A Holiday Tree for You

In selecting my holiday ecards this year, I came across an animated video that I’d like to share here. It’s a simple, one-minute video that depicts a year in the life of a tree (and the trees around it).

Many of us like to recap our year and share what we’ve been through over the past 12 months; it may be that this tree sums it all up as well as any holiday card or newsletter can.

A few years ago I wrote a short story about a large spruce tree. “Leaving” was about a gardener who began to see things from the point of view of the tree. Inspiration from that story came from a spruce in our front yard that we had to have cut down due to disease. So it’s fitting that a similar tree is at the center of this holiday video.

In “Leaving,” Old Spruce tells his friends to “let peace be.” I offer the same wish now.

Happy holidays to you and yours, and here’s to a new year filled with compassion, cooperation, and peace.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=RR6xGufBzbU

Readers are On Board with Tracks

Literary journals, magazines, newspapers, and book bloggers are one thing, but what do other authors and readers have to say about Tracks?




This.



"Goodman's Tracks is a most cunningly crafted tale—a perfect read for trains, planes and automobiles... or even for your armchair."

Madison Smartt Bell,
Author of All Souls’ Rising,
a National Book Award nominee



“… a terrific collection of stories. Short stories are often an under-appreciated art form. In Tracks, Eric D. Goodman takes the craft to the level of art. An exciting talent.”

Thomas Steinbeck,
Author of Down to a Soundless Sea
and In the Shadow of the Cypress



“From the first story in Eric D. Goodman’s novel in stories, Tracks, I knew I was in for an enjoyable ride. Goodman is a keen, compassionate and refreshingly un-ironic observer of the human condition. In Tracks, Goodman skillfully weaves stories of chance encounters, lost opportunities and new beginnings into a tight, colorful, breathtaking tapestry which he says is a train ride, but seems an awful lot like life.”

Bathsheba Monk,
Author of Nude Walker and
Now You See It ... Stories from Cokesville, PA



"Eric D. Goodman’s novel in stories, Tracks, allows the reader to journey with his characters in their moving and transforming destinies. Sincere and empathetic, Goodman delivers. These intertwined stories are melodious and brim with soulful compassion."

Victoria Patterson,
Author of Drift and
This Vacant Paradise



“Who among us hasn’t sat on a train and played at reading the minds of strangers? In this way, Tracks is a voyeuristic fantasy fulfilled. But here’s the real surprise: Once you have mental telepathy, it’s hard to call anyone a stranger anymore.”

Aaron Henkin,
Baltimore's NPR station, WYPR



"Eric D. Goodman's Tracks is an absolute delight. The beautifully-written stories of strangers riding the same train will hypnotically pull you in and captivate you to the very end."

Jessica Anya Blau,
author of Drinking Closer to Home and
The Summer of Naked Swim Parties



"... irresistible ..."

The Writer Magazine



"Goodman limns the lives of his characters—all travelers on the same train—with a light and sensitive touch, yet he manages to delve deep, right to their very hearts. By turns comic and poignant, these pilgrims are united in one significant way: they all seek to make sense of life’s unpredictable journey."

Yona Zeldis McDonough,
Author of Breaking the Bank,
In Dahlia's Wake and The Four Temperaments


“In Tracks, Goodman manages to capture the complicated push and pull of family, of friends, of history, of life—how it bears down on each of us, pulling us apart while simultaneously pushing us together. His characters are, in turn, compassionate, indifferent, bitter, sympathetic, wistful, and most of all, real. I recognized parts of myself in each one of them, and I imagine this is exactly what Goodman intended. Tracks is a wonderful debut.”

Mary Beth Keane,
Author of The Walking People



"A terrific use of the novel-in-stories as form, Eric D. Goodman’s Tracks does what so many of us wish we could do in our travels: peer beneath the surfaces of the lives that intersect ours, if only for a moment. As his narrative winds from car to car, Goodman explores the ways our urge to isolate ourselves is often in direct competition with the way we long to connect, as well as the many layers of love lost and found we carry with us wherever we go. Hopeful and well-imagined, Tracks skillfully captures what makes rail travel so compelling: that while cars or planes might be about traveling from place to place, the train is a place."

Rebecca Barry,
Author of Later, at the Bar


“Eric D. Goodman gets on board a fictional train from Baltimore to Chicago to tell the compelling stories of passengers taking inner journeys. From the couple who define the beauty of silence, to the last hurrah of a hit man, Tracks is insightful, engaging and, in so many ways, truly moving.”

