St. Valentine’s Day, yes. But also the birthday of a saint far more appealing to me — Gaetano Catanoso.

Happy birthday, cuz.

I’m happy to say that the story I delivered at The Monti in Carrboro, NC, in September has been nominated for the ridiculously prestigious and coveted Hippo Award as a finalist in the Best Overall Story category. The competition is steep, so I’m thrilled to be among the final four (my book-related story about my Uncle Tony and his search for his Aunt Maria in Italy during WWII was a Hippo finalist last year).

To check out all the finalists, click here. To vote, click here.

On Sunday, Jan. 24, at 5 p.m., my interview with NC Bookwatch host D.G. Martin will be rebroadcasted on UNC-TV. The 30-minute interview with me about my book originally aired last July. Tune in!

Found today on a message board:

I loved My Life With the Saints and My Cousin the Saint (completely unrelated books, just similar titles). I love, love, love saint biographies!

__________________
Nancy in MD. Mom of ds (17) & dd (11); 24-year Navy wife. Writer and dance mom.

Thank you, Nancy. Being in the same company at Father Jim Martin’s mega-bestseller is pretty nice. Both books are available on Amazon and a Barnes & Noble near you.

Posted recently on the online bulletin board of CapeMayHerald.com: “This isn’t a commercial but I must tell you I just finished reading a very wonderful book called “My Cousin The Saint” by former North Wildwood resident writer, teacher, Justin Catanoso. Honest, a beautiful read.  —Wildwood”

Thanks!

Raleigh News & Observer reporter Yonat Shimron wrote this story shortly after My Cousin the Saint was released in May 2008. She is a teriffic reporter and writer.

My Google alert for “Gaetano Catanoso” pushed me this morning a story from history — a New York Times feature about the beatification of a gypsy in 1997 by Pope John Paul II in Rome. Just so happens, my cousin was beatified in the same ceremony. Of course, at the time, I knew nothing about this cousin, and no had idea he was on a path toward sainthood. Must’ve missed this story in the Times, too…

A monthly magazine about family lineage offers a blurb about My Cousin the Saint in its January 2010 issue. Not too late to make it a Christmas present! Click here.

So this was pretty fun. For the past 18 months, I’ve been running around talking about my book. Tonight, at Salem College in Winston-Salem, I helped another author pitch his own book. Not just any author. Best-selling author John Hodgman – the PC in the Mac/PC commercials, the Resident Expert on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. Hodgman was out promoting his new (and second) book of fabricated facts, an almanac of sorts called More Information Than You Require.

We sat side by side on stage with a coffee table between us as I moderated a 90-minute discussion that was, not surprisingly, funny, witty, informative, amusing, and sometimes serious. Hodgeman is a genuinely nice fellow — a bright guy who seems to know that he’s gotten a few lucky breaks in a brutally competitive industry (books and show business) and he’s intent on making the most of it. He certainly did tonight. And the hundreds that stood in line afterward to have their books signed would surely agree.

The event was sponsored by Bookmarks, the Winston-Salem group that puts on a wonderful book festival each September with authors from near and far.