Dear Burning Questions,

Last September, a tornado spawned by hurricane Ivan hit our home and destroyed our home and my library. My husband and most of our neighbors thought I was a little crazy for sifting through the rubble of our library trying to salvage my books. I decided to write my favorite authors and see if they would offer to replace any of the books I had lost during the tornado. Only Catherine Coulter was gracious enough to return my letter and offered to replace the books of hers that I had lost. She sent me six books from her FBI series and signed every one! What a compassionate and kind person she is, not to mention a great author.

I just thought that you and your readers would like to know that at least one of the authors I read has a heart. I am anxiously awaiting a new book from her FBI series. Do you know when it is expected?

Linda Kay Owrey-Howe
Panama City, Florida

A gracious gesture by a gracious lady. You'll be delighted to hear that Coulter's next FBI novel, Point Blank, is coming in September from Putnam. In it, agents Savich and Sherlock are lured into a trap set by an old enemy determined to act out a long-awaited revenge. We hope you'll keep your copy in a safe place!

NEW BEGINNINGS

Dear Burning Questions,

What beautiful heartwarming stories Gail Tsukiyama weaves. Anything new on the horizon?

Lorene Cabrera
Atascadero, California

Gail Tsukiyama, author of five novels including Women of the Silk and Dreaming Water, tells BQ there's no title yet for her work-in-progress, which is nearing completion. "The title of the book usually comes last for me," she says, but she can offer a few tidbits about the plot: "The book covers over 50 years in the life of two orphaned brothers who are raised by their grandparents in Japan. They will survive World War II in Japan, meet the women who will change their lives, and go on to establish themselves as a famous sumo wrestler and a renowned Noh mask maker."

BREATHLESS

Dear Burning Questions,

Anything new on a book from Judith McNaught?

Gloria Brubaker
Dayton, Ohio

Super popular romance writer Judith McNaught has a new publisher (Ballantine) and a new heroine for her upcoming novel, Every Breath You Take, due out in November. Longtime fans will be excited to learn that the book adds a touch of the old to its new mix—the novel resurrects several familiar characters from her 1991 bestseller Paradise.

SWEET TALK

Dear Burning Questions,

I was pleased to read in this column that reviews are based on selected books, and you don't waste valuable space reviewing books you don't consider up to par. I have always wondered why critics would spend their time bashing poorly written books rather than offering thoughtful analyses of the many good ones available. As both a writer and an avid reader, I appreciate and applaud the integrity of your policy.

Cassandra King
St. Helena Island, South Carolina

And we appreciate the feedback from Ms. King, the author of The Same Sweet Girls and The Sunday Wife.

A LONG, STRANGE TRIP

Dear Burning Questions,

I enjoyed Tony Horwitz's fantastic reads Blue Latitudes and Confederates in the Attic. Any news on what he's currently working on?

Doug Zimmerman
Columbus, Ohio

Horwitz's next book, A Voyage Long and Strange, will retrace voyages to the New World by the Vikings, Columbus and the Pilgrims. Due for release from Holt in 2007, this new project grew out of Horwitz's work on his earlier books. "While writing Blue Latitudes, about Captain Cook and first contact between Europeans and native peoples in the Pacific, I realized I knew nothing about the parallel story in North America," the author tells BQ. "So I'm researching a new book about early exploration by Vikings, conquistadors, French traders and others who poked around these shores long before the English settled Jamestown and Plymouth."

"Like the Cook book, and Confederates in the Attic, this story will weave together history and travel, past adventures and present-day hijinks," Horwitz says. "Most of it will be set in the continental U.S., though I'll also be rambling across eastern Canada, the Caribbean, and northern Mexico." BQ thinks Horwitz's fans will be eager to book passage on the voyage.

Weber's Real Grilling™ contest winners

Congratulations to Cathy Proctor of Joelton, Tennessee, who won a Weber® Q™ gas grill, the grand prize in the reader contest that appeared in our March issue. Ten other readers will receive a copy of Weber's Real Grilling,™ a collection of more than 200 great grilling recipes published by Weber-Stephen Products and Sunset Books. The winners are: Barbara Kohler of North Platte, Nebraska; Mrs. C.R. Zimont of Constantine, Michigan; Sametria Rochester of New Roads, Louisiana; Christine Willison of Scio, Ohio; David Owens of Mustang, Oklahoma; Julia Nelson of Caseyville, Illinois; Patricia Soule of Palmyra, Virginia; Joyce Farrington of Council Bluffs, Iowa; Ralph Coppola of Lackawaxen, Pennsylvania; and Rosa Lopez of Milwaukee, Wisconsin.