Short notes to authors.

Dear Arnaldur Indridason,

I am enjoying reading Black Skies. In fact, when I couldn't sleep last night, I started it and read over half of it before finally going back to bed. It is haunting and grave, and I am pretty well impressed with how you manage to weave plots and points of view, all without fanfare or folderol. It's very good.

But where is Erlendur? I am worried about him.

No, really,

htms.

**

Dear Patrick Rothfuss,

I remember when I saw the ad for The Name of the Wind in the New York Times. I thought to myself I want to read that book. Literally, from the ad, not even the actual cover. The picture of the cover, in an ad, made me want to read it. When I finally put the title and my desire together with an actual book purchase, it was excellent. Maybe excellent for fantasy, but maybe just plain old excellent. I loved it.

I did what anyone does--I Googled you, and found out your story, which I loved--that you had written a great shaggy tome, and got a book deal, and the tome contained (of course it did) a trilogy-esque work--tripartite in scope. Oh yay! I thought. More book! More Chronicle!

But of course, you're still working on it. Look, I'm a writer too. I get it. But let me tell you this, Mr. Rothfuss: part two had about 25% too much land of faery. Maybe more than that--45% too much, even. So while you're revising part 3, a word to the wise: you might be overthinking it. One more word to the wise: don't overthink it.

love,

htms

**

Dear Fred Vargas,

Oh how I love and adore your Commissaire Adamsberg and his weird French-y world. I thought your most recent book was splendid, with its Northern European Gothic skeleton riders and what not. All full of woodsy woods and village secrets and Calvados. Well done!

Is there any reason we--and by we I mean you, obviously, although I like to think that I am entirely on your side--okay, is there any reason we couldn't be putting these books out at the rate of one a year? I know it would improve my life. They are, after all, procedurals. Shouldn't there just be a procedure for writing them un petit peu trop vite? S'il vous plait?

a bientot,

htms