Toby Devens,
Author of My Favorite Midlife Crisis (Yet)



"I have long been a fan of Eric D. Goodman's taut naturalistic fiction, so I came to Tracks with almost unfairly high expectations. I was not disappointed. Read these linked stories separately for their rich textures, their well-drawn characters, and their breathtaking moments of epiphany. Then read them again in sequence, allowing the cumulative power, the subtle connections and insights to reach their full force. Tracks is an unforgettable journey that cuts deep furrows in both the inner and the outer landscape."

Patry Francis,
Author of The Liar’s Diary


"Tracks presents a creative approach to addressing the complex issues in the real world and human nature. Eric D. Goodman provides intimate glimpses into the complex nature of a broad cross section of humanity traveling by train through the heartland of America. He integrates themes of familial bonds and fragments of lives and careers in jeopardy through the unique relationship of vividly drawn characters. Tracks is a refreshing narrative presented through deep reflections and vivid imagery that will propel readers into a page-turning adventure."

D.L. Wilson,
Author of Unholy Grail and
Sirocco


"In an age of twitter, microfiction, and small attention spans, the stories in Eric D. Goodman's Tracks are built on narrative fiction and the U.S. rail system, both of which are seemingly pronounced dead every new decade. But like a good meal, these stories of strangers on a train marinate and simmer, creating a flavor that is richer than their parts. Goodman's alternating harsh and tender stories travel the spectrum of human emotion, and his care for his characters is evident from the first page to the last. By the end, we have not only lived through every character, but we are every character."

Jen Michalski,
author of Close Encounters
and May-September



"In the best literary tradition of The Decameron, The Canterbury Tales, and Spoon River Anthology, Goodman's novel-in-stories reveals the rich textures and patterns in the tapestry of human experience. Tracks is elemental storytelling."

D.R. Belz,
author of White Asparagus


"Who doesn’t love a train ride? And what a ride you’ll get with Eric D. Goodman’s Tracks. Hand your ticket to the conductor, join the other passengers in the lounge car, and listen to their stories as the landscape speeds by. You’ll enjoy meeting each of these characters, sharing their fears, their desires and their dreams, in this entertaining and thought-provoking novel-in-stories."

Pat Valdata,
author of Inherent Vice and
The Other Sister



“Eric D. Goodman's scintillating first novel-in-stories travels along several parallel plot-lines, introducing the reader in mesmerizing fashion to men and women and the train tracks which serve as the object of their reflections and obsessions. Tracks is a tour-de-force, mirroring in its original structure perhaps train tracks themselves. The Westward expansion of our country, the grind of the daily commute, urbanization, the Holocaust—Goodman encapsulates all of this, so much of history and contemporary living. In the process, Goodman captures something almost ineffable—trains are us and vice versa. If one of the goals of great fiction is to set forth into new fictional territory, Tracks is that. And then some.”

Nathan Leslie,
Author of Believers,
Madre, and Drivers


“In an age of commuter rush, virtual friends, and novels written in 140-character bursts, Eric D. Goodman reminds us of the richness of train travel or a good book: when the pace is slower, you never know what sort of souls will greet you.”


Gregg A. Wilhelm,
Executive Director
CityLit Project


“Eric D. Goodman is a virtuoso; he breathes life into each character in such a way that you want to know everything about them, and each story makes you want to read the next to see how these lives intersect. Even when Tracks ends, it continues in the mind, leaving you wanting to know more, thinking about not only the lives of these multi-faceted characters, but your own life and the lives of those around you. Life is a journey and Tracks captures that feeling in a way that few interconnected story collections do.”

Nancy Greene
Author of Portraits in the Dark


“Get on board Eric D. Goodman’s Tracks for a rollicking ride from Baltimore to Chicago with a passenger list of colorful characters, from a sleazy traveling salesman, an adulterous sculptress and a Holocaust survivor to a couple of kids in love, a woman returning home to Cincinnati from burying her parents in Baltimore, and a poet. Told in Goodman’s witty, confidential style, these stories – this long tale – are well worth the price of the ticket!”

Charles Rammelkamp,
Author of The Secretkeepers and
Castleman in the Academy


"If you're a regular listener to The Signal, you're probably familiar with the name Eric D. Goodman. His novel in stories, Tracks is set on a train traveling from Baltimore to Chicago. Each story takes the reader into the psyche of another passenger on the train."

