Every field has its trade magazines, from Cat Fancy to Fashion Dolls Quarterly. They're an important, unbiased way of sharing developments and keeping people abreast of the news. Also, unlike a website, they can go in the bathtub with you, which is way important. The trade magazine for the science fiction and fantasy world is Locus, which holds the rare distinction of being the only trade mag to ever have me as a cover girl. (Sadly before I started dying my hair in mantis shrimp colors, so clearly I need to convince them to do a "Mira Grant" spotlight sometime, just so people can see my awesomely updated tresses.)

Locus is an awesome resources and a fun read, and I am a big fan, which is why, when they asked me if I'd be willing to tell people about their holiday special, I was totally happy to say "sure." Locus is small, privately owned, and has a dedicated staff working hard to put it out on a monthly basis. As such, they don't do many promotions—this is a great opportunity, and a better deal. To whit:

***

Locus Holiday Special—New Subscriptions Only!

Digital Deal: January-June 2015 Digital Subscription for $15.00 (normally $27.00)

Print Special: Give a 12 or 24 issue Print Subscription, and get a Free Issue! (Get one free issue added to a gift subscription, OR to your own!)

Upon purchase you will receive a PDF holiday gift card suitable for printing or sharing (with art by Francesca Myman). Get more information and make your purchase here:

http://www.lsff.net/holidayspecial/

The perfect stocking stuffer for the science fiction fan or new author on your list! Offer expires December 31, 2014.

***

Check out their website and see if this is maybe something you can get behind. They're a great bunch of people doing good work, and this is an amazing value for an equally amazing magazine.

So this story is Cat Valente's fault.

Cat wrote a Coyote story that was also a football story, and because I am her Coyote Girl as she is my Mermaid of Maine, she mentioned me, and some people got the idea that I liked football (rather than getting the idea that I love Coyote in all his shapes and incarnations) and asked if I would write a football story for them. So I did, and then one thing led to another, and the people who had asked for the story couldn't use it after all, but I liked it a lot (and it was something that made me think of Cat, which is always good), and so I went looking for a home.

"Homecoming" is available to read online, now, in the latest issue of Lightspeed Magazine.

"Homecoming" is a story about football (with thanks to Shawn for clarifying my action). It's a story about hot October nights when the stands are full and the crowd is cheering and you feel like you can run forever. It's a story about destiny. And it's a story I'm fairly proud of.

You can read this month's full issue at:

http://www.lightspeedmagazine.com/

Fantasy! Science fiction! Non-fiction! Diverse voices! And an upcoming "Women Destroying Science Fiction" special issue. I highly recommend either purchasing this issue (if you like any of the stories it contains and want to support the magazine that published them), or picking up a subscription. Either way, the boys of summer are waiting for you on the field. It's the big game tonight.

You wouldn't want to make them wait for long.

I am...really, I am overjoyed, and staggered, and a little bit dizzy over this:

Ashes of Honor is #16 on the New York Times Bestseller List for September 23rd, 2012.

This is the first time I have appeared on the print list (i.e., "the top twenty") under my own name. Late Eclipses and Discount Armageddon both made the list, but they were in the 30s, not the teens.

I am on the print list.

I am a New York Times Bestseller.

I am having real trouble not informing everyone I meet of that fact, including the guy at Starbucks who fixed my pumpkin spice latte. This isn't bragging. It's shock and delight and bafflement and awe.

Thank you all.

Thank you all so much.

Wow.

I am really, really happy about the fact that "Lost" has just been reprinted in Lightspeed Magazine. "Lost" was originally published in Ravens in the Library, and it was, through accident of timing, my very first physical publication (I had one story printed first, "Let's Pretend," but that was and has remained web-only). It's a story about pirates, and children, and running away, and what it costs to have everything you wanted, and how much of that cost is paid by the people you leave behind. I love it a lot. And you can read it again now, if you missed it the first time.

"Lost" at Lightspeed Magazine.

Lightspeed also did an author spotlight on me, to talk about the story:

Seanan McGuire author spotlight at Lightspeed Magazine.

Finally, for right now, I've published another poem, "Wounds," in the June issue of Apex. It's about wizards, and mermaids, and the price of magic, and how much we hurt each other.

"Wounds" at Apex Magazine.

And that's June!

1. To clarify a point from all the shirt posts: please don't email now asking if your shirt has been mailed. Your shirt has been mailed. I don't know where it is anymore. The post office does what it will do, but as we have not, thus far, had anything vanish while in transit, I am relatively confident that your package will get to you. It can take up to a week within the US, and up to three weeks outside the US. If you are in the US and don't have a shirt by April 15th, or outside the US and don't have a shirt by May 1st, that's when we should become concerned. (That's a lot of time on purpose. I want to give the post office the chance to find things.)

