Thank you, thank you, thank you!  To all of you who have been reading me for years, and to you new fans, I owe a tremendous debt of gratitude.  Sunday, December 19, RAINWATER will appear on the New York Times mass market paperback bestseller list.  This is my 60th title of my career to make that coveted list.

As you know, this novel was a departure for me, a risk, a labor of love, and a story dear to my heart.  This is indeed a lovely Christmas present!  And I have all of you to thank for it.

I wish each of you and your families a healthy, safe, and joyful holiday season.  May God bless.

We Browns will be well represented on the air waves this week!

Tonight my episode of Hardcover Mysteries on Investigation Discovery (check your local tv listings for the channel) will air at 9:00 P.M. Eastern time. I’ve previewed the episode. Even though I knew the story and it’s outcome, I was drawn into the production. It’s gripping television. The producers did an excellent job of documenting and reenacting this true crime story.  If you can’t view Hardcover Mysteries in your area, the episodes are available for download via Amazon.com or iTunes!

Sadly, it airs right in the smack middle of the Cowboys vs. Giants game, although what with the way the Cowboys have been playing. . . Enough said about that! Right now, I’m rooting for the Rangers!  The Cowboys will have to be DVR’ed since I’ll be guest-tweeting during my episode of Hardcover Mysteries.  You can follow @DiscoveryID …

But back to the topic. . . On Tuesday my son Ryan, daughter-in-law Victoria, and grandson Raff are making a guest appearance on Oprah! You heard right. OPRAH! I won’t post a spoiler here, but they’ve assured me it’s a fun show. Check out that photo! Raff looks happy with Oprah, and vise-versa!

Following the taping, they had nothing but good things to say about Oprah, her staff, and the whole experience. They reported to those of us who were eagerly standing by to hear ALL that she’s a class act all the way. But then I’m not surprised to hear that. She’s not Oprah Winfrey for nothing. Please watch tomorrow — that’s Tuesday Oct. 26. And I’ll admit to unabashed pride, but are these three beautiful people, or what???

Later in the week Victoria will be appearing on HSN on behalf of Sarah Jessica Parker’s fragrance line. V is multi-talented!

As I said. . .it’s a hot week for the Browns!

A quick thanks to those of you who attended the LOC event for Investigation Discovery — or watched on webcam. It was a lively panel with me, David Baldacci, and Kathy Reichs. We were touting “Hardcover Mysteries,” but we also addressed questions from the audience about writing in general. One lady in the audience wanted to know where I got the inspiration for “Play Dirty.” The question itself inspired giggles from those who’d read it!

I think what impressed the audience the most — at least it’s the thing they commented on most during the book signing that followed — was how “funny” we were. We generated several belly laughs during the hour. I guess because our books are so serious, a sense of humor is unexpected. Anyway, we had a great time. The authors, that is. I hope the audience did too!

Other upcoming appearances include the BN.com/Facebook chat on September 30th. Signing and speaking at the B & N in Tribeca (NYC) with David and Harlan Coben on OCTOBER 5, 2010! Signing and speaking at the Barnes and Noble marquee store in Plano, Texas on OCTOBER 13th. The Texas Rose Festival in Tyler on OCTOBER 15th.

I look forward to next Monday night, September 20 when I’ll be appearing on a panel with friends and colleagues David Baldacci and Kathy Reichs. We’ll be there to talk about our episodes on the upcoming show “Hardcover Mysteries,” which premieres on Investigation Discovery October 11. This is an exciting new series, and I’m thrilled to be among the suspense writers who were asked to submit a factual case that inspired a particular novel. My case is about the first murder tried as a hate crime in the state of Texas. It inspired “The Witness.”

If you’re in the DC area Monday (the 20th), please consider attending this event in the Library of Congress. Three writers for the price of one — except that attendance is free! Here’s a link with all the info.

If you’re NOT in the DC area on Monday, you can watch a live webcast via the Investigation Discovery website!
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I just wrapped up five hours on the phone doing interviews for TOUGH CUSTOMER…only to open my email and discover an email alert from Simon & Schuster with some wonderful news for Ryan. Since I’m not one to pass up a chance to hype my kids, for those of you who missed “Play Dead” in hardcover, there’ll soon be a trade paperback edition available! As you can read in the 5-star review, it’s neither all football or all zombies, just a fun combo of the two in a fast paced, funny, and scary story. Ryan just wrapped up book #2 and sent it in to his editor. You can go here and sign up to receive your own author alerts on Ryan. Or here, to get author alerts about yours truly!

And pictured below is the home page at Simon & Schuster.  Looks like Ryan’s mom has a new book out!