If Erik Slotboom hadn't earned enough money as an Austin engineer in the good times, he wouldn't have had enough money to self-publish the book he always wanted to write. And if he hadn't lost his job, when could he have written it?

"The high-tech boom gave me the financial strength to do it, and the bust gave me the time to do it," said Slotboom, who chose to self-publish since the book was of regional interest and so he'd have control over the content.

The book is "Houston Freeways, A Historical and Visual Journey." Growing up in Houston, Slotboom couldn't take his eyes off the spaghetti bowl of highways that loomed near his family's home. Even today, he sees beauty where others see lots of cement and traffic jams.

But it wasn't until he lost his job with AIS Consulting in 2001 that he had the opportunity to dig through the Texas Department of Transportation archives. The book explores all things freeway-related in Houston. It delves into life before the first Houston freeways were built in 1948, the neighborhoods they displaced and the people who designed them. There are color photos and maps, charts and timelines.

He calls Houston the world's most freeway-influenced city, because of the way development sprouted along its arteries. "Texas is really the only place in the world that makes extensive use of frontage roads, and Houston uses them more than any other place in Texas. Almost everything revolves around freeways."

Don't look for another book from him anytime soon. "It was a fun sabbatical, but I'm looking to getting back into high tech," he said. "Unless you're Hillary Clinton, John Grisham or J.K. Rowling, you don't want to be in the book business."