In which sir would like to inform you that a book deal has been reached.

So, I was in the elevator the other day (Wednesday, June 9), coming back up to the office after having a cigarette. (I know, I know. I need to quit.) My cell rang once, then went to voicemail. As I bitched and mumbled about Sprint (I mean, is it totally unrealistic to expect one's phone to work perfectly inside a metal box?), I headed back to my office and checked the voicemail.

The message was from Angela James, the Executive Editor and Lord of the Universe over at Carina Press. Her message was at first a little cryptic -- she wanted to talk to me about "47 Echo," which I'd sent them, but since she hadn't caught me on the phone, she'd follow up via email soon. I shrugged and figured it had been less than a minute since she'd called, so I double-tapped the "talk" button on my Blackberry and called her back.

Holy shit. They wanted to publish "47 Echo." I nodded and mumbled something as she ran through who they were and the deal they were offering -- she must have thought I was bored or possibly half-asleep, but shock had set in. By the end of the short call, we'd agreed that "47 Echo" would very much like to come out in Carina's digital-first format. Yes please.

I got and signed the contracts on Friday, and dropped them in the mail over the weekend, which prompted my wife to take a horrible picture of me where I look like Richard Milhouse Nixon (it's on her Facebook page -- I won't be sharing it here, because I do not like looking like Richard Milhouse Nixon, though I do like to say "Milhouse."). On Monday, I confirmed permission to announce it, which I did on Facebook and Twitter last night. Thanks for all of the wonderful responses, by the way.

So here's the breakdown -- January 2011, you'll be able to buy your very own copy of "47 Echo" for your Kindle, Nook, iPad, or whatever e-reader-y goodness floats your boat. I'll be doing a bunch of fun, interesting stuff to promote it in the lead-up to the release, but suffice it to say -- I'm as giddy now as I was on the day I got the call.

Thanks so much to all of you for reading, giving me feedback, and being there with me thoughout the journey.