Andy Bienstock,
Baltimore's NPR Station, WPYR


"A Tarantino-style LOVE ACTUALLY meets literary fiction — the reader journeys by train from Baltimore to Chicago via the perspectives of a diverse array of passengers."

Doris M. Michaels Literary Agency, Inc.


"If you only read one novel in stories set on a train this year, make it Tracks!



Amtrak Conductor


Want to learn more? Visit the Tracks website where you can read excerpts, listen to radio readings, and find out what others are saying about the book.

www.TracksNovel.com

Family for Sale on Craigslist

Take my family, please!


I have offered up my family for sale on Craigslist. See the advertisement at the link below.

As a sort of joke (and to see what sort of reaction I would get), I posted my short fiction, “Family for Sale,” as an ad on Craigslist.

The short story, about a person who wishes he could just offer up his family for sale, was originally published in The Potomac: a journal of poetry and politics.

“It's a shame, when you think about it, that you can't trade in a family. Like a car or a girlfriend. Just put a family portrait up on Craigslist, make a few appointments, and hand over the birth certificates and Social Security cards.”

[Disclaimer: My real family is not for sale.]

See the Craigslist ad here:

http://baltimore.craigslist.org/bar/3473455761.html


Read the entire story in the most recent issue of The Potomac.

http://thepotomacjournal.com/issue12/Fiction/Goodman.html

The Reviews are On Track

Thinking about getting a copy of Tracks: A Novel in Stories for yourself or as a gift for someone else? Perhaps you’d like to find out what the critics have been saying first.

This is by no means a complete list, but here are some of the magazines, journals, newspapers, book bloggers, websites, and periodicals that have reviewed or covered Tracks.


New York Journal of Books:

“… Goodman is a born storyteller who weaves his tales of each individual character, and then ties them together to create a finely patterned cloth … you have the more transcendent experience of seeing each of the characters from many perspectives, at times understanding not only their “now” but something of their past and future.

“Many of the reviews written of this book point out that it’s a great summer read. This is true. It’s the kind of book that you can read best at a leisurely pace, enjoying the slower rhythms of this literary ‘people watching.’”


ForeWord Magazine:

“Like a collection of one-act plays, each scene is a tightly scripted vignette highlighting the life of a single character. And while each chapter of the novel is a standalone story, characters have roles to play in several.

“The author has a knack for easily and quickly evoking a sense of place, here deftly describing the seasonal life in Baltimore's Inner Harbor: "In the humid days of summer, descending from the hill into the harbor was like sinking into a familiar hot tub."

“The literary device of having the principal characters launched on a journey is well established, calling to mind examples as divergent as Chaucer and Zane Gray. If not done well it can be a cliche. Goodman handles the device deftly and the result is a compelling novel.”


Broken Pencil:

“Each brief chapter explores the perspective of a different passenger, while a major character in one story might reappear as a bit player in the next. One woman's back tattoo is gawked at by the male passengers on board and, seen through their lustful eyes, she acquires an unflattering reputation for most of the book until her own tale is told. Another character deals with the sudden death of a nearby rider, who moments earlier (as only the reader knows) experienced a major change of heart.

"Once everyone's introduced, the real fun begins. Two characters drunkenly end up in a cabin together, while on the other end of the train a cat-and-mouse game breaks out between a runaway mob member and his pursuing hit man. At times, Tracks feels like an episode of The Sopranos on VIA Rail, particularly since the mafia story arc - the one Goodman spends most of the novel crafting - is by far the highlight.

"... the writing makes for a great ride."



JMWW:

“… a fascinating cast of characters … Goodman’s voice is gentle as he explores motivations and interactions. The scenes in these stories expand to include all kinds of human fears and sorrows, regrets and grateful joys.

“Managing a large cast of characters is not an easy task, but one that Goodman accomplishes with ease. The characters interact throughout, creating a seamless narrative out of their different tales.

“Tensions mount as inner and outer conflicts come into play. Incidents from each story increasingly affect the outcome of the others, as the connections between the characters, however transitory, become stronger."


Midwest Book Review:

"The overarching story of life is forged by many stories. "Tracks" is a series of short stories crafted by Eric D. Goodman as he brings together a novel forged from these smaller tales. With a unique concept and entertaining writing about a passenger train going to Chicago from Baltimore, "Tracks" is quite a fascinating and recommended read.



