Newsletter 11/14

/in /by

It’s been awhile since my last Newsletter because I’ve been writing long hours to complete my next book, A Quiet End, featuring John Corey.

Last time we saw John in The Panther he was in Yemen, chasing down the bad guys who blew up the USS Cole. If you haven’t read The Panther, please do. You may find that it offers some good insights and background regarding what’s happening now in the Middle East.

In A Quiet End, we see John back in New York, and this time the bad guys are not Islamic terrorists — they are the Russians who have also been in the news a lot. John Corey is happy to be back on his home turf and happier to be out of the Mideast section of the Anti-Terrorist Task Force. As John says in the book, the Cold War seems to be back. Indeed it is.

A Quiet End will be published in May 2015, but you can read the first chapter after the New Year on my website. I’ll remind you in my December Newsletter.
My last book was titled The Quest and it’s available in hardcover, trade paperback, audio CD, audio download, and as an e-book. The mass market edition will be published in December, in time for the holidays. The Quest is a religious thriller — more thriller than religious — with a love triangle to keep the three main characters busy between lethal encounters during the Ethiopian Civil War.

The cable-TV series of my novel Plum Island is moving forward as it has been for almost two years. I may have more news in my December Newsletter regarding who will play John Corey and when production will begin. Meanwhile, Plum Island is being reissued this month in trade paperback and mass market, with new covers.

People always ask me what I read, and I’m usually reading my own manuscript. But I did have the opportunity to read a fantastic political thriller — The Means, by Doug Brunt who also wrote the bestseller Ghosts of Manhattan. The Means takes the reader inside the worlds of cable news journalism and a presidential campaign. Eye opening.

Veterans Day is November 11, and I mark the day every year by getting together with eight or ten Vietnam Vets for cocktails and dinner. The cocktail hour seems to get longer every year, and the war stories get shorter — as it should be.

I want to take this opportunity to wish you all a very happy and healthy Thanksgiving. And, as always, I send my thoughts and prayers to our men and women in uniform, especially those serving overseas during the holidays.

Newsletter 12/14

/in /by

I hope everyone had a happy and healthy Thanksgiving.

As I mentioned in my November Newsletter, I’ve basically completed my next novel, A Quiet End, featuring John Corey. I’ll put the finishing touches on it this month, then back to work in January on my next novel, which is in the thinking stage as of now. Also in January you can read the first chapter of A Quiet End on my website. Hope you enjoy it.

A Quiet End is scheduled for publication in May 2015, in time for Memorial Day, Father’s Day, graduation, beach reading, or whatever occasion prompts you to buy a book for yourself or others.

As I also mentioned in my November Newsletter, the paperback edition of my most recent book, The Quest, will come out December 16. The Quest is a religious thriller and some of it is set during Christmas, so it will make a great Christmas gift or stocking stuffer. As always, you have permission to personally inscribe any of my books to yourself or to others and sign my name. Say something nice.

I have an eight-year-old son who may or may not still believe in Santa. He’s not saying, but he’s written his letter to the North Pole and given us one more time to see Christmas through his innocent eyes.

Have a merry and blessed Christmas, and a happy and healthy Hanukkah. And please keep our men and women in uniform in your thoughts and prayers over this holiday season.

Newsletter 02/15

/in /by

I have just finished my novel and I am happily unemployed. There is a saying among writers: “I hate writing, but I love having written” and that’s how I feel now.

My new book was originally titled A Quiet End, which I announced here and which has appeared in print in other places, including Amazon.com and B&N.com. The new title is Radiant Angel—except in the United Kingdom and Commonwealth where they’re staying with A Quiet End.

What does Radiant Angel mean? Well, it’s a code name, used by various homeland security organizations to identify a nuclear security operation. In other words, a hunt for a nuclear device that might have been planted by terrorists, usually in an American city.

