Official Website of Jason Pinter

S.S., D.D.

I have a new post up at Killer Year. Right now, in addition to my own blog, I have posting duties at Killer Year on Mondays, and on M.J. Rose's Buzz, Balls & Hype on Tuesdays. Both of those are exciting for me, because they allow me to try different things, to use different parts of my brain. Sometimes, though, the inspiration isn't out there in full force, and the posts end up a little weaker. I'm usually aware of this, and now when it's not my best stuff.

Today, though, I was motivated to write the Killer Year post. Last night I started reading Richard Ford's The Sportswriter, mainly because there are far too many classics I've never read and I'd read all mysteries and thrillers the last few weeks and needed a change of pace. Early on in the book, one of the passages struck me as particularly brilliant, so much so that I wrote a whole post about it. So even if others don't think much of it, it was written with feeling, and that's what matters most to me.

This is going to be a busy drinking week, I hope my rusty liver can keep up. Tonight I'm meeting a colleague from my last publishing house who's edited a ton of cool books and is without a doubt one of the rising young stars in the publishing world. Tomorrow I'm having drinks with two authors I had to leave behind, fortunately after I edited their book. I just saw the finished copies, and they look amazing (and totally insane in parts). The publisher has pretty good marketing and publicity plans lined up too, and a really good publicist on the job as well, so I'm hoping it will be a hit this September. Don't worry, I'll plug the heck out of it when it drops. Thursday I'm having drinks with an author who might be familiar to readers of this blog, and other blogs in this weird and fun literary universe of ours. It's really great when you get to work with an author you like admire artistically, as well as get along with personally, and it doesn't happen too often. The worst is when you work with an author whose book you really think can do well, but they're just completely insufferable, treat everyone like crap, and have no appreciation for how hard people are working for them. That's when you start inquiring about hitmen.

I saw "Scoop" this weekend, and liked it much more than I thought I would. After "Match Point," which was terrific, I thought Woody Allen was falling back into his recent lecherous ways, and though the movie often felt like a 2-hour Allen stand up routine, it was funny enough to work. I'm also trying to rent the first season of "Deadwood." Just seems like the kind of show I would like, but my local Blockbuster never seems to have it in stock and I don't rent often enough to justify joining Netflix. Maybe I'll get Season 1 for my Dad for his birthday, then "borrow" it from him.

I Feel Pretty...Oh So...Nevermind

Off today to get fitted for my tux, and then heading to Queens to get real author photos taken.

If the photographer asks me to show some skin, I'm leaving.

The Times They Are A...

Last night I went out drinking with a group of longtime friends. I'm fortunate that about 10 guys from my high school are still close friends, still meet up every other week or so for nights on the town, and all live relatively close together. It's not a hassle when somebody organizes an impromptu drinking night or poker game, and we know that we can count on each other when the chips are down.

So last night we went out to celebrate two guys who just graduated from law school. It was a great night, we played some beirut, almost got into a fight because some assholes tried to cut the line, and talked about lives and careers until late in the a.m. Not to mention I participated in the only double overtime beirut game I think I've ever seen.

But during the night I learned two things. One of my friends had just spent two weeks vacationing in Europe. Another one was leaving for L.A. on Wednesday and would be gone for a full year.

And I didn't know a thing before tonight. And man, it hurt to know that.

I can chalk it up to several possibilities.

Our friends don't talk as often as we used to.

We're not as close as we used to be.

I've been preoccupied with work and personal matters the last few months, and have been too self centered to ask what was going on in the lives of my friends.

I lean towards the last option.

But regardless of the answer, hearing these things hurt. A lot.

Maybe it's the end of an era, the days where carefree drinks and hanging out just don't happen anymore. The days where you can't simply show up at a buddy's house to watch the World Poker Tour for three hours, giving each other crap about rotisserie teams and girlfriends and crummy jobs.

Life changes whether we want it to or not. I can't say whether the ignorance was my fault, or simply an inevitability. But it still stung like hell. I'm getting older. And I don't know whether it's my fault or something I just can't prevent.

But it's probably something I have to live with. Whether I want to or not.

On a good note, I went out for dinner with a bunch of my cousins who were in town to celebrate my newest baby cousin, who's pretty much the cutest thing ever. She even has a little stuffed monkey to play with. She played with it, threw it around, and chewed on it.

I wish I had a stuffed monkey.

