Yes, yes, there’s much bigger news in the world than my book launch and the press I’ve been getting. But that’s just how self-absorbed I am. Feel free to move along if you don’t want any shilling today:

• THE PRESIDENT’S VAMPIRE is one of James’s Sci-Fi and Fantasy Picks at Barnes & Noble.
• The UK edition of the novel is mentioned in a roundup of summer thrillers at SHOTS, a crime and thriller ezine.
• Allen Appel gives Cade a shout-out in his rundown of current spy fiction at Publishers Weekly.
• Vampire Book Club was kind enough to interview me about Cade, Lizardmen, and the Greater Good.
• Had an absolutely great time at the L.A. Times Festival of Books. Wonderful panel moderated by Nick Owchar with Richard Kadrey and Michael Koryta. You should read those guys.
• Reviews, reviews, reviews. Starting with my buddy Jason Frost, who has a funny video review along with his slightly longer, more detailed text review. Bob Reiss has an excellent write-up of the book and its performance by the inimitable Bronson Pinchot in the audio version. Also, Lady Techie’s Book Musings. Also, Books4Ever. And many thanks to Brent Frankenhoff at CBGXtra.com for spreading the word about last week’s T-shirt giveaway.

Starting tonight at midnight (PDT), we here at Nathaniel Cade Central are going to be giving away T-shirts to anyone who buys the new novel THE PRESIDENT’S VAMPIRE and offers proof of purchase. E-mail me with the receipt, take a pic with your cell phone, post it on your FB page or blog or on the official FB author page — any of that will work. (Longer, more official rules are here.)

However: we are also offering four fabulous prize packages that include the T-shirt, both BLOOD OATH and THE PRESIDENT’S VAMPIRE, and a $25 gift card. Plus whatever random crap I have around the office that gets thrown in the box. (“Hey guys, look! A staple remover!”) The rules for these gift-packs are even simpler. Just retweet a mention THE PRESIDENT’S VAMPIRE on sale on April 28 (between midnight and midnight, PDT) and you’ll be eligible to be one of the random selected winners. MAKE SURE TO INCLUDE @chrisfarnsworth in the tweet, or I’ll never know you tried. Including a short link to one of the many fine retailers where you can purchase the book will certainly be appreciated. Or you can direct people to presidentsvampire.com, or the author page on Facebook.

Or not. It’s up to you.

But for everyone who’s already bought one of my strange books and spread it around to your friends, I want to say thanks. It’s already been a lot of fun. And now we have official T-shirts, which, of course, make everything better.

Remember: e-mail to chris@chrisfarnsworth.com and tweet to @chrisfarnsworth. Good luck and godspeed to you all.

Hey there, vampire rangers. Here’s how it is.

This week, THE PRESIDENT’S VAMPIRE will go on sale everywhere THURSDAY, APRIL 28. For the day of APRIL 28, if you buy the book and send proof of purchase — an email copy of your receipt, a pic of you with the book, a DNA swab, a scan of your paper receipt — to chris@chrisfarnsworth.com, then you will get an official President’s Vampire Tour 2011 T-shirt.

It looks like this:

Of course, there are some rules.

• This offer is only good for APRIL 28, 2011. That starts at 12:00 AM on Thursday and ends at midnight (UPDATE: That’s Pacific Daylight Time). Get me your pic or email within that time frame, or you don’t get a T-shirt.
• I will pay standard U.S. Postal Service shipping to deliver the shirts. If you are out of clean clothes and need a good shirt for your cousin’s wedding, let me know and we’ll discuss getting it to you sooner.
• This offer is not good for my first book, BLOOD OATH, even if you purchase it within the time period. Sorry.
• If you’re ordering on Amazon or BN.com or any of the online stores, email me a copy of your receipt. That will count.
• Anyone who pre-ordered the book — don’t worry, you’re not left out. Send me a copy of your receipt on April 28 within the 24-hour period.
• Anyone who’s buying the book for your Kindle, Nook or other mobile device, you’re eligible as well. Send me a copy of your receipt on April 28 within the 24-hour period.
• Supplies are limited; first come, first served, as decided by the time the email hits my inbox. (Don’t worry. I’ve got a lot of them. If I run out, I’ll happily dance over to the T-shirt shop and make more. But don’t dawdle. Twenty-four hours is the limit.)
• One T-shirt per book.
• Attempts to game the system or cheat mean no T-shirt for you. I also reserve the right to revise the rules to keep things fair and honest, or to include anything obvious I might have forgotten.

There will be a Twitter-based contest on Thursday with even more fabulous prizes, so keep an eye on @chrisfarnsworth. And, as always, stay bloodthirsty.

Thank you to the Tattered Cover for the rock-star treatment, and all the people who showed up, especially the ones who just wandered in and gave the book a chance based on the reading. Big thanks also to Peter Boyles and Greg Hollenback and everyone on his show for the early-morning interview, and all the kind words. Next stop, Phoenix, and the Poisoned Pen in Scottsdale on Wednesday, May 26.

And a big thanks to Bill and Mary, who drove almost two hours to make the reading last night. They deserved a lot more, but all I had was the T-shirts.

Oh, and I owe my brother and his wife bigtime for putting me up and for padding the crowd.

The signing at Mysterious Galaxy in San Diego was a real honor — it’s one of the motherships for geeks in the country, and they showed great faith in a first-time author like me. Many thanks to Maryelizabeth, Patrick, Michael and everyone else at the store. Thanks also to the incredibly prolific author Nathan Long, author of Bloodborn, who was kind enough to share the time and his knowledge with me and the audience. I even got to see an old friend from high school and former colleagues from my misadventures in journalism. You can read more at my friend Diana’s blog, Paranormal Romance.

Photo by Diana McCabe