The book stars my continuing character of John Corey, but the female lead, John’s wife Kate Mayfield, is conspicuously absent from the book. Kate is in Washington on business, and John is in New York on monkey business. No, actually he’s in New York on government business. But what is Kate really doing in Washington?

You can read about all this in Chapter 2 of Radiant Angel.

Radiant Angel will be published on May 26 and is now available for pre-order through online retailers.

Four of my earlier John Corey novels will be reissued in trade paperback and oversize mass market: The Lion’s Game and The Lion on February 24, Night Fall on March 31, and Wild Fire on April 28. If you haven’t read these—or if you can’t remember if you’ve read them—please give them a try.

This summer, two of my much earlier novels, will be reissued in trade paperback and mass market paperback. Spencerville (July 28) and The Talbot Odyssey (August 25).

Spencerville was optioned by Paramount Pictures, and Ben Affleck was interested in playing the lead. That didn’t happen, but my son Alex, who is a screenwriter, is writing a new screenplay for Spencerville and we hope to get Hollywood interested again.

The Talbot Odyssey is a classic Cold War thriller and if you’re nostalgic for the Cold War and the 1980s, you’ll love this one.

If you’re following the news, you’ll have noticed that Yemen is in chaos and we’ve abandoned our embassy there. If you want to read a fictionalized account of what is happening in Yemen, read my novel The Panther, in which John Corey predicts half of what you’re seeing on the nightly news.

All my books are available through your online retailer and your favorite bookstore, and also available in eBook format, and most are available as Audio CD and downloads.

I will recommend a new book to you, The Global War on Morris, written by my friend Congressman Steve Israel. This is a very funny book that lampoons the global war on terror, which while not usually a funny subject becomes so in the hands of a Washington insider who has seen and heard it all. No one escapes Congressman Israel’s barbed pen and both Republicans and Democrats will take offense.

And finally, I highly recommend, The Mystery Writers of America Cookbook: Wickedly Good Meals and Desserts to Die For, edited by New York Times Bestselling Author Kate White.

This illustrated cookbook features more than 100 recipes from legendary mystery authors, including me. You won’t want to miss my recipe for pigs in the blanket. Publication date is March 24, and it can be pre-ordered now from your online bookseller. Other contributing authors include my pals Mary Higgins Clark, Lee Child, and Harlan Coben. All proceeds go to supporting The Mystery Writers of America. When I was president of MWA I proposed an annual bank heist to raise money, but the idea was turned down, so now we’re doing cookbooks. I know you’ll enjoy these great recipes.

Hope you enjoy the sample chapters of Radiant Angel, and if you do please click here to pre-order. This is one of the best John Corey novels and it makes a great Father’s Day gift, or a good gift to yourself. And as always, you have my permission to write a personal note in it and sign my name. See below for a copy of my signature.

I’ll be back in March with some updates on film and my next book, which is in the thinking stage.

Newsletter 03/15

/in /by

As I said in my February Newsletter, I have finished my book, titled Radiant Angel, and it will be released on May 26. You can read Chapters 1 and 2 for free by clicking here. If you like what you read, you can the book now, as I’ve already done.

Winter is still hanging on here in the Northern Hemisphere, and if you’re like me, this is a good time to go to garage sales and buy books written by other authors and throw them in the fireplace. The pages burn well, and the binding glue really puts out a lot of heat. Burning other authors’ books warms not only my feet, but also my heart.

Just kidding, of course. And here’s a book you should buy and read and keep on your bookshelf: Wine in Words: Notes for Better Drinking by my pal, Lettie Teague. Lettie is the wine columnist for The Wall Street Journal, and if you’ve ever read any of her columns you know that she knows her vino, and her writing is both informative and entertaining. As I wrote in my review, “Lettie Teague has written the first and only wine book I could read from beginning to end without getting a hangover.”

Wine in Words is available in bookstores on April 21 and can be pre-ordered now.

