This was what was happening in my living room last night. Biggie and Mystery Raccoon were having a face off through the French doors. Biggie growled like a bulldog while Mystery Raccoon kept an enigmatic silence.

Entries for the Win One of Three Signed Copies of Watcher contest are coming in. They’re pretty funny and we’ll start posting them soon. You still have plenty of time to enter if you haven’t already made your case. Email me and let me know why you deserve a copy of Watcher of the Dead.

As it’s high time we had another contest at jvj, we hereby present the Win One of Three Signed Hardbacks of Watcher Contest. We’re not terribly good on rules so here’s the deal. Tell the judges (me and my brother Paul) WHY you want a copy of Watcher. You can win us over with your mellifluous eloquence, or by building a scientific case based on logic, begging like a baby or bribing us. All will work. And if words ain’t your thing, send a photo, sound-file or video pleading your case. The more creative the better. Anything set to music would be pretty much bound to catch the judges’ ears.

You have until August 22nd to email your entry. Winners will be announced on August 26th. Anyone, anywhere can enter. Multiple entries are allowed and indeed encouraged. We may post your entries on the website. Good luck building your case, jv.

This was what was going on in my place last night. A cat and a rodent were partying in the bedroom. Biggie brought her new friend home close to midnight. They kicked the breeze for a while, had a few drinks but ultimately decided they were incompatible. Don’t worry, the little guy was unharmed. Soon after this photo was taken he escaped...er...left.

Here I am last night in my local park, listening to a free jazz concert courtesy of the city of Carlsbad. There was a good turnout. Folks were dancing, drinking, laughing, chatting, and running after their kids. A good time was had by all.

Here’s the map of the Northern territories from the French edition of A Sword of Shadows. I think it’s pretty cool, and I especially like the castles with flags flying. As you can see, a lot of the names are the same. Grelenoire means Blackhail, L’etoile du Matin translates to Morning Star, and La Tour Vanis means Tower Vanis.

A waterfall shot, of course. Here I am in June at the Cohoes Falls on the Mohawk River. The river has been damned for hydro so the falls aren’t what they used to be. In their day they rivaled Niagara.

Here's a really interesting video from Marc Simonetti, the illustrator for the French edition of A Sword From Red Ice. We can see how Marc works, and watch as he fine tunes the image of Raif on the lake of frozen blood.

Here I am a couple of weeks ago, sitting precariously on the ledge of Castle Rock, overlooking Blue Mountain Lake. I braved black fly season to make this hike, scrambled over precarious rocks, and donated my spare water bottle to a thirsty ten-year old boy. I think it was worth it, as it’s surely one of the most beautiful views in the Adirondacks.

And here I am under Castle Rock, on the way up. This is one serious piece of rock.