Want to be in Eddie LaCrosse 4?

As part of Do the Write Thing for Nashville, I'm taking part in a charity auction to help the victims of the Tennessee flooding. In addition to signed copies of my two Memphis vampire books, I'm including a Tuckerization in my fourth (so far untitled) Eddie LaCrosse novel, due out in 2012. So jump in and help the good folks of Tennessee get back on their feet!

Literature so tough it survives force majeure

During the recent storms in Tennessee, my friend Thom had a house fire. That's the kind of rebel he is: in the midst of a flood, he burns. He's fine, no one (human or animal) was hurt, and the destruction was contained. But he sent me a photo of one very significant item that escaped with only soot damage:

How to help Tennessee

I'm from Tennessee, as are both sides of my family. I'm familiar with a lot of the places that are now flooded. Memphis, Nashville, Smyrna, I-24, I-40...these are places I could almost navigate in my sleep. It's a region that gave the world an awful lot of cool things.

And with the horrible damage likely to be revealed as the waters recede, I wanted to pass on information on how you (and me) can help.

Keep up to date at the Middle Tennessee Red Cross Chapter. Information on where to send donations or, if you're close enough, volunteer will be posted (for those who don't know the geography of the region, Nashville is in the middle of the state where Interstates 40, 65 and 24 meet).

Text REDCROSS to 90999 to make a $10 donation on your mobile phone.

Call (615) 250-4300 to make a donation by phone.

Mail a check to the Nashville Area Red Cross at 2201 Charlotte Avenue, Nashville, TN 37203.

If you can spare it, please do. If you can't, please send good thoughts.