The review copies to Keep This Quiet have begun going out. That includes to Bill Kennedy, Doug Brinkley, and a few others of that ilk – who know the topic (and Hunter) well. I feel most lucky that these people want a copy, which means, I assume, they will soon be reading the book. And I will soon know their reaction. One very lovely incident that occurred last week was that Doug Brinkley, who is responsible for the book ever seeing the light of day – because he gave me reprint rights to the letters in it – phoned well wishes. Had the Estate not permitted reprint right to the letters, the book would have been canceled at the outset. I had written a draft and was at the NC Writers Conference around 2007, when a publisher, Chuck Adams, editor in chief at Algonquin, expressed interest but said: Ask right now for the right to reprint the letters.

At that point, I bravely wrote an e-mail to Doug. He generously responded back. And the book was under way. So I, like many others, want to chime in to say that those of Hunter’s very close friends I have met, which are from the “old days,” are excellent people. Really great guys and gals. I am sure the later friends are great people too. Just saying that the ones I’ve met are very human, great people.