Woke up to a temperature of -9 (that's Fahrenheit to my international readers) and it's supposed to go all the way up to a whopping -3 (as of my latest check) and despite that cold, I am planning on making a cold call to a book store up the street to see if they will take my book, "A Rose by any Other Name" on consignment. That's part I to the request, the part II then involves asking permission to have a reading/signing there as well.

Meanwhile, a friend is having an event later this week and I am not sure if me and my words meet the agenda, but I'll ask if I can come read a tale or two and try and sell some drinkers some books. Working on the campaign for IndieGoGo to try and raise some real publicity monies so that I can finally begin to take "Rose" on the road. Wisconsin gigs upcoming notwithstanding, it's really time to try and connect with an audience.

Looks like I have decided to make the youthful protagonist in my next book an arsonist - or a fantasy arsonist (haven't figured that out yet. Perhaps that's what the reader will do for me) and that could be fun to scribble. Actually, with the pain in my writing hand, my days of handwriting may have run their course. That said, one of the "prizes" for contributors to the "Rose" campaign will be one of the original, hand-written tales from the collection. No Brian Mazo collection is complete without one...

Strongly considered watching the early NFL game yesterday and root half-assed for the 49ers, but when push came to kickoff, I decided to keep reading. Finished Jim Carroll's posthumous, final book, the novel "The Petting Zoo" in the early afternoon and then picked up Don Winslow's "The Dawn Patrol" later in the day. Working my way through Winslow's lead-ups to "Savages" and the superior, "Kings of Cool."

Watched "Looper" last night and it's pretty darn good sci-fi. Bruce Willis is one of the better cinematic time travelers: I think a screening of "12 Monkeys" makes sense after "Looper."

Gave the next novel, "Live Fast! (Die Out of Town)" to another set of eyes as I await my draft copy to come back in the mail and then I will return to the editing process on that one (reading it aloud to DTA) as I make my PR mistakes with "Rose."

Stay warm ... wherever you may be reading this...

Cheers
B.