After the race

Sunday, March 14, my daughter Rachel and son-in-law Pete did something I can’t even conceive of doing — they ran thirteen miles. Which in my opinion means they’re only half crazy — as in, thirteen miles equals half of twenty-six, which is a MARATHON.

I’ve got to hand it to runners who feel the urge to do this. They must have extraordinary dedication, amazing stamina, admirable self-discipline, and a really, really masochistic personality. It’s punishment, people! If self-flagellating monks had heard of this, they’d have never picked up a leather lash. They’d have strapped on their Birkenstocks, hiked up their cassocks, and taken off at a full sprint.

Rock 'n' Roll Marathon 2010

I’m in awe of anyone who undertakes to run more than a couple of miles at a time. You’ve got to train for it. And since you usually train outdoors, that means you run whenit’s scorching or frigid, windy or calm, wet or dry. Secondly, you’ve got to cope with physical ailments like aching knees and shin splints. Third. . . Never mind. I never get to deterrent number three, because number two is bad enough, and, actually, I was out of contention at number one.

However, I was at the finish line when 9000 plus runners came in, having run the Dallas Rock ‘n’ Roll. The weather

With Luke and Lawson

was perfect. The music was rocking. I must say, the excitement was contagi

ous. I cheered like a fool for every runner who crossed the finish line. Among the really buff and athletic were two Elvis impersonators, one Superman, one something I can’t even begin to describe or identify. I saw a hobbling old man with all sorts of orthopedic contraptions strapped to his bony legs and several kids who were barely winded. I applaud them all. Truly. I’m humbled by their feat. Their feet, too, I guess.

I was particularly proud of my two runners. Derision aside, I commend them for doing this, for having the guts to even try. Way to go, Rachel and Pete!

TOUGH CUSTOMER is in the can and off to my new editor (same house–new editor). I hope you all enjoy reading about Dodge as much as I enjoyed writing about him!

I know to my readers, five more months seems like such a long time to wait for my next new release, but here in the office…let’s just say, time flies! By the time TOUGH CUSTOMER goes on sale, I’ll be working on my book for 2011. In the mean time, the next five months are filled with lots of hustle, bustle and planning.  Case in point, I just received cover flats for the July paperback release of Smash Cut and as soon as I get approval, we’ll get it up on the site! Covers for Rainwater (which won’t be released in paperback until early 2011) and Tough Customer won’t be far behind, and neither will copy edits and page proofs.

Yes, it’s kind of like having a child, just not quite as dramatic.

Speaking of “children”, I have to brag on my son Ryan. PLAY DEAD got a starred review from Publisher’s Weekly!

Play Dead Ryan Brown. Pocket, $24.99 (352p) ISBN 978-1-4391-7130-1

Two cultural obsessions collide head-on in this fast-paced, thrilling, and terribly funny debut by former actor Brown. In the sleepy town of Killington, Tex., the local high school’s football team is having its best season in decades thanks to the efforts of quarterback Cole Logan. Afraid of losing the district championship, the rival Elmwood team sends the Killington bus into a river, drowning everyone on the team except Cole and the coach. Only local witch and football fan Black Mona can raise the players from the dead in time for the game, but if they keep stopping to eat people, they might miss it. Brown handily mixes elements of horror, coming-of-age sweetness, and gore-soaked comedy into a tale that satisfies the same fascination with sports and bloodlust that it cleverly and thoughtfully critiques. (May)

You can also see the review on the PW Website (scroll almost to the bottom).

Dont forget!  I’ll be in Santa Barbara later this month for the CALM Celebrity Author Luncheon (Website) and in Florida on April 10 for the Palm Beach Book & Author Breakfast (Website).

Whew! A lot has happened since my last post.

I went away to work on the final draft of TOUGH CUSTOMER (Gotta love Dodge Hanley, warts and all!) While I was away from home all hell broke loose. The Dallas/Ft. Worth area got a foot of snow! A foot! Now, I know you Northerners are scoffing, but that’s more than has ever fallen in North Texas since they’ve been keeping records. It was a big deal. I was getting up-to-the-minute photo text messages from daughter Rachel, calls from friends, calls from my office staff (Can we go home early? If school is canceled, can we stay home?), calls from relatives in other parts of the country asking if we were okay. Meanwhile I was 1000 miles away in South Carolina! I hated missing this phenomenon, but it’s just as well I was gone. My house had no power for 48 hours. Tree branches, as big around as I am, were breaking off, falling on the house, in the street. The snow was pretty, but it was destructive. I returned today; my yard is being cleared; the damage is evident in the entire area.

