An amateur no more...

 

 

 So, this past week, I realized a life-long dream.  After years of working the amateur circuit, I have become a professional bookseller.  What's an amateur bookseller, you may be asking?  Well, I've had a pretty fierce case of bookseller-envy going, and it wasn't at all uncommon for me to loiter in a bookstore for hours, hand-selling favorite titles to random customers, answering questions... possibly moving friends' books to more advantageous shelf positions.

 

I am delighted to announce that I've been hired by Bookshop West Portal, one of San Francisco's

finest independent booksellers.  (Thank you Neal, Kevin, & Richard!)  I've been shopping at Bookshop West Portal for years.  They've also hosted some of my favorite author events: Ann Patchett, Gary Shteyngart, Jonathan Tropper, my pal Matt Richtel, and so many more.  My new co-workers are people I want as friends.  Take my word for it, it's a really good place!

 

It was kind of fun to announce this new job to friends and the world.  There was a widespread cry of "You're perfect for it!"  And I was tickled by the number of best-selling authors who took the time to congratulate me.  I spend so much time with writers; I can't wait to see a friend show up in the shop to sign stock.  And I've already started hand-selling my favorite books.  Please don't tell my new bosses, but this feels a bit like being paid (albeit modestly) to do what I normally do:

• Follow the publishing industry
• Read a bunch of books
• Talk to people about them

Best. Job. Ever.

So, yes, it's business as usual around here, but now when I read the PW Daily, I can feel noble.  "This is for work," I say.  Peruse reviews in the New York Times--for work.  Earlier tonight I was schmoozing with a Pulitzer Prize winner and a National Book Award winner--for work.  And I'm reading more than ever, which, as you know, is saying something.

I fear that my television viewing--already well below the national average--is going to suffer.  As these things go, I've probably read more new titles than the average bookseller.  My iPhone tells me that I read an average of 4.3 books a week last year.  But surely I can up that number?  I would really like to read at least 5 books a week this year.  250 books in 2014 sounds like a reasonable goal.  After just a few days in the store, it's become incredibly obvious just how much easier it is to (a) sell a book, and (b) help a customer, if you've actually read every book in the store.  Happily, I was able to compare and contrast The Goldfinch and The Luminaries for a customer this week.  (That's 1,600 pages right there.)  I was able to give my personal seal of approval to Lisa O'Donnell's debut novel, The Death of Bees to a nervous book club reader.  I was able to recommend Robin Sloan's Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore and Ernie Cline's Ready Player One for the woman looking for something light to bring a sick friend.

Oh, can we talk gifts?  I wrapped a lot of gifts this week!  (This is actually pathetic.  My family will attest that my gift-wrapping skills are remedial at best.  So much to learn.)  But the subject of gifts reminds me of the best thing I saw this week, and it happened on my very first day.  It was the best omen imaginable.

Bookshop West Portal is tremendously valued by the local community.  It's so incredibly obvious.   Any number of customers mentioned how important it was to support their local independent bookstore as I rang them up.  And there's a terrific core of super-friendly regulars.  They're greeted by name, as I am in so many bookstores across the city.  I was warmly welcomed by all that I met.  That first day I met a customer that I'll simply refer to as "the Hungarian Gentleman."  He came by to pick up a special order that included hardback copies of Wildwood and Under Wildwood by Colin Meloy (which are already out in paperback).  "How many copies of these books do you think I buy?" he asked my colleague.  His guess of "a dozen" was a little low.  Apparently, it was more like 30 copies of each book.  This lovely man, this Hungarian Gentleman, buys these beautiful books to hand out to random young people that he meets as he goes through his daily life.  He'll stop and gift them to a kid on the street and go on his way. 

The Hungarian Gentleman had to feed his meter.  He dropped off the books in his car and came back.  While he was browsing, a teenage girl came in looking for a copy of Veronica Roth's latest, Allegiant.  I didn't witness this interaction, but he must have approached her.  He wound up buying her copies of both Meloy books, as well as her copy of Allegiant.  It was a not inconsiderable total, and he was so clearly happy to do it.  This Hungarian Gentleman is a literary Santa Claus!  (I'm not kidding; I've heard he sometimes takes poor booksellers out for meals.  Amazing.)  This man is doing everything possible to foster a love of reading in these young people, no strings attached.  I didn't know people like this existed.  I mean, I've been a Bookcrosser for years, but this is taking the  Random Act of Literary Kindness (RALK) to a whole new level.  And I get to work in a store where such people congregate.