In my last Newsletter I recommended, The Mystery Writers of America Cookbook: Wickedly Good Meals and Desserts to Die For, to be published on March 24. I have contributed my secret recipe for pigs in the blanket, John Corey’s favorite food. For more information, click here. Proceeds from this book supports the Mystery Writers of America.

Also in my last Newsletter, I said that I’d have some updates on film, and what I’m doing for my next book. Well, no news from Hollywood, though the manuscript for Radiant Angel is being sent out to major studios and producers. As for my next book, I’m still developing a few ideas for a new series and a new character.

March 17 is St. Patrick’s Day, which is celebrated in a big way in New York City and other cities around the country. Last year my family and I were invited by Timothy Cardinal Dolan, Archbishop of New York, to join him for Mass at St. Patrick’s Cathedral and breakfast at the Cardinal’s residence. After a good Irish breakfast we watched the parade on Fifth Avenue from the steps of St. Pat’s, then had lunch at the Cardinal’s residence. It was a great day and I’ve been invited again, meaning His Eminence didn’t notice the missing silverware.

But if you want to know what can go really wrong on St. Patrick’s Day in New York during the parade, read my novel, Cathedral. All my royalties from Cathedral go to the St. Patrick’s Cathedral Restoration Fund, so buy this book, go to heaven. Simple.

I want to thank all of you who have emailed me through my website and assure you that I read every letter. I wish I could reply personally, but if I did, my next book would be two years late. So please accept this Newsletter as my acknowledgement of your nice letters.

And finally, Passover and Easter are early this year, so I’ll use this March Newsletter to wish everyone of both faiths a happy and blessed holiday. Don’t eat too much.

Newsletter 04/15

/in /by

I’ve just returned from a much-needed and well-deserved vacation in Florida, tan, fit, and ready to begin my next novel. I stayed at The Breakers in Palm Beach and when the desk clerk handed me my bill I knew why they called it The Breakers. They should have a cardiologist at the checkout.

Anyway, while in Palm Beach my wife and I had dinner with our good friend, Ethel Kennedy. Mrs. Kennedy is a remarkable woman and I always look forward to seeing her when we’re in Florida. Also at dinner were Ethel’s daughter Rory and Rory’s husband, Mark Bailey, who wrote a terrific book titled, Of All the Gin Joints: Stumbling through Hollywood History, illustrated by Edward Hemingway. The book can best be described as one part Hollywood history, two parts cocktail recipes, and three jiggers of fun. You will truly love this book, as I did.

In my last Newsletter I recommended Wine in Words: Notes for Better Drinking by my good pal, Lettie Teague, who is the wine columnist for The Wall Street Journal. I gave the publication date as Tuesday, April 21, but it’s been changed to Tuesday, April 14. FYI, all hardcover books are published on a Tuesday. Why? Because the first edition of the Bible was published on a Tuesday? No, because all bestseller lists begin counting book sales on Tuesday. This is good cocktail party trivia.

Also published on Tuesday, March 24 was The Mystery Writers of America Cookbook: Wickedly Good Meals and Desserts to Die For. As I recommended in my previous Newsletter, I have contributed John Corey’s secret recipe for Male Chauvinist Pigs in the Blanket. Proceeds from this book support the Mystery Writers of America.

Speaking of John Corey, my seventh Corey novel, Radiant Angel, will be published on Tuesday, May 26, in time for Father’s Day and other major holidays such as St. Jean Baptiste Day which is celebrated in Quebec. You can read Chapters 1 and 2 for free by clicking here. You can read the rest of the book by clicking here to pre-order.

After Radiant Angel is published, I will be doing a publicity tour around the country, destinations to be determined. My scheduled appearances will be posted as they develop. If I’m in your neck of the woods, please stop in to a book signing.

Several people have sent me fan emails about my last novel, The Panther, which is set mostly in Yemen. If you’ve been following the news, you’ll know that the situation in Yemen has deteriorated since John Corey left there. If you read The Panther you’ll see that Corey predicted a lot of what’s happened in that unhappy country.

