Below is a post from my Facebook author page. I have a distinct set of rules for myself about what goes here and what goes there -- here is for me shooting my mouth off, there is for writing-related reasoned discussion. Uh-huh. Anyway, trying (with so far limited success, but great enthusiasm) to keep myself in line, I'd mostly like the issue in this post discussed there. Which involves those of you on Fb going to my author page, clicking the Like button, and laying on me your pearls of wisdom. However, those of you not on Fb probably also have pearls of same; and I'd like to hear them, too. So post here, if you must.

----------------------------------------------------------

Okay, folks, here's the deal: I've been asked to write an essay for a book on Robert B. Parker. My piece will be about Susan Silverman. I don't know anyone who's ever read Parker who doesn't have an opinion about Susan S. -- and most of them are negative. (Not mine so much, by the way.) I want to hear yours. I have a few ideas I'm working on about why this character draws such strong reactions and why Parker continued to use her, but right now I'm interested mostly in the reactions themselves. Help me out with this?

For a little extra motivation, the person who provides me with whatever insights I consider most helpful -- not necessarily best, smartest, anything like that, but in term of what I need for the essay, most helpful -- will win a signed copy of GHOST HERO when it comes out in Sept.

I'm still a little unsure how author pages work, by the way -- I think you have to "like" this page to post here. But if you've gotten this far you probably like this page, or me, or at least this question, well enough. So click that button and, um, share.