To happier things — while in SC, Ryan came down for a few days of intensive writing on his second book. He and I have separate rooms in which we write. Some days we don’t even see each other until cocktail hour. Then we talk shop over dinner. But we did take one afternoon off to do a video interview together, which you’ll be able to watch on the website in a week or so. Check back daily. His first book PLAY DEAD comes out May 4th.

Thanks to those of you who have helped keep the reprint of EXCLUSIVE on the USA Today bestseller list for the past three weeks.

Stay warm. Tulips and forsythia can’t be too far off!

After the show, we left the theatre and walked into a blizzard...ON BROADWAY!

Thanks to the many of you who’ve emailed me that you’re giving copies of RAINWATER or SMASH CUT for Christmas gifts. I love being a Christmas present!

I received an unexpected treat while in New York — tickets to the Il Divo Christmas concert, courtesty of my son Ryan and daughter-in-law, Victoria. She’s a huge fan of this international quartet and has actually met them on several occasions — once on a live morning show on British TV. The concert was amazing! When it was over, I was warmly embraced by a woman seated in the row behind me. She turned out to be a big Sandra Brown fan — as were the friends attending the concert with her! She had her picture taken with me. It was great fun to meet an enthusiastic fan and a perfect way to launch our Christmas celebration in the Big Apple.
Kudos to Michael and me for braving the NY subway system as well as the throng at Rockerfeller Center in order to take the three grandsons to see the Christmas tree! The lights, the music, the ice skaters — they enjoyed it all. But do you know what gave them the most fun? Ducking under the turnstile in the subway station! (But, Mayor Bloomberg, we dutifully used our MetroCard to cover their fare!)

I got to New York and realized that I hadn’t packed a copy of RAINWATER to give to my in-laws for Christmas. So I ducked into a bookstore to purchase one. I figured that, in the midst of all the hustle and bustle, no one would spot me buying my own book. WRONG! The clerk who rang up my sale (I was also making other purchases) looked at me with puzzlement and asked, “Isn’t this you?” Busted! But he got to meet a real live author, I got to thank him for selling my books, and eventually I’ll receive the royalty on that copy!

While in New York over the holidays, we went to see RAGTIME and loved it! One of the principal players in this production is Robert Petkoff (Spamalot), a good friend of Ryan and Victoria’s. After the performance, we were escorted backstage to his dressing room, and then Robert actually took us onto the stage! What a thrill!

He said, “You should sing a song, and then you can tell everyone that you sang on Broadway.” I got stage fright, but Michael burst into song — “If Ever I Would Leave You.” Robert Goulet he wasn’t, but it wasn’t all that bad! Braver now, I did a deep courtesy as though receiving a standing ovation. Rachel did a short tap dance. Pete, who’s better at baseball than the performing arts, acted as our “stage manager.” No one in the cast is in danger of being replaced by one of us, but it was such a fun time!

We get snow forecasts in north Texas periodically, but either nothing happens, or we get an ice storm instead of the white stuff. So when a 12″ snowfall was forecast for New York City while the family was there recently, we were skeptical it would pan out. The weathermen in NYC know whereof they speak! It began snowing on Saturday afternoon and snowed throughout the night. We woke up the next morning to a city buried under a foot of snow. It was beautiful! I know it wreaked havoc on tens of thousands of holiday travelers, and it came a week early, but this is the closest I’ve ever come to having a white Christmas. Shamefully, I enjoyed it! Little did I know, a week later we would have a white Christmas (though, of course, it couldn’t possibly compare to snow in NYC).

Of course the family holiday wouldn’t be complete without somebody throwing up — Rachel and I were up most of the night cleaning up after Luke, while ten blocks away, Victoria was doing the same for Raff — and/or a trip to the emergency room. This time Lawson had the honors, although, thankfully his diagnosis was nothing worse than dehydration. After downing about a quart of apple juice, he was fine. The boys recovered quickly and were fine the following day. Rachel, Victoria, and I took a while longer to bounce back from a rough night!”

Chase and Lucky checking out their first real snow

I celebrated my first White Christmas this year! It snowed in north Texas most of Christmas Eve, stopping around midnight. Christmas Day dawned clear, but with a healthy coating of white on the ground. (You from snowy states are no doubt snickering, but for me, this was a big deal!) Anyway, my dogs gave the backyard a trial run. As you can see by the photo, Chase (on the right in the blue bandana) got into it. Lucky was a bit dubious and headed for the house as soon as he’d done his business! And yes they’re named for the Tyler brothers of the Texas! trilogy.

It was pretty while it lasted

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