Hi, all

First, a little good news. "The Hired Man," the fourth book in the Dick Hardesty Mystery series, has been named a finalist for a 2002 Lambda Literary Award. This is the second year in a row one of the DH series has been a finalist(last year it was "The Butcher's Son", and it's a very nice feeling.

Second, "The Bottle Ghosts", #6 in the series, is on its way to the bookstores and should be on the shelves in a week or so.

Third, I'd like to invite you all, once again, to visit Dorien's Web Page at www.angelfire.com/home/doriengrey .
The webmaster (why does that word always remind me of leather and whips?), Gary, is always working on it, and it changes regularly. We tried something new with "The Bottle Ghosts" in an attempt to draw more visitors to the site--we had a drawing for a free, autographed copy.
It went over pretty well, so we will soon be doing it again for the next one as it gets closer to press time. You're invited to watch for it, and to sign up.

Fourth, I've said it before and say it again: I really rely on the people who read the series to not only spread the word, but to drop me a line from time to time to give me some feedback as to what they think or anything they may hear/read from others about any of the books. This goes double for you, since you've taken the time and shown the interest to sign up for this newsletter.

A writer without readers is like the proverbial tree falling in the forest--if nobody reads what a writer writes, his words cannot be heard. I need you all.

Take care, and thanks again for being here.

Dorien