A mid-November Sunday afternoon in Michigan can be counted on for two things: (1) A Detroit Lions football loss and (2) Writers on the River at the Monroe County Library System.

This year the event was held in Temperence, MI at the Bedford Branch. Nice location! The library is roomy, full of fine art, and staffed by helpful librarians and pages.

Charlie and I spent the day chatting with old friends and new. We signed quite a few books for readers and presented a short book talk in the "round room." Good times!

We also got to know authors Debbie Diesen and Tara Michener. What nice people! I wish we would have had time to get more acquainted with the other 30+ authors at the event.

Hope to see everyone again next year!

Today we salute our nation’s veterans. Thank you, men and women of the armed forces.

Only 44 days until Christmas! Who can believe it? The year 2010 is almost over.

On that note, Charlie and I have big things planned for 2011. And not just our birthdays (June 8 for me, August 25 for Charlie—hint, hint). Look for Hereos A²Z #12: Lost Puppy Love and #13: Monkey Monster Truck. Crazy, we know.

Also, prepare yourselves as we venture into the realm of mystery and monsters in our brand new series Mystery365. That’s right, 365 days—a full year—of frightening phantoms and phenomena. To prepare for the series launch, watch for weekly tales of terror every Monday beginning in January. They will be posted on our website, facebook page, and twitter account. They will be 100% free to read … if you dare.

In the meantime, enjoy the coming holiday season. Real heroes read!