Eric D. Goodman's Blog, page 16
February 25, 2022
Wrecks and Ruins Full Cover Revealed
For Valentine’s Day, here’s more about my forthcoming novel that’s been described as an anti-love story that corrects itself.
You may have seen the front cover for the forthcoming novel, Wrecks and Ruins. Now, I’m pleased to share Apprentice Houses Press’s full cover, front and back.
The front and back covers both feature a Cicada sketch from Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural history, with wood photography by Patrick Fore. The back cover provides a brief description of the novel and a briefer author’s bio.
This will be the cover for the advance reading copy, so there may be slight variations before the final release. But chances are, this will be close to what you’ll see on bookstore bookshelves—online and in person—this April.
Learn more at www.EricDGoodman.com.
You may have seen the front cover for the forthcoming novel, Wrecks and Ruins. Now, I’m pleased to share Apprentice Houses Press’s full cover, front and back.
The front and back covers both feature a Cicada sketch from Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural history, with wood photography by Patrick Fore. The back cover provides a brief description of the novel and a briefer author’s bio.
This will be the cover for the advance reading copy, so there may be slight variations before the final release. But chances are, this will be close to what you’ll see on bookstore bookshelves—online and in person—this April.
Learn more at www.EricDGoodman.com.
February 23, 2022
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.
Take a look:
www.EricDGoodman.com
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.
Take a look:
www.EricDGoodman.com
February 22, 2022
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=ja...
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=ja...
January 25, 2022
Shakespeare's Bad Side
Think form rejection letters are bad? Just be glad you don't have Shakespeare as a critic!
"Thou crusty botch of nature," he said. "(Thou hast) not so much brain as ear wax." He could be rather harsh. "(Thou) hath more hair than wit, and more faults than hairs, and more wealth than faults."
Check the link below, where Shakespeare will be happy to taunt you with lines like "There's no more faith in thee than in a stewed prune," "(Thou art) a wretch whose natural gifts were poor," and "(Your) brain is as dry as a remainder biscuit after a voyage."
"Methink'st thou art a general offence and every man should beat thee." More literary insults await!
http://www.pangloss.com/seidel/Shaker...
"Thou crusty botch of nature," he said. "(Thou hast) not so much brain as ear wax." He could be rather harsh. "(Thou) hath more hair than wit, and more faults than hairs, and more wealth than faults."
Check the link below, where Shakespeare will be happy to taunt you with lines like "There's no more faith in thee than in a stewed prune," "(Thou art) a wretch whose natural gifts were poor," and "(Your) brain is as dry as a remainder biscuit after a voyage."
"Methink'st thou art a general offence and every man should beat thee." More literary insults await!
http://www.pangloss.com/seidel/Shaker...
January 18, 2022
Making a Book out of Wrecks and Ruins
What, exactly, inspired my forthcoming novel, Wrecks and Ruins? Well, a few things.
This book was actually the joining together of two separate inspirations. I keep a file of ideas and concepts for future books and stories. One of those ideas was that of a husband and wife deciding to divorce and making it a celebration—still good friends, but letting one another go. In their new searches for new mates, they came to understand that what they were looking for was one another.
It was 2018, and I was entering a contest to write a novel in three days. I wanted something that didn’t require a lot of intricate plotting, like my last novel, The Color of Jadeite. This relationship-steeped story seemed like a good choice.
As I began to think of character development, it occurred to me that the characters from a story I had written years before, “Cicadas,” would perfectly fit the roles for the characters in this book. And I realized that Brood X would be back in a few years, making it a perfect “check-in” time. So the idea of a sequel, of sorts, for “Cicadas” meshed with the concept I had originally envisioned as more of a comedy under the working title of “Divorce Courting.” Wrecks and Ruins evolved into something different.
The best way to learn more about Wrecks and Ruins is to read or listen to the original story, “Cicadas.” You can hear or read an abridged version on WYPR or Syndic Literary Journal at the following links.
https://www.wypr.org/show/the-signal/...
https://www.syndicjournal.us/cover-sy...
This book was actually the joining together of two separate inspirations. I keep a file of ideas and concepts for future books and stories. One of those ideas was that of a husband and wife deciding to divorce and making it a celebration—still good friends, but letting one another go. In their new searches for new mates, they came to understand that what they were looking for was one another.
It was 2018, and I was entering a contest to write a novel in three days. I wanted something that didn’t require a lot of intricate plotting, like my last novel, The Color of Jadeite. This relationship-steeped story seemed like a good choice.
As I began to think of character development, it occurred to me that the characters from a story I had written years before, “Cicadas,” would perfectly fit the roles for the characters in this book. And I realized that Brood X would be back in a few years, making it a perfect “check-in” time. So the idea of a sequel, of sorts, for “Cicadas” meshed with the concept I had originally envisioned as more of a comedy under the working title of “Divorce Courting.” Wrecks and Ruins evolved into something different.
The best way to learn more about Wrecks and Ruins is to read or listen to the original story, “Cicadas.” You can hear or read an abridged version on WYPR or Syndic Literary Journal at the following links.
https://www.wypr.org/show/the-signal/...
https://www.syndicjournal.us/cover-sy...
January 11, 2022
Prose is Never Finished
National Book Award Winner Alice McDermott describes writing prose as a never-ending endeavor. "Prose is never finished. It's a process that only ends when you allow it to. You can always improve your writing."
She suggests writers feel their way through a novel rather than target a specific destination. "Writing fiction is intuition, the sculpting of material and selection of words. There are turns in a story that writers don't expect, that they don't see coming."