The fourth book in my John Corey series, Wild Fire, is being reissued on Tuesday, April 28 with a new cover that I helped design. If you like the cover, please buy the book.

And finally, I am getting more involved with social media, meaning Facebook and Twitter (whatever that is) and I am now on Instagram which I’m told is really cool. Back in the day, when an author published a new book (on a Tuesday) the publisher would send a congratulatory telegram. If you don’t know what a telegram is…well, it’s sort of like a cross between Twitter and Instagram, except there are no pictures and some weird dude would ring your doorbell and hand you the telegram. If it was a singing telegram, the guy would sing the words, like, “Congratulations to you, congratulations to you, your book has been published and your check is now due.” Or something like that. Then you had to tip the guy about fifty cents. Sometimes Western Union would call you and read the telegram to you instead of sending the guy with the weird hat and coat, then they’d ask if you wanted the telegram mailed to you so you could have a paper copy of it. The telegram usually arrived in the mail long before the publisher’s check.

Some things never change.

See you in May.

Newsletter 05/15

/in /by

Today is May Day, a holiday in some countries, sort of like Labor Day in the U.S. Mayday is also the name of my airline disaster novel, co-authored with my childhood friend, Thomas Block, a retired U.S. Airways captain. To celebrate this holiday, take a day off from work and buy Mayday. The New York Times called it, “Fascinating and furiously paced…unrelenting suspense…a novel for the true connoisseur of disaster novels.”

What more could you want? Perfect for the beach, but maybe not so good for the airplane.

AND NOW FOR AN IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT: My new book, titled Radiant Angel, will come out on Tuesday, May 26. Depending on where you live, you might be hearing the sound of forests being felled to make paper for the millions of copies that are being printed as you read this. Even with that effort, there may not be enough books to satisfy demand. Pre-order now!

Fortunately, Radiant Angel is also available as an AudioBook and eBook if you want to go green.

FYI, Radiant Angel is being published simultaneously in the U.K. and Commonwealth countries where it is titled A Quiet End. Same book, except the U.K. edition has a different cover and it’s longer because they use U’s where we don’t, like labour, colour, honour, and so forth. Fourth?

As I mentioned, I’ll be on a publicity tour after publication date and you can check my website to see if I’ll be in your neck of the woods — if there are any woods left! I hope to see you at one of my book signings.

Radiant Angel won’t be out in time for Mother’s Day, but you can give your mom an I.O.U., something like, “Dear Mom, my Radiant Angel, I.O.U. Nelson DeMille’s latest book, Radiant Angel, coming soon.”

The book is actually about nuclear terrorism, but…well, John Corey mentions his mother in the book. All moms will love it. You can read the first two chapters here.

And don’t forget Dad on Sunday, June 21. By then you’ll have bought Radiant Angel, and have read it yourself. Now wrap it up for Dad. Don’t spill coffee on it. And don’t forget to make it an autographed copy by signing my name. Sample signature below. Easy to forge.

My friend Congressman Steve Israel (D-NY) has invited me to address the Congressional Writers Caucus on Wednesday, May 20 in Washington D.C. where I will speak to a bipartisan group of about twenty members of the House of Representatives, all of whom are either published or aspiring writers.

Among the congressmen in attendance will be my good friend Peter King (R-NY) who has published a number of novels. Between Pete and I we’ve sold over forty million books.

Steve Israel has written a debut novel titled, The Global War on Morris which was published on December 30 last year. Both congressmen are excellent wordsmiths, and I urge you to look them up on Amazon or B&N, buy their books and put them in a higher tax bracket.

To my friends like Steve and Pete who write part time, I always advise, “Don’t give up the day job.” And to my friends who want to be writers, I advise, “Take two aspirins, lie down in a dark room and wait for the feeling to pass.”

