Positively Positive

Some folks have been hinting at the fact that my last few blog entries have been of the negative variety.

So to make up for that, this post will focus on the positive aspects of the publishing business:

• I spent 7 hours in a bookstore in Chicago yesterday, and sold 55 hardcovers.
  
• Hyperion is placing ads for my books in Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine, Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine, The Strand, Crimespree, The New York Times Book Review, and the Bouchercon program.
  
• The anthology COLD FLESH was released yesterday, featuring my undead story THE BAG.
  
• Copies of Whiskey Sour and Bloody Mary have found their way into most bookstores, and in large numbers.
  
• Bloody Mary has received decent reviews from Publisher's Weekly, Booklist, and Kirkus.
  
• Though Whiskey Sour is now available in paperback, the hardcovers haven't been remaindered yet.
  
• My publisher is touring me this month, where I'll be doing signings in Denver, Boulder, Phoenix, San Diego, L.A., San Mateo, San Francisco, Portland, Seattle, and a few other places.
  
• Whiskey Sour has been nominated for the Gumshoe, the Anthony, and the Macavity Award, and won the Love is Murder People's Choice Award.
  
• JAKonrath.com is averaging 300 hits a day.
  
• I just did a fun interview on Paul Guyot's blog, which can be read here:
  http://paulguyot.blogs.com/inkslinger/2005/07/cinco_de_author.html
  (I'm very happy to have been embraced by the blogging community, all fifteen of you. )
  
• The audio of Bloody Mary comes out this week, and it kicks ass.
  
• I get about five emails a day from fans. Different fans, not the same five over and over again.
  
• Harriet Klausner gave me four stars on Amazon.
  
• I've almost finished the outline for the fourth book in the series, Dirty Martini.
  
• I'm living my dream, and I'm grateful as hell for that.