Amazon Blinks!!!

Have to take a victory lap after The Nervous Breakdown published this piece of mine last week about Amazon treating Badge unfairly with ship times, and Amazon changed the ship time! Because of the piece!

Read the essay that shook the foundation of a publishing giant!

Yours in laying down the law,

Art

Watch the Book Trailer for Badge.



Buy Badge.

New Badge Podcast, New Piece on Rock Novels, and here comes AZ, LA and SF!!!

The fun just doesn't stop here at Badge Central.

First up, here's a podcast of me chatting for a half hour with Ben Tanzer, whose VIDA reading at AWP was so good I almost cried. Ben and I chat Badge, The Refreshments, writing and Novel Four.

Also, here's a piece I wrote about my problems with the term "rock novel" that The Nervous Breakdown published on Sunday. Help us find a replacement for this woefully stupid monicker!

Finally, this is my last week at home before I head to AZ and CA for Badge Tour 2014. Check out the tour's dates and make sure you hit one.

Yours in laying down the law,

Art

Watch the Book Trailer for Badge.



Buy Badge.

The Week in Badge Interviews!

I had some butterflies before my first radio interview to support Badge this past week. It had been (gulp) six years since my last, and--like the consummate professional I am--I didn't prepare, and it was a long interview by radio standards (20 minutes). Still, Jessica Glenn of Type Cast at KZME 107.1 had great questions, and I was pleased with how it came out. We talk at length about Badge, but go into topics like "Calypso," the Refreshments, self-publishing and wondering if kids today look back fondly at my generation's music the way I looked back at the sixties generation's. Give it a listen. My interview starts at 30:10.

The Nervous Breakdown Self-Interview I did last week was much easier. This is a series I've been reading for years, so I already had a plan of attack. (B.S. as much as possible!) Enjoy it here.

Also last week, TNB published a new Badge excerpt. This is more or less me trying to fictionalize that moment when you realize your band is getting big. Read it here.

Yours in laying down the law,

Art

Watch the Book Trailer for Badge.



Buy Badge.

New Adventures in (Rock) Writing and (Self-)Publishing

One of my favorite parts of putting together the promotion for Badge has been writing essays for the Internet. I've finished eight or ten of them ready, and I'm working on another ten or twelve now. These essays deal with my favorite subjects: writing (esp. rock fiction), publishing (esp. self-publishing) and music (esp. the music of my youth). So you can expect one or two short Internet pieces from me each month in 2014.

The first popped up over the weekend at The Nervous Breakdown. It's called Thirteenth Note and explains the name of Kel's and my new publishing company, and why rock fiction characters don't have to be David Lee Roths.

The second is at writer extraordinaire Nick Belarde's website, and it deals with a recent visit back to the bookstore of my literary youth, Changing Hands in Tempe, Arizona. Or is it the bookstore of my youth?

Most all of my Badge-related events are booked through March, and they involve stops in Portland, Seattle, Phoenix, Los Angeles and San Francisco. Final details are still coming together, but know each event will be special in its way. I can't wait for this part.

Finally, Badge pre-sales start in less than two weeks at my website! If you missed the Kickstarter fundraiser, this will be your first chance to get your copy of Badge, which goes on sale worldwide on Feb. 4th.

Yours in laying down the law,

Art

Read the blurb of Badge.

Or read an excerpt of Badge.

New Piece up at The Nervous Breakdown

It's called THE GIFT OF NO, and it's the sister piece of my previous TNB piece THE LAST REJECTION. This one further explores why I'm not itching to self-publish Badge. (Spoiler: it's because Badge only gets better with revision.)

Yours in laying down the law,

Art

Check out the Trailer for Stuck Outside of Phoenix the Movie, which will premiere in Tempe in early 2013.

Or try Stuck Outside of Phoenix in print form for just $5.

Or try Stuck for your Kindle for just $2.99.

New Post on My Attempts to get Badge Published up at The Nervous Breakdown

It's called The Last Rejection, and it will give you some idea why I've struggled with the idea of self-pubbing my third novel Badge.

Yours in laying down the law,

Art

Check out the Trailer for Stuck Outside of Phoenix the Movie, which will premiere in Tempe in early 2013.

Or try Stuck Outside of Phoenix in print form for just $5.

Or try Stuck for your Kindle for just $2.99.

My New Piece at TNB gets picked up by salon.com!!!

It's called "Amazon is the Devil, and Other Reasons to Love Them."

In the words of Ozzy Osborne, Come and join me!

Yours in laying down the law,

Art

Try Stuck Outside of Phoenix in print form for just $5.

Or try Stuck for your Kindle for just $2.99.

Summer of Van Halen-2012

In case you didn't know, you can access any and all of my seven-part piece on Van Halen--or any of my other pieces at TNB--from my The Nervous Breakdown author page.

Yours in laying down the law,

Art

Try Stuck Outside of Phoenix in print form for just $5.

Or try Stuck for your Kindle for just $2.99.

New Piece of mine on Rush At The Nervous Breakdown

Come read about me and Rush over at TNB. I wrote the piece to commemorate the start of their fall 2012 North American tour.

Yours in laying down the law,

Art

Try Stuck Outside of Phoenix in print form for just $5.

Or try Stuck for your Kindle for just $2.99.

Van Halen Part V: Eddie's Revenge!

Here's the latest in my ongoing Van Halen series at The Nervous Breakdown.

Yours in laying down the law,

Art

Try Stuck Outside of Phoenix in print form for just $5.

Or try Stuck for your Kindle for just $2.99.

The Mighty Van Halen: Part IV

The Mighty Van Halen: Part IV.

Dave's sexuality, Eddie's stage antics, and Michaels, um, bass solo?

Yours in laying down the law,

Art

Try Stuck Outside of Phoenix in print form for just $5.

