I just came across a treasure trove, a compilation of reader reviews of My Cousin the Saint on one web site. About a dozen of them.  There’s nothing better for a writer than to see how his or her story has resonated with readers.

Alas, the link is no longer live, but here’s an excerpt from one: “When a friend suggested that I read My Cousin The Saint, I hesitated for many reasons….I am not Catholic, I expected the book to be a boring tale of a religion that doesn’t necessarily interest me and I was raised in a secular home. My friend persisted and I am so grateful to her. By page 2, I was hooked…..and my interest continued all the way into the epilogue. Justin Catanoso writes about a quest that could just as easily be mine..in another country with different characters.”

My book, by the way, can be purchased inexpensively at many online retailers, particularly www.amazon.com

Ok, I’m just a little excited. The paperback version of My Cousin the Saint comes out tomorrow, and I just got a little help from a wonderful American blogger in Calabria in getting the word out — Michelle Fabio, author of the popular Web site bleeding espresso. I was really happy to be able to excerpt her online review of my book in the paperback. Her post is here.

On Tuesday and Wednesday nights this week, I spoke at Barnes & Nobles in Greensboro and Winston-Salem, respectively. Both events drew standing room crowds, and both sold more than 100 books. Last night in Winston-Salem, we actually sold out! 120 books. Greensboro sold out the next day.

Thank you Becky and Jane, the community relations managers in both cities, for doing such a great job of promoting and organizing the events. Both stores are reordering books, which I really appreciate. In the meantime, there’s always Amazon and Barnes & Noble online.

Thank you all for coming out.