Deadbeat Central

Sorry for the recent lack of posts. Right now I'm prepping the five books I'm editing for our Summer 2007 (April-August) list, planning a wedding, working on book #2 for my publisher, chairing a conference, and departing tomorrow with my friend Ishmael on a massive hunt for a white whale.

In the back of my mind I remember this foreign concept called "sleep"...

But today, make sure to check out new flash fiction from J.T. Ellison at Killer Year. Tomorrow (or Saturday), based on a suggestion from Allison Brennan, I'm planning to write a post on the thrilling world of book royalties. If you have any specific questions, post a comment, and I'll address it.

And tonight I'm meeting my baby cousin Hannah Sylvie for the first time. i'm so excited, she's absolutely adorable.

And according to Borders, I've earned $19.29 from their Rewards program which I can use for holiday shopping. Only $2.73 more and I can buy a copy of THE ALL NEW ULTIMATE SOUTHERN LIVING COOKBOOK.

Tuesdays with Maury Povich

That's a pretty darn unappealing notion. Hopefully it won't completely cease traffic to this blog.

I have a new post up at M.J. Rose's Buzz, Balls & Hype.

Check out Pub Rants, where literary agent Kristin Nelson offers informative and funny tips from her years in the trenches. I finally met Kristin last week, she's incredibly funny, and when it comes time to (hopefully) negotiate our first deal, I don't know if I'll be able to keep from laughing. And hopefully she won't think I'm insulting her. Maybe I should just stop talking.

Now, based on a conversation I had recently with Sarah Weinman (yes, today is Name Drop Tuesday), I want to pose a question to the blogosphere. Do you currently, or have you ever read a book about the gossip, fashion, or entertainment industry? It can be fiction or non-fiction. If you have, please post a comment to that effect, along with what state or region you're calling (er, blogging) from and the book(s) you've read in those genres. Just a little poll here at The Man in Black, where we try to keep you on your toes.

I promise by revealing your state or region you won't get any extra Publishers Clearing House sweepstakes letters in the mail.

Oh, and you can comment on other topics too. In fact, I urge you to do so.

Mondays Suck

Much more to the point. So I have a new post up at Killer Year reviewing a few books I've read recently, using the innovative (I think) "What time did the book make me fall asleep" rating system. Check it out.

It was an eventful weekend, planning for the wedding is really getting busy, and in less than seven weeks I'll be a married man. Wow. It's incredibly exciting, but there's so much preparation to do that I can't wait to just sit back and enjoy it.

On Saturday night, I took a dance lesson with Susan. Yes, a dance lesson. I haven't danced much since my Freshman year in high school when, as part of a hazing ritual for the football team, I had to perform the Electric Slide while singing "Sunday Bloody Sunday." And believe you me, "Sunday Bloody Sunday" doesn't exactly have lyrics that fit into the rhythm of the Electric Slide. I think I did ok (Saturday night, not doing the Electric Slide), though my better half has a much more experienced dancing background (she's a former gymnast and cheerleader, and can bend steel with her lat muscles). Though now I can happily say I know the Foxtrot and the Promenade. And now I must go eat a pound of Beef Jerky while watching a UFC match.

Sunday I went down to Chelsea Piers where one of my authors was having an event. Her first novel just came out, and though I left the company before it was published, I had the pleasure of acquiring and editing her first book, and I was happy to hear that she's getting good publicity and the book seems to be selling. She was incredibly nice, signed a copy of the book for me, and had some funny stories from her various book signings.

On that note, as an editor, it's so difficult to leave one company for another. When you build up a list of authors, you forge relationships with many of them. You trust each other. You're their champion. Leaving them behind can be heartbreaking, and you only hope their new editor treats them well. Often you know they won't.

Leaving my first publishing house was an incredibly easy decision professionally, but one of the hardest decisions I've ever made personally. I liked my authors. I considered many people who worked there friends. I respected my boss and what he taught me. No editor will ever expect sympathy when they leave their job for another, but as hard as it is for authors, it can be just as hard for editors since they do leave behind a piece of themselves.

I keep a close eye on the books I acquired at my former job, and still stay in touch with many of my friends and authors at the house. I hope their books do well, and (don't tell anyone) I still offer advice when I can. Maybe I'm not supposed to, but I can't help it. A book isn't a product to me, it's a work that somebody poured their heart into. It's my job to give as much back as I can.

Stuart Smalley section over. Check out the Killer Year reviews. And check out Chad Vader too.

