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Vacation and Spartans.  Now there's a word combination you don't see every day.  After all, it's not exactly like recreation and relaxation spring to mind when you think of Spartan warriors.  Then again, romance and love probably wouldn't have occurred to you either, at least not until my "Gods of Midnight" series debuted last fall with Red Fire.

But this particular band of Spartans, an immortal brotherhood of seven, have been protecting mankind from every form of evil for more than twenty-five hundred years.  In my mind these hot guys are due a hot vacation (or is that a cool vacation from the heat?)  So with summer just now kicking into gear, I thought it might be fun to handpick ideal vacations for each of the seven warriors-and brush up on who exactly is who while we're at it.  I can't think of a better way to celebrate the release of Red Kiss tomorrow!

King Leonidas.  Need I say more? Of the seven immortals, he's probably most in need of a spa day (mud wrap? Seaweed facial? Spray tan?)  He's also least likely to take time out for himself.  So, uh, good King Leo? I've come up with a summer activity list to help you unwind when you're not fighting demons. 

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Let's get the marketing out of the way:  CARPE CORPUS comes out tomorrow!  It's book six of the Morganville Vampires series.

So, you say, you've never heard of the Morganville Vampires series?  Fear not, my friend!  Let me give you a quick, very broad introduction:

When Claire Danvers' parents ship her off to Texas Prairie University at Morganville - a backwater town with a not-too-stellar university - they do it out of love.  She's only 16, and they're not ready to send her off to MIT just yet.  One year, they insist.  One year, close by.  Then you can transfer.

But there's a problem with moving to Morganville.  Claire quickly runs afoul of the meanest of mean girls on campus, and by moving off campus into a funky house of outcasts - Michael Glass, Eve Rosser, and Shane Collins - she transfers out of the normal curriculum, and into one where failure means death.

Morganville isn't like other towns.  Outside of the university borders, the vampires run the place, operating like the Undead Mafia; they own the businesses, collect protection money, and tax residents in blood donations.  Once you know the real Morganville, you can't leave.  Ever.

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The French publisher gets me this weekend--then I'm all over the U.S. for The Dark Horse tour. My wife spent another afternoon in the Louvre, and I waited reclining on the steps underneath the archway Denton in the great courtyard. I like art but I think it's important to set limits in any relationship. I'd already traipsed through a half-dozen museums looking over the heads of Japanese tourists and their cameras, so I decided to forgo the greatest art museum in the world and, instead, do a little people watching. Of course now to watch one must be willing to be watched-that's just the way the rules are written.

After about an hour, I was getting a little bored, so I slipped my cowboy hat down over my eyes, crossed the pointed toes of my size twelves, and closed my eyes. I'd been that way for about twenty minutes when I heard some whispering and shuffling on the steps below. I raised the brim of my hat and saw three little boys about seven years of age with their backpacks and matching red caps studying me. "...Le cow-boy."

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The New York Times Bestseller Highlights for the Week of June 7th 

 (View this week's bestseller lists for fiction, nonfiction, and young readers on Penguin.com)

Two new Penguin Group (USA) titles debut on The New York Times bestseller list for the week of June 7th: The Sign by Raymond Khoury (Dutton) hits at #9 on the hardcover fiction list; and Chasing the Bear by Robert B. Parker (Philomel) appears at #10 on the children's chapter books list. In addition, Lock and Key by Sarah Dessen (Speak) hits #1 in its second week on the children's paperback list.

Here are more New York Times bestseller highlights:

On the hardcover fiction list, Wicked Prey by John Sandford (Putnam) is #2 in its second week; Dead and Gone by Charlaine Harris (Ace) is #4 in its third week; and The Help by Kathryn Stockett (Amy Einhorn Books/ Putnam) is #11 in its eighth week.

On the hardcover nonfiction list, The Girls from Ames by Jeffrey Zaslow (Gotham) is #4 in its fifth week.

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Craig Johnson is our guest blogger during the week of June 1st. If you have any questions for Craig Johnson, add a comment to any of his posts.

Here is more information on The Dark Horse:

Walt Longmire goes undercover to save a woman in an unfriendly place

Interweaving classic noir sensibilities and humor with contemporary themes of social justice, Craig Johnson's popular Walt Longmire mysteries transport readers to the sparse and rugged landscape of Wyoming. In The Dark Horse, the sheriff investigates when his instincts tell him something isn't right about a prisoner accused of killing her husband.

Wade Barsad, a man with a dubious past, locked his wife's horses in their barn and burned the animals alive. In return, Mary shot Wade in the head six times-or so the story goes. Walt doesn't believe Mary's confession, and he's determined to dig deeper. Posing as an insurance claims investigator, Walt soon discovers other people who might have wanted Wade dead, including a beautiful Guatemalan bartender and a rancher with a taste for liquor, but not for honesty.

The Dark Horse is sure to build on the success of Another Man's Moccasins as Sheriff Longmire unpins his star and ventures into a town without pity to save a woman without hope.

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Strong Presence for Penguin Group (USA) at BookExpo America 2009 Breakthrough Novel Award 

 

BookExpo America 2009 is being held this weekend at the Jacob Javits Center in New York City and Penguin Group (USA) once again has a strong presence at the event. Yesterday, The AAP Librarian's Dinner was packed with librarians from all across the country and featured Kathryn Stockett, author of the debut Putnam novel, The Help, and five other authors talking about their favorite "librarian stories" and how libraries helped shape their careers as writers. The Editors Buzz Forum, an SRO event, featured Dutton Senior Editor, Ben Sevier and five other editors talking about the stories behind their "buzz books." Ben had the room enthralled speaking about Jonathan Tropper's upcoming Dutton novel, This Is Where I Leave You. In addition, Viking/Penguin's Greg Mortenson was featured at an off-site event at the 92nd St. Y.

Among the many Penguin authors who will do autographings this weekend, is Dutton's Anthony Zuiker, who is currently in the Penguin booth signing copies of his upcoming "digi-novel" Level 26: The Dark Chronicles to a large crowd that has turned out, while a chilling and exciting sample reel of corresponding motion picture footage plays on a plasma screen.

Other highlights include the Saturday luncheon, which will feature Dan Pink, author of Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Truly Motivates Us (Riverhead Books); and Mary Karr, author of The Liars Club, which Penguin publishes. Ken Auletta, author of Googled: The End of the World as We Know It (The Penguin Press), will be the Master of Ceremonies. Penguin Group (USA) sales rep Tom Benton will be attending to accept his Publishers Weekly Sales Rep of the Year Award. In addition, Penguin Young Readers' Tomie de Paola, author of Strega Nona's Harvest will be featured in tomorrow's CBC Breakfast, and Penguin Young Readers Group author Mike Lupica, nationally syndicated sports columnist, will participate in the "The ABC Not a Dinner and (Mostly) Silent Auction" event in Brooklyn tonight.

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