Awesomely good weekend, y'all. (Despite the fact that I wrote a giant check to the IRS to pay quarterly taxes, sigh -- it was nice having money in my savings account while it lasted.)

The highlight of yesterday was a party at the Night Shade house in San Francisco, with special guest Sharyn November, who flew out from New York. Ellen Klages was there too, and it was fun talking to both of them, especially since I just yesterday read Ellen's "In the House of the Seven Librarians" (which Sharyn published), and it's awesome, my favorite story of Ellen's, I think. Jason & Jeremy presented me with a case of copies of Hart & Boot & Other Stories, and it looks so amazingly good. I'm thrilled beyond thrilldom. Delighted. Overjoyed. Etc. The book should be out next week. Buy a copy. Buy several. Give the extras to your friends.

Heather and I wound up staying at the party until well after 2 a.m., which is late for us, because we're lazy hermits, etc. We slept in until almost 1 p.m. today, but that's okay. We had enough fun for a whole weekend yesterday.

And today? I'm making chili. I usually cook chili in November, but it was too freaking warm in November. Now it's finally starting to feel like winter, so I decided to whip up a couple of big batches (one vegetarian for Heather). It's pretty much my usual recipe -- beans, tomatoes, beef, wasabi, grapefruit juice, Guinness, coffee, green chiles, Vietnamese hot sauce, dark chocolate, the usual chili spices, etc. I got some Hunan red pepper sauce this time, too, and it gives it a nice kick. The vegetarian pot is almost too chocolate-flavored for my taste, but it's for Heather anyway, and she loves it, so all is well. I'll spare you all my usual "making chili is like writing a novel" spiel, but suffice to say, cooking chili still satisfies that same kind of creative impulse that writing a book does for me.

And, yes, I have been working on my novel. I finished typing in half my hand-scrawled revisions to Poison Sleep yesterday, and will do the rest later today. I only have one entirely new scene left to write, though I have to add a few other lines here and there. Whoo! It's going well. I'll send it out to first readers tomorrow. (If you've been a first reader for me on a story or novel or whatever before, and want to read this novel too, drop me a line. It's a sequel to Blood Engines, but I really do think it stands alone.)

Holly and my nephew will be coming up in a couple of hours for a big chili feast. (When I make chili, word gets around.) Chili and crusty bread and beer. Mmm. It's what Sundays should be.