I am pleased to share that we have three author interviews running this week. And unlike what we have seen in the presidential and vice-presidential debates, the authors actually answer the questions that they are asked. Imagine that! As you know, I really do not like politics, but there are times when I watched the debates and I thought that maybe these folks can play "Jeopardy!" next. They can get a topic and say, "Economy for $200." Then they can answer something like "What is a problem that America faces?" Then the question can be resolved with a question instead of an answer! This might help.

Speaking of economics, I had something interesting happen this week, which I think many of you who are parents can relate to. My older son Greg was coming over to the office to work. I met up with him outside his dorm, and we walked back to my office. On the way I saw a Starbucks and decided that I would love a Passion Iced Tea Lemonade. Greg said if we went to the Starbucks near his dorm I could get a discount. So we turned back two blocks. On the way he asked me for my Starbucks card to pay and decided he wanted a drink too. I told him I thought my card only had $4.40 on it. So I handed him my AMEX to reload it with $20 more in case he needed that. So the drink that would have cost me, let’s say, $3.75 then ran me $3.75 x 2 = $7.50 and a reload on my AMEX. But I was told I saved money. I think that Greg can go from Fordham right to Washington!

As you know, turquoise is my favorite color. The other night, my son Cory asked me if I knew what color was added to blue to make the color turquoise. I had no idea. He said, "Copper." As he told me this, he was looking at a terrific book, ONE MILLION THINGS: A Visual Encyclopedia, that I had brought home for him. By the way, since my office at the house has two copper walls and two turquoise ones, now I know why the colors work so well together. Another book for those of you who love factoids is HOW THE STATES GOT THEIR SHAPES by Mark Stein. I always wondered about that. I also wonder how decisions are made about time zones. Are people of different sides of the street in different time zones anywhere? Questions like these evoke memories of Charles Kuralt's "On the Road" segments.

This weekend Banned Books Week wraps up. Last weekend I got an interesting note about banned books from Cristina, one of our readers. "I went to a bookstore with my mother's cousin who has just arrived from Cuba. You should have seen her face! She walked down the aisles and by the tables filled with the books, telling me which books she had read. I was surprised because many books are banned in Cuba and wanted to know how she got a hold of books like ANIMAL FARM, for example. She told me that she was able to read many books because she would 'borrow' them for the night and give them back by the next morning. Imagine books that are 200 or 300 pages and having to devour them in one night! She said that there were always people waiting for the few copies they had and that they were scared to be caught with books that were not approved or were banned by the regime. Then today when I went to Books and Books and saw their display of Banned Books it really hit me....How lucky we truly are that we can read anything we want and that we can voice our opinions against people who want to ban certain books." Lots to think about there.

We are launching three new features this week. Our first is for suspense/thriller writer M.J. Rose, whose new novel, THE MEMORIST, will be in stores on October 28th. Many of you already know M.J.’s work. This is the second book in her Reincarnationist series that began last year with THE REINCARNATIONIST. In this book, a woman haunted by memories of a past life embarks on an unforgettable journey. The pre-pub buzz on this one has been just wonderful! We have 10 copies of THE MEMORIST to give away to readers who would like to preview the book and comment about it. If you are interested, please fill out this form by Friday, October 10th.

We are also launching a new feature for Carla Neggers and her latest romantic suspense novel, COLD PURSUIT. You may remember the contest we hosted on Bookreporter.com this past spring for THE ANGEL. Neggers certainly knows how to tell an intriguing story. We have 10 copies of COLD PURSUIT to give away to readers who would like to preview the book and comment about it. If you are interested, please fill out this form by Friday, October 10th.

Last but certainly not least, Christopher Fowler is our newest Mystery Mayhem author. In THE VICTORIA VANISHES, the latest installment in his Peculiar Crimes Unit series, a team of detectives must get to the bottom of a string of some very unusual murders. We have 10 copies of THE VICTORIA VANISHES to give away to readers who would like to preview the book and comment about it. If you are interested, please fill out this form by Friday, October 10th.

I realized the other day that I use more cookbooks during the fall and winter months than other times during the year. As the leaves fall, I find myself paging through cookbooks for ideas of something to make for dinner, and I am more likely to experiment with cooking. Our poll this week asks about cookbooks. “Do you use cookbooks when you are preparing meals?” And “On average, how many nights a week do you prepare dinner?” Our question is “What is your favorite cookbook?” In our house my husband cooks during the week since I rarely am home before 8 and I cook on weekends. Though I have a whole closet full of cookbooks (I devour them like novels), if I grab a cookbook, quickly, it’s usually one of the Silver Palate ones. I actually honed my skills cooking with these when I first got married, so some of my old favorite recipes are in them. My only dilemma is that I usually am trying to remember WHICH book what recipe is in!