Oh, and this Keith Olbermann atrocity reminds me of that whole Lipstick Chronicles post about ITW. In that the person had a point they wanted to get across, but completely undermined said point by being totally insane.

T.G.I.F.

The last few days have been pretty good, no complaints whatsoever. I'll be working with a terrific author, I edited the first few chapters of an author's manuscript yesterday (which were quite good), and I started reading Michael Connelly's THE LINCOLN LAWYER which I'm enjoying. I've been a Harry Bosch fan for years, and LINCOLN is a decidedly different kind of book for Connelly (mainly in that the main character is a complete scumbag, but the kind of scumbag who has a heart underneath the grime).

Plus I'm doing the book "Double Fist." My morning commute entails walking a little over 5 avenues to the N/R/W train, during which I listen to my iPod (which is on its last legs, but that's another issue). Then when I'm actually on the train, I read a paperback. So yesterday I downloaded Scott Smith's THE RUINS from iTunes to listen to on my walk to the subway, while saving LINCOLN LAWYER for the actual train.

I liked Smith's A SIMPLE PLAN, though it was one of the few books where I liked the movie better. Not that it wasn't a good book, but the movie was fantastic. Sam Raimi directing with no budget (which is when he's at his best), Billy Bob Thornton in an Oscar-nominated performance (he should have won), and the always good Bill Paxton and Bridget Fonda rounding out a great cast. One of the most underrated movies of the last decade.

On Sunday, I'm going to hear one of my authors speak. Her book just came out and seems to be getting good publicity and selling well, so I'm happy and she seems to be too. When a book I edited is about to pub, other than the author and his/her parents, I probably monitor Amazon closer than anybody. I refresh that thing countless times a day. Plus another one of my books is amazingly high on Amazon a full 2 months before it even comes out, which bodes extremely well. Of course Amazon only represents about 5% of total sales, but I'm still obsessed. In 2007 there are 12 books I've bought/edited scheduled to be published. Which means I anticipate roughly 120,189,384 refreshes on Amazon in that calendar year.

Oh wait. My book is coming out in 2007 too. Make it 251,273,914 Amazon refreshes.

Some Days Are Better Than Others

That's all I have to say. Check out Mr. Dave White's site for more info.

Recently read books: TONIGHT I SAID GOODBYE by Michael Koryta. ONE SHOT by Lee Child. HER MAJESTY'S DRAGON by Naomi Novik. All recommended.

Speaking in Tongues

People in the media tend to speak very differently than everyone else. Especially people in publishing, who invented their own language long ago. Today I will offer a glimpse inside that strange and wonderful linguistic world, culled from my very own experiences engaged in loquacious debate. I will use examples from Literary Agents and Editors, to give you an idea of how they use discourse.
Courses are now available on MediaBistro.

What Agent Says: "I'm not going to take that offer to my client."
What Agent Means: "You cheap ass motherf&*$%#, you're a gigantic media conglomerate, make me a real offer."

What Editor Says: "Let me run this up the flagpole and see how high I can go."
What Editor Means: "I know, down to the penny, how high I can go, but I want to make it seem like I'm important."

What Agent Says: "I have a good offer, but not enough to take it off the table."
What Agent Means: "I have $10,000."

What Editor Says: "This proposal really spoke to me."
What Editor Means: "I want to be this author's best friend, then take him home and name him George."

What Agent Says: "I have a strong mid five figure offer."
What Agent Means: "I have $25,000."

What Editor Says: "I really can't go any higher than this."
What Editor Means: "If I ask the publisher for one more penny, you're going to find me beaten to death in an alley with my throat slashed by a P&L sheet."

What Agent Says: "Let me know what you think of this idea..."
What Agent Means: "I haven't signed this client yet, but I want you do the work for me before I spend time and energy working with him/her."

What Editor Says: "I really believe deep down we're the best house for this..."
What Editor Means: "I can't offer another penny and it's time to test out my salesmanship..."

What Agent Says: "I'm not going to overagent this..."
What Agent Means: "I'm already overagenting this, but if I make ironic self evaluations you won't hate me as much."

What Editor Says: "I wasn't able to get enough traction in house to offer on this."
What Editor Means: "I didn't like it and didn't bother showing it to anyone else."

What Agent Says: "I want to know where you're at so I can plan my timetable for closing."
What Agent Means: "I want you to tell me you like it so I can tell other publishers I have interest and try to start a feeding frenzy."