On a more serious note, Monday, May 25 is Memorial Day, a day when we remember our war dead. The meaning of this day has been somewhat obscured over the years, but for those of us who served and those who have lost a loved one in uniform, this remains a solemn day of rememberance. So to those men with whom I served and who did not come home, I want to say, “You are remembered every day.” And for those of us who did come home, every day is a gift.

Newsletter 06/15

/in /by

My new book, Radiant Angel, was published on Tuesday, May 26 and will debut at #1 on and Best Sellers lists. Early reports indicate that bookstores have been overwhelmed with demand, causing near riots as supplies dwindle. A national price club that sold out of offered disappointed customers a Cabbage Patch doll instead. Online retailers such as Amazon and B&N report that their warehouses have been almost cleaned out, and even eBook and audio download providers are unable to keep up with the demand.

Click here to read a preview of Radiant Angel and see what the whole country is talking about.

You can enter to win one of 3 copies of Radiant Angel here at my Newsletter Contest.

If you haven’t read any of my John Corey novels, this is the time to buy them all. In order of publication date, they are: Plum Island, The Lion’s Game, Night Fall, Wild Fire, The Lion, The Panther, and now Radiant Angel. If you can get it.

Important Announcement:
Yours truly has been chosen by the International Thriller Writers as ThrillerMaster of the Year. This recognition by the ITW is indeed an honor, and I will be at the annual dinner on July 11 at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in New York City to receive the award. Many thanks to my good friend Lee Child and to M.J. Rose for nominating me, and thanks to the Board of ITW for voting me ThrillerMaster of 2015. Former ITW ThrillerMaster Scott Turow will introduce me at the awards ceremony and he will say nice things about me. More on the event in the July Newsletter.

Also, next month on July 28, one of my earlier novels, Spencerville, will be reissued in trade paperback and mass market paperback. Spencerville has the dubious distinction of being my least read novel, so let’s all give it a boost and make poor Spencerville feel good by buying it now. You be the judge of whether or not this book deserves to be last in sales out of 19 DeMille novels. Almost tied with Spencerville for last place is The Talbot Odyssey which is being reissued on August 25.

Spencerville and Talbot Odyssey need your support.

By the time you read this, I will have begun my cross-country publicity tour. Click here for my scheduled appearances. Hope to see you at one of my events.

Remember, Sunday, June 21 is Father’s Day. Dad would love an autographed first edition of Radiant Angel. A copy of my signature is below. This will be worth millions someday.

Because of my cross-country tour, I won’t be able to get out another Newsletter until after the 4th of July. Have a safe and happy Independence Day!

Newsletter 08/15

/in /by

Well, here it is August already and the summer seems to be flying by. But we all say that every summer. Except in Australia and New Zealand where they say, “Well, here it is August already and the winter seems to be flying by.”

Anyway, I didn’t send a July Newsletter so if you got one it wasn’t from me. Check the signature.

Radiant Angel, as I may have mentioned in June, debuted at #1 on The New York Times and USA Today Best Sellers lists, and I want to thank everyone for buying the book and for all your very kind emails.

If you haven’t yet read Radiant Angel, you can click here for a couple of free chapters and see if you’d like to buy the #1 bestselling book in America, or if you’d rather sit alone in a corner at your next family gathering or cocktail party while everyone else discusses Radiant Angel. The choice is yours.

As I mentioned in June, I was chosen by the International Thriller Writers as ThrillerMaster of the Year. ThrillerFest was held at the Grand Hyatt in New York City, and I had the pleasure of reconnecting with a lot of old friends and meeting new and upcoming writers from all over the U.S., Canada, and Europe. My pal Scott Turow, last year’s ThrillerMaster, introduced me and I gave a wonderful acceptance speech, then walked off the stage and forgot my award. But someone found Scott with the award under his coat, then found me in the bar and gave it back to me. I’ve posted some pics on my social media pages.

On August 25, one of my earlier books, The Talbot Odyssey, will be reissued in mass market and trade paperback. Talbot is a Cold War thriller, and with a new Cold War brewing it’s an interesting look back in time. In fact, it’s almost a prequel to Radiant Angel and/or Wild Fire. Hope you enjoy it.