I've only been on the job for a week.  I haven't had to schlep boxes of books until my back aches.  I haven't had a customer give me grief over a bad recommendation.  I haven't had the slightest negative experience.  I'm not an idiot.  Shiny, new jobs fade, and bad days are a part of life.  But, you know what?  Everyone who knows me knows that I was born to be a bookseller.  I already have been a bookseller.  I think that this is going to be a good fit.

Matt Richtel knows how to hook readers...

The Cloud
by Matt Richtel

…The openings of his novels are always grabbers. In The Cloud, protagonist Nat Idle is waiting to catch a late-night train when an enormous drunken man staggers into him. They both crash to the ground, with Nat very nearly thrown to the tracks in front of an oncoming train. A near-death experience instead becomes a nasty crack on the head, and a kind passerby rushes to assist. The drunk takes off, with a paper falling from his pocket as he exits. Nat’s ready to write the incident off, grateful to have gotten off relatively lightly—until he picks up the paper the man dropped. His name is on it. This was no accident.

That is merely the beginning of another of Idle’s investigative adventures. For a medical journalist and blogger, he does seem to become embroiled in some dark stuff. This story involves a technology designed to help kids learn to multi-task that may be causing a far more serious side effect. And yet, as intense of the plots of these novels are, at their heart they are character-driven, and none more so than this latest installment. Character absolutely drives plot, but in this case, prior knowledge of the character from his debut in Hooked or Devil’s Plaything would be helpful. Nat sustains a head injury in that opening scene. It affects him. He’s not himself, and I think that will be appreciated more by readers acquainted with the character. Nat’s funny, friendly, flawed, and fallible. He’ll go after a story like no one’s business. But in The Cloud, he’s altered. And he’s something of an unreliable narrator, which makes an already convoluted mystery that much more mysterious.

Mr. Richtel, incidentally, is also a journalist. By day, he writes about technology for the New York Times. He, in fact, won a Pulitzer Prize for doing so a few years ago. My point is, the man can write. His prose has an effortless readability, a sense of fun, and frequently rises above what one expects to find in a thriller. The novel moves swiftly, as events take place over the course of just a few virtually sleepless days. Furthermore, by the time all is revealed, the elegance and intricacy of the novel’s plot will become apparent. Oh, I had suspicions along the way. Some were right, many were wrong. But once I knew the truth, it was all so clear. The clues were salted everywhere.

Richtel didn’t learn about character development, pacing, and plot on the day job. I’m not sure where he learned the tools of his trade, because in this novel especially, he eschews literary convention while at the same time embracing certain genre tropes, for instance a beautiful and mysterious woman straight out of a detective noir. Tropes are tropes for a reason, and Richtel has his fun. But it’s where he diverges from convention, notably with this novel’s conclusion, that things get really interesting. I can’t discuss the choices made without spoilers, so I’ll simply say that Mr. Richtel wrapped up his mystery in a way that was unexpected, unconventional, sophisticated, and satisfying.

And aside from solving the mystery, Mr. Richtel has taken his protagonist into uncharted territory. The tale comes to a complete conclusion with no annoying cliff-hangers, but Nat evolves so much (and so believably) in this novel that I’m now consumed with knowing what the next chapter in his life will bring.

NOTE: For local San Francisco readers, Matt will be appearing along with novelist Sophie Littlefield at the SF in SF literary series on Saturday, February 9, 2013 at 7:00pm.  Please join me there!

Mailbox Monday: I need a vacation edition

In case you're wondering, these mailboxes are in Palos Verdes, California, and the photo was taken by Tash.  Stunning!

Meanwhile, I'm counting the minutes until Labor Day Weekend, because unfortunately, I'll be working every day until the not-long-enough weekend.  Mostly, I need to get away from this unrelenting cold.  Blech.

So, I got a little reminder this week that people occasionally read what I'm spewing out onto the 'net.  Last Monday I was geeking out about getting a letter from David Ebershoff?  Yeah, he posted in the comments over the weekend.  *blush*  (You're awesome, David.  I wrote the #1 review for The 19th Wife on Amazon.com, and I'm totally available to do freelance editorial work for Random House.)  And, yes, I'll be reading that novel he sent me, the Orphan Master's Son, sooner rather than later.  I need to see what all the fuss is about.  Okay, moving on...