What Editor Says: "We see this as a big book for us..."
What Editor Means: "...assuming people don't forget how much they liked it six months from now."

What Agent Says: "I have strong film interest. The studio involved rhymes with Garner Smothers."
What Agent Means: "I'm full of crap."

What Editor Says: "We're really hoping word of mouth will help this book."
What Editor Means: "We're not doing jack squat in terms of publicity, so the author had better have a big mailing list."

Mondays are a Terrible Way to Spend One Seventh of Your Life

I've posted the prologue from THE MARK over at Killer Year. Obviously this is WAY early in the process, so things could change. But what the heck, I figured. Let me know what you think.

I saw "The Devil Wears Prada" this weekend as well. Left the theater with very mixed reactions. Overall I enjoyed it, and it's the current runner-up to "Bridget Jones's Diary" in the "Chick Flicks I thought I'd hate but ended up thinking were pretty good" category ("Little Black Book" starring Brittany Murphy is at the bottom. I still haven't forgiven Sue for dragging me to that).

But what troubled me wasn't that I liked "Prada," but that I felt I should have liked it more. In that it was a good story with some terrific performances, but the movie was submarined by some terrible casting choices and insecurity about its own material.

Pros: A deliciously evil Meryl Steep as Miranda Wintour...I mean Priestly. The always good Stanley Tucci as her trod-upon second in command. A hilarious turn by Emily Blunt as Miranda's snobby First Assistant who wouldn't be caught dead in the outfit Hathaway wears to her interview.

Cons: A bland performance by Anne Hathaway that would make a vanilla milkshake jealous. A blander "I'm still playing Vincent Chase, only in cheaper clothing" performance by Adrien Grenier. A musical score that tries to compensate for the wooden Hathaway by artificially creating the mood via sappy/energetic/frenetic pop ballads. Or as Roger Ebert would say, "My Life is Described by this Stupid Song."

So "Prada" was disappointing in an odd way, in that I enjoyed it, but felt it should have been a lot better. A lot of great pieces fell into place, but a few others were shoehorned in that clearly didn't fit (cough cough Anne, cough cough Aquaman). Overall I'd recommend it. A solid 'B' that with some more tuning could have been a B+ or an A-.

Still not gonna read the book, though.

Let me pose a question...what are some notable books/movies/albums/shows that you fully expected to hate, but ended up liking?

16 Do's and Don'ts For Authors

1) Do: Make your delivery dates.

2) Do: thank your editor/publisher/agent/publicist when they do a good job.

3) Do: Act like a professional (be on time to meetings, dress accordingly when in your publisher's offices, don't publicly bash your publisher/editor/agent/publicist).

4) Don't: Publicly criticize reviewers for bad reviews (all that will happen is that your next book will be ignored and you'll hurt your publicist's relationships).

5) Do: Respond in a timely manner when your publisher needs a response on an issue (opinion on cover concepts, author photo, copyedited/first pass pages, etc...). They have a schedule, and the more unnecessary time you take the less time they have to double and triple check things and explore all promotional avenues.

6) Don't: Go over your editor's head and complain to the publisher. EVER. Not only is this unprofessional, but it's the publishing equivalent of being an immature tattle tale. Your editor is your best friend, and the last person you want to lose support from.

7) Do: Make sure your agent handles all money and contract issues. If you have a question about your contract or payments, it should always go through your agent.

8) Do: Make sure your agent does more than just handle negotiations and then disappear into a puff of smoke. A good agent can help devise marketing plans, offer valuable thoughts on the cover and package, and even explore other avenues for you to showcase your work.

9) Do: Make available the 2 weeks before and after publication for any publicity your publisher might want you to do. Especially important if you have another full time job.

10) Don't: Complain to any employee of your publishing house about another employee (i.e. don't tell your copyeditor that you think your publicist is worthless). Needless to say, you're not exactly talking in confidence, and their loyalties are always to their colleagues they work with every day, not an author who insults their friends.

11) Do: Understand that your editor and agent have lives too. Unless your delivery date calls for it, don't send your editor your manuscript on December 24th and ask for it back by January 1st.

12) Do: Make your editor aware of your concerns if you feel you're being treated unfairly. If after that you still feel things aren't going well, bring your agent into the equation. Better they play the bad cop than you.

