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Since I haven't done a Pick Katie's Brain blog post in forever, I thought this week's stint on Penguin's blog would be the perfect opportunity to answer some of those pesky questions readers have for me. If you have a burning question you're dying to know, feel free to post it and I'll do my best to answer it later this week.

Question #1: Can I have a book with a crab fishing vampire...or dragon?

Normally, I'd giggle at this question (I happen to know the woman who asked this is smitten with the Deadliest Catch show) and move on, but what's behind the question itself is interesting-the desire for readers to have their favorite elements included in future books.

Believe it or not, I do actually listen to reader requests. I'm not always able to act on them, but I do listen, and when possible, incorporate reader desires into books. That's why Paen in Even Vampires Get the Blues was Scottish-and appeared in a kilt. I had received so many requests, both on my message forum and via e-mail, for a Scottish kilt-wearing vampire that I decided it was a story element I could work with, and included it into the storyline.

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Greg Mortenson and His Daughter Amira Attend UN World Refugee Day 

Bestselling author Greg Mortenson and daughter Amira attended the United Nations World Refugee Day yesterday in Washington, D.C. While there, Amira hit it off with Angelina Jolie, actress and UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador, who is seen here holding a copy of the young reader’s edition of Three Cups of Tea, which features a Q&A with Amira.

The United Nations General Assembly designated June 20 as World Refugee Day to recognize and celebrate the contribution of refugees throughout the world. Since then, World Refugee Day has become an annual commemoration marked by a variety of events in over a hundred countries. This year’s World Refugee Day theme is “Real People, Real Needs”. From June 18-20 the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) will commemorate World Refugee Day for the ninth consecutive year in Washington, DC, in order to draw the public’s attention to the millions of refugees world-wide who are forced to flee their homes.
 

The New York Times Bestseller Highlights for the Week of June 28th 

For the week of June 28th, Public Enemies by Bryan Burrough (Penguin) debuts at #11 on the paperback nonfiction list.

Here are more New York Times bestseller highlights:

On the hardcover fiction list, Medusa by Clive Cussler and Paul Kemprecos (Putnam) is #5 in its second week; Skin Trade by Laurell K. Hamilton (Berkley) is #6 in its second week; Dead and Gone by Charlaine Harris (Ace) is #12 in its sixth week; Wicked Prey by John Sandford (Putnam) is #14 in its fifth week; and The Help by Kathryn Stockett (Amy Einhorn Books/ Putnam) is #16 in its eleventh week.

On the hardcover nonfiction list, The Girls from Ames by Jeffrey Zaslow (Gotham) is #10 in its seventh week.

On the trade paperback fiction list, Vision in White by Nora Roberts (Berkley) is #6 in its seventh week; The Beach House by Jane Green (Plume) is #15 in its third week; The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini (Riverhead) returns to the list at #16 in its 207th week; City of Thieves by David Benioff (Plume) is #15 in its eleventh week; and The Likeness by Tana French (Penguin) is #19 in its third week.

On the mass market fiction list, Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris (Ace) is #2 in its 29th week; Salvation in Death by J.D. Robb (Berkley) is #5 in its second week; The Front by Patricia Cornwell (Berkley) is #9 in its third week; From Dead to Worse and Living Dead in Dallas, both by Charlaine Harris (Ace), are #12 and #13 respectively; Phantom Prey by John Sandford (Berkley) is #116 in its sixth week; and Club Dead by Charlaine Harris (Ace) is #18 in its fifteenth week.

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Greg Mortenson Receives Prestigious Jefferson Award for Public Service

Three Cups of Tea author Greg Mortenson received a Jefferson Award for Public Service for his 16 years of work promoting literacy and girls’ education. He was honored at a ceremony in Washington, D.C. on June 16th.

The Jefferson Awards, known in some circles as the “Nobel Prize” for community and public service, were started in 1972. This year, Mortenson was recognized in the national category of “greatest public service by a private citizen” alongside Senator Edward Kennedy of Massachusetts, who received a similar award for “greatest public service by an appointed official.”

Past recipients include former President Jimmy Carter, former Secretary of State Colin Powell, and children’s rights’ advocate Marion Wright Edelman.