Of This and Other Worlds

After yesterday's post, you may have been wondering just why I am so excited that erinbow's YA fantasy novel Plain Kate is going to be published.

But now she has posted the first chapter, and you can see for yourself.

Oh, Marble Slab Creamery, where have you been all my life?

I had Double Dark Chocolate in a Dark Chocolate waffle cone, for the record. My sons had Birthday Cake with gummi bears in one and M&M's in the other, and my husband had vanilla with Oreo cookie bits in a Skor waffle cone.

Mmmmmmmmmm. *eyes roll back in head*

I just read lisayee's utterly delighful Stanford Wong Flunks Big-Time in preparation for giving it to a niece for Christmas, and now I have to go hunt down the first book, which I am certain I will love even more, because the heroine is an 11-year-old girl with poor social skills and an enormous vocabulary, Y HELO THAR ME. (Only I was not actually a genius on the Millicent Min level, just a bit of a geek, but I'll take it anyway.) Anyway, now I am dying for the third book, which is NOT OUT YET O WHY MUST I SUFFER SO???

I also have three more books to read before giving them away for Christmas: Gideon The Cutpurse, Here There Be Dragons, and The House of the Scorpion. Just to make sure they are Appropriate. And not because they look really good or anything. Ahem.

In other brain-blowing news, I have just started watching North and South, widely acclaimed as The Best Adaptation Ever Made By The BBC, and I can see why it's so highly praised. DH and I have only got through Part One, but I'm dying to watch the rest. But why does Thornton make me think of Snape? Is it the coloring? The nose? The glower? I know not. I could hear my monitor sizzling when Margaret handed him the teacup and he was totally checking her out, though. I love me some early Victorian UST.

I may be feeling a little bit silly today, yes.

Also, I finished First Draft in 30 Days and it all seems very complicated, but I'm sure it will be less overwhelming if I sit down and actually work my way through the exercises one by one instead of trying to hold them all in my brain simultaneously. I am determined to try, though. I'm going to give myself 90 days instead of 30 (since unlike some privileged people, a.k.a. the author of said book, we don't all get to write full-time) and see how it goes. The only question is which book to outline first -- Wayfarer or Touching Indigo. Perhaps I ought to try brainstorming both at once and see which one takes over... because that's pretty much the state I'm in right now. "Ooh! I just realized where Linden could go to look for more faeries!" followed very quickly by "Ooh! I just realized how Thea ended up with such a radical form of synaesthesia!" It's all very confusing AND I STILL HAVEN'T MADE SNICKERDOODLES YET.

I think I had better stop now.

Can you tell I've been watching the "Valley Girl" extras from the HOUSE S2 DVDs?

Anyway, look at the shiny pretty thing that is Writely! I've been wanting something like this for ages!

Other super-nifty things include the very exciting news, kindly mailed to me by Hottt Cheryl (do I have the right number of t's? I've lost track of how many she's earned, now), that naominovik's wonderful (wonderful, wonderful, and did I say, WONDERFUL?) Temeraire books have been optioned by Peter Jackson. In spite of the fact that I hated PJ's LotR, I am enough of an optimist to think he might do a good job with the project.

I was going to write a whole separate entry, maybe over on my otherwise useless Vox blog, reviewing His Majesty's Dragon and papersky's delightful Tooth and Claw, as they are both fantasy novels about dragons and both strongly influenced by nineteenth-century literature, and much could be said about either of them. However, I would rather give both books my endorsement now, however briefly, than wait for an opportunity to wax eloquent about them that may well never come. So here is my review:

I didn't think books about dragons could get any better than Tooth and Claw, but Temeraire a.k.a. His Majesty's Dragon in particular is the most delightful thing to happen to me in a literary sense since I read The Beekeeper's Apprentice (and we all know what came of that). Anyway, both Walton's book and Novik's are superb. If you haven't read them, GO NOW.

Firstly, cryptile has made me weep with laughter, first thing in the morning even.