The Writer Magazine:

“... irresistible … Count me in.”


Baltimore Jewish Times:

Must Read Section

"Goodman’s break-out novel follows a group of eclectic characters on a long train ride from Baltimore to Chicago. Goodman expertly weaves the characters in and out of each story.

"In addition to its structural genius, “Tracks” boasts a creative cast of characters, including a young American soldier, a woman mourning her parents, a computer-geek-turned-activist and his would-be assassin, an elderly Holocaust survivor, a sleazy traveling salesman, a young woman distracted by a recent breakup, and an adulterous woman with a prominent tattoo.

"... 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."


The Nervous Breakdown:

“Goodman’s prose feels inspired by this same romance of trains that tinges the book. He is a natural storyteller, one who takes time in unfurling these lives, showing us things we wouldn’t see from the highway of grocery-store fiction. In an age of high-speed internet, Facebook lives and thoughts that only last 140 characters, it’s refreshing to see a book with such unhurried attention to character. In the same way that train rides make time seem liquid, maybe non-existent, the narrative-time of Tracks bends and contorts to encompass large swatches of the characters’ lives.

"... another nice touch by Goodman, this constant reevaluation of characters after being observed in later stories. In the same way trains cars rock and sway, our perception of earlier characters—the old and rigid Prewitt, the immature Malcolm and Tina, the woman (Demi) whose tattoo snares the lascivious attention of most men on the train—sways with each successive story. Who we thought the characters were from observation isn’t exactly who they are once we’re inside their head.

"Like a train-ride itself, it’s not the arrival at the other station that’s the important part. It’s all of the things you see, people like the characters in Tracks who you meet along the way. They stay in your head, long after the final page is turned."


Washington Independent Review of Books:

“… Goodman writes with an appealing directness and attention to detail. The strongest vignettes drew me into the characters’ experiences even when they happened long in the past.

"The best vignette ... is that of a young soldier on leave from fighting in Afghanistan. He has just lost his girlfriend because he refused her pleas to leave the Army and repudiate the war. Now he is filled with sadness and confusion about the country and the cause for which he is fighting. Goodman’s war scenes, including the deaths of the soldier’s two closest friends, are gripping ..."


The Potomac: A Journal of Poetry and Politics:

“… Tracks, a “novel in stories,” seventeen of them that take place on an overnight train ride from Baltimore to Chicago, is a real tour de force.

“Goodman writes in a witty, confidential style, letting the reader in on “the straight skinny” behind the lives of his characters in a sort of behind–the–hand conspiratorial voice that’s cozy and entertaining.

“Goodman brings Baltimore to life in story after story … Make no mistake, this is a book whose entertainment value makes it worth reading for anyone, particularly if you’re from Baltimore.”


DC Examiner:

“…the stories exude local culture and nuances that only a local writer could bring to life. Whether the characters are running away from their lives in Baltimore or eager to get back to them, the protagonists in each story are seeking change and the rails is the best way to examine their lives and find solutions to their problems.

“Goodman has created a novel in stories about the everyman that will reach into the reader's core and transport them inward to examine his/her own life more closely. Tracks is a novel and short stories, but much more than that, it is a journey.”


Erin Reads:

"I've never read anything quite like 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.

"... 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."


 Savvy Verse & Wit:

"Goodman is adept at ensuring readers care about his characters in just a few pages … It does not matter where these characters come from; what matters is that the rails provide them with hope and a time out from their hustle of their daily lives. The train and the rails are an escape, a quiet place to contemplate their lives as the undulating sway of the cars lulls them into deep meditation. Paralleling their actual lives, the trip on the train has each member making contact with strangers, and like the conscience that guides their decision making, the conductor on the train whispers advice and nuggets of observation/wisdom to those with whom he speaks. Beyond the characters, the city of Baltimore and the rail line itself loom large in the story, almost becoming characters themselves …

"Tracks by Eric D. Goodman demonstrates how we are all traveling the same line and how we have similar fears and failings, but also similar hopes and dreams. In spite of that, we all end up in different places. Even with the characters who seem unsavory or hard to like, they offer a lesson to readers — seize the moment because in the next, it could be gone. Opportunity arises and disappears just as quickly, and life on the train ride of life is quick and unrelenting. There’s not much time for reflection and a deeper examination of pros and cons when living life at full tilt, but stepping back for a few hours on a train ride can be enough to reassess and rejoin life’s journey with a new purpose. Excellent novel in stories."


