TT: At last

Duke: A Life of Duke Ellington was officially published today by Gotham Books.

I'm already up to my ears in book-related public appearances and will remain so for the next month and a half, but this is still a special day for me. Every author likes to think, however fleetingly, that his latest book is his best one yet. That's how I feel--at least for the moment--about Duke. We'll see if I still feel the same way in a year, but right now I'm more than happy to revel in the perfect joy and fulfillment of the present moment. Writers live for such moments.

I ought to be thanking any number of people on this great day, but I trust they'll all forgive me if I mention only Mrs. T, the dedicatee of Duke. I owe all that I've done in the eight years since we met to her steadfast love and ever-inspiring faith in my ability to be better than I think I can be. If Duke is any good, it's because she was sure that it would be.

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To read the second installment of Marc Myers' two-part conversation with me about Duke, go here .

To hear my very first radio interview about Duke, which aired yesterday on Seattle's KUOW-FM, go here .