My omnibus review of the Small Beer Press book line (Stranger Things Happen by Kelly Link, Meet Me in the Moon Room by Ray Vukcevich, The Mount and Report to the Men's Club and Other Stories by Carol Emshwiller, Trampoline edited by Kelly Link, and Kalpa Imperial by Angelica Gorodischer & translated by Ursula K. Le Guin) went online today at Green Man Review. When I turned it in, my editor really liked it -- she uttered things like "Yowza!" and "Yum!" -- and the editor-in-chief liked it so much that the review won an Excellence in Writing Award. Yay! Go see.

Yesterday, I drove with my parents down to Clayton to take a look at the Wagner House as a possible wedding site, and I think the search is over. Both my parents liked it the most of any place we've seen so far, and while I was trying to reserve judgment and think about it a little more, I had to share their enthusiasm. It's a gorgeous house, with capabilities of doing the ceremony inside or outside and comfortably fitting the number of people we're expecting. It's elegant but cozy at the same time. I really like this place.

Last night, I took my groovy new moleskine notebook and went over to B&N. The little Starbucks kiosk in the center of the store was fairly busy, but I was able to order a mocha frappachino (yum!) and find a table with no problems. I took out my pencil and finished up the bizarre Santa/Buddha story I'd started the night before (thanks to Andreas for planting the seed in my brain). It's called "Night Off", and I may include it in the chapbook Janet and I are planning. It's fun and goofy and short.

Today I got together with Andreas and Luna at a Starbucks in Raleigh (where I got another frappachino), and exchanged some advanced reader copies for money. We chatted for around an hour, about books and reptiles and conventions. It was fun. Afterward, I headed over to Quail Ridge, saw that they had the announcement up for the Trampoline reading in a little over a week, and offered to display my review of the anthology for their customers. When I got home, I threw something together quickly on PageMaker and printed it out. I'll take it into the store this week so that they can display it next to the books (when they come in).

I also decided that I'm going to read "Watersnake, Firesnake" for my reading at Trinoc*con next weekend (whenever that may be; I still don't know). It's at 3400 words, which seems just right for a half-hour reading. Plus, of all my stories, it's the most fun for me to read aloud. If I have time left over, I'll read "Night Off" as well.

Tuition is due in two days for the fall semester. At least I got approved for a buttload of student loans, so that's covered. Sigh. Why can't I just go to grad school for free? Is that really asking so much?

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Now Reading:
Viriconium by M John Harrison

Stories Out to Publishers:
14

Books Read This Year:
27

Novel Word Count:
9200