Or try Stuck for your Kindle for just $2.99.

Van Halen Essay-Part III

Come become Alex's drum solo.

Van Halen Part III at The Nervous Breakdown

Yours in laying down the law,

Art

Try Stuck Outside of Phoenix in print form for just $5.

Or try Stuck for your Kindle for just $2.99.

The Mighty Van Halen: Part II

In Part II of my Van Halen exploration at The Nervous Breakdown, Roth forgets the words, the power of the heavy metal squat, and does Van Halen have soul?

Yours in laying down the law,

Art

Try Stuck Outside of Phoenix in print form for just $5.

Or try Stuck for your Kindle for just $2.99.

The Mighty Van Halen: Part I

I spent about six months writing a 12,000-word essay on a Van Halen concert from 1982 I stumbled upon at YouTube. Part I of this seven-part essay, "In Search of Lost Rock," went up this past week at The Nervous Breakdown, and I'd be pleased as punch if you read it. I'll be posting Part II in a week or so. Get on this one early, and take a ride down Memory Lane with me this summer.

Van Halen-Part I

Yours in laying down the law,

Art

Try Stuck Outside of Phoenix in print form for just $5.

Or try Stuck for your Kindle for just $2.99.

Review of Tyler McMahon's How the Mistakes were Made

Who's ready for new rock lit? Tyler McMahon has written one of my favs, How the Mistakes were Made, which just came out in October. Read my review of it at TNB.

Yours in laying down the law,

Art

Try Ghost Notes, the award-winning novel, in print form for just $5.

Try Ghost Notes the Audio Book as an unabridged digital download for just $4.99.

Or try Ghost Notes the 99 cent Ebook.

Two New Posts about my Clothes at TNB

I know you've all been waiting to hear more about my wardrobe. Here's your chance!

Read about my predilection for J. Crew Pants and my reluctant acceptance of my Eddie Bauer long-sleeved T-shirt at TNB.


Yours in laying down the law,

Art

Try Ghost Notes, the award-winning novel, in print form for just $5.




Try Ghost Notes the Audio Book as an unabridged digital download for just $4.99.


Or try Ghost Notes the 99 cent Ebook.

Your Art Edwards Semi-Annual Update

Hello,

The last six months have brought much goodness for me, so let's hit it.

First and foremost, my third novel Badge, which I completed at the beginning of the year, was a finalist in the Pacific Northwest Writers Assocation's Literary Contest for 2011. There were over 1,000 entries in twelve different categories, and my category, Mainstream, was the most popular. It was an honor to be in the final eight. Hopefully this means some agent or publisher will get off her duff and take this novel on. I'm still actively beating the industry over the head with it. As always, I hope to have more to report soon.

Also, the movie version of my first novel Stuck Outside of Phoenix is underway! Director, Producer, Mr. Everything Nico Holthaus is starting preproduction in Phoenix this month with principle photography (whatever that is) scheduled to begin November 2nd. Look for the thing to be in the can by April 2012, when there will be much rejoicing. Keep your eyes peeled here for the occasional update on the movie and more (or when there's no news, a random video of the week).

In celebration of the commencement of the filming of Stuck, two things have happened: 1) Stuck Outside of Phoenix the book-book is again in stock at my website! For a mere $5 plus shipping, you can have a signed copy delivered to your door. Also, Stuck the ebook versions at both Amazon and Smashwords have been reduced to 99 cents! I must be out of my mind to offer these prices, which of course I am, so there you go!

Finally, real-life paper versions of both Ghost Notes and Stuck Outside of Phoenix are now for sale at a real-life bookstore here in Portland! Yes, if you're one of those archaic folks who prefers to buy books during an actual trip to a bookstore (me), you can get mine at Broadway Books in NE, the best little bookstore in town. Give them a try! 

I've had many pieces published since my last communicado, among them a piece at The Writer about my struggles with the memoir form; a short, fun piece about falling out of love with a song at Girls with Insurance; and many TNB posts. Also, there now exists an interview with me at TNB by the inimitable Gloria Harrison! We talk Badge, the Refreshments and of course, senior discount food joints. Take a gander, lest you go unentertained today.

That's it. As always, keep apprised of all thing me at my website, my blog, my Facebook page, or any of the thirty of forty other places I do my best to update on the web. Drop me a line if we haven't touched base in a while.

Have a fab fall, folks!


Yours in laying down the law,

Art

Try Ghost Notes, the award-winning novel, in print form for just $5.




Try Ghost Notes the Audio Book as an unabridged digital download for just $4.99.


Or try Ghost Notes the 99 cent Ebook.

My Review of Steve Almond's Latest at TNB!

Here it is!

Yours in laying down the law,

Art



Try Ghost Notes, the award-winning novel, in print form for just $5.




Try Ghost Notes the Audio Book as an unabridged digital download.



Or try Ghost Notes the Ebook.

Steve Almond Interview

This week's blog is at the Nervous Breakdown, and it's an interview with the great Steve Almond. Come by and learn which world-famous American novelist is also a closet Moogist.

Yours in laying down the law,

Art



Try Ghost Notes, the award-winning novel, in print form for just $5.




Try Ghost Notes the Audio Book as an unabridged digital download.



Or try Ghost Notes the Ebook.

New Blog at the Nervous Breakdown

Hey, I have a new blog up at the Nervous Breakdown. It's called, "Steve Almond, Hardbacks, and the Green-Eyed Monster." Let me know what you think.

And now, ladies and gentlemen, Journey.



I always wanted to lead off for Journey.

Yours in laying down the law,

Art



Try Ghost Notes, the award-winning novel, in print form for just $5.




Try Ghost Notes the Audio Book as an unabridged digital download.



Or try Ghost Notes the Ebook.