Smash and grab

So, I had an upsetting experience last night. 

I was sitting on the bus reading from my Kindle--in other words, business as usual.  I was sitting quite close to the door.  I wasn't paying attention as two teenage girls were exiting the bus, but at the last second, one of the girls dove at me and made a grab for my Kindle.  Only my firm grip on the machine allowed me to keep it.  They both jumped out the bus's door in a fraction of a second, and I could hear them laughing as we drove away.  They exited only two stops before my own.  How delightful, they're neighbors.

Anyone who knows me knows that my Kindle is my most treasured possession.  I was just sick thinking that some dumb kids would grab it on a lark.  Is this sort of crime a common occurrence?  Do those girls have a stack of ereaders, iPhones, and other gadgets piled up at home?  Am I not supposed to read on the bus anymore?  Do I have to sit inconveniently far from the door?  (Actually, I think I will be taking that small precaution henceforth.)

Everyone on the bus saw what happened.  There was a sort of collective look that passed among the passengers, What can you do?  I don't know, but I'll continue to hold on tight.  You might want to do the same.

Warren Fahy soon to break his silence...

This seems to be the day for authors inviting speculation...

After months of waiting for publication news on Pandemonium, his sequel to Fragment, earlier today novelist Warren Fahy tweeted, "For all those waiting for PANDEMONIUM, I'll have some VERY good news soon. : )" 

Naturally, I then emailed the man himself, asking for the scoop.  All I could get out of him was, "It looks like PANDEMONIUM will now see the light of day. News soon!"  So, he's going to string us along for a little longer.  Which is fine, because it does seem like an announcement is imminent.  And, I did get a promise that as soon as there is firm news, I can post it here. 

And as one of the few who has already read and reviewed the self-pubbed version of Pandemonium that was briefly available on Amazon.com, I'll tell you that the novel is worth the wait.  So, do check back soon.  As soon as I get details, I'll pass them along.

More Potter?

Yesterday, author J.K. Rowling set the net buzzing with the posting of a mysterious website, http://www.pottermore.com/.  Currently, the only screen on the site is shown in the image above.  If you click on either of the owls that frame the image, you'll be taken to this You Tube video, which features a clock counting down til next Wednesday.  (I'm too lazy to figure out the exact time, but if you do, please post it in the comments below.)  The message beneath the countdown states, "The owls are gathering... Find out why soon."

Facts are few and far between, but Rowling and her publishers have stated that this is announcing a "new project," and that it's not another Potter book.  Entertainment Weekly is speculating that it could be "one of two things: either a comprehensive, fully immersive Harry Potter website (which would be awesome) or the revelation that the series will soon be available as e-books, a development that has been a long time coming."

What do you think?  Are you even interested?  Listen, I'm the lady who donned academic robes in Hogwart's colors for the midnight release of the final novel.  (What?  They were lying around the university.  I borrowed them.)  I embrace my geekiness in this one area of pop culture, so I'll be waiting to see what happens when the countdown reaches zero.

HUMPDAY GIVEAWAY: Tension City: Inside the Presidential Debates From Kennedy-Nixon to Obama-McCain by Jim Lehrer

This week's giveaway is a special request from reader Care.  I had the pleasure of hearing Mr. Lehrer speak about this forthcoming title at BookExpo America a few weeks ago, and I grabbed a couple of galleys to bring home.  So, that's what's being offered this week, a trade paperback Advance Reader's Edition of this book which won't be published until September 13, 2011. 

I could try to describe this book, but I think I'll let the author do so himself.  The quality of this video is only a marginal improvement over the Charlaine Harris video from last week, alas.  As I explained then, the borrowed Flip Cam I was using wasn't designed to focus at that distance.  But, if you're interested in hearing what Mr. Lehrer had to say, it's perfectly audible.

The rules are the same as always, with one slight variation.  I always reserve the right to cancel any giveaway with fewer than five entrants.  In this case, please know if there are fewer than five entrants than Care is the default winner.  So, please don't hesitate to enter, and good luck to all!

