James Patterson uses a real life Mayo employee as the protagonist in a just published mystery. Her name: Angela Hoot.

He got the idea to use her name in a book because of two things. “One, because she was really good to me. It was a big deal for me to have an operation, you’re sort of dealing with matters of mortality for the first time, so in the context of that, Angela and the people at Mayo made it as easy as it could be,” he said. …

“And then the name — it’s such a terrific, unusual name.”

Had Hoot’s name been, for instance, “Mary Jones,” he might not have chosen to immortalize her this way.

“That’s what makes it fun,” he said. “Hoot — what a great name, don’t you think?”

I normally don’t read a lot of Patterson, but this novel and the one in which Angela Hoot is the protagonist are on deck, I guess.

The dynamic duo – who gave us 2018’s The President Is Missing (I devoured it in 2 days while on vacation in New Mexico) – is set to thrill once again in ‘21.

Announcing the book on Thursday night, publisher Century said the novel would be “informed by details that only a president can know”.

The book will follow the pair’s first thriller, 2018’s The President is Missing, but is a standalone novel, not a sequel, with a new cast of characters. The President is Missing, which has sold over 3.2m copies worldwide, sees the US president forced to go off grid after he discovers a traitor in his cabinet. Television network Showtime is currently developing an adaptation of the novel, with David Oyelowo playing the president.

The short story collection from Stephen King, If It Bleeds. Just finished the first — “Mr. Harrigan’s Phone”, an eighty-page or so treatment on the unintended consequences of one’s reticence toward nascent technology. Glad I waited for a couple of years to get my first iPhone, a 3GS.

In challenging times, local black booksellers find resiliency.

Now, to survive COVID-19, they’re getting creative. They’re applying for disaster loans. Those with fledgling e-commerce operations are racing to fortify them. They’re banding together to put on virtual events. And they’re turning to the communities they serve for a helping hand.

It’s always good to take in one of these lists. Especially now.

This month, a little over one year ago, I moved my main blog to the Micro(dot)blog indie web platform. Its creator Manton Reece and his philosophy drew me into its ecosystem. I can honestly say that the move has definitely made blogging much easier, with much less friction, and the upshot? The site is a thriving one … in my mind, anyway.

This blog – disguised as an author site – during the same period last year, spent the entire time languishing on an expensive host (SiteGround) with a clunky, yet feature-rich platform (Wordpress) which made for a less than user-friendly experience. Only four posts on the site last year confirmed my lack of enthusiasm for its upkeep. (Sigh.)

Well, I’ve decided to move my “author site” over to Manton’s platform today, a little over a year that Doctor Pundit made the transition, and I am excited to do so. Hopefully, the site will be much more than a static presence on the interwebs.