I had a wake-up call at 4:20 a.m. to make my flight out of Memphis to Kansas City. So when I finally got to my hotel here, I was dog-tired. I read some e-mails, had some lunch, read, took a nap. And then at 3:30 p.m. there's a knock at my door. Tired, cranky, I demanded to know who was there. "Guest relations" the man said. His disembodied voice reminded me of the old "Land Shark" routine from Saturday Night Live. Remember? "Candygram"? Anywho, I went to the door, opened it, and there was a man standing there with a tray of huge chocolate chip cookies and chocolate covered strawberries and grapes, all drizzled with white chocolate. Apparently this is one of the perks you get when staying on the concierge level at the Sheraton here. I was happily munching away when my cell rang. It was Stuart, the best damned agent in the world, posing an odd question. "What's the luckiest number?" he demanded. "Dunno," I said. And then he hollered "Thirteen, as in DEEP DISH is number 13 on the New York Times Bestseller List!"
I think they heard me screeching clear over in St. Louis. And I know the people on the floor below me thought there were elephants roller skating overhead when they heard the sounds of me doing the happy dance all over my hotel room. My past three books have made it to the extended NYT list, but never the printed list before.I am over the moon. Wow! Chocolate covered chocolate chip cookies and my first trip to the PRINTED New York Times list, all in the space of half an hour. Life is very, very sweet tonight. Also fattening. So thanks, kind readers, for buying my books, and telling your friends, and coming out to see me in DC, Raleigh, Souther Pines, Atlanta, Memphis and Kansas City--at the very cool Rainy Day Books, and everyplace else. Tomorrow, on to Birmingham. Y'all come!