Secondly, in the wake of all the fandom angst over the end of Doomsday and how sad it is that the Doctor has lost his Wun Twoo Wuv, I feel the need to share this comment I posted in nostalgia_lj's journal yesterday:

...the one and only time in canon we have seen the Doctor unquestionably starry-eyed, besotted, and beside himself with love was that "Good for you, Sarah Jane Smith!" scene [in School Reunion]. I mean, the way that moment was played, Ten looked like both of his hearts were going to smash right through his ribcage and gallop down the corridor after her. I could watch it all day, I swear. It makes me want to write post-SR fic in which Rose inexplicably decides to stay on Earth with K9 and Mickey while Sarah-Jane takes her place... Because Lis Sladen is JUST THAT SMASHING, y0.

So there.

Thirdly, I have ( written a script for S3 )

I expect them to start filming this very soon.

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THAT WAS A BILLION KINDS OF AWESOME.

Sarah Jane! Ten! Ten and Sarah Jane! Ten and Sarah Jane and K-9! EEEEeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!

I'm sorry, my synapses are too busy sending off fireworks to write a coherent review right now.

*wibbles*

*collapses in a heap*

Also, how creepy was ASH in that role? Whoa.

cesario has written me a very special multi-fandom crackfic for my birthday. With illustrations. And a fancy invitation at the beginning. And it's hilarious.

And piecesofalice wrote me House/Cameron schmoop, or at least as close to schmoop as House, being House, could be plausibly expected to get. It's delightful, too.

Thanks to everyone who sent me virtual gifts and well-wishes (including pwcorgigirl's inadvertent gift of the best turn of phrase I've seen in ages) for my birthday. It was indeed very nice, and tonight I'm going out for a leisurely, romantic, sit-down dinner with my husband and no kids. Woo!

I've just watched both parts of the Blue Peter interview with David Tennant so kindly provided by __kali__ (you can find it here if you're looking for the video, or just read the transcript at the BBC site), and Tennant is just too adorable, especially with the dancing at the end. I can't wait to see him as the Doctor.

Was anybody else totally creeped out by the winning monster entry, though? I mean, those faces sticking out of its skin are just sick, man, especially if they're going to move and make tortured expressions and all that stuff. Leave it to a nine-year-old boy to come up with such a twisted design...

From Outpost Gallifrey:

...we've received enough information from various sources to safely conclude that the new [Doctor Who] series will indeed premiere on BBC1 on Saturday, March 26, 2005, likely at either 6:45 or 7:00pm ... the show has been sold overseas in Canada, New Zealand and, surprisingly, Australia (for which a venue has not yet been announced)...

I. Can't. Wait.

Apologies to lizbee for the scary new icon.

I just got an e-mail from Laurie R. King telling me she's paid the entire registration fee for me to go to Bouchercon 2004 in October. She said it was a thank-you gift for running RUSS-L all these years.

*takes deep breath*

EEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Oh why oh why oh why do I not have Case of the Winning Woman finished? Or my modern mystery novel? There will be agents and editors there and aaarrrrrrrrrrrrrrggggggggh.

Except that aside from Laurie, there is not a single author on the (very long) list of attending mystery authors whose books I have actually read. I've heard of Val McDermid, Sara Paretsky, Ian Rankin and Peter Robinson, but haven't actually read any of their stuff. I think my brother might be a Rankin reader though, come to think of it...

*clicks randomly around Bouchercon site, in a state of dizzy excitement*

Woo! JKR is up for "Best Young Adult Mystery" in the Anthony Awards, for OotP! (Er... how weird is that, really?)

Oh, man, I cannot believe this. I'm already thinking -- I could stay with my brother, who has an apartment in downtown Toronto, and I could take the subway (I love the subway), and if I sign up in time I could go to the Sisters in Crime high tea and...

Did I say EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!! yet?

And now I feel extra guilty that I have done such a crap job of updating The Beekeeper's Holmes Page and associated documents over the past couple of years.

Laurie OWNS.

ETA: The guilt is assuaged -- I have updated the web page, the FAQ and the group's list of acronyms. Phew. *feels better*