Advertising run amok

First, a bunch of dimwits who thought they were funny posted signs that people mistook for bombs in strategic locations around Boston to advertise a cartoon. Now a softdrink maker, who I won't identify here for fear of giving it the publicity so it so desires, has caused the historic Granary Burying Ground to be closed. The British-owned company hinted that it might have buried a coin worth up to $1 million dollars inside the cemetery, which is the final resting place of my namesake Sam Adams, John Hancock, Paul Revere, and other historic figures.

Treasure hunters showed up at the gate determined to find the coin, forcing Boston parks officials to lock the gates and post guards. The company has since admitted that it hid a coin worth $10,000 behind the lip of a stone doorway to a 200-year-old crypt.

Turner Broadcasting paid the city $2 million to offset the cost of police used to investigate the sign incident, and police charged the two men who placed the signs with crimes. Let's hope the Brits have to pony up the same sort of dollars to pay for their ill-conceived plan. The people who placed the coin, and ordered it's placement should also be charged. I can't help but wonder if someone involved got some perverse pleasure from the thought that treasure hunters might start digging up the fathers of the American Revolution.

Music City

I just got back from Nashville, Tenn., where I visited friends and stopped by some fantastic bookstores.

This is the fifth time I've been to Nashville, and I always find something new when I go. It really is a beautiful city, with a lot of different things to do. Hopefully, I'll be going back for a booksigning after PRECIOUS BLOOD comes out in April.

Weirder and weirder

Anna Nicole Smith spent her life in the tabloids. Now it looks like she'll spend eternity there.

Prince Frederick von Anhalt, the husband of Zsa Zsa Gabor, has said he once tried to adopt Smith because "she wanted to be a princess," and since he was already married to Zsa Zsa, adoption was the only way to give Anna what she wanted. By the way, he also claims he had a 10-year affair with Smith and may be the father of her baby.

This guy just admitted publicly that he tried to make the woman he had had sex with for 10 years his adopted daughter. How twisted is that?

PRECIOUS BLOOD information on web

Kensington Publishing Corp., the publisher of my book PRECIOUS BLOOD, has now added the book to it's web site. The book can be ordered direct from Kensington once it is printed. In the meantime, you can pre-order from most online booksellers, or through this page.

Forgiving and forgetting, or hiding the past?

If you were hiring someone, would you want to know if that person had been convicted of stealing $500 from his previous employer? Do you think it's important for a school to know that someone applying for a job has served time for possession of cocaine?

If so, you might want to contact the Kentucky General Assembly. The House Judiciary Committee just sent a bill to the floor that would expunge some felony convictions from court records, the Lexington Herald-Leader is reporting.

Crimes eligible to be erased by the law include crimes such as theft of more than $300, possession of narcotics, and other Class D felonies. Class D Felonies are punishable by one to five years in prison. Violent crimes and crimes against children would be excluded.

Rep. Rob Wilkey, D-Scottsville, is sponsoring the bill. Currently, Kentucky law only allows misdemeanors to be expunged. Misdemeanors are punishable by fines or by 12 months or less in the county jail.

Harry Potter getting more exposure

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows is due in stores in July, but the buzz over the new book isn't the only exposure Harry Potter's getting. Daniel Radcliffe, the 17-year-old actor who plays Harry in the movies, is giving theater-goers the full monty in the play Equus in London's West End.

Parents who have taken their children to see Radcliffe fully clothed in the Harry Potter movies are not amused. The reaction from teenage girls is a little different. No word yet on if or how Radcliffe's decision to appear nude in the play and bare-chested in promotional photos will affect his role as Harry Potter.

Those of you want to read the book can preorder it on my other website. Those who want to see Radcliffe nude will have to see the play. Sorry.

Groundhog says spring is on the way

Punxsutawney Phil, the most famous groundhog in the world, forecast spring this morning.

If you really think about it, the groundhog is never wrong. If he sees his shadow there will be six more weeks of winter. If he doesn't, it's only a month and a half till spring. Honest -- check your calendar.