Rob Hart's Blog, page 16

Path to Publication 2.3: Sequelitis

My latest Path to Publication column is live at LitReactor.

It went live last week, actually, but I’ve been on vacation. Check it out!

Reading in Louisville

You dig?

New short story!

I’ve got a new short up at Shotgun Honey.

And when I say short, I mean short—stories there have to be under 700 words. Which is an incredibly fun challenge.

It’s called “Foodies.”

Don’t read it while eating.

I was on Books and Booze!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My first official interview as an author guy.

And so much damn fun that everything from here is pretty much downhill.

Dig it.

It’s official: I’ve got a series.

When I first conceived of New Yorked, it was meant to be a standalone novel. One and done. But I really enjoyed writing Ash McKenna, even though he’s a bit of a dumbass.

Plus, his voice sounds a bit like my voice, so I figured that for subsequent stories in the crime genre, the protagonist would sound too much like him, or like me.

So I started kicking around ideas for a series. Taking some of the books I wanted to write and twisting them around Ash. Let them serve as vehicles for this kid who’s seeking his moral compass. The more I thought about it, the more excited I got.

Exhibit A is excited about it, too. So much that they’ve agreed to buy the second book in the series, tentatively titled City of Rose.

This is hugely exciting. The folks at Exhibit A have been a pleasure to work with. They’ve got the guts and the vision to make this thing work. And the idea of me making a living writing books is becoming slightly less insane.

At the same time, it’s terrifying. Because now I’m committed. I have to write the damn thing. And Exhibit A is putting a lot of faith in me—they trust that I can do this. I don’t want to let them down.

I don’t think I will. Because the exciting part is way overshadowing the terrifying part.

So, New Yorked will hit in January 2015. We’re toying with Autumn 2015 for City of Rose, which will mean a lot less Titanfall and a lot more hours locked in my office. We’ll see how that goes.

Speaking of, want to learn more about the next installment? Check out the Exhibit A website, where the official announcement just hit.

Want to learn even more about the series? Tonight I’ll be interviewed by the brilliant ladies at the Books & Booze podcast, and I’ll spill some more details about it—including the mechanics of how the series will work, because that part, I’ve got mapped out. And it’s going to be a lot of fun. So you have to listen to the show.

I’ll blast out the link as soon as it’s live.

And mad props to my agent, Bree Ogden. This lady is unstoppable.

New issue of Needle!

The new issue of Needle is here! I’ve got a story in this thing. And there are some fantastic names on the slate.

Buy two copies. Give one to a friend. Everyone loves Needle. Even kids.

Path to Publication 2.2: On Being A Writer And Having Poor Impulse Control

My first novel is the start of a series. In my last column, I talked a bit about the process of researching the sequel, City of Rose. You’d think, in the month since that column ran, I would have gotten a lot of work done. And you would be wrong!

If I were a smart person, I would have used my impending purchase of an XBox One as an incentive to work harder. I should have said: “Self, you can buy the XBox One only when you finish the first draft of your next book. Then you can play a straight week of Titanfall as a palate cleanser, before you have to get into the editing process.”

But I have poor impulse control. So I bought it. And really, it’s the definition of a catch-22: I wanted to use my advance to treat myself to something, and in the process turfed my chances of having the free time to write another book. And you know what? I’m fine with that. Titanfall, man. There is something so viscerally satisfying about being pinned down by enemy fire and then summoning a giant robot from the sky and then climbing inside it to fire rockets at people. Especially after a long day…

Read the rest here!

Noir at the Bar!

Are you ready for another installment of Noir at the Bar NYC?

I hope so. Because I’m not. I’m still not sure what I’m going to read. But I will be there, with a story of some kind, and if you’re around, you should swing by.

Sunday, April 27
6-9 p.m.
Shade in the West Village
 

There will be noir. And booze. And crepes. There are some great readers on the slate: Tim Hall, Jack Getze, Jordan Harper, Scott Adlerberg, Gary Cahill, Jason Pinter, and Anthony Rainone.

It’ll be fun!

Tom Spanbauer: A Primer, and A Review Of His Latest Novel, ‘I Loved You More’

Over at LitReactor, I reviewed Tom Spanbauer’s latest novel, I Loved You More, and looked back at his first four novels, and talk about how much his writing has meant to me. You should check it out. It’s the only earnest thing I’ve ever written.

News roundup!

The second round of Path to Publication ran at LitReactor yesterday. I wrote about AWP and readings and book trailers and a bunch of other stuff. You can read that here.

The LitReactor podcast is back! That’s exciting, considering how long it’s been since we recorded an episode. I spend a little bit of it talking about my book deal with Exhibit A. We also talk to Anne Jamison about fan fiction. It’s a good time. Give it a listen.

Finally, newsletter! I figure, for the two or three times a year I have something worth announcing, it might not be a bad idea to start one up. So you can click here… or click on that super-fancy envelope icon in the right-hand column, if you’re into that kind of thing.