Also as I mentioned, Spencerville was reissued in July. My son, who is a screenwriter, is currently developing a feature-length screenplay for Spencerville which my agents will send to Hollywood in September. So if you haven’t read this book, get a copy and let me know your thoughts on it as a book and also as you envision it as a movie.

My cross-country publicity tour for Radiant Angel was a big success with huge crowds at all the airports to see me off, and to welcome me when I landed. Amazingly, hundreds of these people followed me on to my flights. Thanks to all of you for being there.

Thanks, too, to all the fans who came to my talks and book signings. Hope you had a good experience. And thanks to all the library directors, bookstore owners, managers and staff who made me feel so welcome. And special thanks to all the media escorts who met me at the airports and kept me on schedule during my time in their cities.

One of my stops on my tour was Dallas and while there I drove out to Fort Hood to do a book signing at the Post Exchange. Fort Hood is the home of the First Cavalry Division, my unit in Vietnam, so though I’d never been stationed at Hood, it was sort of a homecoming for me. The men and women who serve at Fort Hood and the PX staff were terrific, and I thanked them all for their service to our country.

Well, it’s good to be back home, enjoying the fruits of my labors and reading my press clippings, reviews, and fan mail. Now I take a short break and begin my next book. More about that in my September Newsletter.

My last public appearance for Radiant Angel will be on August 8 at the annual East Hampton Library Authors Night, held in East Hampton on Long Island. I and a hundred other authors will be signing their books under a big tent where wine and food will be served and you can mingle with the rich and famous. All proceeds go to the richest library in America. But seriously, we all need to support our public libraries and this is the premier author event of the summer in the Hamptons. Worth a trip from anywhere. To find me at my signing table, look for the long line.

Labor Day is approaching, which is the official end of summer (which is actually September 21, except in the southern hemisphere), and I hope you’ve had some great summer reading at the beach, pool, or backyard, sitting under the radiant sun as it angles across the angel-filled sky. Get it?

See you in September.

Newsletter 09/15

/in /by

Labor Day has come and gone and summer is officially over, though it really ends on September 23, which is the first day of autumn. Except in the Southern Hemisphere where September 23 is the first day of spring, and according to the Mayan calendar, the world will end. But if it doesn’t, September is a nice month.

My last book is titled Radiant Angel. Except in the United Kingdom and the British Commonwealth where it is titled A Quiet End. Same book, as I said in my May Newsletter and I apologize to those who bought both titles (which have different covers) thinking they were getting two different books. Publishers around the world often change the title of a book and the cover to suit their markets. For instance, my book The Gold Coast in Germany was called In der Kalte der Nacht meaning, In the Cold of the Night. Why? I don’t know. And did you know that the title of Albert Camus’ L’Entranger has been translated into English as The Stranger, The Bystander, and The Outsider? I bought them all, so I know. But again, sorry for the confusion, over which I had no control. I’m sure your online retailer or bookstore will give you a full refund, probably in British pounds.

My good pal Lisa Scottoline had a new book out in April titled Every Fifteen Minutes (in Italian it’s called Whenever) which I’m now reading and loving. The Library Journal said of this book, “In a nail-biting stand-alone with two heart-pounding climaxes and several pulse-racing twists, Scottoline grabs her readers by the jugular and won’t let go.” I agree. A great spring read in April or September.

Several people have asked me about the Corey books as a TV series. Well, that’s on hold at the moment, but a new screenplay (by my son) of Plum Island, has possibly revived the project. More on this when I hear.

In my August Newsletter I promised to reveal what my next book will be about. Well, I’m not sure, but I know where it will be set. Here are two clues: Michael Corleone paid a brief visit there in 1958; you will soon be able to buy cigars from this country. Okay? Got it? More on this in my October Newsletter.

