Woohoo! I just finished Chapter Six of Marrying a Demon, and I'm feeling much happier about it. I'd been going through a slump with it over the past several days (end of Chapter Five thru beginning of Chapter Six), and today I finally figured out why--it was a section that, for all sorts of reasons, didn't get to include any magic. I was writing it as carefully and as well as possible, but I just wasn't having as much fun with it as I had before. Today, though, on her way to her first nightmare temp job interview, her hair in a mess, pantyhose tearing, and ballpoint pens (and worse things) leaking out of a brand-new hole in her shoulder bag, my heroine finally got to have some serious fantasy fun, and I am happy, happy, happy again.

And in the spirit of fun, here's a link to Holly Black's hilarious list of Things Authors Worry About, even After the Contract's Been Signed.

In less fun news, poor Nika was really ill all through yesterday, but today she seems a lot better. Unfortunately, after 24 hours without food (on vet's orders) she seems to have decided to go on a Water Strike, refusing to drink anything. Gaaah. We're giving her rice to eat today, and at least we've managed to sneak some liquid into her by dribbling water around the rice in her bowl. (Gourmet food? Well, no.) So she's still tired and lethargic, and we'll keep worrying until she's all better.

(For a very short video of her running for treats in the local valley, just a few days ago, see Patrick's most recent journal entry.)

I did manage to stay awake through the website designing training session yesterday afternoon, though, hurray! And in a lovely coincidence that feels like a reward, today I found out that a new book is winging its way to me for review for Interzone--Sarah Micklem's Firethorn, which I'm really looking forward to reading.

And now back to the thesis....