Art Edwards's Blog, page 11
March 4, 2014
New Badge Podcast, New Piece on Rock Novels, and here comes AZ, LA and SF!!!
The fun just doesn't stop here at Badge Central.
First up, here's a podcast of me chatting for a half hour with Ben Tanzer, whose VIDA reading at AWP was so good I almost cried. Ben and I chat Badge, The Refreshments, writing and Novel Four.
Also, here's a piece I wrote about my problems with the term "rock novel" that The Nervous Breakdown published on Sunday. Help us find a replacement for this woefully stupid monicker!
Finally, this is my last week at home before I head to AZ and CA for Badge Tour 2014. Check out the tour's dates and make sure you hit one.
Yours in laying down the law,
Art
Watch the Book Trailer for Badge.
Buy Badge .
First up, here's a podcast of me chatting for a half hour with Ben Tanzer, whose VIDA reading at AWP was so good I almost cried. Ben and I chat Badge, The Refreshments, writing and Novel Four.
Also, here's a piece I wrote about my problems with the term "rock novel" that The Nervous Breakdown published on Sunday. Help us find a replacement for this woefully stupid monicker!
Finally, this is my last week at home before I head to AZ and CA for Badge Tour 2014. Check out the tour's dates and make sure you hit one.
Yours in laying down the law,
Art
Watch the Book Trailer for Badge.
Buy Badge .
February 24, 2014
Seattle Reading This Thursday!!!
This Thursday, Five writers and I converge on The Jewelbox Theater in Seattle for what is sure to be a rock lit spectacle like none other. You're not going to want to miss this. Here's the info. This event is brought to you by The Weeklings, hands down the best arts and culture site on the planet.
Speaking of The Weeklings, the folks there were kind enough to publish my rock lit manifesto this past week. Vive le roque!
Finally, Jon Grayson interviewed me on KMOX this past week as well. We talked Badge, rock stars, and a certain AZ band.
See you Thursday!
Yours in laying down the law,
Art
Watch the Book Trailer for Badge.
Buy Badge .
Speaking of The Weeklings, the folks there were kind enough to publish my rock lit manifesto this past week. Vive le roque!
Finally, Jon Grayson interviewed me on KMOX this past week as well. We talked Badge, rock stars, and a certain AZ band.
See you Thursday!
Yours in laying down the law,
Art
Watch the Book Trailer for Badge.
Buy Badge .
February 17, 2014
The Week in Badge Interviews!
I had some butterflies before my first radio interview to support Badge this past week. It had been (gulp) six years since my last, and--like the consummate professional I am--I didn't prepare, and it was a long interview by radio standards (20 minutes). Still,
The Nervous Breakdown Self-Interview I did last week was much easier. This is a series I've been reading for years, so I already had a plan of attack. (B.S. as much as possible!) Enjoy it here.
Also last week, TNB published a new Badge excerpt. This is more or less me trying to fictionalize that moment when you realize your band is getting big. Read it here.
Yours in laying down the law,
Art
Watch the Book Trailer for Badge.
Buy Badge .
The Nervous Breakdown Self-Interview I did last week was much easier. This is a series I've been reading for years, so I already had a plan of attack. (B.S. as much as possible!) Enjoy it here.
Also last week, TNB published a new Badge excerpt. This is more or less me trying to fictionalize that moment when you realize your band is getting big. Read it here.
Yours in laying down the law,
Art
Watch the Book Trailer for Badge.
Buy Badge .
February 11, 2014
Badge for Sale at Broadway Books!!!
Anyone else out there prefer to buy books at an actual bookstore?
I'm one of those. I like to take trips to a store, browse the aisles, pick out titles, and take my time doing it. Every purchase comes not just with bound pages but an genuine in-time experience with people, sights, smells: life. Getting it through the mail just doesn't compare.
If you're looking to find Badge at a brick-and-mortar store, look no further Broadway Books, hands down the best bookstore in NE Portland. Broadway is one of those places in the world that are getting rarer: a genuine small business enterprise that counts on actual sales of books to stay afloat. Walk into the store and you'll immediately be greeted, asked if you need help, and if you don't, you'll be left alone to make your buying decision at your pace. The ladies up front always seem genuinely happy to assist, find you what you want, order it for you if they don't have it, or just chat. This place is one of the most distinctly Portland experiences around. I once ran into Cheryl Strayed there! During the whole Oprah thing!