This past week, I had a great book group meeting in a local bar, as is our custom.  And, a bookseller friend and I had the first of what we've decided should be a quarterly dinner to compare notes on what we've read, and what interesting titles are about to be released.  Also, we gossiped about people we know.  This coming week, I would love to catch Lev Grossman's local book tour stop at Kepler's, but I'm not sure my work will allow it.  It's graduation week at the university.  I'll let you know next week if I make it.

Happily, it's a short list of books this week, but a very cool list.  And this first book will have a place of true honor in my home...

Devil's Plaything
by Matt Richtel
Release date: May 3, 2011
Source: Limited edition hardback from author and publisher

When this novel was published a few months ago, there was a SNAFU and the acknowledgements page was omitted.  This is unfortunate, but not the end of the world.  At his book signings, Matt had pre-cut acknowledgement pages that people could slip into the books.  But he wanted the people who had helped him with what turned out to be a challenging novel to get the real deal.  So, this past week, I received a signed, very limited edition hardback of Devil's Plaything.  I have one of only 50 in the world.  And I am very kindly acknowledged.  Thank you, Matt.

Sanctus
by Simon Toyne
Release date: September 5, 2011
Source: Paper galley from publisher

I may have heard of this religious thriller at some point, but looking at the galley, it seems like it's going to be a high-profile debut.  I got kind of burned out on religious thrillers in the wake of The Da Vinci Code, but this does look fun.  I think I'll be giving it a read.

The Most Dangerous Thing
by Laura Lippman
Release date: August 23, 2011
Source: Finished hardback from publisher

I really enjoyed Lippman's last stand-alone, and I am very much looking forward to reading this one.  Thanks, Shawn!

A Bitter Truth
by Charles Todd
Release date: August 30, 2011
Source: Finished hardback from publisher

I live this novel's cover, but don't feel compelled to jump into this series in progress.  If we've got a swarm of Todd fans here, speak up about a giveaway.  Otherwise, I suspect it will be given away via the face-to-face book group.

The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie
by Alan Bradley
Release date: April 28, 2009
Source: Trade paperback from bookseller

Apparently the tiniest of crumples on the corner of this book makes it "damaged merchandise."  My bookseller friend threw it at me an suggested I read it.  I have heard good things and been interested in the series...

The Time in Between
by Maria Duenas
Release date: November 8, 2011
Source: Galley from bookseller

So, after our dinner, my bookseller friend and I sifted through the store's galleys for the next six months.  Both of us agreed that it was a sad collection.  Where's the copy of the new Eugenides?  Why can't she get hold of the forthcoming Murakami?  Anyway, I suggested a couple of books she might read, and I walked away with a galley of this Spanish debut that Simon and Schuster is promoting.  It's a bit of a doorstop, so we'll see. 

Sleeping Beauty
by Elle Lothlorien
Release date: unknown
Source: Draft from author

I've only just begun reading this draft, but I like what I've seen so far!





Books finished this week:

Sacre Bleu by Christopher Moore
The Accident by Linwood Barclay
Sister by Rosamund Lupton
Why We Broke Up by Daniel Handler


Currently reading:

Sleeping Beauty by Elle Lothlorien
Luminarium by Alex Shakar


So, faithful readers, what have y'all been reading?  What books did you acquire this week?  Please let me know in the comments!

Thrillerfest VI: When you're not in the bar...

I have to tell you, yesterday's Thrillerfest post took me forever to put together.  The writing was easy enough, but after adding all those links, tracking down and stealing photos, well you get the idea.  So, it will take me a few days to finish up my account.  For now, I thought I'd show you some of what goes on at T-fest when we're not socializing at a party or in the bar.

The conference actually features a full schedule of programing.  Generally, there are a series of panel discussions that take place, and you have a choice of four going on concurrently.  These sessions are broken up by Spotlight Guest interviews which happen in the larger ballrooms, and are generally the only thing happening in their time slot.

The session below was entitled, "Is Truth Stranger Than Fiction?"  The entertaining and talented Matt Richtel was the "Panel Master," and the panelists were: B. Kent Anderson, Brad Parks, Kira Peikoff, Douglas Preston, Kathleen Sharp, and Jessica Speart.  I have to admit, the title of this session didn't grab me, as I generally read so little non-fiction.  I attended for the typical reason I sit in on these things: I had friends on the panel.  Happily, the discussion turned out to be quite interesting after all.  For starters, the participants all had some serious journalistic cred.  They knew whence they spoke.  And the panel turned out to be as much about fiction as non-fiction.  I thoroughly enjoyed hearing everyone speak.  You never know what you'll get with these panels, how the Panel Master will run things, if the panelists will have chemistry.  I've sat through some duds.  I'm glad to have a good one to share.

