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. Feedback, I’ve learned, is almost always valuable, rarely ever critical. Routine check ins with readers after each draft made a huge difference to the finished product, forced me to try harder, and proved the single biggest determinant in the book finding a publisher that got the story.

Because while the manuscript changed over its journey from gestation to slush piles, my intention never did. There was always one clear and irrefutable aim. Write a book that hit hard, early, and never let up. To me, the most important thing is the reader’s attention. The ability to hold that interst is the real currency of an author. Without a real reason to continue, there may be a great idea, but there very little point sharing it with the nightstand a reader placed the book upon, unfinished–unlikely ever to bother finding their place.

And the neatest thing about the review, is that it sounds as if my intentions were actually realized; what I wanted to do, I actually got on the page.

Now back to writing number next . . .

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 work in about 72 hours )

Hey, Writer guy, I want an autographed copy of The Last Track. Where do I go to buy one?

Under the Amazon.com listing, the third party seller Bookzeverywhere has signed copies on hand. Bookzeverywhere has a 100 percent positive rating for the last year and more than 1014 buyer lifetime ratings. Absolutely trustworthy vendor. Their price is list price of the book.

Bookzeverywhere listing for autographed copies of the Last Track

More about Bookzeverywhere on Amazon.com

The publisher will also have signed copies available via their website in about ten days. I’ll post that link when it’s available.

I prefer hardcover to paperback or Kindle. When, Writer guy, when?

A hardcover edition will be available in another month or so. Some reviews came in very late and the publisher wants to incorporate them into the jacket flap. More info on that later.

Anything else?

Oh yeah. It’s also my birthday!

Book trailer for The Last Track went live this evening.

The Last Track Trailer

At the publisher’s suggestion, a podcast with a reading of The Last Track will be available for download in the next month or so. Starting shortly after the release date–an announcement about this soon–every few days another scene will appear, until a large portion of the novel is available in audio form. Spent much of this weekend editing down the files narrated by the magical ( ok, he’s not particularly magical, more like  insanely talented ) Chris.

If I was sick of the story by this point–after all this time malaise affects anyone, familiarity breeds contempt–hearing someone breathe life into the characters at this point is energizing. One of the great things about working with Chris is he performs with minimal direction, perceives subtle intricacies about the characters, and works them into his vocal performance–all while honoring the story and characters. Just give him a stack of pages and answer the occasional answer and he handles the rest. That says something about his talent. Intuitively he senses exactly which scenes or passages could be played in different ways, then works them from one of those viewpoints, and leaves it for me to decide which approach works best. I want to believe I have chosen wisely.

Of course, this means listening to a lot of audio files, but man, this is a good problem to have.

Now about the release date. A tiny issue reproducing the cover at the printer became clear this past week. Because there is some go between between the publisher and proofs and notes about them from both sides flying back and forth in the mail ( really can’t know what something renders until the many colored inks hits the paper ) there’s a small chance the date will be pushed out a bit. It will still make February, but whether it’s the 13th or the 27th, is a big question mark right now.

Again, a good problem to have, really.