Booked Up:

“I was so drawn to some of the characters and could entirely identify with the situations they were dealing with. Others who fall way outside anything I know were well depicted ...

"It was interesting to see how different travelers were dealing with similar situations in very different ways, and to see how brief encounters could impact on their lives.

"I loved this book, the subject matter and the style, unfussy yet beautiful. Well worth a read!"


San Francisco Book Review:

The author shares his experience of working with an agent and publisher on changes to Tracks.


Three Guys One Book

“The novel follows the stories of the passengers on a train from Baltimore to Chicago, breaking into their lives, both real and as imagined by the other passengers, skillfully and subtly intertwining their tales. It’s good stuff and you can read two of the chapters here."


The Baltimore Sun:

Tracks made the front page of the Arts & Entertainment section of The Baltimore Sun's Sunday Edition (in print). Altered versions of this article appeared in print and online in The Baltimore Sun, The Baltimore Messenger, and The Towson Times.

"Someone once described the ambition of getting a novel published as 'a slender keyhole through which few have passed.' Eric Goodman has passed through that keyhole, and has found rewards on the other side — on Monday, June 4, he was in New York picking up the 2012 Gold Medal for Best Fiction in the Mid-Atlantic Region in the Independent Publishers Book Awards for his book, Tracks: A Novel in Stories."


Portsmouth Daily Times:

“Goodman’s novel-in-stories has been described as a “Tarantino-style ‘Love Actually’ meets literary fiction.” The book follows a group of characters on a train from Baltimore to Chicago, interweaving their experiences as each story spotlights the viewpoint of a character. The major character in one story becoming a minor character in another, almost like living in a small town. Goodman said that, in a way, his experiences here in Portsmouth helped to influence his latest book."


York Daily Record / Sunday News:

“When Goodman watches a movie or reads a book, he always wants to know more about the side characters. Writing a novel in intertwined stories seemed like the ideal way to learn more about different characters. Gathering an eclectic group of passengers -- which includes a salesman, a soldier, a former mobster and a Holocaust survivor -- also meant Goodman could have darker and lighter stories mixed together in one book."


Portland Book Review:

The author shares his "addiction" to writing advice and comments as he writes about how much advice one book can handle in the Writers on Writing section.


Sacramento Book Review:

The author shares his experience of editing and rewriting with an agent and publisher based on his experience with Tracks.


Black & Blonde:

"This is the type of book I live for. A literary Crash or 21 Grams."


Maryland Life:

Summer Reading List

"Climb aboard this compilation of stories set on a train from Baltimore to Chicago."


Every Day I Write the Book:

"Unexpected and unique ... an homage to train travel. The strength of the book was the cast of characters who were quite memorable ..."


Baltimore Jewish Times:

(Interview in the "Exclusively in Print" section)

"BJT: Why did you choose to include a Holocaust survivor as one of your characters?

"Goodman: Five or six years ago, I went to the National Holocaust Memorial Museum in D.C., and I just remember it was such an emotional experience. I had read a lot of books and seen a lot of movies about the Holocaust, but this had such an effect on me. Riding home on the MARC train, I was already writing notes and thinking about how I could include this in a story. I visited the museum several more times to really submerge myself in it as I was writing. I think "Live Cargo," the story that came out of it, is probably one of the more powerful stories in the book."


Independent Publisher Magazine:

"The authors we sign have a knack for writing visual, compelling narratives whose characters and story lines are quirky and timeless. There is no commercial crassness to what we do. We live to tell another story with unconventional plots and heroic misdeeds. It's this strain of inventively fresh, honest and offbeat entertainment that is often missing from today's bestseller lists." (Dan Cafaro of Atticus Books)


Potomac Review:

"Potomac Review: The characters in Tracks don’t take predictable paths through their lives. Which story in Tracks surprised you the most when you finished writing it?

"Eric D. Goodman: As many writers will tell you, a character often takes on a life of his or her own and sometimes leads you in directions you don’t expect. When I began writing each story, I knew what they were about and who the characters were, but not always where they’d end up."


Write Place Write Time:

Eric D. Goodman shares pictures and thoughts about his favorite place to write, and the simple pine desk that has seen a portion of every book he's worked on for nearly 30 years.