So, if you've never attended a Thrillerfest, or you just had to miss this year, here's one session in it's entirety.  Apologies in advance for poor cinematic skills...

The mailbox was overflowing...

Happy Monday, y’all,

Well, I’m still struggling desperately to catch up after my two weeks on the East Coast. I feel like I finally got some good sleep this weekend! Meanwhile, things are as busy as ever out here, and life does not seem to be inclined to wait for me to catch up. I started writing some updates about the stuff going on this past week and in the immediate future, and the post became so ridiculously long, I decided to separate it from Mailbox Monday, which is itself ridiculously long. It’s the inventory of the boxes from BEA, and I’m still working on it. So, let this be the first part of my weekly check in:

• Just a reminder that the giveaway for Charlaine Harris’s Dead Reckoning is still going on here.  You have until Wednesday morning to post a comment.  The more of you who enter, the more copies I’ll give away.  So please post a comment today!
• My sister and baby Jonah are doing well! 
• I went out to catch the always entertaining Matt Richtel on tour for Devil’s Plaything the other night.
  He was so cute.  He was terrified of boring his audience (I assure you he wasn’t!) and stopped the reading portion of the evening after like the shortest reading ever for fear of going on too long.  But that’s okay; the Q&A portion was more fun anyway.  Most authors wait for the audience to come up with questions.  Matt takes a proactive approach and supplies questions that the audience may ask him.  I shot a few minutes of video before my battery died the other night.  If it’s any good, perhaps I’ll post it this week.  Oh, and this was sweet, HarperCollins messed up and forgot to include the acknowledgements page in the book, but Matt had insert copies cut to size on his signing table.  I did make the acknowledgements page, but Matt signed my book: To my favorite unacknowledged early editor.
• I also had the opportunity to hear Nick Mamatas and Lisa Goldstein read from Sensation and The Uncertain Places respectively, and then both authors had a discussion with moderator Terry Bisson.  This is all a part of the SF in SF author and film series, always an enjoyable night out, even if you’re not especially interested in the books or authors that month.  In this case, however, I was interested in Goldstein, ever since reading this review of her new book.  So, I picked up a copy at the event and of course had her sign it.  Afterwards, several people including Lisa; and her publisher, Jacob Weisman of Tachyon Books; and his wife, Rina, who runs the SF in SF series, just sat around kibbitzing for an hour.  I’d never met (or read) Lisa before, but Rina and Jacob are good friends.  It was a predictably fun evening, and I read a sizable chunk of The Uncertain Places yesterday.  This may sound like an odd compliment, but it’s very readable.  Reading it is pleasantly quick and easy, without being the slightest bit dumb or pandering.  It’s just effortless and delightful, and I’m finding myself carried away by the story.  It’s everything a good fairy tale should be.
• Of course, I would have finished The Uncertain Places in a day, had I not been primarily reading (Finally!) Ann Patchett’s completely wonderful State of Wonder.  This book could have been written specifically for me.  Of course, I’ll be reviewing all books mentioned in the near future.  But the reason I finally got around to the Patchett that I’ve been dying to read for at least a month is that she’s coming through SF on tour tomorrow.  Bookshop West Portal, here I come!  I’ve never met her or heard her speak before, so I’m really looking forward to this.
• Tonight, Jon and I are going to see a current Broadway show, The Importance of Being Earnest, on screen in a movie theater.  Do you know about this?  It will be the second time we’ve seen a theatrical production at the movies, the first time being a few weeks ago with last year’s Best Musical Tony winner, Memphis.  The Importance of Being Earnest is one of the few shows I didn’t see in NY, because as excellent as the production is rumored to be, I knew I could see it this way.  And with so many excellent shows to see, it was a compromise. 
• Also, we already have tickets to a Sunday matinee screening of Stephen Sondheim’s Company, starring Neil Patrick Harris, Patty LuPone, Stephen Colbert, Martha Plimpton, John Cryer, Christina Hendricks, and many others. This production, in conjunction with the New York Philharmonic, played for only one weekend back in April. This is the sort of special event that sends me running for the airline schedules, but tickets were impossible to get. How wonderful that the production was filmed live so that more than a handful of people would have the opportunity to see it!
• This leads me, of course, to last night’s Tony Awards telecast.  Did you watch it?  Best.  Tonys.  Ever.  Well, not so much having two shows sweep the awards in a forgone conclusion—I hate that—but the show itself was wildly entertaining.  I do love me some NPH, and having him do a number with Hugh Jackman just about sent me into orbit.  And even though The Book of Mormon and Warhorse swept the musical and play categories respectively, they didn’t sweep the acting awards.  Having seen so many of the productions, I was really delighted with most of the winners.  It was a great night honoring the best theater season in years, and I was delighted to spend the evening with good friends who love the theater as much as I do.  Thanks so much, Jon, for playing the consummate host, as always!
• Finally, Jon, Peter, and I went to see Midnight in Paris the other night.  I loved it so much!  But, I have enough to say about the film that I’ll try to do a separate blog post.  But this leads me to a recent epiphany…  I’ve decided not to feel guilty if I want to write about a film, a play, or even a television show here.  Yes, it’s a book blog first and foremost, but I do have other interests, and it’s my book blog.  Since I make the rule, I’ve decided to feel less constrained, or at least less guilty about occasionally veering off topic.  And usually not that far off topic, because these are all scripted forms.  They’re just a different type of written language.  So, it’s still a book blog, but a value added one, LOL.