• The giveaway is open to anyone with a U.S. mailing address ('cause I'm footing the postage).  
• To enter, all you need to do is post a comment below by Wednesday, June 22, 2011.
• At my discretion, if there are less than five respondents, I can cancel or extend the giveaway.
• Winner will be chosen by me with the help of a random number generator, and will be announced in the comments section of this thread.
• Please check back to see if you've won. If you have left a way to contact you, I will do so.
• The winner has one week to respond to me at suetu@yahoo.com with a mailing address, or I will choose a new winner.
• If a second winner fails to respond, the book automatically goes to the lovely members of my face-to-face book club.
• Previous giveaway winners are welcome to enter.
• Finally, if at all possible, please comment below only if you're entering the giveaway.

Mailbox Monday: BEA boxes edition

Sorry all, I meant to have this up last night, but my computer froze up shortly before I was about to post it.  Anyway, as promised, here is the full inventory of the boxes I shipped by from BookExpo America in NY.  It's roughly 100 books which weighed 121 pounds and cost a lot to ship back to California.  And of course, add to the cost of these "free" books my travel and other expenses for the trip to NY and you'll see that that aren't so free after all.  But that's okay, I've done this before.  I know the costs involved.

If you're wondering why I grabbed duplicate copies of so many books, well, they're for you, of course.  I'll read and review as many of them as I'm able, and I have reason to believe that will be a fair number of titles.  But in addition to a copies for my own reviewing purposes, I'll share these books with blog readers in the Humpday Giveaways on Wednesday.  If you see a book that you're especially interested in having a chance to win,  please feel free to speak up in the comments section below.  I may be able to schedule it for giveaway sooner, rather than later, and it may also keep me from giving it away to my face-to-face book club.  (I bring a good stack of books to share with them each month, too.

Here's the list:

AUDIOBOOKS:

Dead End in Norvelt by Jack Gantos (2 copies)
The Island by Elin Hilderbrand

MASS MARKET PAPERBACKS:

Claim of Innocence by Laura Caldwell (signed)
In Desperation by Rick Mofina (signed)
Before Cain Strikes by Joshua Corin (signed)

HARDBACKS:

* In the Garden of Beasts by Erik Larsson (5 copies)
Dead Reckoning by Charlaine Harris (5 copies)
The Whisper by Carla Neggers (signed)

The Girl Who Disappeared Twice by Andrea Kane (signed)
Children and Fire by Ursula Hegi (2 copies)
The Linen Queen by Patricia Falvey (signed)
Phantom Evil by Heather Graham (signed)
Feathers: The Evolution of a Natural Miracle by Thor Hanson (2 copies)
Dogfish Memory by Joseph A. Dane
Darkest Mercy by Melissa Marr (signed)

TRADE PAPERBACKS & GALLEYS:

Queen of America by Luis Alberto Urrea (2 copies, 1 signed)
The United States of Banana by Giannina Braschi
* The Dovekeepers by Alice Hoffman (3 copies, 1 signed)
Blood Wounds by Susan Beth Pfeffer
Temporary Perfections by Gianrico Carofiglio (2 copies)
Tension City: Inside the Presidential Debates from Kennedy-Nixon to Obama-McCain by Jim Lehrer (3 copies)
Crossed by Ally Condie (signed)

Hot Water by Erin Brockovitch with C.J. Lyons (2 copies)
Aftertime by Sophie Littlefield (signed)
Dove Season by Johnny Shaw (signed)
* The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh (2 copies, signed)
The Restorer by Amanda Stevens (signed)
* Why We Broke Up by Daniel Handler (signed)
American Dervish by Ayad Akhtar (2 copies)
Wahoo Rhapsody by Shaun Morey (signed)
Girls in White Dresses by Jennifer Close (2 copies, signed)
The Pluto Files by Neil DeGrasse Tyson
The Maid by Kimberly Cutter (2 copies)
Great House by Nicole Krauss
Beneath the Lion’s Gaze by Maaza Mengiste

