Steve McConnell is a pretty well-known author of books on good software development practices. His first book, Code Complete, was one of the first non-textbook software books that I ever bought; I credit his writing with having strongly shaped my own professional development.

A couple of months ago, out of the blue, Steve dropped me an email asking if I'd be interested in reviewing his book on software estimation. I jumped at the chance, and spent quite a few November evenings going through PDFs and jotting down feedback. I got a couple of nice thank-you emails from Steve as time wore on, including an announcement that the book was going to press.

Then Steve did something I really hadn't expected; he sent me an autographed copy of Software Estimation: Demystifying the Black Art. It was pretty cool just to contribute to the book; getting my own copy - autographed, even! - for free is just way too cool for words. A nice little boost to the old self-esteem, all in all.

(And, yes, he clearly took at least some of my feedback to heart. Not all of it, mind, but definitely some.)