So, go to Broadway Books and buy Badge, or if not Badge, something else. It's your life.
Yours in laying down the law,
Art
Watch the Book Trailer for Badge.
Buy Badge .
I'm one of those. I like to take trips to a store, browse the aisles, pick out titles, and take my time doing it. Every purchase comes not just with bound pages but an genuine in-time experience with people, sights, smells: life. Getting it through the mail just doesn't compare.
If you're looking to find Badge at a brick-and-mortar store, look no further Broadway Books, hands down the best bookstore in NE Portland. Broadway is one of those places in the world that are getting rarer: a genuine small business enterprise that counts on actual sales of books to stay afloat. Walk into the store and you'll immediately be greeted, asked if you need help, and if you don't, you'll be left alone to make your buying decision at your pace. The ladies up front always seem genuinely happy to assist, find you what you want, order it for you if they don't have it, or just chat. This place is one of the most distinctly Portland experiences around. I once ran into Cheryl Strayed there! During the whole Oprah thing!
So, go to Broadway Books and buy Badge, or if not Badge, something else. It's your life.
Yours in laying down the law,
Art
Watch the Book Trailer for Badge.
Buy Badge .
February 4, 2014
Badge Now On Sale Everywhere!
You can now buy Badge everywhere fine books are sold.
You can buy Badge at my website.
You can buy Badge at Powell's.
You can buy Badge at Amazon.
You can buy Badge for your Kindle.
You can buy Badge for your other ebook devices.
And there are plenty of other places too.
Looks like we made it! Thanks for your help, folks.
Also, to launch Badge proper, I'll be reading at Broadway Books with Monica Drake and Mark Russell this Wednesday at 7 PM. Come out and say hello. I'd love to see you.
Yours in laying down the law,
Art
Watch the Book Trailer for Badge.
Buy Badge .
You can buy Badge at my website.
You can buy Badge at Powell's.
You can buy Badge at Amazon.
You can buy Badge for your Kindle.
You can buy Badge for your other ebook devices.
And there are plenty of other places too.
Looks like we made it! Thanks for your help, folks.
Also, to launch Badge proper, I'll be reading at Broadway Books with Monica Drake and Mark Russell this Wednesday at 7 PM. Come out and say hello. I'd love to see you.
Yours in laying down the law,
Art
Watch the Book Trailer for Badge.
Buy Badge .
January 27, 2014
Badge is Now Available for Your Kindle Devices, plus Upcoming Portland Badge Event!!!
It's been a great week here at Badge central. I'm getting lots of comments from people digging Badge, and it really feels wonderful. I work on these things for so long, it's almost surprising when someone comments on it. For a second I'm like, "How do they know that?"
Anyway, love the comments. Please keep them coming, and feel free to review Badge at GoodReads. That's very helpful to me at this stage.
For you ebook fanatics, I have great news. Badge is now available for your Kindle devices. That's a week before its publication date! Get yours now!
Also, I need to start prepping you for a Badge-related Portland event coming up in just nine days:
It's on Wednesday, Feb. 5th, at everyone's favorite NE Portland bookstore Broadway Books. I'll be taking the podium with two really amazing Portland writers/people: Monica Drake, whose The Stud Book is a must-read for those who love our fair city; and Mark Russell, whose God is Disappointed in You might be the most important book you read this year. And the best part is, all writers will have a multimedia element to their reading/presentation! This will not be boring.
Badge aside, it will be kind of a special day for me. It's been over a decade since my last reading at a Portland bookstore. Here's a photo of that day.
Were any of you at this reading at 23rd Avenue Books in August 2003? There were 12 of you (yes, I counted).
So, plan on Wednesday 2/5 at Broadway Books at 7 PM. (Free!) I'll be the one with the perma-grin.
Yours in laying down the law,
Art
Watch the Book Trailer for Badge.
Buy Badge .
Anyway, love the comments. Please keep them coming, and feel free to review Badge at GoodReads. That's very helpful to me at this stage.
For you ebook fanatics, I have great news. Badge is now available for your Kindle devices. That's a week before its publication date! Get yours now!
Also, I need to start prepping you for a Badge-related Portland event coming up in just nine days:
It's on Wednesday, Feb. 5th, at everyone's favorite NE Portland bookstore Broadway Books. I'll be taking the podium with two really amazing Portland writers/people: Monica Drake, whose The Stud Book is a must-read for those who love our fair city; and Mark Russell, whose God is Disappointed in You might be the most important book you read this year. And the best part is, all writers will have a multimedia element to their reading/presentation! This will not be boring.