Farley's Bookshop Newsletter:

"Monthly Spotlight: Goodman interweaves the stories and lives of a group of passengers on a train headed from Baltimore to Chicago. The book is full of tension, insight and tight, great writing. It is a wonderful look into the human soul and an absolute pleasure to read. Fine work."


Towson Times:

“Many of us know this Rodgers Forge resident's wonderful first book, "Flightless Goose," a children's story … now adults can thrill to Eric's work.”


Talent in Motion Magazine:

"The tales are as diverse as the characters on the train ... The one thing they have in common is a train, a conductor and time. Each of their chance encounters shed a closer understanding to ...why we are stronger by the stories we share ..."


Pen in Hand:

"Praise for Goodman's book includes accolades from The New York Journal of Books, which calls Goodman 'a born storyteller who weaves his tales of each individual character, and then ties them together to create a finely patterend cloth.' Madison Smartt Bell described Tracks as 'a perfect read' and Thomas Steinbeck dubbed Goodman 'an exciting talent' who takes the craft of short story writing 'to the level of art.'"


Madam Mayo:

In this guest blog, Eric D. Goodman shares five train stories worth riding. C.M. Mayo writes of Tracks:

"It has been garnering effusive praise, including from Madison Smartt Bell who calls it "a most cunningly crafted tale -- a perfect read for trains, planes, and automobiles... or even your armchair." Hop aboard at www.TracksNovel.com."



Gaithersburg Book Festival:

“Q&A with 2012 Featured Author Eric D. Goodman

“Where do you find inspiration?

“I never know when inspiration is going to hit, but I can say that I find it in life’s simple moments. My writing tends to be based on ideas or feelings. Perhaps a bit of overheard conversation, a unique thought, something that has happened to me or someone I know. That inspiration can come from watching people at the harbor or reading a news story or overhearing a conversation on a train. The idea comes first, then the characters, then the plot. I like to capture everyday moments that seem simple on the surface, but that contain the essence of life.”


York Daily Record/Sunday News Book Buzz:

“… Goodman has won a 2012 Independent Publisher Book Award. Announced last week, “Tracks” took home the gold for best fiction in the Mid-Atlantic Region. The Awards Ceremony will be held June 4 in New York.


Atticus Short Story Month Blog:

“Short stories force a writer to do more with fewer words … short stories take skill and work.”


Great Book Reviews:

“All of the characters are well told, especially Charlie (a hitman), Gene (ex-criminal) Prewitt (stressed) and Franklin (awesome character)! Each story is great. The author writes the stories while the characters are on a train, but the stories themselves are about new beginnings, remembrance and life.

“I love the writing style, and all in all, I think Eric D is an author to look out for!”


GoodReads:

“Each has their own reasons for being on the train, and their own stories but for a time their paths cross and in some cases affect the course of their fellow passengers' lives.”

“There are so many great things about this book.”


Savvy Verse & Wit:

"Tracks by Eric D. Goodman is one of the best novel in stories I've read in a long time, and it will likely end up on my best of the year list."


Potomac Review:

Author Eric D. Goodman shares the thrill of release day.

"A good number of people have asked me: what was it like? To finally have my first novel released after years—decades—of pitching to agents and publishers? To have a traditional publisher release my baby to the world. The short answer: somewhat surreal. What follows is the long answer."


DC Examiner:

Award announcement and Interview

“The Gaithersburg Book Festival on May 19 has some best-selling talent, like Sarah Pekkanen. But even more enticing is the swath of local talent that will be on hand at the festival, including Eric D. Goodman, author of Tracks. His novel recently earned the 2012 Gold Medal for Best Fiction in the Mid-Atlantic Region from the Independent Publisher Book Awards.

“The interconnected stories provide an overarching story as told by a variety of perspectives, including a workaholic and a languishing poet. What many of these protagonists have in common is that they are in transition, either between stages in their life or in their relationships. Through observations and conversations, these characters come to realizations about their own lives, and the journey on the train becomes a vision of the human journey.”


Potomac Review:

Author Eric D. Goodman blogs about what happens after release day and how exhaustion is a good thing.

"My debut novel in stories, Tracks, was published by Atticus Books on June 30 of this year. The release date was a whirlwind, so much going on that it left my head spinning. But that doesn’t mean I’m standing still now, a season later ... it doesn’t end with release day."


Lexington Herald Leader:

Tracks makes the Bluegrass Bookshelf list.


