Newsletter 11/19

November 2019

First, thank you for all your emails, which I enjoy reading. As my auto response says, “Thanks for your email which I will read, but unfortunately I can’t respond because I’d never get my books written.” Many people have responded to my auto response, saying things like, “This is b.s. I want a reply.” And they get one, saying, “Thanks for your email which I will read, but unfortunately I can’t respond because I’d never get my books written.”

Look, I’d love to reply to everyone individually, but I get four or five thousand emails through my website every year, and it’s not possible to write thousands of replies. Well, it is possible. But that would be the end of my book writing career. Actually, some people have suggested just that in their emails.

On another, but related subject, many people have written me asking why my book tour didn’t include their town or city. This particular tour for The Deserter, for instance, is geographically limited. I’d love to visit each of the lower 48, and also Alaska and Hawaii—plus Canada, as I’ve done in the past. But the publisher—not me—puts the tour together. I want to see everyone who wants to see me, but it’s a big continent and there are time and budget constraints.

Incidentally, a lot of authors do no tour at all, and are happy to stay home and work on their next book, or hide out on vacation the day their book is published. But I enjoy meeting my readers.

Alex and I will be in Florida this month on the last leg of our book tour and we hope to see you at one of our events.

And now for a few words on The Deserter. Sales have been excellent, for which I thank you, and The Deserter debuted at #3 on the NY Times Combined Print and E-Book bestsellers list and continues to sell well. Remember, you can get a signed copy for yourself or as a holiday gift by simply signing my name and Alex’s name on the title page. Or better yet, get our authentic signatures by purchasing pre-signed books at Barnes & Noble.

And don’t forget my backlist books which are all available as E-Books, audiobooks, and paperbacks. The paperbacks make an especially good and affordable holiday gift or stocking stuffer.

And now for some exciting movie news: A major producer and major Hollywood studio have made an offer for The Cuban Affair as a feature film. I can’t reveal any details at this time, but I hope to make the announcement in my next Newsletter. Stay tuned.

November 11 is Veterans Day. I got out of the Army in April 1969, and that November 11 certainly had new meaning for me. I won’t tell you what to do on Veterans Day—if you go to a parade or a memorial service, that’s fine. If you go Christmas shopping or take a three-day weekend in the Cayman Islands, that’s fine too. It’s your choice. And that’s what it’s all about.

Thanksgiving is many people’s favorite holiday. It’s all about eating. No gift-giving, no holiday cards, no traffic jams, no blowing yourselves up with fireworks or getting rained-out of a barbeque. Just indoor eating. True, everyone around the table is not your favorite relative, and also true your son-in-law who loves kale and Bernie Sanders has to be kept away from your uncle who loves Scotch whisky and Donald Trump. But we all have to remember the bigger pictures—we have food on the table, wine in our glasses, a roof over our heads, and the freedom to voice politically idiotic views. Plus we have 24/7 EMS in case someone overindulges in any of the above. You will survive this Thanksgiving as you survived all the others. And for that we should be thankful.

Have a wonderful November.

Sincerely,