Ben's Diary

Never Too Young to Read ... A friend on vacation in the Caribbean forwarded this picture of his infant son Nicholas with his new favorite book. Good thing there's no profanity in this story... Youngreader.jpg

Bad Mother's Handbook ... Good things do happen to good people. And I know one of them. A few months ago, I had the great fortune of meeting Kate Long, a lovely, down-to-earth and funny woman from Shropshire, England. Kate had written a novel, The Bad Mother's Handbook, after her children had gone to bed and "if there was nothing good on the telly." The book was being published by Picador, the same folks I work with in the UK. Kate and I attended a party in London for British booksellers. Now comes news from The Telegraph that made my smile. In three weeks on sale, Kate's novel, has beaten John Grisham and Danielle Steele to the top of the UK bestseller list. The Bad Mother's Handbook is wonderful, witty, and poignant and unfurls in a fresh, distinctive, utterly authentic voice that is uniquely Kate's. It's about an 80-year-old grandmother who shares a council flat in Lancashire with her daughter and granddaughter. So far, it has sold more than 18,000 copies and Kate, a teacher, has landed a four-book deal for "a considerable sum." In the last week alone, the book has sold 8,238 copies compared to 5,314 of John Grisham's The Last Juror. Kate lives with her husband and two young children in the small village in Shropshire. She told the Telegraph: "I can't believe what's happened - it's amazing. I'm just a table scribbler, really. I wrote most of it in eight weeks, between 7.30 and 9 at night, depending on whether there was anything good on the telly. And then I spent a year revising it. Over the past 10 years Mrs Long, originally from Bolton, Lancashire, has tried and failed to get two other novels published. "I have a stack of more than 20 extremely nice rejection letters," she says. Kate says she has given up teaching. "Writing books is better," she explains. "I'm going to spend the money on a new kitchen." Kate is shopping for an American publisher -- a piece of cake now -- and I'll keep you posted when it comes out here...

The War on Terror? Just saw this AP story from Fort Myers, Florida: A self-described psychic's tip that a bomb might be on an American Airlines flight prompted a search with bomb-sniffing dogs that turned up nothing suspicious, but forced the cancelation of the flight. The psychic's call was "unusual," says Doug Perkins, local administrator for the federal Transportation Security Administration director. "But in these times, we can't ignore anything. We want to take the appropriate measures."

Bestseller! After three weeks on sale, The Death and Life of Charlie St. Cloud has made The New York Times expanded bestseller list for hardcover fiction. Charlie ranks #31 on the list, and I offer heartfelt thanks to every one of you for making this possible. The word seems to be getting out, and I'm grateful for every watercooler conversation recommending Charlie, every e-mail to a friend, every book club pick, and every Amazon or BN.com review. Of course, the dream is to build on this little toehold and maybe -- just maybe -- climb even higher. But for now, my deepest appreciation to readers everywhere...

Mysteries... Every day, more stories arrive from readers with their own experiences to share. In California's Central Valley the other night, I met a lovely woman named Susan who told the tale of some orchids that had not bloomed for years despite the best efforts of family members. Susan gave the orchids to her friend Elaine's mother Morna who was a plant expert and who tended them for a while. Sadly, Morna passed away exactly one year ago, but incredibly, the orchids bloomed for the first time again this year. "I told Elaine her mom sent us flowers," Susan said.

On the Road ... More news from the road. Last night at the landmark Tattered Cover bookstore in Denver, I met a bunch of readers who had reached out through e-mail over the past few years. It's one of the wonders of the internet -- that writers and readers can make a direct, immediate connection, no matter the distance. Then on book tour, we can actually meet in person. For instance, in Naperville, Illinois at Anderson's bookstore the other day, I had the pleasure of getting together with one of my favorite e-mailers: Nancy and her daughter Susan. Nancy sends an e-mail greeting card every single holiday and she was sitting in the front at Andersons. Here's a picture she forwarded. Naperville.jpg

Letting Go... Why do author's write? For moments like the one the other night in Modesto, California. Toward the end of the city-wide book club meeting sponsored by The Bee, the local paper, a lovely woman named Barbara approached the microphone and shared how she had lost her mother 19 years ago. She then explained that she had read Charlie St. Cloud in one sitting. "When I turned the last page in your book," she said, "I was able to say out loud, and with the painful hole in my heart filled up, 'You can go now Mom.' And best of all, there was a smile on my face that hadn't been there for so many years when I thought of her." Via e-mail later, Barbara gave me permission to share the experience here. "Your book gave me a peace of mind I haven't had for 19 years," she wrote. "You see my father died 4 months before my mother, both of cancer, in 1985 and I just was not prepared to let them go - especially my mother. You know, when you lose that one person on earth who will love you unconditionally forever, it is hard to let that go - and I didn't - until now." A friend captured this warm moment with Barbara right after the event. barbara.JPG

Road Show ... Happy to report it's been an exciting week with book stops in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Modesto, and Albuquerque. Next week: Colorado and Nebraska. As the dust settles from all this travel, I'll share some thoughts about the tour and the readers I've met. It feels like news about Charlie St. Cloud is beginning to spread. I appreciate everything you're doing to get the word out. More soon...

