gift of Jadeite This Holiday Season

LLNB: A Noir Novel Packed with Fast Action, Riveting Characters, and a Sense of Purpose

The popular literary blog, Late Last Night Books, published an interview with me about the development and writing of The Color of Jadeite. The article, “Making a Thoughtful Detective Story—An Interview with Eric D. Goodman,” covers questions about setting, history, culture, diverse characters, research, where ideas come from, and the writing process. We also get into specifics about my first adventure thriller and the places I visited to get the details right, and why fiction matters.

 

Here is part of Sally Whitney’s setup for the interview: Think of Detective Sam Spade. Or Mike Hammer. Then put him in a beautiful location with fascinating history and culture and give him a soul that’s open to change. Author Eric D. Goodman takes this combination and stirs it up with a mystery that hinges on clever hidden clues and long-held secrets. The result is The Color of Jadeite, a noir novel that’s packed with fast action, riveting characters, and a sense of purpose.

 

Check out the full interview at Late Last Night Books.

 

https://latelastnightbooks.com/2020/11/10/8134/

 

Make Your Black Friday Jadeite Friday

This year, color your Black Friday the color of jadeite. Whether you decide to snag your copy of the new literary thriller, The Color of Jadeite, on Black Friday, Cyber Monday, or anywhere in between, here’s an incentive to get your copy now.

 

If you purchase your signed paperback or hardcover directly from me, I’ll throw in a free copy of one of my previous books as well. Two books for the price of one! And, according to the reviews and endorsements, it’s well worth your reading time and book-buying dollar.

 

Here’s how to take advantage of this BOGO deal. Email me directly at edgewriter at gmail dot com and place your order using a credit card, PayPal, Zelle, CashAp, or your payment method of choice. Even a personal check works! And who am I to tell you not to mail cash?

 

Or, buy from the “EdgeWriter Books” seller on Amazon, which you can find on the list under “New” or “Collectable” options at this link:

 

https://www.amazon.com/Color-Jadeite-Eric-D-Goodman/dp/1627202862/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=the+color+of+jadeite&qid=1604079296&sr=8-1

 

Join the adventure and get your copy of The Color of Jadeite (and a free book to boot) now!

 

Loch Raven Review on Jadeite: Ingenuity of Plot; Artistry in Surprising the Reader; Awe-inspiring

 

Loch Raven Review has published Editor Dan Cuddy’s stellar review of The Color of Jadeite. Cuddy’s review lauds the awe-inspiring scenery, ingenuity of plot, and artistry in surprising readers.

I don’t want to reveal too many of the details of the plot as it constantly twists and turns and doubles back on the readers as they follow it. So many surprises and discoveries! The novel is pure escapist fiction, which is needed in these days of real-world turmoil. The author toured China, took copious notes, did much research and fashioned in his words the sights, smells, textures of China.

It would be great to reveal the twists of the plot in the story, and praise the artistry in surprising the reader, but the less said the better on this. The individual reader should have their own experience.

Read the entire review in the most recent issue of Loch Raven Review.

 

https://thelochravenreview.net/eric-d-goodmans-the-color-of-jadeite-reviewed-by-dan-cuddy/

Get to Know Baltimore Through Intimate Letters

Setting the Family Free was not the only book published in 2019 that featured my writing.

 

Katherine Cottle has discovered that one of the best ways to get to know a city is through the intimate letters of those who lived in or visited it. That is well illustrated in her book, The Hidden Heart of Charm City: Baltimore Letters and Lives.

 

She sheds new light on the city through the examination of intimate letters by some of the city's most prominent residents and visitors. From John Adams to Eleanor Roosevelt, Frederick Douglass to Harriet Tubman, Mark Twain to Ralph Waldo Emerson, F. Scott Fitzgerald to Edgar Allan Poe, Cottle shows us Baltimore as it was to those who experienced it--in a way that only personal letters between friends and loved ones can.

 

When Apprentice House Press asked me if I would write the forward for her book, I instantly said yes. I was interested not only because I know Katherine and her work, not only because I had read and enjoyed this particular book, but also because of my own special love of letters. In fact, I even wrote the forward as a letter to the reader. Here’s an excerpt.

 

As Cottle points out, a letter is more than a communication, more than a phone call, text, or email. The time between writing and delivery gives it an element of time-travel. The letter you write, destined for the future; the letter you receive, a visit from the past.

 

Learn more about Katherine Cottle’s The Hidden Heart of Charm City at her website.

 

https://www.katherinecottle.com

Got Jadeite?

Jacquelyn Mitchard on Jadeite: Tense, Romantic, Obsessed

Steve Berry on Jadeite: Tight, Taut, Terrific

Tom Glenn on Jadeite: Literary Novel in Disguise

Katherine Cottle on Jadeite: Captivated and Entertained

Jerry Holt on Jadeite: The Maltese Falcon on high-octane!