Oh, Manchester, So Much To Answer For

Wow. There's something oddly appropriate about being awakened by a thunderstorm at 4am and then discovering (because, of course, you can't go back to sleep) that you just received email from Scott Heim. Yes, that Scott Heim, author of In Awe and the brilliant Mysterious Skin - whaddaya mean you haven't read it? Get thee to a bookstore or public library, now! - and husband of Avoidance author Michael Lowenthal. [Apparently, Scott found this post about his husband's most recent novel.] I will never tire, nor be jaded, about getting email from authors I've read; it's not only because it often causes me to have a "Sally Field moment" (this brilliant writer likes my little corner of the web?!), but because email from any reader means something - that he's taken time to write (all of my unsolicited email thus far has come from male readers, shocking I know). I'm going to Boston next month for a long weekend. Dare I? [Or, Scott, if you're reading this as well, dare I?]