Writers Weekly:

The author writes about his experience taking Tracks abroad, reading and signing at a book event in Madrid, Spain.


Montecito Journal:

"Author Eric D. Goodman is clearly on the right lines with his debut book, Tracks ... with each chapter about different characters, including a hitman, Holocaust survivor, a former mobster, and a poet. Goodman is now finishing off his second work, he told me at a bijou launch at Tecolote, the lively literary lair in the Upper Villiage, hosted by his friends Thom and Gail Steinbeck."


Ally E. Peltier Newsletter:

Success Story about going from rough draft to published novel.

"Be sure to check out the book, Tracks: A Novel in Stories, by Eric D. Goodman, published by Atticus Books."


Bear Tracks:

"Eric Goodman sees release of Tracks, a novel in stories ..."



Interview with Atticus Books:

"... our tete-a-tete with the author himself, who shares everything from his original inspiration to John Waters’ plans for the movie ..."


Want to learn more? vIsit the Tracks website where you can read excerpts, listen to radio readings, and find out what others are saying about the book.

www.TracksNovel.com

Still Time to Gift Geese and Trains

Still doing your holiday shopping? If books are on your list, there’s still time to get autographed copies of Flightless Goose and Tracks: A Novel in Stories.


It’s more important for me to share my books with others than it is to make a profit off of them. That’s why I’m practically giving them away at cost.

For the child on your list, we’ll send a signed and personally inscribed copy of the hardcover, full-color storybook Flightless Goose for only $12. (Retail is $15.95)

For the grown-up reader of fiction or train enthusiast, we’ll send a signed and personally inscribed copy of Tracks: A Novel in Stories for only $12. (Retail is $15.95)

Want them both? Get a copy of each for only only $20! Or bet two copies of either book for the same discounted price. Add additional copies for $10 each.

Shipping will be $2 for one book and an additional $1 for each additional book.

If you’d like your books signed or inscribed to yourself or the person you’re gifting to, please let me know and we’ll be happy to sign. I’ll sign Tracks and Flightless Goose, and the illustrator, Nataliya Goodman, will sign Flightless Goose.

You can order by contacting me at my email address (TracksNovel@gmail.com) or in a Facebook message (www.Facebook.com/EricDGoodman).  

Payment can be sent by check or money order, or paid electronically by credit card or PayPal.

Learn more about Flightless Goose at the Facebook Fan Page:

http://www.facebook.com/FlightlessGoose

Learn more about Tracks at the website, where you can read excerpts, reviews, listen to radio readings, and find out what others are saying about the book.

www.TracksNovel.com

Way of the DoDo

The Tracks Blog is about to go the way of the dodo. Who says you have to be 62 or older to retire? The book blog is going to retire this year.


The Tracks Blog, at www.Train-Tracks.blogspot.com, began in August 2006, five years before the novel in stories was actually published. The original draft had been written and excerpts from Tracks had been featured on the radio, at book festivals, and had been published. Although the book hadn’t been published—didn’t even have an agent yet—there was already plenty to promote.

Ever since 2006, the Tracks Blog featured news and information about Tracks: A Novel in Stories. From getting an agent to getting published, scoring readings and scoring awards, the blog covered the evolution of the book.

Tracks is still moving full-steam ahead, selling copies, getting covered, being shared in public places. But it is time to put the book blog to rest.

If you’d like to continue learning about Tracks and my writing, there are better places to go. Such as:

“Like” my Facebook page: www.facebook.com/EricDGoodman

Writeful, a weblog for readers and writers: www.Writeful.blogspot.com

“Like” the Tracks online lounge car: www.facebook.com/pages/Tracks-the-lounge-car

Follow on Twitter at www.twitter.com/edgewrite

Farewell Tracks Blog; long may you ride.

www.Train-Tracks.blogspot.com

Join me on Facebook

For a few years now, I’ve enjoyed sharing things with my friends on Facebook. Tips from writers, news bits about writers, discussions about literature, information about local literary events, and the latest on my own writing—and the writing of writers I know and love. It’s all things books and literature.


Last month, I hit a milestone: I reached 5,000 friends on Facebook. My prize was not a gold watch or medal. I am no longer allowed to “friend” people on Facebook because I’ve reached the allowance for individuals.

So I did what any author would do: I created an author’s page! You can find it at www.Facebook.com/EricDGoodman.

If you like writing or reading, please “like” my Facebook page at www.Facebook.com/EricDGoodman!