That’s all for now, but I will be posting a Mailbox Monday post sometime later today.  Thanks for sticking with me as I ramble!

An idle mind is the devil’s plaything

Devil's Plaything
by Matt Richtel

I first met Nat Idle when he appeared in Matt Richtel’s debut novel, Hooked. At the time, he won me over completely. It wasn’t merely that he was a likable, charming guy, it was that he exhibited my very favorite characteristic in a hero—fallibility. He wasn’t a superman. He was just an average guy doing the best he could under extraordinary circumstances. Nat narrates, “As a tough guy, I’m way out of my league; I’m a pen-wielding freelance writer, not James Bond, or James Dean; maybe James Taylor.”

And, at long last, he’s back. Let me start by saying that you don’t need to have read Hooked before reading Devil’s Plaything. Each book stands alone just fine. In this latest thriller, Nat has a buddy, and it’s not who you’d expect. His cohort in this misadventure is his elderly grandmother, Lane, with whom he has always been close. Lane, alas, has taken a turn for the worse. She is suffering dementia, but in recent weeks her decline has been precipitous. Nat realizes he really must spend more time with her, and it is on an outing to Golden Gate Park that the action begins.

While enjoying a leisurely sunset stroll, suddenly shots ring out, and Nat and Lane appear to be the targets. Well, Nat appears to be. Not everyone appreciates his occasional forays into investigative journalism. What could anyone have against a sweet octogenarian? What indeed? As this complex tale unfolds, Richtel seeds the book with any number of suspicious characters and red herrings. What is the deal with the high-strung manager of Lane’s assisted living facility? What is the secret from back in WWII that his grandmother has been keeping all these years? Who is “the blue man”? Why is Lane afraid of visiting the dentist? What is the story behind the Human Memory Crusade in which she’s been participating? And what is going on on Nat’s side of this mystery… What is his boss up to? Who is the mysterious investor Nat dubs “G.I. Chuck”? Who has delivered an encrypted thumb drive to him? Why? What does it say?

These are a lot of questions, and if the novel has a flaw, it’s just the sheer business of the plot. There are so many potential bad guys that, like Nat, you won’t know where to look next for answers. You will share some of his frustration, confusion, and paranoia. He asks, “Does the thumb drive have anything to do with the attack in the park and Grandma’s recent ramblings? Or is it coincidental, unrelated, some kind of joke?”

