August 2004.

My wife and I are in bed.  I'm watching TV.  She's reading my first published novel "...by the people..."  Out of the corner of my eye, I peek to see if she's smiling, frowning, nauseous or asleep.

At one point she started laughing.  Abruptly, she stopped.  She put the book down on her tummy and put her hands over her face.

"WHAT?" I demanded.

She looked at me.

"I just read something that one of your characters said... and I thought... 'That sounds like something Bill would say.'  Then it dawned on me.  You WROTE the damned BOOK!  Of COURSE it sounds like something you would say."

"Yeah," I said.  "Creepy, ain't it."

"Shut up," she said as she picked up the book and continued where she left off.