This afternoon I had to stop at the university to pick up a refund for a canceled hair appointment (long story, best not to ask!), and Patrick had to go Christmas shopping in the Leeds city center (and since he was shopping for me, I was NOT allowed to accompany him!). So we parted ways at the university, and I picked up my refund, walked down to the city center through the German Christmas market, and spent a lovely couple of hours at the big Waterstones on Albion Street. I don't often go there, but every time I do, I'm newly surprised at what a fabulous bookstore it is - definitely the best SF/fantasy/horror section in the whole Leeds area.

I found a bunch of books imported from America that I'd heard of but never actually seen before - even including several small-press books, which really surprised me - and spent a delicious hour in the café upstairs drinking a mocha and reading Ysabeau Wilce's novelette "The Lineaments of Gratified Desire" in the Prime Books anthology Fantasy: The Best of the Year 2007. I'm a year late joining this party, I know, but...WOW. I loved that story with a fierce love. It's a story for adults, not kids, set in Flora Segunda's world of Califa, and it's funny and magical and smart and scary, and it's perfectly reminiscent of Mark Twain's wonderful story "The Ransom of Red Chief", with a cute little girl who isn't NEARLY as helpless as she looks! Reading it made me want to write more stories, and BETTER stories - it was inspirational in the best way. I loved it. So if you haven't had a chance to read it yet - definitely, definitely do! I think it was first published in The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, but it was reprinted in two different best-of-year collections, for very good reason.

Even before reading that story, though, Patrick and I both had a really good writing session this morning. I love joint writing sessions! I get so much more accomplished when there's someone else in the room typing away and waiting for me to read him scenes as I finish them (or before, if I really need motivation and cheering-on). And we set each other goals when we're blocked: Write 100 words in the next 5 minutes. Go! I ended up writing another 1200-some words on my novelette, and I think (cross fingers!) that it's almost done - just one more writing session to go, if I'm lucky. Whew!

And for my very favorite link of the day: this certificate (by Janni Lee Simner) is for everyone who's ever wondered if they really are a "Real Writer" yet: now you know! I can't wait to print mine out. :)