I stayed up late last night, having dinner with an old friend after the Politics & Prose signing (thank you, Andrea and Jackie, for stopping by). I won't say I had regrets when my alarm went off at 5:45 a.m., but I know I packed poorly. I flew into Nashville, did six stock signings (or maybe seven) and then had the honor of speaking to folks at Ingram, the huge wholesaler. I also had excellent company in my media escort (a term that seems stranger in our post-Spitzer world), Sharon. As my blood sugar flagged, she took me to the perfect place to lunch, with no more clue from me than, "Um, entree salad?"

Now I'm at the airport, ready to fly to Minneapolis-St. Paul, where I get to stay for three whole nights and see countless friends.

Some extremely good news to impart: While ANOTHER THING TO FALL did, indeed, fall from the Times' printed list, it's at #21 on the extended list. And WHAT THE DEAD KNOW made quite a comeback, returning to the mass market list at #10. I'm stunned.

I also had a good writing day en route to Nashville and am looking forward to my plane trip, as I am deep in DEEP DISH. (Dusty, I'm reading your book, too, and loving it, but I often double-time my authors this way.) The book includes a recipe for chocolate cake with tomato soup. Color me intrigued. (Hey, I make a fudge cake with Coca-Cola, it's not that much of a stretch.)