Badge aside, it will be kind of a special day for me. It's been over a decade since my last reading at a Portland bookstore. Here's a photo of that day.
Were any of you at this reading at 23rd Avenue Books in August 2003? There were 12 of you (yes, I counted).
So, plan on Wednesday 2/5 at Broadway Books at 7 PM. (Free!) I'll be the one with the perma-grin.
Yours in laying down the law,
Art
Watch the Book Trailer for Badge.
Buy Badge .
January 21, 2014
New Essay On Self-Publishing up at Word Riot!
An essay of mine on self-publishing just went live a Word Riot. Read along as I start to get cocky about this whole thing.
Also, Badge's book trailer went live last week.
Moreover, you now can buy Badge from my website during its presale.
Finally, if you do buy Badge during its presale, I'll email you the mp3 of Badge's theme song "Calypso" as a bonus!
That's what I've got.
Yours in laying down the law,
Art
Watch the Book Trailer for Badge.
Buy Badge .
Also, Badge's book trailer went live last week.
Moreover, you now can buy Badge from my website during its presale.
Finally, if you do buy Badge during its presale, I'll email you the mp3 of Badge's theme song "Calypso" as a bonus!
That's what I've got.
Yours in laying down the law,
Art
Watch the Book Trailer for Badge.
Buy Badge .
January 14, 2014
Badge Book Trailer/Badge Presales Start Today!/"Calypso"
Today is a special day in Badgeland.
First, Badge's book trailer just went live. You can watch it here.
The book trailer offers your first chance to hear the theme song of Badge, which is called "Calypso." "Calypso" also appears in Badge as a song written by Betty of No Fun Intended, so it's a fun thing to get to hear.
Also, in celebration of bringing you the Badge book trailer and "Calypso" on the same day, let's start Badge pre-sales at my website early. Like, right now!
To be clear, these are pre-sales, not pre-orders. The difference is, once you buy Badge from me, it will go out in the mail to you tomorrow and not on its release date of Feb. 4th. That's at least two weeks before it goes on sale at Amazon. Come and get it!
And how about we sweeten the deal? If you buy Badge from my website during this pre-sale, I'll email you the mp3 of "Calypso" as a bonus!
So, here's the Badge book trailer, which features "Calypso," and you can have "Calypso" emailed to you if you buy Badge during it's pre-sale period (now until Feb. 3) from my website.
How's that for a week! It only took seven years to get here!
Last but not least, I'd like to thank the special people who made "Calypso" happen.
1) My high school classmate and longtime cohort Bret Hartley for doing such a great job producing it and lending it his immaculate guitar work;
2) Emily Kate Boyd for allowing her stellar voice to also be the voice of Betty;
3) Drummer Kevin Leahy for giving the whole thing the exact right spirit;
4) And Dave Lindenbaum for allowing me to record bass for the track at his studio instead of me having to book a flight to Atlanta.
Every one of these folks worked well below what they're worth to bring "Calypso" to you, so if you like the song, don't hesitate to shoot them a Facebook message thanking them.
Okay then.
Yours in laying down the law,
Art
Buy Badge .
Or read an excerpt from Badge.
First, Badge's book trailer just went live. You can watch it here.
The book trailer offers your first chance to hear the theme song of Badge, which is called "Calypso." "Calypso" also appears in Badge as a song written by Betty of No Fun Intended, so it's a fun thing to get to hear.
Also, in celebration of bringing you the Badge book trailer and "Calypso" on the same day, let's start Badge pre-sales at my website early. Like, right now!
To be clear, these are pre-sales, not pre-orders. The difference is, once you buy Badge from me, it will go out in the mail to you tomorrow and not on its release date of Feb. 4th. That's at least two weeks before it goes on sale at Amazon. Come and get it!
And how about we sweeten the deal? If you buy Badge from my website during this pre-sale, I'll email you the mp3 of "Calypso" as a bonus!
So, here's the Badge book trailer, which features "Calypso," and you can have "Calypso" emailed to you if you buy Badge during it's pre-sale period (now until Feb. 3) from my website.
How's that for a week! It only took seven years to get here!
Last but not least, I'd like to thank the special people who made "Calypso" happen.
