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This is it. The fulfillment of a dream ten years in the making.

It’s a lot to take in. I wrote about the experience over at LitReactor.

My last Path to Publication column is here.

You can find New Yorked there, or here, or most places books are sold.

One of the influences behind New Yorked is Death Wish—more the 1972 novel by Brian Garfield, and less the 1974 film starring Charles Bronson. Garfield’s novel is much different. Far more contemplative, less a celebration of violence.

Criminal Element was kind enough to let me write about the differences between the two. This was a lot of fun. Stick around to the end, to learn how you can win a copy of New Yorked!

We’re officially one week out from the release of New Yorked, so it’s time to round up some relevant links.

• This prize for this month’s flash fiction smackdown at LitReactor is a custom New Yorked umbrella.
• Also at LitReactor, New Yorked will be the July book club selection.
• Dan J. Fiore reviewed it and praised the “teeth-cracking prose,” which I am just swooning over.
• And Angel Colon reviewed it at My Bookish Ways, calling it a “kinetic and stubbornly dirty story of love, betrayal, and loss.”
• The book is already showing up on doorsteps and bookshelves—including in The Mysterious Bookshop, McNally Jackson, and Barnes & Noble stores around the city. If you see the book in a store, and take a picture, and post it to social media, I’ll thank you in the acknowledgements of the second book, City of Rose, due out next year!
• The release party is next week at The Mysterious Bookshop. You can get more details and RSVP here (and if you haven’t bought the book yet, if you could wait and pick it up at the party, I’d be much obliged, as would the store).
• You can also win a custom New Yorked umbrella AND a copy of the book by adding the book to your “want to read” shelf on Goodreads. Do that here. My publisher will pick a winner from that list on Monday, June 8.
• Remember, the best way to help an author is to leave an honest review on Amazon and/or Goodreads. Amazon is now open to reviews, so if you read the book and you’re open to it, I’d appreciate it if you would consider leaving your thoughts there. It really helps with discoverability and retail promotions.

As of today, we’re two weeks out from the official release of New Yorked.

It’s a hell of a thing.

The book is already showing up in stores—that picture up there is from McNally Jackson on Prince Street.

“Edgy… relentless pacing and strong sense of place.” —Publishers Weekly

“There are good action scenes, nice offbeat characters, but what lingers is the swoony dialogue… Noir with a tingle of doomed but sweet romance.” —Booklist

“A masterful debut… this is a book that sticks with you.” —Crimespree Magazine

I figured this was a good time to round up some links.

Want to read the synopsis and the first chapter, and find pre-order links? Click here.

Want to enter a Goodreads contest by which you can win a custom umbrella and a copy of the book? Click here.

Want to come to an event (like the book release party, or the Barnes & Noble signing, or Noir at the Bar on Staten Island)? Click here for more details.

Are you going to be at BEA this week? Look for me signing copies of New Yorked at the MWA booth at 2:30 p.m. this Thursday.

And finally, with the book trickling into stores, I’ve got an offer: If you see it in the wild and take a picture and post it to social media (with a note about which store you saw it in), I’ll thank you in the acknowledgements of the sequel, City of Rose, due out next year!

So, keep your eyes peeled…

Ever wonder what goes into designing a book cover?

Then check out my latest Path to Publication column at LitReactor, where I walk through the process.

I also talk about getting the final print copies, the audiobook, and upcoming events. Fun times, all around.

Check it out.

How cool is this?

Minor spoiler: The protagonist of New Yorked, Ash McKenna, carries a weaponized umbrella.

So my publisher, being awesome, had a limited batch of these custom umbrellas made up.

Want one? I bet you do. Here’s the deal: Add New Yorked to your Goodreads “want to read” shelf, and on June 8—the day before the official release—we’ll select one person from said list to win an umbrella and a copy of the book.

Good?

Good.

Hop to it!

UPDATE: The winner has been picked! Cheers to Josh Atkins. 

Noir at the Bar, the nationwide reading series that features today’s hottest writers of crime fiction, is coming to Staten Island for the first time.

The event will be held on July 12 at Flagship Brewery, starting at 5:30 p.m.

Here’s the brewery’s website, in case you need directions. It’s accessible by the Staten Island Ferry, and there’s also ample parking.

There will be beer. And raffles for exclusive items. And Barnes & Noble will be making books available for sale. The event is co-hosted by Polis Books.

Got Facebook? RSVP on the event page. It helps with the head count.

Reading will be:

• Me (Rob Hart)
• Josh Bazell
• Hilary Davidson
• Eddie Joyce
• Terrence McCauley
• Todd Robinson

Got questions? See that link over to the left that says contact? Click that. Ask away.

The Last Safe Place: A Zombie Novella, about a group of survivors riding out the apocalypse on Governors Island, is free for a very limited time.

Like, it could stop being free at any moment. So you should jump on that.

As an added bonus, the eBook contains the first chapter of my novel, New Yorked, which is coming out on June 9, which is very, very soon.

So if you want to get a sneak peek at what’s in store there, plus get some zombie mayhem, then this might be your jam.

Spread the news far and wide. And click here to get your copy.

Next month Jen Conley is hosting Noir at the Bar in New Jersey—and I’m on the bill to read! My track record with Noir at the Bar has been really bad lately. I was invited to read in Queens twice, and had to drop out both times (subway system collapse, sick baby).

And earlier this month, I was supposed to read in Manhattan, but forgot I was also supposed to be in Minneapolis at the same time. So I’m excited to break the streak of being very bad at planning things! Added bonus: I’ll have physical copies of New Yorked by then. So if you want to snag a copy, this is not a bad place to be.

Plus, there are some killer readers on this bill. This is worth going to New Jersey for, which I do not say lightly. Sunday, May 24th 6 to 9 PM Tumulty’s Pub New Brunswick, N.J. Here’s the Facebook RSVP page.

EDIT: The line-up has been changed (for the better) and there’s a new events page. Click the above link to head on over and RSVP.

My marketing class is back on the slate at LitReactor! This is a fun one.

I am no great fan of people who run classes on social media for authors that run several weeks and cost hundreds of dollars—most of what they teach is filler, and you really only need to know the basics. That’s why this class is shorter and a little more affordable.

Basically, what you’ll learn here is the nuts-and-bolts stuff—what you should be doing, what’s a waste of time, and how to present yourself in such a way that you don’t look like a goofball.

Doesn’t matter if you’re just starting out, or if you’ve got a few publications under your belt. There’s stuff here for all skill levels.

Check the description, and if you’re interested in taking it but have questions, feel free to drop me a note.