13) Do: Make sure, if you hire an outside publicist, he/she works with your in-house publicist. No sense paying someone to cover the same ground twice.

14) Do: Thank your editor, agent and publicist if your book does well, wins an award, or hits a bestseller list. Flowers and candy are always appreciated. Every Christmas, David Morrell sent everyone who worked on his book a gigantic tub of flavored popcorn that lasted for months. But that red cinnamon popcorn was pretty nasty...

15) Do: Ask your editor to set up a meeting for you to meet the publisher's sales reps and marketing team. They do a much better job if they personally know the author whose book they're trying to sell.

16) Don't: Refuse a publicity opportunity without a damn good reason ("I'm too hungover to do that radio interview" won't cut it).

Oh, and a good man is hard to find...if you're in jail.

A Few Quick Hits

It's going to be a busy week, wedding planning is really ramping up with less than 2 months left before the big day and a ton of things left to do. Plus I have two fairly big author meetings, a ton of editing to do, work on Henry Parker #2, and I still have to singlehandedly build a home for Ty Pennington. Ok, the last one's a lie.

Anyway, a few quick links:

For the low price of a single negative review, you too can, um, artificially inflate your self esteem.

If Screech had accepted this, it would have retroactively destroyed about 100,000,000 childhoods.

I can say this because I no longer work for the corportation...but could AOL have possibly picked two less appealing people to be "Love and Sex" coaches than Donna Hanover and Star Jones? Or perhaps this is some ingenious plot to halt population growth...

And literary agent Kristin Nelson helpfully breaks down a number of issues from her side of the publishing pond.

Stupid Writer of the Day

Today's honor goes to Marc Gunther of Fortune Magazine. In Mark's full body massage (er, review) of Wired editor-in-chief Chris Anderson's new book THE LONG TAIL, he offers the following paragraph:

His new book, based on a 2004 article in Wired, is generating a lot of buzz, climbing up the best-seller lists and raising provocative questions about the future of our culture.

Just one problem, Marcy-Marc...Chris's book officially came out YESTERDAY. I can't think of any newspapers or magazines off the top of my head that compile bestseller lists based on one day's worth of sales. Unless...wait for it...wait for it...you're so blinded by a marketing campaign that tells you a book is important that you actually begin to make facts up. Not only that, but saying the book is "climbing" the charts insinuates that its actually been on the list for more than one week, and has been higher each time.

Hey, what do you know! My friend Frank just announced his latest bestseller list, and my novel, THE MARK, was #1! Who cares that it doesn't come out until next year, that baby is flying off the shelves!

And people say bloggers have no credibility...

A Case of the Tuesdays

I love that title so much I just might use it every day. On to the post...

I have a new post up at M.J. Rose's Buzz, Balls & Hype.

I'm supposed to see a finished copy of a book I edited today, CAN'T WAIT. There really is no better feeling that finally holding a finished book in your hand from an author you worked hour upon hour with, and see the result of all that hard work. Maybe the only feeling better is finally holding a finished copy of your own book. Guess I have to wait a year for that one.

Oh, and courtesy of an Idiosyncratic Mind, the best video game commercial EVER. Seriously, doesn't this just make you want to go play the game (except for the fact that the graphics are a little, um, out of date)?

And in case you haven't seen it, check out The Worst Announcer in the History of Sports. Four words: Boom Goes the Dynamite.

Plus, in case you were wondering if you're the only one who doesn't find the New York Times Magazine's "Funny Pages" well, er, funny, check out this step-by-step method to penning a brilliant (re: boring as watching "Capote" on slo-mo) humour piece. Note the extra 'u'. That makes it funnier.

As a bonus, find out why Todd Barry likely won't be picking up that next round of drinks. And will also probably complain about the free beer being the wrong brand. Because he sucks.

A Case of the Mondays

I'll never get tired of that post heading...

Anyway, I have a new post up at Killer Year, about the popularity of Antiheroes in popular culture.

A few other notes...

I saw "Superman Returns" and "Pirates of the Caribbean" this week. Superman was ok, I'd say a solid 'B', but considering Bryan Singer directed I was expecting something more. Though to be fair we saw it in The Worst Theater In the World (it deserves ALL CAPS). It was the kind of theater where the only speakers were taken out of some high schooler's room, and there are half a dozen seats covered in garbage bags. Not to mention that during the movie, at least three different people started snoring. Not because the movie was boring. But because it was the kind of theater where the sound is so sucky it's easy to take a nap. The special effects were top-notch, the acting (save Kate Bosworth) was surprisingly good...but something was missing. And I think it might have something to do with my Antihero theory...in 2006, Superman just isn't that interesting a hero. There. I said it.

