Sam Hilliard's Blog, page 10

Where did my week off go

Perhaps the three most disturbing phrase in the English language is one day of vacation left. Now it beckons like an executioner watching a condemned man approach the gallows.

On a rainy Sunday afternoon, following a wicked storm that choked off power to many areas in New Jersey–including work, this is my vacation retrospective:

Electricity and running water, ticket stubs for Crazy Heart and Alice, a freezer full of fish sticks, a roll of toilet paper ( unused ), half bottle of gin, a cherry...

Vacationland Update

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...

Spring Break means no rest for the wicked

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...

Picture This

A relative recently posted a picture on her Wall in Facebook, and it stirred a lot of memories–and not just because one person in the photograph died three years back.

More notable than the picture surriving in storage, and the tremendous changes everyone in the picture experienced over the years, were the response from everyone after the shot circulated amongst friends and family. Of the six living people in the photograph, five commented multiple times.

Now there are plans to take the...

Notes from the edge

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...

678 entries

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...

A wedding and a funeral

After years or dutiful service my Treo cellphone died. An unexpected static shock shorted out the display.

Technically Treo still worked, incoming calls worked–a testament to its smart construction and design–right up until the moment of activating my new love, the Baybeh 9700 ( Blackberry Bold 9700 ).

After several days of relentless use, I must note that Baybeh 9700 is the finest Blackberry ever encountered. Though my main phone was the Treo, I've handled all sorts of devices in the course...

Vote for the Last Track for Best Reads of 2010 on GoodReads.com

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 a...

Intentions

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...

I smell birthday cake or buy my stuff

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...