The truth is, authors aren't in competition with one another.

We've all seen the fast-food strips lining major highways in the suburbs or on the outskirts of cities: restaurant after restaurant built one on top of another, all vying for customers' attention. To a hungry driver, it seems as though the restaurants are competing for the chance to fill his stomach. But restaurant owners know the clustering is good for business. Offer people a choice, and they're more likely to buy.

It's the same with books. Authors understand that all those volumes lining bookstore shelves and crowding for space on amazon that seem to be crying, 'Buy me!' are actually helping one another.

More than that, because they're at the very beginning of the creative process, authors understand just how difficult it is to get the ideas in their heads onto the page, and that each manuscript that makes it into print is a minor miracle. They also understand that as humans, we're all vulnerable. And that like our books, when we help one another, we all come out the winner.

That's why the amazingly eclectic crowd of generous, warm-hearted authors listed below and many more are blogging today for Patry Francis and THE LIAR'S DIARY - one of the tens of thousands of talented authors who has written a wonderful book. One of their own.

"Twists and turns but never lets go." -- Jacquelyn Mitchard, bestselling author of The Deep End of the Ocean

"A quirky, well-written and well-constructed mystery with an edge." -- Publishers Weekly

"Outright chilling." -- New York Daily News

In support of Patry Francis and this remarkable blog initiative, Penguin Group USA would like to offer 15% off the paperback edition of The Liar's Diary when purchased online from us.penguingroup.com until 2/15/2008. On the shopping cart page, enter PATRY in the 'coupon code' field and click 'update cart' to activate it.

You can also read Patry's unsentimental and inspiring account of how she's dealing with this setback on her own blog, "Simply Wait ." And to all of the wonderful people listed below, on behalf of Patry, THANKS.