The pleasures of the novel, however, more than make up for any flaws. For starters, it’s a darn good mystery. I couldn’t unravel it on my own, and I seem to figure these things out all too often. It was nice being challenged. The story being told here is different; and as with his first novel, the plot veers off in unexpected directions, keeping readers on their toes. The relationship at the center of this novel isn’t typical, and it has a lot of heart. Both Nat and Lane are richly-drawn and appealing characters. And in addition to, you know, the fear and paranoia, there’s a lot of humor leavening the proceedings. San Francisco, where I live and the novel is set, takes more than a few pot shots: “I almost laugh at the idea of our nearly quintessential San Francisco death: gunned down by the driver of an environmentally friendly car.” “In San Francisco, you can get grief for carrying an obsolete gadget without a permit.” “The collective angst of several dozen drivers already frustrated by life’s deep unfairness—traffic, the Bay Area cost of living, the fact that they don’t yet own an iPad…”

Nat’s a witty guy, and it’s a lot of fun taking up space inside his head. He’s also a canny observer of the times we live in, and I have to credit the smart writing of his creator and counterpart, author Richtel. Matt Richtel not only shares a very similar name as his protagonist, but also the same day job—though he’s a considerably more successful journalist, having won a Pulitzer Prize writing for the New York Times a year ago. The man knows his way around a page and it shows. Looking ahead, I hope that Richtel can continue to find time for both fiction and non-fiction because clearly he excels at both.

NOTE:  This novel will be released in hardback from the Poisoned Pen Press on May 3, 2011.  For Readers who prefer to wait for the paperback, I'm pleased to tell you that you don't have to wait long.  The mass market paperback will be released by HarperCollins on May 31, 2011.  This is likewise the release date for the Kindle (and other e-book) editions of the novel.  So, pick your format, pre-order now, and you've got your first beach read of the summer lined up!

Ah, to be the bearer of good news...

So, I like to keep up with what's going on in the book world, and one of the many ways I do that is by reading Publisher's Weekly.  Yesterday, while reading the reviews, I was delighted to see that my friend Matt Richtel's forthcoming novel, Devil's Plaything received an excellent review.  This is what they said:

Devil's Plaything: A Mystery for Idle Minds
Matt Richtel. Poisoned Pen, $24.95 (342p) ISBN 978-1-59058-887-1

In Richtel's deft follow-up to Hooked (2007), medical reporter Nat Idle thinks someone taking potshots at him and his beloved grandmother, Lane, in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park, may be payback for his snide exposé involving city officials and torched port-a-potties. Further attacks and an encrypted flash drive from a scientist who subsequently disappears soon indicate otherwise, and Lane's disjointed statements related to a computer-assisted oral history project suggest that she may know more than she's capable of revealing about a larger conspiracy. Surrounded by dubious figures such as a mysterious venture capitalist, an anal-retentive nursing home manager, a neurologist with suspicious connections, and a colorful witch who reads people's auras, Nat is wary of trusting anyone and frantic for Lane's safety. Numerous plot twists and cliffhangers keep the reader turning the pages in this plausible if disquieting scenario of Big Brother not only watching but also messing with minds. (May) Reviewed on: 03/28/2011

Upon seeing that, I did the friendly thing and sent him a brief note of congratulations.  His response, moments later was, "Huh? Can u send? Haven't seen it!"  (Those novelists, they do have a way with words.)  I replied, "Oh, honestly...  Don't you have 'people' for this sort of thing?"  But I was delighted to be the bearer of good news, and Matt's reaction was suitably gratifying.  Plus, I was deemed "awesome," just for reading the trades.

This is hardly the first time this has happened.  I'm always shocked to see a review, or know details of a writer's career, before they do.  I once informed James Rollins what his latest hardback print run would be.  Possibly the craziest example of this was the time that I was the person that informed Doug Preston that a film was being made of one of his early novels.  On that occasion, I really had the inside scoop.  I was working at the San Diego Film Commission, and the film of his novel Jennie was crewing up to shoot on location.  Still, I was stunned that I was the very first person to tell him that they were really making a movie.  The novel had been optioned for like 10 years, and after all, why bother tell the author?

Matt Richtel first came to my attention shortly before his debut novel, Hooked, was published.  It would have been BEA (BookExpo America) 2007.  His publisher had chosen the title as their "buzz" book for the season--an honor that will reliably capture my attention.  I grabbed a couple three galleys and was more than satisfied when I read it later.  In fact, I became a fan.  The extra galleys circulated through my book group and generated lively discussion over the course of several months.  It's quite possible that I may have sent him a brief email telling him the novel was awesome.  I don't really remember.