Also, I’ve gotten some complaints about what happens to John Corey and his wife Kate Mayfield in Radiant Angel. Without spoiling the ending, I’ll also say that a lot of readers liked what happened. Kate had her fans, but a lot of people, especially women, didn’t care for Kate and they wanted John for themselves. Let me know what you think.

I’m doing a talk and book signing on September 25 at a small independent bookstore off Seventh Avenue in Manhattan. I’d give you the name and address of the bookstore, but I’m hearing from various sources that the police are issuing traffic advisories for the area, urging people to either take public transportation or to avoid the area of Seventh Avenue from 30th Street to 40th Street. I always get large crowds at my book signings, but crowds of this size with a large police presence are unusual, even for me.

To complicate the traffic congestion and crowd control problem, the Pope is appearing in the same area at the same time at Madison Square Garden. His people should have picked another day when he wouldn’t be competing with my book signing. I hope that despite my public appearance a few blocks away that His Holiness draws a good crowd. He deserves it.

On that note, let me take this opportunity to wish my Jewish friends and the Jewish branch of my family a very happy Rosh Hashanah, and a blessed Yom Kippur.

See you in October.

Newsletter 10/15

/in /by

It is October already, and here in New York there’s a chill in the air. This is when I switch from vodka to scotch, and sit in front of the fireplace burning political campaign mail.

As I hinted in my September Newsletter, my next book is set in Cuba, and I am headed to Havana at the end of this month for research and inspiration.

I’ve traveled all over the world to do (tax deductible) research on my books, and this is the most interesting part of this otherwise deskbound job. I managed to get into trouble in Soviet-era Moscow researching The Charm School, and Communist-controlled Vietnam researching Up Country, and I see no reason why I won’t do the same in Castro’s Cuba.

I have a great T-shirt, given to me by a Cuban friend, that shows the pre-revolution Cuban flag and the words, “Cuba Si — Castro No,” which I’ll wear in Havana. Maybe under my polo shirt.

Hopefully you’ll hear from me in my November Newsletter — or read about me in the papers.

My son’s screenplay for Plum Island is still making the rounds in Hollywood and New York, and there are good indicators that at least two cable networks are interested. Also, a few major actors — who are fans of the John Corey series — have expressed interest. More when I hear.

October 12 was Columbus Day, and it was also Thanksgiving Day in Canada as my Canadian relatives reminded me. Also, October 12 is celebrated in Mexico as Day of the Race. I’m not sure what that is, but it could be fun if it involves Tequila. Let’s think about how to combine all three holidays in the U.S. Maybe we can have three Canada geese, named Nina, Pinta, and Santa Maria, having a swimming race in a tub of margaritas. Loser gets eaten.

And, of course, October 31 is Halloween, one of my favorite holidays. My nine-year-old wants to dress as an IRS agent to scare daddy. Funny kid.

Back to business: my nine reissued and rejacketed books: By the Rivers of Babylon, Cathedral, The Talbot Odyssey, Spencerville, Plum Island, The Lion’s Game, Night Fall, Wild Fire, and The Lion, have been selling very well and I thank you for buying them. Or, if you borrowed them from a friend or from the library, well, that’s okay, too. Your local bookstore will survive, and so will the publishing industry. And don’t give a second thought to all those men and women who work in paper mills, printing plants, ink production or shipping. They’ll be fine. Just go ahead and keep borrowing books. Not a problem. We’ll all be okay.

Also, my novel Cathedral will be reissued at the end of October. This was a huge bestseller when it was published in 1981 and the story of the Irish Republican Army seizing St. Patrick’s Cathedral during the St. Patrick’s Day Parade is still riveting. All royalties from Cathedral go to the St. Patrick’s Cathedral Restoration Fund, and I go to heaven.

Well, that’s it for October. Hope you have a great Halloween, and hope your Columbus Day, Canadian Thanksgiving, and Day at the Race, was wonderful. Send me pictures.

See you, I hope, in November.