Yes, This Offer Has An Expiration Date

Expiration Date is out two weeks from today, and St. Martin's Minotaur is continuing their cool online sweepstakes to win free signed copies and original art from Laurence Campbell. (What? You haven't heard of this? Go here now.)

But I wanted to offer something extra to readers who have pre-ordered their copies already, or plan to pre-order soon.

That something extra: about 20,000 words of bonus fiction and "behind-the-scenes" material.

See, I've been playing around with the central idea of Expiration Date (a time-traveling detective) on and off since 1999. I'd originally planned on Expiration being the follow-up to Secret Dead Men, which would kick-start a series of offbeat genre-blenders. What can I say? Man plans, God laughs.

The earliest surviving version, written in April 1999, is a 7,000 word sample called Sand In My Gun. It is totally and completely different from what eventually became Expiration Date. And I mean it when I say "totally" and "completely." Different characters. Different plot. Different setting. Different everything. Not a single word from Sand made it to Expiration. In fact, I didn't even look at the Sand excerpt until a few weeks ago.

And when I did, it kind of made me laugh. It's rough, and goofy, but it is kind of fun.

I also looked at the 13,000 words or so of journal entries I'd made about the novel-in-progress, and those were a revelation, too. I must have had my mind wiped in the past 10 years, because I'd remembered very little of this crazy plot I had cooked up in my tiny Brooklyn apartment.

Want a free peek at this crazy slab of premillennial almost-pulp? It's easy.

What To Do: Just e-mail me proof that you've pre-ordered Expiration Date, or purchased it during its first week of release. You pre-order from anywhere. Your favorite indie shop. Your favorite chain. Your favorite online retailer. (Yes, even that online retailer... we've kissed and made up.) Anywhere. You pick the seller. Have you already pre-ordered? No problem. (And God bless you.) You could have pre-ordered this thing back in 1972, as along as you have written proof, I'll honor it.

You can pre-order it now, or buy it the first week it's on sale, up through 11:59 p.m., Monday, April 5. UPDATE FROM FURTHER DOWN THE TIMESTREAM: The deadline has been extended to 11:59, Friday, April 9! It's not too late!

Send that proof to me at duane DOT swier AT verizon DOT net with the subject line: "I Want Sand in My Gun."

What You'll Get: On April 10th (or soon after) you'll receive an exclusive PDF copy of the Sand In My Gun excerpt, along with lengthy excerpts from my Sand journal.

Is this a piece of work that will change your life? Kind of doubt it. Is it amusing? I think so. Then again, I'm sucker for these "behind-the-scenes" type things. I love the notes in the back of Stephen King anthologies. I love that year-by-year thing F. Paul Wilson does in his collections. (I mean, for God's sake, I sat up last night and re-read David J. Schow's "Endsticks" essay at the back of his excellent Silver Scream anthology, just because it's a riot.)

This offer is good anywhere in the world, as long as you have a working e-mail account. (The ability to read English is optional.)

Offer starts... now. The clock is ticking.