My sore throat has become a lovely little head cold and I’m surviving on wonton soup, ginger-ale, and chocolate ice cream…come to think on it, I eat like that even when I’m not sick.

It was a good BEA. There was more action at our booth this year than at L.A. last year, although I won’t miss the quietude that is Sunday (BEA goes to just weekdays starting next year). This time around I saw Julie Andrews (and I absolutely did not make any cracks about hills, music, or chimney sweeps) James Patterson, Joe Scarborough (talked with him briefly about an author of mine, Joseph Balkoski and their interview in Normandy back in 2004,) John Ringo (was able to thank him in person for blurbing my first book,) and many friends in the book industry including several over from the UK. I had a nice chat with George Mann of Black Library (of Games Workshop/Warhammer fame) and enjoyed the hospitality of David Farnsworth, President of Casemate Publishing, at his military history soiree at St. Andrew’s Pub on Saturday night.

It was a good show, much business and networking was done, as well as meeting old friends and making new ones, and I am so glad there’s a whole year to go before the next one.

While being at Book Expo America is in no way akin to digging ditches or fishing the Bering Sea as far as hard and dangerous work, it can still wear on you. I’m holding up well, except my throat has gone hoarse from all the talking. Meeting after meeting followed by lunch in a loud space followed by more meetings followed by dinner in a loud space followed by drinks in an even louder space and my vocal chords have been sand-papered to something that sounds like gravel in a mixer.

What a great morning! I met my adopted Jewish grandmother (a wonderful long story) this morning for breakfast and in honor of the terrific news I received I went with the French toast. It was amazing. The Gracie Mews on First and 81st are masters when it comes to breakfast. I usually eat there twice a week and I don’t think I’ve had a bad meal yet. Great coffee, fresh squeezed oj, terrific service…and reasonably priced, especially for New York City.

Vive la France! The subrights people at Simon & Schuster are really aces. Huge thanks to Lisa Keim for selling the French rights to A Darkness Forged in Fire to Fleuve Noir.

First time I saw this I just grinned and grinned. I love that tag line. What’s really cool, though, is this photo was sent to me by my former assistant at Stackpole Books, Ryan Masteller, who now lives in England with his lovely wife, Julie.

My folks have continued to foray out to let bookstores know about the upcoming books, and I continue to be incredibly appreciative of everything they’ve done. In the last few days they’ve visited a couple of local libraries and a couple stores. I also found a great photo from their travels and thought I’d put it up. I can’t make out what exactly mom was going for with this, but I suppose it does represent their being on the road…

Many thanks to Nick at University of Western Ontario Books + in London; Louise at the Thamesford Library; Kathryn Suffoletta at the Middlesex Country Library in Dorchester; Manager Jackie Noels at Coles/Smiths Books in St. Thomas

Sorry for the low tech presentation, but I just wanted to let everyone know that A Darkness Forged in Fire will be available this coming Tuesday, May 26. I’ve already heard it’s appeared in some stores. You can’t miss it, it looks like a brick (but don’t try building anything above seven stories with it). As I mentioned in the subject line, it contains chapter one of The Light of Burning Shadows. I’ll have that excerpt up on my website in the not too distant future, but for now I shot a photo of the cover page for it…which I guess qualifies as a teaser for the teaser.