Stressed, me? No. No. I'm fine. Really.

And my thumb will heal in no time.

What? Where was I? Oh yes. Stress. Why should I be stressed?

I only have a writing Course to give from the 3rd to the 10th of October, then I get to join Peter in Houston.

And alongside the writing Course, I only have press releases to send out for San Diego, Bethesda, Oakmont, New York and Cambridge.

And I only have follow up press and media calls to do for Chicago, Minneapolis, Boulder, and Denver.

No problem.

Texas I love you, we're all set there. The Texans have filled Peter's diary with radio and TV interviews already!

But that aside, okay, I admit it - I've been suffering from a few sleepless nights in the run up to sending Peter off on this tour. So when he left yesterday, I thought I would try a French herbal remedy for stress.

It certainly cured it! Here's how....

They sell it in little glass ampoules, you take one in the morning and the other at night. You crack off a little nipple at each end of the ampoule and pour the weird-smelling potion into a glass of water and drink it. So yesterday morning, the first one went okay. I didn't notice any significant effect on stress levels, though.

Then came the second one... I couldn't get the nipple to crack off. Eventually employing brute strength, I squeezed it tightly between my thumb and index finger and CRACK! It exploded into a thousand tiny pices and embedded itself in my thumb!!

With stress remedy and blood dripping all around me, I found that instantly... all my worries disappeared!

There's nothing like trying to focus on a bloody thumb with tweezers, picking out tiny shards of glass to take your mind of stupid things like a World Tour of Amercia and a few hundred press releases.

And Peter....? Just don't say a word, okay? It could happen to anyone. I'm fine. The bandage is holding.... My thumb is marinating in disinfectant cream.... And it's feeling strangely relaxed...

Well, Peter May's World Tour of America looks like it's actually going to happen...

Just one date where I can't get the people to respond. Writers and Books in Rochester NY.

Ironically - the one place Peter will be visiting anyway, because our family is there.

The worst thing is, Writers and Books didn't even write to say they didn't want Peter. They just ignored my attempts to contact them...

I've tried E-mail, I've tried Fax. I've written to their Events guy, I've written to their Director. What is it? Well, they simply don't care to respond to me. Maybe my E-mail got caught in a spam filter. Maybe their fax machine isn't working.

Whatever... here are all the other people who DO think it's a good idea to have a visit from Peter May to talk about The Firemaker....

• CHICAGO, IL: Thursday 1st - Sunday 4th September
• Bouchercon
Sheraton Chicago Hotel and Towers
301 East North Water Street
Chicago, IL 60611
Telephone: (312) 464-1000

• Bouchercon Panel with Peter May: 
"Far Away Places"
Friday 2nd September, 4pm - 5pm

• ROCHESTER, NY - Tuesday 6th September

• MINNEAPOLIS, MN: Wednesday, 7th September, 7pm
• Once Upon a Crime
604 W 26th St,
Minneapolis MN 55405
Telephone: (612) 870-3785

• BOULDER, CO: Thursday 8th September, 7pm
• High Crimes
946 Pearl Street
Boulder, CO 80302
Telephone:(303) 443-8346

• DENVER, CO: Saturday 10th September, 12 noon
• Murder by the Book
1574 South Pearl St.
Denver, CO 80210
Telephone: (800) 300-2595  (toll free voice)
Telephone: (303) 871-9401  (voice in Colorado)

• HOUSTON, TX: Monday, 12th September, 6.30pm
• Murder by the Book
2342, Bissonnet Street
Houston TX, 77005
Telephone: (713) 524-8597

•
• HUNTSVILLE, TX: Tuesday, 13th September
• Sam Houston State University
College of Criminal Justice
Huntsville TX 77341
(Time and venue to be confirmed)

• SCOTTSDALE, AZ: Wednesday, 14th September, 7pm
• The Poisoned Pen
4014 N Goldwater Blvd, Suite 101
Scottsdale, AZ 85251
Telephone: (480) 947-2974 

• SEATTLE, WA: Friday, 16th September, Noon
• Seattle Mystery Bookshop
117 Cherry St
Seattle, WA  98104
Telephone: (206) 587-5737

• SAN FRANCISCO, CA: Saturday 17th September
• China Books
Time and venue to be confirmed

• SACRAMENTO, CA:  Sunday 18th September
• Book Launch Party
Invited Guests

• DAVIS, CA: Monday 19th September 7.30pm
• The Avid Reader
 617 Second Street
 Davis, CA 95616
 Telephone: (530) 758-4040

• SAN MATEO, CA: Tuesday 20th September, 7pm
• M is for Mystery
74 Third Avenue
San Mateo, CA 94401
Telephone: (650) 401-8077
Toll-free: 888-405-8077

• LOS ANGELES, CA: Wednesday 21st September
• travelling

• NEWPORT BEACH, CA: Thursday 22nd September
• Book Launch Party
Invited Guests

•
• SAN DIEGO, CA: Friday 23rd September, 7pm
• Mysterious Galaxy
 7051 Clairmont Mesa Blvd.
 San Diego, CA 92111
 Telephone: 858-268-4747
 Toll-Free: 800-811-4747
 Fax: 858-268-4775

• BETHESDA, MD: Sunday 25th September, 2pm
• The Writer's Center
4508 Walsh Street, 
Bethesda, MD 20815
Phone: 301 654-8664
Fax: 301 654-8667 

• OAKMONT, PITTSBURG, PA: Tuesday 27th September, 6.30pm
• Mystery Lovers Bookshop
(Chinese Buffet before talk)
514 Allegheny River Boulevard
Oakmont PA 15139
Telephone: (412) 828-4877

• NEW YORK, NY: September 28th
• Mysterious Bookshop
129 West 56th Street
New York, NY 10019
Tel: 212-765-0900
Fax: 212-265-5478
drop-in signing

• NEW YORK, NY: September 30th (time to be confirmed)
• Partners & Crime
44 Greenwich Avenue
New York, NY 10011
Tel: 212-243-0440
Fax: 212-243-4624

• CAMBRIDGE, BOSTON, MA: Saturday 1st October, 4pm
• Kate's Mystery Books
2211 Massachusetts Ave
Cambridge, MA
Tel: (617) 491-2660