The weather has been spectacular today. I hit the park around 8ish this morning and put in 5 miles. The breezes were incredible. What a change from just a few weeks ago. It was one of those mornings when you feel like you could run another 50 miles, even if your body is telling your brain “yeah, buddy, you just have to sit their while we do all the work.”

The writing goes well for The Light of Burning Shadows. I typically don’t write the beginning of anything I do until I have the conclusion firmly in my mind. Now that it’s come into focus the start of the book is beginning to gel. I think I’ve even settled on the epigraph, though I’ll hold off on a final decision until I’ve lived with it for a few weeks. For the longest time I was set on a TE Lawrence quote, but now I’m leaning a different way, definitely darker, but also more poetic (which is saying something when comparing to Lawrence). I’ll be curious to see if Americans are familiar with it.

What a night! The Police were, and are, amazing. The concert was brilliant. Even the opening act, The B-52s, put on a great show. Hearing Rock Lobster live was a real treat.

One of many highlights was the NYPD Drum Band that came on stage to play back-up on Message in a Bottle. The place went nuts. You could see the cops actually singing along as they played.

They opened with Cream’s Sunshine of Your Love and later in the show played Jimi Hendrix’s Purple Haze. The crowd, around 19,000 they said, sang along song after song. I know my voice is still hoarse today.

Almost all the major hits were played, although Synchronicity II didn’t make it into the play list. Roxanne, King of Pain, So Lonely, De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da, Everything Little Thing She Does is Magic (Sting’s daughters came on stage and danced during it,) Voices, Don’t Stand So Close To Me, Demolition Man, Walking on the Moon and more. It was the greatest of greatest hit packages live.

The show finished, literally, with the fat lady singing as they brought out a roadie dressed as a big opera singer followed by Porky Pig’s ‘That’s All Folks.” Sadly, it does seem that this will be their last show as a group, but I hold out hope they might yet be tempted to regroup at some point for another tour.

You can see some photos of the concert here:
The Police

In book news, the cover design for The Light of Burning Shadows has begun. Several ideas are being talked about so it’s still a bit early to know what the final image will be, but if it’s as strong as A Darkness Forged in Fire I’ll be very happy.

This Thursday I’ll be rocking along with one of my favorite rock groups of the 80’s (well, any decade really,) The Police. I did see Sting in concert years ago in his post-Police, Dream of the Blue Turtles days, but this will be my first, and likely only time, seeing the group together. The concert is reported to be their final one as a group. I imagine and hope we’ll hear staples like Roxanne, Every Breath You Take, Synchronicity II, and Don’t Stand So Close To Me (the original, not the later remix), but it’d be great if they put in some of the more obscure stuff as well.

In book news I’m thrilled to see that one of my books (editor hat here) The Border: Exploring the U.S.-Mexican Divide by David Danelo, is getting off to a really strong start. The book has already received a terrific review in the NY Post by Ralph Peters, another coming from Proceedings, an op-ed soon to publish in a major newspaper, and a radio interview later this week. We’re hoping and expecting more reviews and, fingers crossed, some television interviews. If you’d like to learn a little more about the author, a former Marine and combat vet now turned journalist, please check out his website at danelo.com.

Ok, way off base, but I now officially declare my love and admiration for Paris Hilton and here’s why When you get to the page scroll down a bit and click on the video for the best political ad this year.

Warm here in New York, but cooler than it has been the last few days. I did a 4 miler in the park and with a cool breeze blowing I felt like I could have run another one, but I’ve learned not to push too hard too fast and risk an injury. What was even nicer is that the opening to The Light of Burning Shadows has finally come into focus. I’ve been working on the novel for months, but the opening kept eluding me. Now, finally, I think I have it nailed down. I had tried dramatic, then atmospheric and several other approaches, but to no avail. I decided to try psychological and that seems to have done the trick. I’ll know better when I finish the ms and can assess it in its entirety.

Over the years a small forest’s worth of manuscripts have passed through my hands and I’m starting to wonder if there might not be a way to save a few trees and lighten my load when I travel with mss to read. I’ve been hearing good things about the Sony Reader and wondered if anyone here has experience with one? I’d like to be able to load mss on to it and then I could read and assess submissions easily when I travel, or even just out in the park on a bench. Is the text easily readable in outside daylight? How many books/mss can you fit on one? Does it allow for any kind of editing or notes?

Having survived my purchase of a Blackberry I’m feeling brave so I’m thinking of taking the plunge.