Newsletter 1/22

January 2022

I hope everyone had a wonderful and magical Christmas. I’m sure that Covid put a damper on many people’s plans for travel, parties, and family gatherings. But I truly believe that we’ve all been transformed in a positive way by this ongoing pandemic, and we’ll all live life to the fullest in the years ahead, and appreciate the small things that we take for granted.

When I returned from Vietnam in November 1968 and landed in San Francisco, I savored everything that I’d barely noticed before my year in the jungles and rice paddies of Southeast Asia. When I went to the men’s room in the airport, the flushing toilets sounded like Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony. We all need to promise ourselves that we won’t sweat the small stuff, and we can handle the big stuff.

Well, I got a lot of holiday cards from friends, family, and fans, and I appreciate all of them. I see a trend away from traditional greeting cards, and more and more photograph cards. It’s good to see the faces of people I know, children who are growing up, people I haven’t seen in years, and their impossibly cute dogs. Lots of dogs.

My newest book, The Maze, was completed in August and was scheduled for publication in June 2022, but it has been moved by the publisher to October 11, 2022.

Why? Well, it’s a long story, but basically I’ve made a lateral move within the publishing house of Simon & Schuster, and my new publisher in the house will be Scribner. Scribner’s list of spring and summer books for 2022 was finalized before I made the move so The Maze will be a top release for Scribner in October. The fall season includes the Holiday season, of course, so this is not a bad thing in terms of gifts for your shopping list. Also, Covid will be completely over by then—right?—and I can do a publicity tour around the country. We all just need to be patient. I don’t mind waiting a year for my payment which is due on publication. Not at all. And you don’t mind waiting a little longer for the new John Corey book which you may have already pre-ordered. It will be worth the wait. And I promise to post the first chapter or two of The Maze on my website before publication date.

Thanks again to everyone who emailed me a response to my question about what I should write next. I learned a lot about my readers from the thoughtful responses, and I’ve shared these responses—over two thousand of them—with my agents and editor. Even the emails that said I should retire and stop killing trees. Everyone’s a comedian.

Anyway, I still haven’t decided what to do next, but I’m zeroing in on a few ideas. And, no, none of my ideas has to do with a pandemic.

It’s winter here in the Northern Hemisphere, a good time to tuck in with a good book. Click here for a few suggestions. And in the Southern Hemisphere, where I also have many fans, these same books are great beach reads. If you live on the Equator, you can hop back and forth between summer and winter. Think about that.

Nothing new on the movie or TV front, but I am working on a deal for Spencerville to be a limited TV series of maybe 8-10 episodes. If you’ve read Spencerville, I’d love to get your opinion of the book, or your thoughts on a TV series. If you haven’t read Spencerville, you might want to pick it up for a read on the beach (Southern Hemisphere) or a great fireside read (Northern Hemisphere). If you live in New Jersey, try the audio version—the narrator speaks slowly.

Well, that’s it for this Newsletter, but not before I wish you all a very happy and healthy New Year. And may 2022 go down in history as the year of peace and love, prosperity and renewal, and good will toward friends, family, and neighbors. And special blessings to all first responders and the entire medical community. You’re the best.

Sincerely,