Another big review!!!

Right now my publisher and the publicist are going through the slogging work of arranging signings in San Diego, Las Vegas, Seattle, and environs. We’re only seven weeks away from the release date, so they’re also kicking up the publicity phase of the process. I think they’re probably working about 15 hours a day. For my part, my shoulders were getting lower and lower as I went through revision after revision on the sequel, and all the other things that are required to get a book “out there.” No matter how good the publicists, the distributors, the editors, and the publisher are (and my team is very good), the basic grinding work remains the same. And it’s expensive. These days you don’t just write a book and say, “There, we’re done, on to the next one.” No. You write, and then you flog it and blog it in every way you can imagine. Why? Because you must enter the busy and overcrowded market place and say, “Read this one, it’s better than all the rest,” knowing that everyone else is saying the exact same thing about their own book. To say that it’s hard and discouraging work would be to understate the case terribly. But every so often you get a bright spot.

Two days ago a blurb came in from David Morrell – yes, THE DAVID MORRELL, author of what, 25 best sellers maybe? beginning with First Blood, which was made into the Sylvester Stallone movie, and its sequels. This is what he wrote:

“With an amazing scope, Richard Aaron gives us a stunning look at what really drives terrorism in a breathtaking thriller that’s in step with our fast paced world — a thriller that outperforms 24.”

To say that I’m excited, to say that I’m in shock and awe and beside myself with joy… well that would just be an understatement. That review, along with John’s from a couple weeks ago, and the fact that we’re already backordered 2900 books, AND the fact that the sequel is going well, AND the fact that bookstores actually want me in to do appearances… I’m pinching myself. I still can’t believe it’s actually happening.

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Good News, Then Better

There I was, high in the Chilcotin Plateau, with a temperature of -15. I was standing outside my truck taking the call, which I couldn’t manage to put through the truck’s phone system. So, fingers numb with cold and teeth chattering, I stood by the side of the road to phone my faithful secretary, Lauralee, and ask her what was so damned important that she needed to talk to me immediately. My first thought was that there was some major screw up at the law firm.

When I got her on the phone, Lauralee was almost hanging from the ceiling with excitement. The first piece of news was that the airport bookstore chain had purchased 1500 copies of Gauntlet, and was prepared to give the book a prominent display position in the stores. The volume of people passing by, and the fact that many will be sitting in planes for hours on end, make this a particularly appealing place for selling such a book.

The second bit of news came from my publicist, Antoinette Kuritz, who advised me that John Lescroart, that’s right THE John Lescroart (Betrayal, The Suspect, The Hunt Club, The Motive, The Second Chair, Guilt, A Certain Justice, etc), a New York Times best selling author said, in an email to Antoinette, that Gauntlet is a tour de force of exuberant story telling … that it could very well be the definitive reality based global thriller. That it has great suspense, a killer plot and amazingly real characters. And that it’s an absolute winner.

My first thought was that somehow he had me confused with someone else. But when I returned to the office and read the emails I see he hasn’t. I’m humbled that a man with the skill and experience of Mr. Lescroart was so effusive in his praise. On top of the orders my publisher received yesterday, I’m starting to feel as though we have a tiger by the tail here.

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Newsweek’s Autism Article

Thank you Newsweek for bringing to light the possibility of girls being misdiagnosed, or in this case not diagnosed at all. This is a well-written and thought-provoking article. After reading the article and thinking about it, I can say that I know many, and have met many, autistic boys, but I do not know a single autistic girl. I think there are probably a couple of reasons for this. Once you understand the condition, the diagnosis is actually easy to make in boys. The psychological and physical obsessions, the difficulty in social interactions, the awkward speech, avoiding eye contact, and so on are obvious indicators. With girls, these types of behaviors might be seen as natural. Further, if the obsessions with girls are different, and if they do not lead to behaviors that we find odd or unusual, I can see how a girl could easily fly under the radar, resulting in no treatment or an inappropriate reaction. If this article is accurate, the clear inference is that the autistic spectrum is much larger than we initially thought it was.

See the article here.

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La Jolla Writers Conference

I was delighted to have been invited to Antoinette Kuritz’ annual La Jolla Writers Conference (Nov 7-9) in San Diego, CA. It was a great pleasure being there, and I had the amazing opportunity to meet writers of the stature of Chris Reich and James Rollins. Both of these authors were wonderfully kind in considering and critiquing Gauntlet, as well as the opening chapter of its sequel, Counterplay. I believe that there’s a chance of getting endorsements from both, which would be great. I also had the opportunity to listen to established writers like Reich, Rollins, Martha Lawrence, and Lisa Lutz describe how they deal with issues like opening sentences and chapters, development of plot and theme, characterizations, and endings. I don’t think I’ve taken that many notes since I left university!

A number of individuals presenting at the conference are involved in Gauntlet’s path, so it was very nice to reconnect with them as well (I haven’t seen them since the LA Book Expo in May). Eric Kampmann of Midpoint, who was there teaching business and publishing classes, is going to be handling the distribution. Antoinette herself is handling our publicity. It was a truly humbling experience to see the people who are on my team conducting classes and organizing a conference of this much importance!

At the conclusion, and over a great dinner in “Little Italy” in San Diego, Carrie, my editor/publisher (Glass House Press) told me that a large wholesaler, Baker and Taylor, has pre-ordered 1000 books. At that point I felt I could fly home on my own, but reality stepped in and I went with US Air instead. Needless to say, it was an awesome weekend. Stepping into the publishing world always gets me excited, but this was over and above. I feel jacked sideways at how well everything is going.

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Jenny McCarthy and autism

I note that Jenny McCarthy is on the publicity trail pushing her new book.  Her unproven, unscientific speculations suggesting that diet can be used to “cure” autism create an interesting counterpoint to Melissa Greene’s recent article in the New York Times.  Hard work and high-level and intense interaction with the autistic child are the hallmarks of Dr. Greene’s approach. This woman rests here views on medical science, supported by eminent pediatric psychiatrics. Further, she demonstrates her success empirically through the results of many clinics, and with many autistic children. Ms. McCarthy’s theories, on the other hand, are unproven, unsupported, and for the most part unaccepted, even in the autistic community. Those of us who have autistic children and deal with them on an everyday basis find it ridiculous to think that autism could be caused by something like vaccines, or “cured” by something like diet. We could only wish it were that simple! In reality, it’s a highly complex disorder that affects brain chemicals, behavior, understanding, impression, and functionality. How on earth could NOT eating carbs or dairy change any of that?

Don’t get me wrong. I’m glad McCarthy is seeing success with her son. If he’s learning how to deal with his disability, I’m absolutely his biggest fan. I just don’t believe in the theories she’s using to help him.

The most telling point, I think, is that US Weekly publishes any line of bullshit, as long as there is a celebrity attached to the story. They’re the ones who are running McCarthy’s story. The New York Times is actually a real newspaper.

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