1) We have entered thunderstorm season, and I hate it. Poor Maya is a shivering wreck for the duration of each storm, consumed by panic and completely un-reachable. She races from place to place, but none of them feel safe. She tries to climb on top of our heads with sharp claws, her eyes wild with panic. She trembles and trembles. The first thunderstorm was yesterday, and the second is going on right now. I hate this season.

2) I finished Black Ships last night, and oh, I loved it. It was by far the best fantasy novel I've read this year, and I've just recommended it for a Nebula. (I was wrong in my earlier entry, btw - it's an adult fantasy novel rather than a YA. Not that YA readers couldn't read it, but if you're looking in the bookshelves, you should head for the adult SF/fantasy section.) Wonderful - and best of all, the ending was just perfect. I'm so glad to own a copy of this one, and I can't wait until her second book comes out next year.

3) Tiffany Trent posted a great entry on the art of booksignings. Lots of really useful tips - I've bookmarked this one in hopes of following her advice one day.

4) And a really inspirational piece from The Guardian: Age Shall Not Wither Her, a piece about women artists over 60. I loved reading about the different women, getting turned on to some artists I'd never heard of, and especially being inspired by their continued energy and passion for their work. (And given my current "Interesting Situation", I was especially grateful to read one of the artists saying that, even for her generation, having children really wasn't necessarily the Curse of Doom for a woman artist.) My favorite bit, from 73-year-old Paula Rego:

Does she feel that she is running out of time, that she may not be able to create everything she would like? "That you do. I work harder now than ever. But you also have more desire to do it. You do it because that is what you do. I feel better when I draw. I haven't even begun to learn how to draw - I practise and practise. Eventually," says Rego, "I will be able to draw".

Wow. I really, really hope to be like her at 73.