Dark and, at times, amusing fiction from award-winning author Dave Zeltserman

Sunday, December 21, 2008

End of the road for Fast Lane

Fast Lane is a book I have a lot of affection for, and given emails I've received over the years from members of the hardboiled/noir reading group, Rara Avis, it's a book that hardboiled and noir fans really dig also. This was not only the first book I ever wrote, but it was also the first piece of fiction I ever wrote that I intended for publication, and in some ways its also one of my more ambitious books with it being both psychotic noir and hardboiled PI deconstruction, while also being thematically about the corrosive effects of child abuse as its passed from one generation to the next. While the writing at times is kind of rough, it's also very high energy and it fits the book. Given all that, I've decided to take it out of print, and purchasing of new copies should be turned off by middle of January.

I have no qualms with the publisher, Point Blank Press. They are what they are--a small POD house that has very limited distribution and almost no marketing, but my hope is to someday be able to find a home for Fast Lane--either in its current form, or maybe as a graphic novel--where it can end up better marketed and distributed. With Small Crimes selling as fast as Serpent's Tail is able to print and ship copies here, and with Pariah coming out soon---which is the book that both myself, my publisher and editor at Serpent's Tail are really excited about, I think it's worth taking the chance. I hope it happens, 'cause I have little doubt that given the right home, Fast Lane would find its audience.

6 comments:

Graham Powell said...

You can have my copy of FAST LANE when you pry it from my cold, dead hand.

Dave Zeltserman said...

I don't need to do that. Graham. That's what I hired Silvio and Paulie "Walnuts" to do...

Unknown said...

Wow, Dave, I hope your current publisher decides on picking up Fast Lane. I love that book, and think it's one of the few worthwhile P.I. novels out there.

Dave Zeltserman said...

thanks, Keith. I think given the right house Fast Lane could do well. So I'm rolling the dice here, but I think if Small Crimes continues to do well, and if Pariah does what I expect, then I should be able to someday find the right house for Fast Lane.

JZID said...

I actually found the earlier version IN HIS SHADOW through my local library and finished it tonight. This version was actually easier for me to find than FAST LANE was, no offense to Point Blank. (I've got several other Point Blank novels on my shelf as well.)

Dave Zeltserman said...

There's not a lot of difference between the two. Fast Lane is a little cleaner, and the chiropractor and the relating subplot taken out.