May 24, 2010 Hello to All, May has been an exciting month for us. Kathy had her tonsils out on May 5th and spent two weeks alternately sleeping, groaning, and complaining about bland food. Until, that is, Mike decided on day 6 after surgery that he’d pour about one tablespoon of ancho chili powder in her scrambled eggs. No more complaints about bland food, but A LOT more groaning. Apparently that wasn’t such a good idea. Who knew? Last weekend we travelled to beautiful Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, to attend the wedding of our good friends, Vince Hayes and Michelle Mahon. They were married at the historic Cataldo Mission, built in the 1830’s. The chapel and ceremony were gorgeous. The best part was Michelle’s handwritten vows. Made everybody cry. The second best part was Vince forgetting his vows. Made everybody laugh. Then we attended the reception at a great wine bar called Barrel Room No. 6. All in all, it was a wonderful time in a gorgeous location. We drove straight through yesterday and got home late last night. On our way to Coeur d’Alene we stopped in Missoula, Montana, and had breakfast with authors Kat Martin and Larry J. Martin. What a delightful morning that was! We talked about everything from publishing (Kat just hit the New York Times bestseller list. Congratulations, Kat!) to ebooks, and the future of reading. Larry’s latest book, KILLING CANCER, is out and makes fascinating reading for those interested in all aspects of the subject. We’re back to work today on THE BROKEN LAND, book 3 of the People of the Longhouse saga. It’s a great day to be inside writing–rainy and cool. There are two bull elk, in velvet, grazing in the meadow in front of the house. Hope everyone is having a pretty May. Best Regards, Mike and Kathy

Greetings All: One of the benefits of being a writer on tour with a culturally sensitive pubisher like Tor/Forge is that we get occasional perks on sell-in tours like the one for PEOPLE OF THE LONGHOUSE. In this case we were able to tour the Iroquois Museum at www.iroquoismuseum.org at 324 Caverns Road, Howes Cave, New York, 12092. This is a wonderful cultural resource just east of Albany, New York, off of I-88. Should you ever be in the area, please drop in and say hello to Steph Shultes, the curator and MikeTarbell the museum’s outstanding educator. We shared lunch, asked questions, and Michael spent real quality time conversing with the turtles. Not only is it a cultural icon for road-weary anthropologists, but any place that rescues turtles lies close to the heart of Creation. The following day we were able to journey to Victor, New York, just southeast of Rochester off 1-90. There we toured the site of Ganondagan–an historic/prehistoric Seneca town site with a reconstructed 18th century longhouse. The site itself was occupied as early as the 1600s. The museum was closed, but the trail around the ridgetop site is stunning. Meanwhile we have been meeting with booksellers throughout eastern New York, finally finding ourselves on Madison Avenue–in the city–as we write this entry. Tomorrow we meet with our publisher at Tor/Forge to discuss plans for the release of PEOPLE OF THE LONGHOUSE. Hopefully we’ll be back this summer to sign copies for our fans. To the booksellers, managers, and staff that we’ve met, we say thank you for your warm welcomes. Hopefully our discussions have led you to a fuller appreciation of North America’s Native heritage, and the contribution of Iroquois political philosophy to the world in general.

Greetings from New England and Upstate New York! It’s been a very busy two weeks. We left Wyoming expecting snowy rain, but drove to St. Louis in delightful weather. There we toured the Cahokia Mounds, attended the Society for American Archaeology meetings, and visited with old friends. We learned many wonderful new things and really decided we need to write another Cahokia novel. It’s been 20 years since we researched PEOPLE OF THE RIVER. Wow! Have things changed. On the way to the airport, the left front hub on the Dodge began to clatter. Since it was Sunday, and we were getting on a plane, the truck is staying in the long term lot at Lambert field. When we get back we’ll figure out where to take it and get it fixed before rolling back home. Meanwhile, we’ve been on Sell-in tour for PEOPLE OF THE LONGHOUSE in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Maine, Vermont, and New York. Sell-in consists of meeting with booksellers, talking about the up-coming novel, and building excitement for the release of the book. The country, as always, is stunning. We’ve been following the trail of Gannajero, Odion, Koracoo, and Gonda through the mountains and down to the Conneticut River. Tonight we’re in Mohawk Iroquois country, trying to tune into the spirits who still inhabit the wooded places. Special thanks to our sales rep, Ellen Pyle. She took Mike and Kathy out for Lobster in Portland, Maine, and filled her whole day escorting her two wide-eyed authors from store to store. Ellen, you’re one of the best. If you live in New England, we left signed copies at Northshire Books, 4869 Main Street, Manchester Center, Vermont. Signed copies are also available at Gibson’s Books, 275 Main, Concord, New Hampshire. If you are in the Manchester, New Hampshire, you can find signed copies at the Barnes & Noble on south Willow Street. In Portsmouth, New Hampshire, contact Riverrun Bookstore at 20 Congress Street and Tom will take good care of you. Meanwhile, it’s late. We’ve been at it from can see to can’t. Time to get some shuteye and tackle the rest of the world tomorrow.

Hi Folks! This is just a tour update. We signed 1200 copies of COMING OF THE STORM in Michigan. Signed copies will be shipping to Krogers stores throughout Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana, and Northern Tennessee. They will also be available in select Krogers in Maryland, Virginia, and West Virginia. In the Mid West you can also find signed books in Jay C stores. We stopped at the National Park Service’s De Soto Memorial in Bradenton, Florida. Great people, super interpretive exhibits, and Diana Bauman and Dan Stevens made us welcome. If you find yourself in the area, please drop by. We’re getting ready to head off to our Barnes & Noble here in Orlando. No Mickey Mouse, just a couple of hours talking to fans, signing stock, and shaking hands. If you can’t find a signed copy anywhere else, please contact any of the stores listed on the following blog post. They will be delighted to send you a copy! But hey, the temperature down here is in the fifties! Us Wyoming folk were looking forward to the eighties! All the best from the road, Mike and Kathy