Last weekend my husband and I welcomed special guests to our house in North Carolina – Philippa Gregory and her husband Anthony.  I’d met Philippa a few weeks earlier at the National Book Festival and we made plans to reunite when she came to Highlands for a special weekend of festivities at Cyrano’s Bookshop — which is everything a small town book store should be! Owner Clair Simpson rolled out a red carpet worthy of royalty for the author of “The Other Boleyn Girl,” and the number of copies signed was staggering!  Philippa and Anthony also got a taste of Americana that few visitors to the states get.  The fall foliage really showed off for her, providing a perfect backdrop for all the pumpkins and chrysanthemums decorating porches and lawns.

At our gathering of local friends, over glasses of wine,  Philippa and I didn’t talk shop at all.  We talked about decorating, husbands, children, and –of course — shoes!

Sunday October 5th, I had the honor of sharing a podium with Barbara Walters, Nelson DeMille, Marian Wright Edelman, and Richard Price at the New York Times Great Literary Brunch.  Barbara talked about her recently published memoirs, AUDITION, and Nelson told how he came to write the sequel to The Gold Coast, THE GATE HOUSE, which will be published later this month.

Me?  I discussed Smoke Screen, but what I think the New York City audience was most captivated by was my Texas drawl!

After so much excitement, I’m ensconced in a cabin in the mountains of North Carolina working on next year’s book.  Fall has arrived here and is putting on quite a show.  Good snuggle weather, perfect for fireside contemplation and writing!

You can see photos from the Times event in the photo gallery. And sometime next week, we’ll have a new video up giving you a sneak peek at my 40th anniversary present from Michael!

Congratulations to our first MDA Fundraiser winner–Tracey C. I’ve emailed you. Please contact us so we can get your book to you.

Tomorrow you can check out an excerpt of SMOKE SCREEN at The Good The Bad and The Unread. One lucky person will win a signed copy.

Also tomorrow Sandra is guest-blogging at Fresh Fiction. Be sure to stop by and see what she has to say about SMOKE SCREEN.

In 2004 my brother-in-law, Mark Smith, succumbed to ALS, one of several hundred neuromuscular diseases. He was only forty. It’s imperative we find treatments to improve quality of life for those who are afflicted, and ultimately a cure. To that end I’m asking my fans to help me raise money for the Muscular Dystrophy Association and ALS research during the month of August. A donation to MDA is your entry into our month-long contest. And at the end of the contest, I will match my fans’ donations up to $25,000.00.

Here’s how it works:
Go to http://mda.org/help/donate

Click “Make a Donation” and fill out the online form. Please note, you can direct your donation to a specific program or disease. Choosing ALS research would be appreciated but is NOT required.

Be sure to include an email address so the MDA website can send a receipt for your donation.

Forward the receipt to sb.mda08@gmail.com

Each Friday, beginning August 8, one person (drawn at random from forwarded receipts) will win an autographed copy of SMOKE SCREEN and will receive a personal thank you note from me. All entries are good for the duration of the contest, but you can only win once.

This contest will run through September 2 with the final drawing for a copy of SMOKE SCREEN taking place on September 5.

Please help prevent another family from suffering a loss as mine did. A donation in any amount will be greatly appreciated.
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THIS CONTEST STARTS AUGUST 1. YOU CAN ALSO CHECK OUT THE VIDEO NEWSLETTER ABOUT THE CONTEST HERE.

Want to win a copy of Smoke Screen before you can buy it?

Sandra is guest-blogging at The Good, The Bad and The Unread.

Stop by and leave a comment on their blog (not here!). You might be one of the lucky five winners!

Lots of busy-ness around the office as we prepare for the release of SMOKE SCREEN–you can see the new trailer on the homepage. And you can see the “Behind the Scenes” video here.A few other things you can look forward to in the near future:

I’ll be guest blogging at The Good The Bad and the Unread on July 22, the same day that PLAY DIRTY is released in paperback. Be sure to comment. You could win a copy of SMOKE SCREEN before it goes on sale.

August 12 I will be back at The Good The Bad and the Unread with an excerpt of SMOKE SCREEN. One lucky person will win their very own signed copy. I’ll also be guest blogging at Fresh Fiction Blog on that day.

Then the week of August 18 I, with the help of the folks at Good Bad and Unread, will be searching for the ultimate Sandra Brown fan…so get ready!

We’ll also be doing a special contest the entire month of August to benefit MDA, who also does research for ALS, and my readers.

More details to come in the near future. Please check back here at the blog or the News Page.

And, of course, next week in New York City, I will be honored by ITW as their 2008 Thrillermaster. I’m very excited and hope to have some fun video footage for you when I get back.

In the mean time, Happy Canada Day and Happy Fourth of July!!!