Birthdays: Philip Barry (1896-1949), Gail Godwin (1937), Chris Van Allsburg (1949), Lidia Yuknavitch (1963), Richard Powers (1957)

Tip: Don’t be afraid to promote your books in unconventional places. Link your story to something or somewhere special and use that for promo purposes. I have a friend whose cozy mysteries center around a funeral home. She’s made friends with them and they have been promoting her work.

Thought for the day: “I write for what’s left of the eight-year-old still rattling around inside my head.” – Chris Van Allsburg

Jumpstart: It is the middle of the night and your phone rings. The voice on the other end says: “You won’t get away with it. I’ll see that you pay.” There is a scream and a loud crack… and the line goes dead. Caller ID is “unknown”. What if anything do you do? Did you deserve the call? Why?