Announcing the launch of my Worst Driver in the World competition! Tell me about the worst driving you see while on the road, and the winner will get an all-expenses-paid day waiting in line at the DMV (or something equally ugly).

This week's worst driver is the apparently pickled pilot of a Tacoma, licence tag 314 LNL (South Carolina plates). He was weaving all over Folly Road, James Island SC today, carving up other drivers and barely staying on the road at times.

Who was this man? Why was he so distracted? All I know is that Folly Road's a bad one for pile-ups - and after seeing this guy in action, I'm not at all surprised.

Today marks a whole year since I started this blog. In that time I've faced ticks, roaches and chiggers (oh my!), co-directed a big-ass play, ensconced myself as a Charleston art critic, started directing a HD feature film, took my son to his first day at school, played Santa for the second Christmas in a row, taught a bunch of acting & filmmaking classes, ran a writers' studio, appeared as Spud in a stage production of Trainspotting, organized a film festival and got a second novel published.

Now a third novel is set for a Fall 2006 publication - more details on that soon - but all in all, I feel that this has been a quiet year for me. I'm determined to pick up the pace as 2005 winds to a close.

You can now get a glimpse inside my new novel, The Kitty Killer Cult.

Not too much of a glimpse, mind - more of a morsel than a meal - but I like it. Check it out and let me know what you think!

A CULT KITTY MYSTERY

On a stormy night in the town of Bottomley, a sinister plot to separate a forgetful dowager from her furry companion unfolds.

Using your wit, intellect and trusty toolbar, explore the various environments in the game, pick up clues, challenge alibis and discover who stole my lady's moggy?

Was it the long-suffering Butler whodunit? Perhaps it was the avaricious son? Is the daughter everything she's cracked up to be? And, just what has a very large carrot got to do with it all?

Have you got the detective skills to solve a dastardly feline felony?

Uncover the mystery of 'The Kitty Caper' - and you could win a trip for two on the Orient-Express worth £2500.

The game requires the new MSN Search Toolbar. And, to keep your mind focused on the case, it even blocks those irritating red herrings: pop-ups!

I'd been looking forward to attending the Scottish Games in Mount Pleasant, SC today. At least two people had told me that it was great and I'd previewed it for the Charleston City Paper. The Celts who run it are good folk who volunteer their time to raise $ for charities such as the Ronald McDonald House.

Unluckily for me, today was a scorcher. The hot Scottish food on sale was way too warm for a sweleterer like this and my 5-year-old son just sat in his buggy like a melted pat of butter. With a dearth of shade, the tornament was a torment for me. I guess the sight of all those Scottish pipers, drummers and dancers was too freaky without the attendant cold wind and rain that I'm used to back in the bonnie Highlands.

Further to my previous Blog, Sarah also gave my book a nice mention on RARA-AVIS recently.

RARA is 'a mailing list devoted to the discussion of hardboiled and noir writing,' with some mighty fine discussions about mystery authors and their work.

Idiosyncratic Blog

I'm in trouble with my publicist.

He's told me off for not making a big enough fuss about the kind words uberblogger Sarah Weinmann had to say about MILK TREADING. Confessions of an Idiosyncratic Mind is an entertaining and well-read site with a heap of book reviews and comments from the ever-prolific Sarah.

Here's what she had to say about my premier effort:

Julius Kyle was once a bestselling writer fending off throngs of fans. Now he's lost his muse and toils as a journalist and wonders where his life's headed. Then his best friend jumps out the window and Kyle gets embroiled in political intrigue, class warfare and searching for his next bowl of milk -- milk? Well yeah, Kyle's a cat. As are many of the characters in this surreal novel, unless they are the dogs they fight with. It's weird as hell but Smith smartly plays everything straight so why wouldn't we accept anthromorphic cats engaging in a hardboiled tale like this? Look out now for Smith's next novel, THE KITTY KILLER CULT, which is Kyle's "comeback" novel...