{"id":1928,"date":"2008-11-01T12:00:00","date_gmt":"2008-11-01T12:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/alexdemille.com\/nelson\/newsletter-1108\/"},"modified":"2026-11-03T17:59:24","modified_gmt":"2026-11-03T17:59:24","slug":"newsletter-1108","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alexdemille.com\/nelson\/newsletter-1108\/","title":{"rendered":"November 2008"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"A<\/p>\n

First, thanks to all of you,\u00a0The Gate House<\/a>\u00a0has debuted on the\u00a0New York Times<\/em>\u00a0bestseller list at #1. And thanks to me, too, for writing such a great book.\u00a0The Gate House<\/a>\u00a0has also appeared at #1 on other national and regional bestseller lists, so this isn\u2019t a fluke.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve received thousands of emails through my website mailbox, and I wish I could respond to all of them, especially the snarky ones, but it\u2019s not humanly possible, so, this Newsletter has to suffice.<\/p>\n

For those who wrote me that they didn\u2019t like\u00a0The Gate House<\/a>, sorry, but you were in a distinct minority. The main negative complaint was that the book went on too long. The most common praise was that it went too quickly. So, there you are.<\/p>\n

Most of\u00a0The Gate House<\/a>\u00a0reviews in newspapers and magazines were excellent, but one or two were lukewarm, and those reviewers are not getting invited to my annual Salute to Book Reviewers, which I host on a private yacht in the Caribbean every January. I hope they get the message. The most idiotic review I received was written by Charles Taylor in\u00a0Newsday<\/em>, which is my local newspaper. You need to read this review to appreciate what John Updike meant when he said, \u201cReviewers are like pigs at the pastry cart.\u201d Mr. Taylor\u2019s very weird review can be read by going to the\u00a0Newsday<\/em>\u00a0website, click\u00a0here.<\/p>\n

A confession: I once met Charles Taylor at a fundraiser for Talentless Book Reviewers (he was the honoree), and when he got up to receive his award I ate his pork chop. So, maybe that explains the bad review.<\/p>\n

I get a lot of questions in my website mailbox and most of them could be answered by perusing my website. You can also read my old Newsletters in the archives. The most frequently asked question is:\u00a0Are you bringing back John Corey?<\/em>\u00a0Yes, in my next book which is a sequel to\u00a0The Lion\u2019s Game<\/a>.\u00a0This book is only four chapters long, but they are\u00a0loooong\u00a0chapters.<\/p>\n

Recently I was blogging on Barnes & Noble Center Stage. Click\u00a0here\u00a0to view.<\/p>\n

I want to take this opportunity to thank everyone who came to my book signings in the tri-state New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut area. You were all terrific, and I hope you enjoyed the evening as much as I did.<\/p>\n

I had a book signing at Foxwoods Casino in Connecticut, something I\u2019ve never done before, and it was fun. This was a joint signing with my Grand Central Publishing colleague, David Baldacci, whose new book, Divine Justice, will also be a #1\u00a0New York Times<\/em>\u00a0bestseller. David was fun to be with, and the folks at Foxwoods were wonderful hosts, and the attendees were terrific, especially those who came directly from the cocktail lounge. It\u2019s not every book signing where you can drink, gamble, and smoke. Don\u2019t get me wrong \u2014 I love bookstores, but, well, there are no blackjack tables or bars in most bookstores. But maybe that\u2019s just as well; I left a few hundred dollars with the house before my wife pulled me out of there.<\/p>\n

In the spirit of giving thanks, it is forty years this month since I returned from Vietnam, and I count every day as a blessing and a gift. Someday I\u2019ll write about my homecoming, but in the meantime please pray for our men and women stationed in combat zones around the world as the holiday season approaches.<\/p>\n

I wish you and yours a Happy Thanksgiving, filled with family, friends, peace and love.<\/p>\n

Best regards,
\n Nelson DeMille<\/p>\n

Sincerely,
\"Nelson<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

First, thanks to all of you,\u00a0The Gate House\u00a0has debuted on the\u00a0New York Times\u00a0bestseller list at #1. And thanks to me, too, for writing such a great book.\u00a0The Gate House\u00a0has also appeared at #1 on other national and regional bestseller lists, so this isn\u2019t a fluke. I\u2019ve received thousands of emails through my website mailbox, and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1928","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-newsletter"],"yoast_head":"\nNovember 2008 - Nelson DeMille<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"November 2008 - Nelson DeMille\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"First, thanks to all of you,\u00a0The Gate House\u00a0has debuted on the\u00a0New York Times\u00a0bestseller list at #1. 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