1) My high school classmate and longtime cohort Bret Hartley for doing such a great job producing it and lending it his immaculate guitar work;
2) Emily Kate Boyd for allowing her stellar voice to also be the voice of Betty;
3) Drummer Kevin Leahy for giving the whole thing the exact right spirit;
4) And Dave Lindenbaum for allowing me to record bass for the track at his studio instead of me having to book a flight to Atlanta.
Every one of these folks worked well below what they're worth to bring "Calypso" to you, so if you like the song, don't hesitate to shoot them a Facebook message thanking them.
Okay then.
Yours in laying down the law,
Art
Buy Badge .
Or read an excerpt from Badge.
January 7, 2014
New Adventures in (Rock) Writing and (Self-)Publishing
One of my favorite parts of putting together the promotion for Badge has been writing essays for the Internet. I've finished eight or ten of them ready, and I'm working on another ten or twelve now. These essays deal with my favorite subjects: writing (esp. rock fiction), publishing (esp. self-publishing) and music (esp. the music of my youth). So you can expect one or two short Internet pieces from me each month in 2014.
The first popped up over the weekend at The Nervous Breakdown. It's called Thirteenth Note and explains the name of Kel's and my new publishing company, and why rock fiction characters don't have to be David Lee Roths.
The second is at writer extraordinaire Nick Belarde's website, and it deals with a recent visit back to the bookstore of my literary youth, Changing Hands in Tempe, Arizona. Or is it the bookstore of my youth?
Most all of my Badge-related events are booked through March, and they involve stops in Portland, Seattle, Phoenix, Los Angeles and San Francisco. Final details are still coming together, but know each event will be special in its way. I can't wait for this part.
Finally, Badge pre-sales start in less than two weeks at my website! If you missed the Kickstarter fundraiser, this will be your first chance to get your copy of Badge, which goes on sale worldwide on Feb. 4th.
Yours in laying down the law,
Art
Read the blurb of Badge.
Or read an excerpt of Badge.
The first popped up over the weekend at The Nervous Breakdown. It's called Thirteenth Note and explains the name of Kel's and my new publishing company, and why rock fiction characters don't have to be David Lee Roths.
The second is at writer extraordinaire Nick Belarde's website, and it deals with a recent visit back to the bookstore of my literary youth, Changing Hands in Tempe, Arizona. Or is it the bookstore of my youth?
Most all of my Badge-related events are booked through March, and they involve stops in Portland, Seattle, Phoenix, Los Angeles and San Francisco. Final details are still coming together, but know each event will be special in its way. I can't wait for this part.
Finally, Badge pre-sales start in less than two weeks at my website! If you missed the Kickstarter fundraiser, this will be your first chance to get your copy of Badge, which goes on sale worldwide on Feb. 4th.
Yours in laying down the law,
Art
Read the blurb of Badge.
Or read an excerpt of Badge.
December 30, 2013
All Badge Kickstarter Rewards Sent!!!
With the exception of one or two stragglers, all of the Kickstarter Rewards for Badge have been sent. This means, if you have a reward coming, it's on its way. If you have a reward coming and you don't get it in a week or so, do let me know and we'll rectify it.
This also means that the monster of Badge is out of the cage. It only took seven years. For those of you getting Badge as a reward, the best way to let me and the world know what you think of it is by reviewing it at your blog, at Amazon, at Goodreads, or anywhere else on the web. (Don't worry; I won't miss it.) Amazon and Goodreads both have pages already set up for Badge, and I'll soon have some kind of Badge Facebook page as well. Perfect for linking!
That's it for now. Enjoy the rest of the holidays, and I'll have lots of Badge news for you beginning next week.
Yours in laying down the law,
Art
Read the blurb of Badge.
Or read an excerpt of Badge.
This also means that the monster of Badge is out of the cage. It only took seven years. For those of you getting Badge as a reward, the best way to let me and the world know what you think of it is by reviewing it at your blog, at Amazon, at Goodreads, or anywhere else on the web. (Don't worry; I won't miss it.) Amazon and Goodreads both have pages already set up for Badge, and I'll soon have some kind of Badge Facebook page as well. Perfect for linking!
That's it for now. Enjoy the rest of the holidays, and I'll have lots of Badge news for you beginning next week.
Yours in laying down the law,
Art
Read the blurb of Badge.
Or read an excerpt of Badge.