The Lost Angel by Javier Sierra (2 copies)
The Shallows by Nicholas Carr
Enthralled by Melissa Marr (signed)
The Swerve: How the World Became Modern by Stephen Greenblatt (2 copies)
The Inquisitor’s Apprentice by Chris Moriarty
The Soldier’s Wife by Margaret Leroy
Spontaneous Happiness by Andrew Weil, MD (2 copies)
* The Revisionists by Thomas Mullen
Defending Jacob by William Landay (2 copies)
The Emperor of Lies by Steve Sem-Sandberg (2 copies)
Fallen by Karin Slaughter (signed)
* Birds of Paradise by Diana Abu-Jaber (2 copies)
Mindfulness by Mark Williams and Danny Penman

The Art of Fielding by Chad Harbach (2 copies, 1 signed)
Operation Napoleon by Arnaldur Indridason
* The Magician King by Lev Grossman (2 copies, 1 signed)
The Taker by Alma Katsu
* The Submission by Amy Waldman (signed)
Next to Love by Ellen Feldman (2 copies, signed)
Calling Mr. King by Ronald De Feo
Theft of Swords by Michael J. Sullivan (signed)
Au Revoir, Crazy European Chick by Joe Schreiber (3 copies)
Wisdom’s Kiss by Catherine Gilbert Murdock
Domestic Violets by Matthew Norman (signed)
* The Bridge to Neverland by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson (signed)
The Hangman’s Daughter by Oliver Potzsch

Emory’s Gift by W. Bruce Cameron (2 copies)
How to Rock Braces and Glasses by Meg Haston
Neon Panic by Charles Philipp Martin
* The Forgotten Waltz by Anne Enright (4 copies)
Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor (signed)

This list doesn't include the handful of books I carried back in my luggage, but the books with the asterisk are the ten titles I'm most excited about.  The Chuck Klosterman novel I hand carried back would have bumped something above.  So, are you excited about any of these books?  What are your top picks?

Oh, as for my normal Mailbox Monday influx, let's just put those books off for next week.  This is enough.  I did finish Ann Patchett's State of Wonder since I posted yesterday.  I loved it!  What are you reading right now?  Picked up any good books in the past week?

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!

A man pulls himself out of the ocean…

The Two Deaths of Daniel Hayes
by Marcus Sakey

He is naked, half-drowned, and doesn’t know how he landed on this remote beach. Far worse, he has no memory of who he is. The only object in sight is an abandoned BWM. The man pulls himself in, shivering violently, and cranks up the heat. He finds a Rolex watch, a bottle of booze, an envelope of cash, and in the glove compartment, vehicle registration in the name of Daniel Hayes. And a gun. Eventually, in the Beemer’s trunk he finds dirty clothes. They fit him. He decides he’s Daniel Hayes of Los Angeles, California. He has absolutely no idea how he wound up in Maine.

Exhausted physically and emotionally, he wants nothing more than to sleep. The cash buys him a couple of nights in a cheap motel room. No closer to remembering his identity, he’s trying to figure out his next step. Then the cop shows up at his door. He runs, asking himself, “Why had he run? More important, why was he chasing you? Who are you? Who were you before you woke up on that beach?” These are the first of many questions he’ll ask himself. Later, “What if you were a bad man? A criminal, a killer? Are you that person still?”

He has a long journey to unravel his identity, and to tell more wouldn’t be fair. Sakey’s brilliant premise puts readers smack dab in the protagonist's shoes, searching right along with him for the clues that will piece his history together. Details unravel at a satisfying and believable pace, and along the way there are a few jaw-dropping shockers. It’s a different kind of a mystery, and Sakey held me rapt until the final revelations. The writing and characters were strong, and the plot was complex and clever. This is a beach read it’ll be a pleasure to recommend all summer long.

HUMPDAY GIVEAWAY: Dead Reckoning by Charlaine Harris

Yes, I promised this was coming, and here we are.  This is the 11th book in Charlaine Harris's Sookie Stackhouse Southern Vampire series, which is, of course, the basis for the HBO series True Blood.  Either you want this book or you don't, and I don't think there needs to be any selling on my part.