I do remember that Matt was participating in a book group discussion at the Books, Inc. in Laurel Village, and my friend Ann and I crashed it.  I wound up having a nice chat with Matt afterwards, and we've remained friendly ever since.  Ironically, we're both here in San Francisco, but I probably see him more often in New York.  (Ah, but those crazy NY nights are tales for another day.  A day when I want to embarrass David Liss.)  Incidentally, Matt has kept his day job--when not writing thrillers, he's a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist writing about technology for the New York Times.  I know, it's enough to make a person sick.

I haven't read Devil's Plaything yet.  Well, I read some very early drafts that bear little resemblance to the book that's about to be published.  As it happens, while I was looking for photos to steal for this blog post, I stumbled upon an excellent interview that ran in the Chron a few months ago.  I like it because it really sounds like Matt's voice and it's quite interesting. And in reading the interview, I realized that I was one of the early people he refers to bouncing ideas off of during the hellish period.  I feel proud. 

Anyway, the galley is loaded up on my Kindle, and I'm looking forward to reading and reviewing it this month.  (In case you're wondering, the reason I have so many writer friends is that I offer them unvarnished criticism.  If I'll do it for hours with a manuscript in hand, I have no compunction about doing so in a review.)  Look for a review here in the next few weeks.  For now, I highly recommend Hooked, which has one of the best thriller openings I've ever read.  And while the same protagonist, Nat Idle, is back in Devil's Plaything, as far as I know, you absolutely don't need to have read Hooked first.  Somewhat strangely, Devil's Plaything is being published in hardback on May 3, 2011 by Poisoned Pen Press, and being published as a mass market paperback on May 31, 2011 by HarperCollins.  So, pick your format or go electronic.  And, if you do give Matt a read, let me know what you think in the comments.

R.I.P. Weasel

So, this was supposed to be a good week. My friend Boyd's debut novel, The Ark, went on sale on Tuesday. I've been involved with that novel since the very first draft, so it's a really big deal. And it's a great novel! (You may notice my review immediately below this post.) My plan was to pimp Boyd's novel online all week. We all need a little help from our friends, right?

Unfortunately, Boyd's success isn't why I'll remember this week in years to come. On Monday morning I woke up, but my lovely companion Weasel didn't. He's been with me most of my adult life, and I'm having a really hard time with the loss.

Weasel was about 19, so he had a long, healthy, happy life and he died at home. You couldn't ask for any more than that. He was a good friend all these years, and there wasn't a person that met him that didn't comment on how special he was. Truly. His crazy, blonde "mother" used to drag him all around town on a leash or in a totebag. (I grew up with dogs, okay?) Weasel was a popular visitor to bookstores, the beach, parks, sidewalk cafes, hotels, shops--he came all over the place with me. Back when I was stage managing all the time, he'd come to rehearsals and sit quietly in a seat at the theater until I was done. There will never be another cat like him.

See that photo of us on the right? That was taken about eight years ago at Books by the Bay by none other than author Christopher Moore. Weasel actually met more best-selling novelists than most readers of this blog.

Oh, and can you see the markings on his forehead? The cat had a "W" on his forehead. I called it "The Mark of the Weasel." He was so funny, and friendly, and sociable. He used to go up to strangers in bookstores and sort of flop on his back at their feet and wiggle around like, "I get no love and attention at home." Shameless!

When we lived in San Diego, he'd meow at passersby out the street-level window until they'd come over and talk to him. Oftentimes I'd be just out of sight eavesdropping on their conversations. One day a good-looking guy came knocking at my door. He didn't want to meet me; he wanted to meet Weasel. That cat had charisma.

Intellectually, I knew our time was limited. He was well beyond the average life expectancy of a house cat, but somehow that doesn't help at all. I am heart-broken. I've been crying all week and my eyes feel raw and sore.

People are incredibly kind. Most people know what it is to love and lose an animal. Sadly, I'm not the only one in this situation right now. My friend Donna lost her cat last week. He was only eight. I am lucky Weasel and I were together for so long. My friend Matt has a desperately sick cat at home, too. We're all heart-broken.

Matt had some good news to share, at least. He's the author of a terrific debut thriller that came out a couple of years ago called Hooked, and he's getting the sequel ready for publication now. That's not the good news. Matt has a "day job" writing for the New York Times. He won a freakin' Pulitzer Prize for journalism last month! (That'll teach me to only check the book and drama winners.) How crazy is that?

And one more item of note...The big promotion I've been working towards for months? It looks like it's coming through on June 1st. Wish I felt like celebrating. So, congrats to Boyd, to Matt, and to me.

I miss you, Weasel.