Jeremy Lassen posted my author photo, which will appear on Hart & Boot & Other Stories. I've looked worse.

Well, according to a post from the Slushmaster, Shawna McCarthy has accepted my story "Restless in My Hand" for Realms of Fantasy. It'll be good to be in that magazine again -- it's been too long. And, hey, pretty pictures! Regular readers may remember this story as "the giant motherf***ing magical axe" story, or, as "that story about a magical axe that has no fight scenes." The title is from Gimli's line from Lord of the Rings: "Sleep! I feel the need of it. Yet my axe is restless in my hand. Give me a row of orc-necks and room to swing and all weariness will fall from me!" Who doesn't get re-energized by a row of orc-necks, am I right?

Hmm, that's probably the last story I'll sell before I turn 30.

Oh, the webzine Daikaijuzine will be reprinting my story "Down with the Lizards and the Bees" early next year. That story, coincidentally, first appeared in Realms of Fantasy back in 2003. I'll be happy to have it online, since the narrator has an important supporting role in my next novel, Blood Engines. So it's all, like, savvy marketing and such. Yeah.

I'm feeling better today. No fever, throat doesn't hurt as much, phlegm is clear (Heather says that's too much information, but I think it's valuable diagnostic data!), generally more awake, if still somewhat woozy-headed. Those garlic fries I had last night must've helped, and I also give credit to the Chinese herbs (which either work well or have a powerful placebo effect). So birthday celebrations for the weekend are still on! (My birthday isn't until next Tuesday, but next week is gonna be too busy for celebrating.) I probably oughta lay off the tequila, but I'll drink some wine and beer, no doubt.

Wish me well as I set the ship of my twenties on fire and shove it off down the river of time.