Well, it's THAT time of year again and, as you can plainly see, the famous Christmas Goose is getting extremely fat! Looks a lot like I did after 6 weeks without serious exercise and eating and drinking way too much out of sheer boredom & frustration. But that's all over now (thank goodness), and while my right knee is still making occasional noises like a kernel of popping corn the size of a sugar beet blossoming open (or the sound you get when a nice, roasted turkey--or goose?--leg is forcefully separated from a well-cooked holiday bird), I'm getting around pretty well now, biking, walking and even climbing/descending flights of stairs without using the handrails: "LOOK MA! NO HANDS!!!"

This will be a very short e-blast (no, really...I mean it this time) on account of I have to upload all sorts of book and biographical info thanks to an unbelievably exciting new mainstream distribution deal we just signed with the biggest outfit in the business. Can't say any more right now (although it will definitely NOT affect our established car-enthusiast and motorsports dealers or sales through our lastopenroad.com website) but should have more details soon.

Watch this space!

And, since I brought "sales through the website" up, I'd like to remind you that Christmas is fast approaching. Llike you could avoid it, right, since we've been seeing illuminated, plastic pine-needle wreaths, big red bows (most also plastic), jolly twinkling lights and treetop stars and inflatable HLCs (Holiday Lawn Creatures) since the blessed squirrels chewed up the last of the carved pumpkins from Halloween. And, even though I was raised in a Jewish household (but have been married to my lovely, charming and thoughtful-of-others Italian Catholic wife for nigh unto 48 years), I'm somehow offended--or at least put off--when I see the attending crowd at a proper and respectful Christian creche scene, illuminated or not, joined by Santa Claus, assorted Disney characters or the Sta-Puft marshmallow man from Ghostbusters...

But that's just me.

In any case, it's time to:

A) Remind you, once again, that signed/personalized copies of my books make WONDERFUL (I should be scattering a little stardust here, but you'll have to imagine it) holiday gifts for the CP (Car Person) on your list. And also that the fist book, The Last Open Road, is good for just about anybody, Car Nut or not. Hell, it's been used in a few high school and college-level English classes. No, really it has.

B) In that regard, the amazing, award-winning, radio play-format audio book version of The Last Open Road is fabulous entertainment and great for either a nice, cozy curl-up in front of a roaring garage space heater OR, come spring, summer and fall, absolutely superb for those long road trips to wherever and whenever. You can listen to excepts on the website at www.lastopenroad.com

C) I have it on very good authority that SOME of you out there have not yet bought your copy of the new book, and as glowing reviews are beginning to appear, well...do YOU want to be left behind? I thought not. We also have a Holiday Special Three-Fer deal going on all three books in the Steamroller series. Such a deal!

D) Speaking of Holiday Specials, we have a fabulous deal on TWO of our almost-famous The Last Open Road license plate frames for just TEN BUCKS! Woo Hoo! And our slightly more than almost-famous TLOR decals make great stocking stuffers. Ditto the tee shirts and...well, go browse, willya?I should mention here that, in light of the STILL TOP SECRET mainstream distribution deal hinted (OK, more than hinted) at above, a lot of our upcoming triumphant $ucce$$ or dismal and dispiriting failure will come down to visibility/promotion/name recognition. In that regard, I want to urge you--nay, beseech you--to put our decals/plate frames on every cool vehicle you own. Or see parked anywhere while no one (I'm thinking of the rightful owner(s) here) is watching. Mind you, if you get caught, I'll disavow any involvement or instigation. But I may help you locate a third-string, back-of-a-matchbook-cover-university Public Defender to your way to copping a plea. We'd even like to see our name and logo on decidedly UNCOOL cars like Yugos and Trabants. In fact, I'm going to start running a gallery of our logo decals/license plate frames right here on these e-blasts, with some kind of cheap reward for THE MOST INTERESTING and/or UNUSUAL vehicle or DISPLAY OPPORTUNITY. But don't come calling if you get arrested for trying to put one on a cop car or army tank or across the bridge of the Statue of Liberty's nose (I think one of the jumbo, reflective ones would work best there...)