Author Copies Arrive Today

Well, a cold rain pours down this morning in Oxford, Ohio. Last year, most years, it would have been snow, of course. But no worries, I've got a giant pot of chicken soup bubbling on the stove. Downstairs, the fireplace insert blows warmth into the family room. And this afternoon? Author copies arrive, my first glimpse of the finished book. Time from conception to holding the made object in my hot and eager hands? Maybe eight years. Maybe eight and a half, but who is counting?

Obviously, I am. And happy to be seeing it today.

These author copies took a somewhat circuitous route. My fantastic publisher, University of Nebraska Press, sent them to my fabulous agent, Michael Carlisle, in New York. I'd been wondering why they weren't here yet! So today, three of the original ten author's copies are making their way home to me. Notes in a bottle, tossed onto the inland ocean, washing up on my shore. In the 21st century, however, it's not the wind and tide that's closed the loop, but Fedex. (Btw, I've received no fee for product placement from Fedex).

My thanks to Meg Dobson, the first respondent, to this blog, for reminding me that bloggers need to blog. And yes, indeed, I am the very Eric Goodman, who will be teaching the Advanced Novel Writing course in Iowa City, the week of June 25th. I'll also be reading from Twelfth and Race at Iowa City's iconic bookstore, Prairie Lights, sometime that week.

Look for, at least, a weekly post, on Thursday mornings, from now throughout the spring.

New Blog for the New Novel

This blog is to let everyone know that with the publication of Twelfth and Race less than two months away, I'll be starting to blog to let everyone know the latest news.