This is both a newsletter and a blog posting, so for those who get both, give yourself a break. You don’t need to read both!

Cold Betrayal, Ali # 10, goes on sale March 10, and the tour schedule has now been finalized and posted. When you look at the schedule, you’ll see that there are some events scheduled in the Phoenix area before the official on-sale date. Some of those events may require tickets. Please verify whether tickets are necessary before showing up.

As for the schedule? You go to the website, click on schedule. When the map loads, you CLICK ON THE STATE to access the schedule for THAT STATE.

I can already hear the e-mail howls of protest: Why no South Carolina? Why no Florida? Why no East Coast? Here’s the deal. When we started discussing this tour last fall, I was in the midst of a three-month-long bout with bursitis. With my right shoulder out of commission for the duration, there was no way I could see myself dragging roll-aboard luggage through airports or hefting a carry-on into an overhead compartment. It could not be done. So this is a driving tour. Bill will be doing the driving, I will be doing the talking, and Bella will be keeping us both in line.

Why so few signings in Tucson? The short answer is THE TUCSON FESTIVAL OF BOOKS!!! I will be there all day on both Saturday and Sunday, doing both panels and signings. The festival is FREE. Parking is FREE. Yes, it will be crowded—at least I hope it will be crowded. The festival supports all kinds of literacy organizations and efforts in southern Arizona, and as a writer, I’m all for anything that means more readers. Once the festival is over, we’ll be hitting the trail north.

If you are one of my bookmark people, now is the time. Send your business sized SASEs—not one of those left over from sending Christmas cards—to me at P.O. Box 766, Bellevue, WA 98009. FYI, SASE means Self-Addressed Stamped Envelope. If you are a fan who lives outside the US, you can ignore the Stamped part. A year or so ago, a generous fan sent me a bundle of Forever International stamps. Your stamp needs are covered, but the self-addressed part still holds. And why do I want a BUSINESS sized envelope? The bookmarks are long. If you send me a short envelope, I’ll have to cut your bookmark in half. By the way, do not expect the signed bookmarks to be sent by return mail. They will be going to Bellevue. We will not be in Bellevue until the end of the month. That’s when the bookmarks will be signed and shipped.

J.A. and Melinda Burke

Oh, and one more thing.  Last week I did a webinar for the Arizona Alumni Association with Association President, Melinda Burke. It was a fun interview. If you’re in a place where book tours seldom take me, you might enjoy listening in. It’s posted on YouTube.

See you on the road.

JAJ