So, here's what I'm going to do that's a little different this week...  I'm hoping this will be a popular giveaway, as the book is at the very top of the bestseller list.  So the deal is, the more people that enter this contest, the more copies I'll give away.  If ten people enter, I'll give away one copy.  If 20 people enter, I'll give away two.  Right up to five copies.  I doubt we'll have more than 50 entrants.  (But it would be awesome if we did!)  Other than that, normal rules apply:

• The giveaway is open to anyone with a U.S. mailing address ('cause I'm footing the postage).
• To enter, all you need to do is post a comment below by Wednesday, June 15, 2011.
• At my discretion, if there are less than five respondents, I can cancel or extend the giveaway.
• Winner(s) will be chosen by me with the help of a random number generator, and will be announced in the comments section of this thread.
• Please check back to see if you've won. If you have left a way to contact you, I will do so.
• The winner has one week to respond to me at suetu@yahoo.com with a mailing address, or I will choose a new winner.
• If a second winner fails to respond, the book automatically goes to the lovely members of my face-to-face book club.
• Previous giveaway winners are welcome to enter.
• Finally, if at all possible, please comment below only if you're entering the giveaway.

And a final bonus:  This is a few minutes of the speech Charlaine Harris gave at BEA two weeks ago.  I'm sorry it's totally out of focus.  Flip Cams aren't designed to focus at that distance.  However, you can hear everything she says, including her response to all the publishers who passed on her books.  Enjoy!



Seichan in the spotlight

The Skeleton Key
by James Rollins

Readers of James Rollins’ Sigma novels should be familiar with his most enigmatic character, Seichan. (Though it should be said that you need no familiarity with the character or the series to enjoy this entertaining interlude.) Seichan is the only series character that appears in The Skeleton Key, and I have to say that it was all kinds of fun to see her take a central, rather than secondary, role this time around.

Seichan has long been the servant to two masters. It’s a dangerous position, but then again, she’s a dangerous lady. While chasing needed intel on behalf of Sigma, she returns to her Guild sources. But perhaps she hasn’t been as careful as she thinks she has. After what should have been a straightforward meeting with an academic source to secure a document, she wakes up nearly nude in a strange hotel room. She’s been drugged, booby-trapped, and worst of all—saddled with a partner in the same predicament. She had been trying to ascertain the source’s asking price for the info, and discovered that it was a lot higher than she realized. And his agenda went way beyond money.

The Skeleton Key calls on Seichan to use all of her considerable skills on an adventure through—and below—Paris. Mr. Rollins is also called on to use all of his considerable skills in service of this lengthy short story, and he comes through with a fast-paced, amusing precursor to his novel The Devil Colony. Ultimately, you don’t need to read this story before reading the novel, but if you’re waiting on pins and needles for the novel’s release, do treat yourself to this amuse-bouche, a bite-sized taste of what is to come. The story dovetails nicely into the novel, and here’s a heads-up: The Devil Colony is the best thing Rollins has ever written.



A Conversation With Julie Kramer

Susan: I was first “introduced” to novelist Julie Kramer three years ago when her publisher sent me a package. Inside was a galley of her forthcoming debut, Stalking Susan, and a threatening note: “Susan, why is your namesake being targeted…” I read the jacket copy and saw the novel’s plot involved a serial killer of women named Susan. I immediately looked up Julie’s website and email address and sent her a nice note complimenting her on the clever guerilla marketing and wishing her well with the launch. However, the subject line didn’t exactly scream “fan letter.”

So I have to ask, you were just weeks away from the publication of your first novel, and you get this email from a stranger with the subject line “What a terrible idea for a novel.” What were you thinking?

Julie: My editor had mentioned something about trying some target marketing of Susans in the publishing world. When I saw your email, I thought their idea had backfired, and that you had come after me for revenge. But you actually ended up liking STALKING SUSAN (as most Susans do) and when we met in person at Thrillerfest we became friends.

Susan: Yes, we became friends. And now it's three years and three novels later, with a fourth mystery about to hit shelves in a matter of weeks. A novel a year, almost like clockwork, is a significant accomplishment. You had all the time in the world to write the first one; what's it like being on deadline now? Is it hard to come up with a fresh plot each year, or do you have half a dozen novels gestating in the back of your head?


