I am back in the Land of Enchantment, as of the day before yesterday.   I’ve been away for three weeks or thereabouts, in New York City, New Jersey, and finally Chicago.   I don’t lug a laptop around with me when I travel; on the road, I am only reachable by phone or text.   Which helps keep me sane, but it did mean that I had 2,000 emails waiting for me when I got home.   I am still digging out.

The trip… three weeks, I said, but at times it felt more like three months.   My latest book, the il...