Steve points out an excerpt from the opening of ABSENT FRIENDS is up on the Randomhouse website. Who knew? Thanks, Steve.

http://www.randomhouse.com/catalog/display.pperl?isbn=0385338031&view=excerpt

I don't love the format -- I think it's hard to tell when one chapter ends and the next starts, and hard to tell which date goes with which. I'm going to see if I can get them to modify it. (That involves asking my editor, who will ask the website people, if she thinks it's important.) But this is an interesting sign, because it went up 2 months to the day before the book's on-sale date. So obviously that's part of the plan. I wonder if an excerpt will go up on Amazon.com? You'd think I'd know these things, right? Just remember, the actors don't know what the set's going to look like, either.