1. For those who follow my "online branding initiative" on FB or Twitter, you may have noticed an announcement regarding the publication this summer of a new novel I have written. For those heroes of modern society who are not on FB or Twitter (or who missed the announcement), I will quote the kind words of the publisher: "You have no idea how excited we are to announce that Fiction Advocate will publish Matthew Gallaway's new novel on July 18! Let us introduce you to 'a wild, possibly transformative addition to the canon of gay literature.' Pre-orders available now." (With a link to the Fiction Advocate site.) 
2. Here's the cover, which I <3 a lot, if I can say that without sounding like too much of a jerk, given that I took the photograph ;) which regular readers of this blog will probably recognize as a statue (designed by FLW, who just celebrated his 150th birthday) in our garden, where I spend 87 percent of my free time (weather permitting) in "roundtable discussions" with Dante, Zephyr, Elektra, and Clio. But photograph aside, I also admire all of the choices made by the designer with respect to typeface, lighting, color, spacing, and whatever else (secret Morse Code!) I had nothing to do with except to say "damn, that looks sweet." 
3. This new novel, as you may have ascertained, is being published by an "independent press," in contrast to my first novel, which was published by corporate conglomerate. There are pluses and minuses to both scenarios, which I may write about in more detail later, but one obvious benefit of working with a small press -- if you care about the cover of your book -- is that there tends to be more leeway. It's more "collaborative" than what you typically find at a big publisher, where covers are considered "marketing decisions" that authors "shouldn't interfere with." And for the record, I'm not saying they're wrong; I'm just saying that it's more pleasant (as an author) when you can suggest that the publisher pick an image from your Flickr feed and they're not like 'lol, as if.' " So anyway, that's the story behind the "sweetass cover" of #gods. 
4. The next thing I'd like to briefly address is the question of why #gods is being published by a small press. "Wtf happened?" is a question many who read (and enjoyed) The Metropolis Case (my first novel) have asked. The short version is that "it's complicated," and the somewhat longer version is that I -- anxious to capitalize (in the most literal terms) on the success of my first novel -- tried to pitch and sell the manuscript for this new novel WAYYYY before it was "ready for prime time," which led to anger, confusion, sadness, and -- ultimately -- a parting of ways. It was agonizing as the end of this relationship unfolded, but in retrospect, it was honestly for the best. I'm grateful to my first publisher for working with me on a book that was already "a risk" owing to its gayness, its themes of opera, 9/11-slash-HIV, incest, and a dying cat, and I'm also grateful to have moved on. This new novel -- as perfect as it now is after five years of revisions ;) -- would not have been a "great fit" for my first publisher (for many of the same reasons that initially made it a risk, just in a different and perhaps more politically radical context), whereas it's an ideal fit for Fiction Advocate, which is small but "cutting-edge" in ways that are implicitly foreign to big, established publishers. 
5. So what is #gods about? I think the best way to get into it is again to quote the copy from the publisher: "A young boy wanders into the woods of Harlem and witnesses the abduction of his sister by a glowing creature. Forty years later, now working as a New York City homicide detective, Gus is assigned to a case in which he unexpectedly succumbs to a vision that Helen is still alive. To find her, he embarks on an unorthodox investigation that leads to an ancient civilization of gods and the people determined to bring them back. In this colossal new novel from the author of The Metropolis Case (“breathes new life into the relationship between art and life”—New York Times), the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice collides with a new religion founded by three corporate office workers, creating something beautiful, illogical, and overwhelming. Part sex manifesto, part religious text, part Manhattan noir—with a dose of deadly serious, internet-inspired satire—#gods is a sprawling inquest into the nature of faith and resistance in the modern world." 
6. If that's not enough, here's a "kick-ass" blurb, which offers insight that the marketing copy does not: “#gods is a mystery, an excavation of myths, an index of modern life, a gay coming-of-age story, an office satire, a lyrical fever dream, a conspiracy. One of the most ambitious novels in recent memory—and a wild, possibly transformative addition to the canon of gay literature—it contains multitudes, and seethes with brilliance.”—Mark Doten, author of The Infernal (which btw is a mindbendingly great book that in some ways predicts the wtf political landscape/surreal nightmare of 2017). 
7. And another blurb: “Matthew Gallaway’s #gods is a novel so brilliant, so funny, so full of strange and marvelous things, I couldn’t stop writing OMG WTF I <3 THIS SO MUCH in its margins. It’s rare to find a novel that so dazzlingly reinvigorates age-old meditations on faith and f&!*ing, art and eros. Luminous, enterprising, and sublimely cheeky, #gods tells the story, the myth, the dream of the human soul in all its glorious complexity.”—Suzanne Morrison, author of Yoga Bitch (which btw is a hilarious but somehow earnest dissection of "yoga culture" and will soon be followed by a new memoir that is going to win awards for SM.) 
8. And one more! “Matthew Gallaway’s storytelling manages to be both dreamy and serious; lean and luxurious. His words carry an incantatory power of mythic storytelling where beauty and savagery wrap around each other like bright threads in a gorgeous tapestry.”—Natasha Vargas-Cooper, author of Mad Men Unbuttoned: A Romp Through 1960s America (Is NVC the best social critic in the world? Read her and try to say otherwise.) 
9. So now that I've convinced you that #gods is 100-percent worth reading (and if not, why are you still here?) -- you might will definitely want to know how to order it. 
10. The best way is direct from Fiction Advocate. You'll need a Paypal account to do it (I know), but it's only $20, which includes U.S. shipping. (Which is a good deal when you consider the book has beautiful French flaps in addition to the aforementioned gorgeous cover.) Ordering direct from FA also means that you'll get your copy on or around July 18th, which is a month earlier than it will be shipped if you order it on Amazon (where it will also be $25 plus S&H). 
11. The reason FA wants to encourage direct sales is not because they're greedy (per se) -- there's not enough money in independent publishing to justify the term -- but because Amazon dot com literally keeps something on the order of $18.50 of each sale made through the site. So order now and prepare your discussion group with full confidence that you will not be alone :) 
