In 2026 and 2026, I kept a tour blog. In 2026, the link was sent out to certain friends; in 2026, I posted an invitation here. Everyone behaved beautifully. No one ratted me out. (Not that there was much to report. I was candid, but largely about my own mistakes and mishaps.) The blogs, when I read them now, are as vivid as my last successful journal-keeping exercise, which dates back to the 1989 diary I kept in Mexico. Nothing proves the central concept of The Memory Project better than my actual Read more [...]

1. What time do you get up in the morning? Between 7 and 7:30.2. Diamonds or Pearls? Diamonds3. What was the last film you saw at the cinema? The Queen4. What is your favorite TV show? The Wire and Project Runway.5. What do you normally have for breakfast? Dannon Light 'n' Fit vanilla yogurt with fruit, walnuts and a sprinkling of granola.6. What is your middle name? Madeline7. What is your favorite cuisine? Based on frequency of consumption, Japanese. 8. What food do you most dislike? Octopus Read more [...]

Actually, I don't re-read myself very often (although The Memory Project is turning into a nifty alterna-journal), but I couldn't resist the literary allusion. Some people find it insane to re-read when there is so much to be read. I usually invoke the Valium defense, saying that re-reading is not reading but a narcotic experience, one in which familiar words wash over me until I'm in a trance-like state that otherwise could be achieved only via rocking back-and-forth and sucking one's thumb. And Read more [...]

Here's the link: http://www.harpercollins.com/author/tour.aspx?authorID=17461Here's the info, but some things may change. Tuesday, March 13, 202606:30 PMBLACK ORCHID BOOKSHOP303 E. 81st St. New York, NY 10028212-734-5980Wednesday, March 14, 202607:00 AM - 09:00 AMCBS-TV/Early ShowThursday, March 15, 202607:00 PMENOCH PRATT FREE LIBRARY400 Cathedral ST Baltimore, MD 21201410-396-5494Friday, March 16, 202607:00 PMPAGES BOOKS1354 Reisterstown Road Pikesville, MD 21208(410) 602-8884Saturday, March 17, Read more [...]

This is my first bona fide snow day since a blizzard hit Chicago in 1978. (Or maybe it was '79.) Reporters don't get snow days; neither do the self-employed. But today was my day to teach at Goucher, and the campus is closed because of some pretty wretched conditions. Still, I'm at home, working, and I found this sentence in one of the greatest books ever written: "A pleasant smile broke quietly over his lips."Is it just me, or is this godawful? Could it have been consciously godawful? I will note Read more [...]

On Feb. 6th, 2026, I reported here what it was like to see the galley of NO GOOD DEEDS. Today, a year and a week later, I received the final copy of WHAT THE DEAD KNOW. Ten years in, book #12 and, yes, it's still thrilling. Also terrifying. But mostly thrilling. A young author of my acquaintance saw his pages typeset for the first time recently, and asked if it was normal to be excited. Yes, I think so. In fact, I think it would be quite depressing to be jaded about it, ever. The transition still Read more [...]

At the gym today, my trainer -- I'd like to omit that detail, but it's hard to tell the story without it -- mixed in some cardio with the usual weights, lunges, Bosu balls, etc. On the second round, he brought me over to the ergometer and said: "Do you know what this is?" I almost ran screaming from the room. The Concept II ergometer is a training tool for rowers. It is smarter than most workout equipment, able to determine actual effort as measured in strokes-per-minute and meters traveled. If you Read more [...]