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0n a recent trip to Poland, Steve signed books at stores in Krakow and Warsaw. As part of the signings he would take questions and answers, which presents a problem when one doesn't speak Polish. So the woman to Steve's right below is reading out the question from the audience while the woman on the left translates in Steve's ear. The system actually worked quite well.

At one store, photographers sat in front and flashed away, taking pictures. Steve has his picture taken all the time, but this went way beyond that. These photographers snapped several hundred shots as Steve talked to a crowd in Krakow. "That's the most pictures I've ever had taken of me at one time," Steve said. "I felt like a rock star with paparazzi all around." Later, Steve wondered what they did with all of those pictures.

Steve's Polish publisher is a lovely woman, Sonia Draga. At the time of his visit, The Amber Room, The Romanov Prophecy, The Third Secret, and The Templar Legacy were all in stores. Foreign publications lag a year or two behind publications in the United States. All of the books were well received and the crowds at the various events were impressive.

Something a little different occurred while in Poland. One group of about 20 people gathered around the longest conference table Steve had ever seen. He spoke for a few minutes then took their questions for nearly an hour. After, he signed books for them all. "It was like a board meeting. The setting. The somber faces. The questions. I enjoyed it."

Steve was in Poland at the personal invitation of the then-ambassador, Victor Ashe, as part of a cultural exchange program the American embassy sponsored. Left are ambassador, Victor Ashe, Sonia Draga, and Elizabeth, Steve's wife.

While in Italy, Steve visited the island of Torcello where he had lunch in the world famous Locanda Cipriani. The tables sit in the shadow of the island's two churches, among pomegranate trees. Novelist David Dunn is pictured below, who was there with Steve. The meal was so enjoyable that Steve decided Cotton Malone would eat there in The Venetian Betrayal.

The small museum on Torcello also figures prominently in The Venetian Betrayal. It's second floor (pictured below) becomes the scene of a climactic confrontation. One change, though, the floor here is concrete, while the flooring in the story became wood. One of those modifications that had to be made to make things work.

It's 9:00 a.m. and Steve is waiting for the abbey at Belem to open on a trip to Portugal to research The Alexandria Link. He would get there when the site first opened in order to avoid the crowds that piled in less than thirty minutes later. Steve and Elizabeth spent hours in the abbey formulating the scenes that ultimately made it into the book.

In London, Steve has lunch with his publishing team at Hodder and Stoughton, which prints and distributes his books in England, Australia, and New Zealand. The man to Steve's left in the striped-shirt is Nick Sayers, head of the house, and a super gentleman.

Novelist James Rollins is a good friend. He and Steve and their spouses often travel together. Below, the two of them are in Christchurch, New Zealand, a wonderful place. "One of my favorites," Steve says. "One day it's definitely going in a story."

The view in Fiji from the beach looking across a lovely stretch of Pacific Ocean, beneath which was a coral reef. Fifty feet off shore and the reef was there, loaded with life. In fact, Steve saved Jim Rollins from an attacking sea snake that Jim never saw coming. Kind of like Cotton Malone saving Painter Crowe.