Julie: It hurts to write a book. Honest. And because I write a series, I'm always on deadline. For me, coming up with the premise is the easy part. That always hits me like a flash. For instance, my upcoming book - KILLING KATE - is about a killer who draws chalk outlines shaped

like angels around the bodies of his victims. But after the inspiration, you still have to write the darn book. On days when the words are flowing well, I like being an author. On bad days, well, that's when it hurts to write a book. Maybe if I was a better outliner, that would help…but I tend to make up my stories as I go along. I think I resist outlining because I worked in news for so long. You can't outline news. What happens, happens. The good thing about spending a career in journalism is that I'm good with deadlines. And it's that confidence that keeps me from panicking on the real bad days. My books take readers inside the world of news, so that gives me a lot of freedom to come up with fresh material each time.


Susan: You led right where I was going... You write a series featuring Riley Spartz, a reporter on the local news. The setting in the world of tele-journalism is one of my favorite things about the books. You appear to know this world inside out, and it's really so interesting! What exactly is your background? Do you still work in the industry? What's the transition from fact to fiction like? It's got to be freeing.

Julie: I spent about 20 years at WCCO TV news in Minneapolis, most recently running their investigative unit...and then I started doing freelance news producing for NBC and CBS.  It sounds kind of glamorous, but it actually meant a lot of racing to the airport and then buying socks and underwear at gas stations in rural Missouri and places the folks in New York didn't want to go to.

Occasionally I still take some assignments, but most of the time I'm too busy with my next book or speaking at libraries. I thought writing fiction would be much easier than news. But after a career in news, making stuff up felt like cheating. So I had issues to work through.

Susan: A spunky, brunette news producer in Minneapolis? Tell me the truth, are you Mary Richards?


Julie: Television news has changed enormously since the days of Mary Tyler Moore. News coverage is grittier now. And newsroom staff have more cynicism than spunk these days. While there is a little bit of me in my heroine....there's also a little bit of many reporters I've worked with over the years. But when pressed for details, I remind folks that my books are works of fiction. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.


Susan: LOL, fair enough. It's funny you mentioned the grittiness of news, because that's not the word I'd use to describe your novels. Stalking Susan featured a serial killer. Missing Mark was a missing persons case. Silencing Sam dealt with a murder closer to home, and explored issues of domestic terrorism. So, bad things happen in the books, but nothing is ever gratuitous or excessively graphic. Personally, I find it refreshing. I don't always want to wallow in the muck. How deliberate of a choice was this on your part? Is it hard to maintain the right balance, not too dark and not too light?


Julie: I wanted to write a series that my kids could read, as well as my mom. I've had families tell me that three generations have shared my books and enjoyed them. I've had eighth graders email me that they wrote book reports on my work and got As. I love that feedback. And I think there's a market for fresh plots without gratuitous sex or violence. That doesn't mean people aren't killed in my stories...but I give readers some room to imagine at whatever level they desire.

Susan: So, your third mystery, Silencing Sam is out in paperback this week. Can readers leap in right there, or do you think they should start the series from the beginning? Do you have an "elevator pitch" for the story?


Julie: While my books feature the same heroine, each is its own adventure and they can be read in any order. One of my favorite compliments is when a fan emails me after reading one of my books for the first time and then discovering I have a backlist of more. But I applaud readers who like to start a series at the beginning because I think there are certain character arcs they will pick up on. People are always curious about how the media works. I think that's one of the strengths of my books. I take people inside how newsrooms make decisions such as which missing people get publicity and which don't. And that can get ugly. But it makes for provocative storytelling.


As for a SILENCING SAM pitch: When a widely despised gossip columnist is found shot to death, TV reporter Riley Spartz must secretly investigate a case in which she becomes the prime suspect. Amid murder, our heroine discovers news and gossip have more in common than she ever imagined.

Susan: Well, I’ve already read “Sam,” (And loved it!) so I’m looking forward to Killing Kate, which I’ll be reading and reviewing here in the near future. For now, thanks so much for stopping by, Julie, and answering questions. Please come back and visit the blog anytime! Maybe a guest blogger post for “Kate’s” release…?