THE PENGUIN GROUP

Patti Abbott
Barbara Abercrombie
Mario Acevedo
Susan Adrian
Mary Akers
Samina Ali
Christa Allan
Alma Alexander
Amazon Shorts - Featured Author
Anne-Marie
Joelle Anthony
Darlene Arden
Jorge Argueta
Vicki Arkoff - MAD Magazine, Nickelodeon, MW Book Review
Melanie Avila
Tricia Ares
Neil B
Backspace
Backstory
Terry Bain
Gail Baker - The Debutante Ball
Anjali Banerjee
L.A. Banks
Lauren Baratz-Logsted
Elizabeth Bartasius
Carolyn Burns Bass
Brett Battles
BCB
Laura Benedict
Pinckney Benedict
Malorie Bennett
Janet Berliner
William Bernhardt
Alexander Besher
Bev
Marcie Beyatte
Brenda Birch
Beryl Singleton Bissell
Roberto Bonazzi
Jason Boog
Bookfinds
Raven Bower
Laura Bowers
Beatrice Bowles
Tara Bradford
Gayle Brandeis
Stacy Brazalovich
Susan Breen - Gotham Writers Workshops
Heather Brewer
Eve Bridburg - Zachary Shuster Harmsworth
Sassy Brit
Heatheraynne Brooks
Debra Broughon
Josie Brown
Pat Brown
Ruth Brown
Ken Bruen
Rachel Kramer Bussel
Aldo Calcagno
Austin S. Camacho
Bill Cameron
Lorenzo Carcaterra
Vincent Carrella
Karen DeGroot Carter
Rosemary Carstens
Alexander Chee
Lee Child
Circle of Seven Productions
Cynthia Clark - Futures Mysterious Anthology Magazine
Terence Clarke
Jon Clinch
Kamela Cody
Oline H. Cogdill - Sun-Sentinal
Tish Cohen
Eileen Cruz Coleman
Myfanwy Collins
Dan Conaway - Writers House
Laurie Connors - Penguin
Eileen Cook
Richard Cooper
David Corbett
Auria Cortes
Peter Coyote
Bill Crider - Pop Culture Magazine
Kim Cristofoli
Ann Mare Cummins
Sheila Curran
Kristie Cutter
Tom Crum
Jordan Dane
Josephine Damian
Daryl Darko
A.J. Davis
Kelli Davis
Alyssa Day
Alma Hromic Deckert
Jim DeFelice
Mike Dellosso
Katrina Denza
Bella DePaulo
Kerry Dexter
Karen Dionne
Susan DiPlacido
Felicia Donovan
Julie Doughty - Dutton
Gerry Doyle
Terri DuLong
Firoozeh Dumas
Jennifer Duncan
Susanne Dunlap
Xujun Eberlein
Christine Eldin
J.T. Ellison - Killer Year
Sheila Clover English - Circle of Seven Productions
Kate Epstein - the Epstein Literary Agency
Kathryn Esplin
Gayle Etcheverry
Clinton Fein
Sean Ferrell
Rachel Fershleiser at SMITH Magazine
Ryan Field
Michael A. FitzGerald
William Floyd
Natasha Fondren
Matt Forbeck
Jamie Ford
Connie May Fowler
Heather Fowler
Therese Fowler
Jenifer Fox
Thaisa Frank
Shelley Frost
Michelle Gable
Gary Gach
Leighton Gage
Neil Gaiman
Colin Galbraith
Jayson Gallaway
Jane Ganahl - Red Room
Erika-Marie S. Geiss
Linda Gerber
Shane Gericke
Tess Gerritsen
Karin Gillespie
Dara Girard
Anne Glamore
Kathi Kamen Goldmark
Jewelle Gomez
Eric D. Goodman
C.W. Gortner - Historical Boys
Susan Helene Gottfried
Deborah Grabien
Elizabeth Graham
Caroline Grant
Robin Grantham
Bob Gray - Shelf Awareness
Nancy O. Greene
Robert Grudin
Lisa Guidarini
Mireille Guilano
David Habbin
Jim Hanas
Lynette Hart
Melanie Harvey
Michael Haskins
Melanie Lynn Hauser
Bill Hayes
Maria Dahvana Headley
Susan Henderson
Heidi the Hick
Georgia Hesse
Bethany Hiitola
Billie Hinton
Vicki Hinze
Jenn Hollowell
Lori Hope
Khaled Hosseini
Charlotte Hughes
Sharon Hurlbut
Eileen Hutton - Brilliance Audio
Gina Hyams
Jessica Inclan
International Thriller Writers
David Isaak
Susan Ito
Noria Jablonski
JKB
Lisa Jackson
Lori James - All Romance eBooks
Luke James
Arachne Jericho
Allison Johnson
Jen Jordan - Crimespree
Jungle Red Writers
Lesley Kagen
Polly Kahl
Andrew Kaplan - Media Mensch
Alan Kaufman
Jessica Keener
Douglas Keister
Charles Kelly
Lisa Kenny
Beth Kephart
Jackie Kessler
Merle Kessler
Kristy Kiernan - Southern Authors Blog
A.S. King
Jeff Kleinman - Folio Literary Management
Sandra Kring
Kyra
R.D. Laban
Rebecca Laffar-Smith - Writers Roundabout
Clair Lamb
Daphne Larkin
Larramie
Judy Merrill Larson
Aaron Lazar
Caroline Leavitt
Leah
Virginia Lee
Leslie Levine
John Lescroart
Mary Lewis
Richard Lewis
Liane
Sharon Linnea
Jessica Lipnack
Aimee Liu
Julie Anne Long
Ericka Lutz
CJ Lyons
Laurun M.
Jonathan Maberry
Amy MacKinnon - The Writers Group
Tim Maleeny
Mardougrrl
Ric Marion
Kerstin Martin
Nancy Martin
Adrienne Mayor
L.C. McCabe
Damian McNicholl
Ellen Meister
Melba
Christa Miller
Kyle Minor
Jacquelyn Mitchard
P. A. Moed
Terri Molina
Pat Montandon
David Montgomery
Alexis Moore
Joe Moore - Inkspot
Michelle Moran
Amanda Morgan
Sarie Morrell
Murderati
Amy Nathan
Nathalie
National Post
Tia Nevitt
Nicole
Kristin Nelson - Nelson Literary Agency
Carolyn North
Aurelio O'Brien
Martha O'Connor
Andrea Okrentowich
Lori Oliva
Jodie Osinga
Tamara Palmer
Aimee Palooza
Pamela
Michael Palmer
Stephen Parrish
Marie Peck
Micah Perks
Marcia Peterson - WOW! Women on Writing
Jeff Pierce - The Rap Sheet
Jason Pinter
Anthony S. Policastro
Neil Pollack
Douglas Preston
Publishers Marketplace
Edie Ramer
Terese Ramin
Reader's Entertainment TV
Jody Reale
Martha Reed
Janet Reid - FinePrint Literary Management
Kamilla Reid
Lance Reynald
Linda L. Richards
Michelle Richmond
Jess Riley
Maria Robinson
John Robison
Gregory Roensch
J. Shannon Roggenbuck
James Rollins
M.J. Rose - Buzz, Balls & Hype
Renee Rosen
Carol Rosenfeld
Jordan Rosenfeld
Rosie
Russell Rowland
Anneli Rufus
Hank Ryan
Marcus Sakey
Harris Salat -Visual Thesaurus
Rachel Sarah
Maria Schneider - Writer's Digest Magazine
Nina Schuyler
Michele Scott
Dani Shapiro
Rochelle Shapiro
Charles Shaughnessy
Jessie Sholl
Robert Siegel
Clea Simon
April Sinclair
Lynn Sinclair
Jen Singer
Shelley Singer
Single Mom Seeking
Sisters in Crime
Sky
Robin Slick
BPM Smith - Word & Bass
Bridget Smith
Claudia Smith
Kim Smith
Stephie Smith
Alexandra Sokoloff
Char Solomon
Samantha Sommersby
James Spring
Emilie Staat
Kim Stagliano
Maryanne Stahl
Bella Stander
Kelli Stanley
Marta Stephens
Bronwyn Storm
Jennifer Talty
Judith Tannenbaum
Mindy Tarquini
Alice Tasman - the Jean Naggar Literary Agency
Charles R. Temple
David Thayer
The Book Pirate
The Outfit
Theresa
Veronica Towers
Joyce Tremel
Danielle Trussoni
Louise Ure
N. L. Valler
Barbara Vey - Publishers Weekly
Bev Vincent
Nury Vittachi
Brenda Wallace
Therese Walsh - Writer Unboxed
John Warner - Tow Books
Gary Wassner
Brenda Webster
Jennifer Weiner
Sarah Weinman
Laura Wellner
Kimberly M. Wetherell
Diane Whiteside
Dan Wickett - Emerging Writers Network
Susan Wiggs
G. Willow Wilson
Jacqueline Winspear
Liz Wolfe
Patricia Wood
Cheryl Wyatt
Stephen Wylder
Irvin Yalom
Belle Yang
Dawn Yun
Michele Zackheim
Victoria Zackheim
Ernie Zelinski
Crystal Zevon