Pirates, however, was a different story. I saw the first one with little expectations, and was very pleasantly surprised. It's one of my favorite blockbusters of the past few years. I was excited for Round 2. The previews kicked ass, the whole cast was back, and once again it did not disappoint. It was better than Superman, better than X-Men 3, probably my favorite film so far this summer, up there with "V for Vendetta" in my Best of '06 category. It's just a fun movie. Though Orlando Bloom really doesn't belong on screen with good actors like Johnny Depp and Keira Knightley. He seems like he should be on the O.C. And in five years, I have a feeling he'll be starring in some sort of O.C. ripoff called "Venice Shores" or something like that.

So see PC2. Tell 'em I sent you. You might get a free popcorn. Or at least a weird look from the guy at the box office.

Holy Epigraph, Batman!

Ok, I have a small dilemma, and I'm turning to the public for advice. You may have noticed that often at the beginning of books, authors have what's called an epigraph, a quote they feel pertains to the work in question. It can be anything from poetry to song lyrics to anonymous quotes or book passages. Sometimes the epigraph helps shade the pages to come, other times it can be silly and pretentious. Stephen King, in my opinion, uses epigraphs quite well, often choosing song lyrics that get you in the mood for the hip carnage to follow.

So here's my dilemma...

Part of the inspiration for creating my character of Henry Parker is that he's a struggling to build a bridge between old school and new school, trying to respect the contributions of the past while learning from its mistakes. So I didn't want an epigraph that was too old and rickety (no Emily Dickinson here), but didn't want to be dorky enough to quote Kanye West or The Strokes (or, shudder, one of the Simpson girls).

For my first book, THE MARK, a Bruce Springsteen lyric popped into my head that was perfect in setting the tone for not only the first book, but future books in the series.

For my second book, which I'm at work on now, the only epigraph that works for me is from a Bon Jovi song. I know, I know. Bon Jovi. But here's the thing...the quote works so well, if I'm going to have an epigraph, it has to be this quote. Now, is quoting Bon Jovi just about the stupidest thing I could do to start a book? Will it elicit that delicious shudder, or convulsions of laughter? And can quoting Bruce possibly do that as well?

In addition to these burning questions, I'm very curious to hear other favorite epigraphs/quotes, whether they be yours or by someone else. When done right I think epigraphs can be very effective. But done poorly, there's high potential for unintentional comedy.

So whaddaya think? Am I setting myself up for failure, or does a good quote speak for itself?

And check out J.T. Ellison's Burning Questions from Thrillerfest at the Killer Year blog

A Few Good Links

I'm still decompressing from ThrillerFest and the 4th, longer posts will be coming forthwith (a criminally underused word).

So anyway...

Here are some ThrillerFest roundups, courtesy of Sarah Weinman and David J. Montgomery.

Check out J.T. Ellison's ThrillerFest photos on Flickr (wow, I look awful in that pic with Brett Battles. A little better with Dianne Moggy of MIRA books).

Sandra Ruttan has a post up at Killer Year.

And yes, the rumors are true, I will be chairing ThrillerFest 2007 in good 'ol NYC. C.J. Lyons and Diane Vogt did such an incredible job this year, I have some mighty big shoes to fill. Thankfully there's a great group of ITW members along for the ride, and I know we'll keep up the momentum started by the inaugural T-Fest.

This clip pretty much sums up my feelings about running next year's conference. To quote Jessie Spano, "I'm so excited, I'm so...scared."

New Post!!!

Well, sort of. I have a new post up at Killer Year. Normal blogging will resume this week. Still jetlagged. Feel like I've spent the last 5 days cramped into a small seat on boxy transports. Yay.

Got back late last night from ThrillerFest, and unfortunately had to miss the closing banquet as I have a wedding to attend today. I hear rumors that there was a musical number starring many ITW authors. More on this later. Assuming everyone made it out alive.

Met a ton of very cool people, and thankfully didn't bomb on my panel. Though next year I'll make sure there are, well, OTHER PEOPLE on my panel as well. Look for more detailed updates coming over the next few days from myself and other Killer Year members (who were all VERY cool in person. Not that I was surprised).

Looking forward to next year...