When Nelson DeMille came to Pittsburgh to promote his novel, Up Country, it gave me a chance to thank him for saying so many wonderful things about my first novel, The Plantation.

We talked for several minutes about the publishing world, and he gave me some great advice ― not only about writing but also about marketing. I’m telling you, the guy is a genius. Right before this photo was taken, he grabbed a copy of his book and turned it toward the camera so he would get some free publicity on my website. Unfortunately, I didn’t have a copy of my book to hold in the photo, so I grabbed his ass instead. (It was remarkably firm.)