It's that mystery—the not knowing where she's headed—that McDermott finds fascinating. In fact, she always begins without a plot and develops it as she writes.
"There's the danger of losing enthusiasm if you know the plot before you start writing. With literary fiction, it's best to begin without knowing exactly where the story is going."
What do you think: is prose ever perfectly complete? If you are a writer, do you prefer to plot or feel your way through a novel?
She suggests writers feel their way through a novel rather than target a specific destination. "Writing fiction is intuition, the sculpting of material and selection of words. There are turns in a story that writers don't expect, that they don't see coming."
It's that mystery—the not knowing where she's headed—that McDermott finds fascinating. In fact, she always begins without a plot and develops it as she writes.
"There's the danger of losing enthusiasm if you know the plot before you start writing. With literary fiction, it's best to begin without knowing exactly where the story is going."
What do you think: is prose ever perfectly complete? If you are a writer, do you prefer to plot or feel your way through a novel?
January 8, 2022
Buzz for my New Book
Wrecks and Ruins will be my sixth published book, and my third consecutive book published by Loyola University’s Apprentice House Press.
The short novel was inspired, in part, by the Brood X. Or, more specifically, the return of the cicadas after writing a story with their songs as backdrop the last time they emerged.
About 17 years ago, I was inspired to write “Cicadas” shortly after Brood X burrowed back into the ground. “Cicadas” was a short story, and one of my first to be both published in an anthology and featured on the radio. You can listen to an abridged version of the story as it aired on Baltimore’s NPR station, WYPR, at the link below—complete with Cicada sound effects as background music.
I recently revisited the characters from my story, “Cicadas,” at my writing desk. I had a few pages of basic notes for a sort of anti-love story that corrects itself, and as I hashed out the details, I realized the characters from “Cicadas” as older people would fit the roles well. I also realized that Brood X was inching its way back toward another emergence and that it could take place seventeen years later, when the Cicadas were back in full force.
The result: my forthcoming novel, Wrecks and Ruins.
Get a taste by listening to the original “Cicadas” at the link.
https://yourlisten.com/edgewriter/cic...
The short novel was inspired, in part, by the Brood X. Or, more specifically, the return of the cicadas after writing a story with their songs as backdrop the last time they emerged.
About 17 years ago, I was inspired to write “Cicadas” shortly after Brood X burrowed back into the ground. “Cicadas” was a short story, and one of my first to be both published in an anthology and featured on the radio. You can listen to an abridged version of the story as it aired on Baltimore’s NPR station, WYPR, at the link below—complete with Cicada sound effects as background music.
I recently revisited the characters from my story, “Cicadas,” at my writing desk. I had a few pages of basic notes for a sort of anti-love story that corrects itself, and as I hashed out the details, I realized the characters from “Cicadas” as older people would fit the roles well. I also realized that Brood X was inching its way back toward another emergence and that it could take place seventeen years later, when the Cicadas were back in full force.
The result: my forthcoming novel, Wrecks and Ruins.
Get a taste by listening to the original “Cicadas” at the link.
https://yourlisten.com/edgewriter/cic...
December 6, 2021
Begin at the End
Was it Stephen Covey who first said "Begin with the end in mind?" Well, he said it, but surely this advice comes from long before Covey's repackaging. And it’ll certainly it'll be repackaged again and again. Here’s novelist John Irving’s spin.
Irving says he never begins writing a novel until he has decided on the end.
"I always start with the last sentence," Irving says. "I know exactly where I'm going. I have a far more fixed sense of the ending than the beginning. In the five, six, seven years it takes me to write a book, I always know the ending first and don't start writing until I know the last sentence. You need to know the ending to understand the tone and language to use. You need to know how to set everything up to get to where you're going."
Learn more about John Irving and his work at http://john-irving.com/
Irving says he never begins writing a novel until he has decided on the end.
"I always start with the last sentence," Irving says. "I know exactly where I'm going. I have a far more fixed sense of the ending than the beginning. In the five, six, seven years it takes me to write a book, I always know the ending first and don't start writing until I know the last sentence. You need to know the ending to understand the tone and language to use. You need to know how to set everything up to get to where you're going."
Learn more about John Irving and his work at http://john-irving.com/
December 1, 2021
The Cicadas Will Return
Do you fondly remember the sound of those Cicadas all around us? Incessantly buzzing day and night? Almost as though they were announcing something big?
They were announcing something. All of that buzz is at the center of my forthcoming book, Wrecks and Ruins.
Wrecks and Ruins is being published by Loyola University’s Apprentice House Press in Spring 2022. The short novel is a sort of anti-love story that corrects itself. Spanning three cicada life cycles, a man who attempts to find art in the most unlikely of places makes a lot of other discoveries about himself and those in his life as well.
While you’re waiting for Wrecks and Ruins to arrive, why not catch up on some of my other novels? Find them all at www.EricDGoodman.com.
They were announcing something. All of that buzz is at the center of my forthcoming book, Wrecks and Ruins.
Wrecks and Ruins is being published by Loyola University’s Apprentice House Press in Spring 2022. The short novel is a sort of anti-love story that corrects itself. Spanning three cicada life cycles, a man who attempts to find art in the most unlikely of places makes a lot of other discoveries about himself and those in his life as well.
While you’re waiting for Wrecks and Ruins to arrive, why not catch up on some of my other novels? Find them all at www.EricDGoodman.com.
