Country noir writer Daniel Woodrell has died. Here’s the only line I remember from the time I met him…

Joe is fixing things behind the scenes…

If you’re thinking of getting copies of my books, it couldn’t be easier. I’ve got you covered, even for autographed books!

Just to continue this thought while it’s still in my head: We loved writing The Indiana Jones Handbook. It allowed us to reconnect with the three films—the first three that were out at the time we were preparing the MS—and geek out on all the little details of them. At the time, we were living in a small rental apartment here in North Carolina, and we blew a week watching and rewatching the films, and taking notes. Totally a blast to do that kind of research.

Then it shifted to actual research, trying to figure out where the reality of the outside world of science and history collided with the fantasy world of the films…

We’ve been doing some decluttering, and boy does the TV room need it. We collect a lot of stuff. But the one feature of that room that looks great is the shelf where we keep tiki mugs and other odd items from different nations. This is one spot where the clutter actually works. Why? Because the items are all congregated under this fantastic map of the Indiana Jones universe, created by artist Matt Busch…

If you’re thinking of getting copies of my books, it couldn’t be easier. I’ve got you covered, even for autographed books!

I resolved to post on a regular basis, and I have done well since July or so. But the last two weeks have thrown me for a loop. Denise had three book events in town alone, then we were on the road for a few days for a combo book tour/research trip, then…sadly, the death of one of my old college friends necessitated a trip north for a funeral. Those are never fun, but in this case it was important to me to do so…

Busy weekend for us. A local book festival, a friend over, and another book event. Through it all, a flurry of old friends and new, and an unexpected Elvis mystery.

Here’s how it all went down…

My books are packed, and we are headed to the Carolina Mountains Literary Festival in Burnsville today, Friday, September 8. We’re doing one talk at 3 p.m., and signing books at 5 p.m.

Details here. The full schedule is here. Hope to see you there if you’re going…

When I meet math teachers at schools or conferences, they assume that I am a lifelong math lover since my picture book is about Leonardo of Pisa, namesake of the Fibonacci Sequence. I should come clean. Math teachers, here’s what I’ve been ashamed to confess: When I was a kid, there was no subject I feared more than math.