Book Club #1 ... The other night in Naperville, Illinois, I got together with 8 smart & fun women from the We Digress Book Club of Chicago. It was the very first book club meeting for Charlie St. Cloud, and the conversation was quite spirited. A couple of great moms, their daughters -- including Julia B. who organized the evening (bottom row, right) -- and their friends make up the group. Over Lou Malnati's delicious pizza, we deep dished about the book, life, the afterlife, and then, yes, we digressed. If you're interested, please let me know via email about your book club, and we can try to schedule a chat in person or via speakerphone. Here's a picture of the group, sent by Betty DeCarlo (top row, second from left). WeDigress.jpg

On the Road... The book tour is going strong with great stops at Anderson's in Naperville, IL and That Bookstore in Blytheville, Arkansas where we celebrated the legendary Mary Gay Shipley's 60th birthday with a cake frosted in the colorful likeness of the Charlie St. Cloud cover. Along the way, I noticed a great piece in USA Today about bestselling books and the publishing business over the past 10 years. My favorite nugget: Every Fall, Nathaniel Hawthorne's classic The Scarlett Letter makes its way onto bestseller lists as high schools across the country assign it for reading. Here's the dirty little secret: the Cliffs Notes version outsells the real book 3.6 to 1 ... ps - Click here for the photo that Mary Gay took of the birthday cake: birthdaycake.jpg

Marblehead, Spirit of '76 ... I've been looking forward to this past weekend for many months -- the Marblehead, Massachusetts kick-off of Charlie St. Cloud. It was a blast ... gathering at the Boston Yacht Club for refreshments, a reading, Q&A, and signing. Bob Hugo, Hilary Emerson Lay and great gang at Spirit of '76 Books truly outdid themselves. Leslie Gould of the Chamber of Commerce also helped mightily in wrangling the crowd. My mother Dee flew all the way from California for the fun, and some good friends from Superior, Nebraska -- setting of the 747 book -- also showed up. Yes, Lefty and Sandy Bothwell were there, along with their daughter Shelly, son-in-law Tim, and granddaughter Lydia. (Lefty will go anywhere for free food!) Here's a group shot snapped by Leslie from the Chamber of Commerce: from left to right, terrifiic Maura Phelan of Bantam, yours truly, Bob Hugo and Hilary Emerson Lay. Marblehead.jpg

Life after Death ... For most, a cemetery is the end of the line. But for my new novel, it was the beginning last night. The book tour officially kicked off with a reading and signing at historic Woodlawn Cemetery in the Bronx, where I worked a couple of summers ago to do research for the story. It was an unforgettable evening -- not least because of the location -- the Woolworth Funeral Chapel, named after the dime store magnate. (Woodlawn is the final home for a veritable Who's Who of New York history including Fiorello LaGuardia, Joseph Pulitzer, Nellie Bly, Duke Ellington, and Herman Melville, and with 400 gorgeous acres, it's still a thriving cemetery). A good crowd of workers and friends of the cemetery turned out for champagne and books. I'm very grateful for the support and launch, and we had a few good laughs, especially at the workers' jokes about my pathetic efforts as a lawn mower, weed wacker, and grave digger.

Touched by the Light... An interesting piece in USA Today reports that "sunlight may be a key prescription for easing surgical pain and saving millions of dollars in hospital pharmacy costs." A new study has concluded that surgery patients in rooms with lots of natural light took less pain medication, and their drug costs ran 21% less than for equally ill patients assigned to darker rooms. Those in the brighter rooms also had lower stress levels and said they felt less pain the day after surgery and at discharge, says Bruce Rabin, a physician and immunologist at the University of Pittsburgh. Light meters showed that darker rooms at Montefiore University Hospital in Pittsburgh had 46% less natural light than those on the sunny side. Although the hospital light came from the sun, some bulbs on the market are advertised as duplicating natural sunlight.

Super Tuesday ... Today is the 62nd day of the year ... Super Tuesday in politics ... and at long last, pub date for my new book, The Death & Life of Charlie St. Cloud. It's an auspicious day for writers, not least because it's the centennial of Dr. Seuss's (Theodor Geisel's) birthday. It's also Tom Wolfe's 72nd and John Irving's 62nd. (For the record: it's Jon Bon Jovi's 42nd, Lou Reed's 62nd birthday, and Michail Gorbachev's 73rd. And in 1933, the movie King Kong had its world premiere in New York). So ... I hope you'll vote early and often and if you have a moment, pick up a copy of Green Eggs & Ham. Or The Death and Life of Charlie St. Cloud!

Guns & Poses ... An extraordinary and unpublicized story from The Wall Street Journal and Arizona Republic: The chairman of Smith & Wesson, the country's second-largest gun maker, has resigned after it was disclosed that he spent time in prison in the 1950s and 1960s for an armed-robbery spree and an attempted prison escape. Turns out James Minder spent 15 years in Michigan prisons for his crimes and ultimately confessed to eight armed robberies. He was known for carrying a sawed-off 16-gauge shotgun. Minder, now 74, became chairman of S&W in January, and has had a clean record since his release from prison in 1969, but the revelations about his criminal past are extremely awkward, not least because convicted felons are banned from owning or possessing firearms. So... How did this happen? Minder told the Arizona Republic he never disclosed his criminal history because he was never asked.