I’ve been working on my YA novel for a long time now; most difficult task I’ve ever set for myself. Maybe that’s because it’s not my usual style. It’s coming along, though, and I’m hoping to have a good draft by autumn, or at least by the end of the year.

I’m going to Asia with my daughter Georgia for the first 3 weeks of May. Hong Kong, Guilan China, Vietnam, Cambodia. We’re very excited to be doing this. I’ll post pictures on My Space and Facebook when I return.

Otherwise, life is good. Reading good books, drinking good wine (and making some), spending a lot of time in Tennessee with Chris Bell, the author, and Bo and Dorna May, old film-maker friends.

In touch when I’m back, late in May.

Christmas Day. A day, hopefully, for renewal and love for all those in your life.

I finished an original screenplay this fall, and am back to working on my kids book, which I hope to finish this spring or summer. It’s a time travel book, and I’m having a lot of fun working on it; a change of pace from my normal style of thrillers and dark explorations. I still have some of those going as well, and I’m going to have a very productive 2009. Hope you all do, too.

On the southern and central California coast we have a lot of summer fog. Even in August and September, we often don’t get sun until after noon. It’s pleasant, not cold or chilly, but overcast. Good writing weather, which I’m trying to do as much of as possible before I take off for the south and then New York City, where I’ll spend time with my daughter Georgia and son-in-law Josh, check in with my agent, see friends, eat and drink well, roam the streets.

I’m almost done with my original screenplay, an American road movie. I haven’t written a screenplay in a while. Certain themes lend themselves, for me, to movies rather than books, and this is one of them, although I might go back and figure out how to turn it into a road novel. Huckleberry Finn and On The Road were pretty successful, as I recall (I’m not putting myself in that company, only as to type of novel).

The wine grapes will be early this year. My home wine-making group, the Pagan Brothers, are planning on making Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah this year. We have access to good grapes, so we’re making pretty decent wine. I share it with friends, take it to restaurants (good conversation opener with waiters and sommeliers), give much of it away to people who appreciate wine.

Reading Christine Falls, by Benjamin Black (pseudonym for John Banville). Thriller writing of very high quality.

Weather here is great, and I’m almost finished my original screenplay that’s a loose combination of Easy Rider and Jules and Jim. An American road movie. Then I’ll go back to fiction. I’m waiting on a new deal from a new publisher before I decide what to write next.

My friend Selden Edwards just published his first novel, THE LITTLE BOOK . It took him 33 years and 8 drafts, but it’s out now at Dutton and may well be a best-seller. Shows that if you persevere long enough and have something worthy to say, it can happen.

Going to Nashville soon to see my friend Christine Bell, a wonderful novelist. Her two published novels are SAINT and THE PEREZ FAMILY . Well worth seeking out.

Dodgers are still in the pennant race, miraculously. Fingers crossed for one more month. They’ll probably find a way to blow it, they’ve been doing that all season.

I’m looking forward to publishing my last two books, A Killing In The Valley and In My Dark Dreams, in mass market paperback editions. I’ll do it either with an established publisher or through one of the new on-line venues, such as the new one Amazon has set up called Createspace.com. This is going to be the wave of the future in publishing — on demand, immediately available, at reasonable price points. I’ll have more information in a month or so. I’m finishing an original screenplay and making a decision about what my next novel will be. Lots of good ideas to sort out.

I was in the Middle East for a month recently, and the trip really opened my eyes regarding how the rest of the world acts and thinks. Everyone we met was warm and open and very accessible. Despite their almost unanimous opposition to our being in Iraq, they all want to come to America. And recently I was in Nashville visiting old friends, people I worked with in my television producing days. This is a great country, and I want my books to reflect that, along with everything else.

Springtime, a great time to buy books, particularly my new legal thriller, In My Dark Dreams. You can go to Zooba.com and get it there. It is also available (used) at Amazon.

I’m currently writing a screenplay about the great American road, and planning my next novel, which I’m pretty sure will be set in Los Angeles, home to Chandler, Wambaugh, Connelly, so many wonderful crime writers. I’ll keep you up to date, but in the meantime, buy my latest book, also set in L.A.