Irene, Schmirene, thanks babe but you're history and now it's all about my website. I have a new book coming out on Sept. 27, in honor of which we've revised, revamped, and all those other re-words, my website, which youse all know because you've been there and checked it out. Well, you might want to go back.

The book, GHOST HERO, is set in the world of Chinese contemporary art. The Chinese artists working today are hot, they're wild, and they might be, um, a tad unfamiliar to a few of youse. As might be the 5,000 year tradition they've come out of. So, since we're a bunch of geeks, (star geek this time being the absolutely invaluable Hannah Swale) we here at SJR Central have added two, count 'em, two! fabulous features to the website.

The first, starting today, is an idiosyncratic and non-chronological tour through Chinese and Chinese-American art. Not academic and not painfully educational, just 30 images to revel in as we count down to the publication of GHOST HERO. It's at the bottom of the front page; click there to get to the image's own page. A new one every day, starting today with the marvelous Xu Bing. So by the time GHOST HERO gets here, none of youse will feel the least bit intimidated by the setting. Not that anything could intimidate youse, I know that. But there it is.

The second fabulous feature, in case there just happen to be geeks among youse, too, is a Companion Guide, which will supply you with more links to Chinese art resources than you could possibly ever need, except if you're a geek. Including a very short list of my favorite Chinese artists.

So check them out, enjoy them, comment on them -- there's no law that says you have to like them all, or like any of them -- and watch this space because there's more stuff coming!