I am remiss for not sending great gouts of glorious gratitude to the magnificent Michelle Moran (stand back . . . I'm on an alliterative roll!), who included my humble internet abode in her Top Ten History Blogs by Authors of Historical Fiction on Blog.com! I am humbled to be among such esteemed bloggists! Thanks, Michelle!

September marks the publication of Swords from the Desert, an anthology of Harold Lamb's exotic desert tales from Bison Books/University of Nebraska Press. Edited by Howard Andrew Jones, Swords from the Desert is a companion volume to Lamb's cossack tales, a four-volume compilation, and is set to be followed up with a collection of Crusader tales called Swords from the West. I penned the introduction to Swords from the Desert, and gladly! Lamb's work has long exercised an influence over my own -- right down to providing the initial impetus for writing Memnon in the first place (I was touched by Lamb's portrayal of Memnon and Barsine in his excellent bio-novel, Alexander of Macedon).

Also in September, Gentle Readers, I shall crawl forth from my accustomed rock to attend Con*Stellation XXVIII: Vulpecula in Huntsville, Alabama. This three-day convention is one I used to attend regularly in my misspent youth; to return after so many years as a guest is -- if you'll pardon the cliche -- something of a dream come true. I have no clue what panels I might be asked to participate in, but if I'm on one with David Drake I expect I'll be tongue-tied and fanboyish (it's David Drake, for god's sake!). If you're in the area, stop by and say hi.