This week we have two great prizes in our Word of Mouth contest. Five readers each will win a copy of THE BRASS VERDICT by Michael Connelly and HARDLY KNEW HER: Stories by Laura Lippman. Tell us what you are reading and rate the titles 1-5 by noon on October 17th to ensure that you are in the running to win these books.

Laura Lippman is the Guest of Honor next weekend at Bouchercon (pronounced Bowshercon for those of you who are wondering), the annual mystery convention that is being held in Baltimore. I am headed down there on Wednesday and will be there until Sunday morning. I am looking forward to catching up with my author and publishing pals. More on this next week!

My sister lives in the Atlanta area and has been having a lot of trouble getting gas for her car. Others of you in the Southeast have shared similar tales. As much as I love to shop in independent bookstores, moments like this do remind us that Amazon Prime, where you pay just $79 a year for unlimited two-day shipping, makes a lot of sense. Since we do not have an Indie close to the house, we balance our shopping between stores and Amazon, thus Prime does come in very handy. You can sign up for Amazon Prime here.

I hired an assistant for me at the office who started this week, Stephanie Shapoff. I am thrilled to have her on board since the company has grown dramatically over these past years. That, coupled with my travel, means I definitely need an anchor back in the office. She already made lots of piles go away!

Hmmm….I think it’s just about time to get the house decked out for Halloween. I go a bit out of control over this. Also, we need a theme for the tree that we build for charity each year at the local environmental center. We have been doing this for about 13 years now. Anyone with an idea? I confess that this year we are stumped.

Have a great week…happy reading…

Carol Fitzgerald (Carol@bookreporter.com)

Bookreporter.com's Donna Volkenannt recently spoke with Beverly Barton, the award-winning and bestselling author of over 60 novels, including the newly-released romantic suspense COLD HEARTED. In this interview, Barton explains how the "steel magnolias" in her life acted as inspiration for the book's strong female protagonist, and elaborates on the story's themes of family and loyalty. She also discusses the difficulties of writing from a villain's point of view, lists some of her favorite books and authors, and shares details about future projects, including the 2009 release of her next book, SILENT KILLER.

COLD HEARTED by Beverly Barton (Romantic Suspense)
Rick Carson is the agent assigned to investigate the death of Senator Daniel Price. Topping the list of suspects is Jordan Price, the Senator’s much younger and extremely beautiful wife. As Rick’s probe gets closer to the truth, the suspense heats up --- and so does his attraction to the wealthy widow. Reviewed by Donna Volkenannt.

-Click here to read a review of COLD HEARTED.
-Click here to read an excerpt from COLD HEARTED.

M.J. Rose is the international bestselling author of 10 novels, including THE REINCARNATIONIST and three titles in the Butterfield Institute series: THE HALO EFFECT, THE DELILAH COMPLEX and THE VENUS FIX. In THE MEMORIST, Rose's riveting follow-up to THE REINCARNATIONIST, a strange letter sets a woman on a journey to unlock the mystery of who she once was. THE MEMORIST will be available in stores on October 28th.

We have 10 copies of THE MEMORIST to give away to readers who would like to preview the book and comment about it. If you are interested, please fill out this form by Friday, October 10th.

-Click here to read M.J. Rose’s bio.
-Visit M.J. Rose's official website, www.MJRose.com.
-Visit M.J. Rose's two blogs, Buzz, Balls & Hype and Backstory.

More about THE MEMORIST:
As a child, Meers Logan was haunted by memories of another time and place, always accompanied by the faint strains of elusive music. Now the hand of the past has reached out again. Determined to unlock the mystery of who she once was, Meers travels to Vienna. With each step, she comes closer to remembering the connections between a clandestine reincarnationist society; the lost Memory Flute linked to Ludwig van Beethoven and rumored to open the door to the past; and to David Weiss, a journalist who knows all too well how the past affects the future.

PLAYING DEAD by Allison Brennan (Romantic Suspense)
A man trapped on death row who is innocent of murder. A daughter forever scarred by the betrayal of her father. A killer on the loose who delights in the senseless suffering of others...

New York Times bestselling author Allison Brennan has penned a pulse-stopping conclusion to her chilling Prison Break series that will leave readers begging for more.