The Open Road Blog

"The only thing that infuriates me, is that I have more unwritten stories in me than I can conceivably write in a lifetime." —Howard Fast

Sixty-three titles by Howard Fast (1914­­–2003), one of the most prolific American writers of the twentieth century, will be released as ebooks by Open Road Integrated Media in December. Open Road will publish both fiction and nonfiction during a three-stage rollout.

Howard Fast, the bestselling author of more than eighty works of fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and screenplays, grew up in New York City and published his first novel upon finishing high school in 1933. In 1950, his refusal to provide the United States Congress with a list of possible Communist associates earned him a three-month prison sentence, along with a place on the blacklist of several major publishers. During his incarceration, Fast wrote one of his best-known novels, Spartacus (1951), and went on to found his own press, Blue Heron, in order to release the work. Throughout his long career, Fast matched his commitment to championing social justice in his writing with a deft, lively storytelling style. His collection of bestselling novels such as Conceived in Liberty, Citizen Tom Paine, April Morning, and The Legacy illustrate themes of freedom and human rights in a time of turbulence and global war.

On December 13, 2011, nineteen titles—including April Morning—will be released. In April Morning, on the eve of the American Revolution, the Battle of Lexington and Concord changes a boy’s life—and a nation’s history—forever. Sweeping in scope and masterful in execution, this novel is a classic of American fiction and an unforgettable story of one community’s fateful struggle for freedom. The Incredible Tito, Fast’s fascinating biography of Joseph Broz, known to the world as Tito, including his rise to power and his remarkable stand against fascism, will be offered to readers as a free download.

On December 20, nineteen mysteries by Howard Fast writing as E. V. Cunningham will be released as ebooks. These include the Masao Masuto mysteries, beginning with The Case of the Angry Actress, starring detective Masuto, a second-generation Japanese-American, Buddhist homicide detective. Other titles include such female-centered works as Phyllis, Sally, and others.

On December 27, twenty-five titles will complete Open Road Media's Howard Fast ebook collection. Three of these are from Fast's much-loved Immigrants series, an immensely popular saga that spanned six novels and over a century of the Lavette family’s story. Of this series, Open Road will release The Legacy, The Immigrant's Daughter, and An Independent Woman. Two of the nonfiction titles—The Art of Zen Meditation, in which Fast offers readers a simple, straightforward introduction to Zen meditation, which had a profound influence on his writing and personal philosophy; and Spain and Peace, a 1951 pamphlet that contains a powerful denunciation of Spanish dictator Francisco Franco—will be offered as free downloads.

Extra content includes:

• Behind-the-scenes author commentary and videos at the Open Road Howard Fast page
• An illustrated biography in each ebook, including previously unseen photographs and documents from Fast’s personal life and distinguished career

Amazon.com, Apple iBookstore, Barnesandnoble.com, Google eBookstore/IndieBound, Kobo Books, OverDrive, and Sony Reader Store

Availability begins on December 13, 2011:

The American, April Morning, The Children, Citizen Tom Paine, Clarkton, Conceived in Liberty, Departure, The Edge of Tomorrow, The Incredible Tito*, The Last Supper, Moses, The Passion of Sacco and Vanzetti, Patrick Henry and the Frigate's Keel, Place in the City, The Proud and the Free, Silas Timberman, The Story of Lola Gregg, Thirty Pieces of Silver, The Winston Affair

On December, 20, 2011

mysteries by Howard Fast writing as E. V. Cunningham will go on sale:

Alice, Cynthia, Helen, Lydia, Margie, Millie, Penelope, Phyllis, Sally, Shirley, The Assassin Who Gave Up His Gun, The Case of the Angry Actress, The Case of the Kidnapped Angel, The Case of the Murdered Mackenzie, The Case of the One-Penny Orange, The Case of the Poisoned Eclairs, The Case of the Russian Diplomat, The Case of the Sliding Pool, The Wabash Factor

On December 27, 2011

more titles will be added to the Howard Fast ebook collection:

Agrippa's Daughter, The Art of Zen Meditation*, The Confession of Joe Cullen, The Crossing, Dinner Party, The General Zapped an Angel, Greenwich, Hunter and the Trap, The Immigrant's Daughter, An Independent Woman, The Jews, The Legacy, Literature and Reality, Max, The Naked God, The Outsider, Peekskill USA, The Pledge, Power, Redemption, Spain and Peace*, Strange Yesterday, Time and the Riddle, Torquemada, A Touch of Infinity