2. Texas was gorgeous, and College Station was amazing. I realize the state's unusual weather meant that it was basically all dressed up for my West Coast eyes—it rained for several weeks before my arrival, so everything was green and covered in wildflowers—but first impressions matter, and my first impression was "This place is gorgeous." Definitely an E-ticket of a state.

3. Midnight Blue-Light Special has been turned in to The Editor, which means I can focus on all the other things that I'm supposed to be writing right now. No, it never ends. Which is also kind of awesome, even if right now, all I want to be working on is InCryptid. Stupid muse and her stupid laser focus. Oh, well.

4. Thanks to trusting the travel gods to see me safely home on Sunday, I managed to upgrade my two flights in coach to a single through flight in first class. Let me tell you, first class is a nice way to fly home. Also, there was free digital cable on the flight, so I watched Jennifer's Body, Zombieland, and Pandorum. Awesome, even more awesome, what the fuck were these people thinking.

5. Also on the topic of first impressions, thanks to this lingering cold, College Station's first impression of me was "scratchy-voiced, foul-mouthed, evil pixie." I can definitely settle for that.

6. Tonight, I do laundry; tomorrow, I pack for Emerald City Comic Con. Because it never really ends once it begins around here. I'm super-excited to see my Seattle family, go to my first ECCC, and hug Amy Mebberson lots and lots. My life is empty if I don't hug an Amy once a month. True fact. And my beloved Amy McNally went home after Consonance.

7. The cats are filled with hate, because the suitcases will not go away. I begin to fear retribution. On the plus side, their "retribution" usually takes the form of sleeping endlessly atop the objects of their annoyance.

8. The new Monster High characters are starting to ship, and my local Toys R Us is once again seeing me two and three times a week as I check in, looking for Rochelle Goyle and the basic Jackson Jekyll (he previously appeared in the beachwear line, Gloom Beach, which means this is the first time he's been available with all his accessories). Luckily, I have a tolerant mother, and tolerant friends.

9. For those of you in the UK, I have a column in this month's issue of SFX Magazine! Or, well, Mira does. I wrote an article about why The Stand is a classic and you should read it. US folks, you'll be able to pick up the issue next month. I'm really pleased with it.

10. Jean Grey is still dead, zombies are love, and the Great Pumpkin watches over us all.

So yeah, I currently live in a cloud of existential doubt, waiting for Discount Armageddon to hit the shelves and all hell to break loose. This is pretty normal for me. And then lo and behold, Publishers Weekly decided to soothe my nerves with an awesome review. I quote:

"McGuire (the October Daye series) launches a new series with a fast, funny adventure involving cryptids (semimythical entities like Yeti and the Loch Ness Monster) and the researchers who love them. Cryptozoologist Verity Price belongs to a legendary clan of monster hunters who turned their back on the genocidal Covenant generations ago and now work to maintain a safe ecosystem for both cryptids and humans. Verity moves to New York to follow her other passion, ballroom dancing, but the arrival of a sexy Covenant agent—just as cryptids go missing across the city—disrupts her carefully balanced routine. Verity must join forces with her ancestral enemy to prevent Manhattan from being destroyed by the ancient power sleeping beneath it. Verity is a winning protagonist, and her snarky but loving observations on her world of bogeyman strip club owners, Japanese demon badger bartenders, and dragon princess waitresses make for a delightful read. Agent: Diana Fox, Fox Literary. (Mar.)"

Verity's a winning protagonist? Yeah, I'll take that. Also, I am crazy-excited to see this book on shelves, you have no idea.

It's almost real.

I am sick even unto death, and so I am not really capable of the kind of coherent and thoughtful blogging that I try to provide. Instead, I am going to provide something truly awesome: a starred Publishers Weekly review of Deadline. Behold:

( Cut for FEED spoilers!Collapse )

Let's go in reverse order, shall we? Because sometimes linearity just doesn't cut it. Anyway, the annual Locus Magazine poll for the best speculative fiction has been posted, covering those items published during 2010. Many excellent things are on the list already, and there are write-in slots for excellent things which you feel should have been included there, but weren't. The poll is open until April 15th, and everyone can vote, although votes cast by actual subscribers count for double. (This is one reason, among many, that it is awesome to have a Locus subscription.) Go, take a look, and help paint an accurate picture of what people loved about the speculative fiction of 2010!

I recently did an interview with the charming Katie Babs, who has posted our conversation for everyone to see. Being more sophisticated about these things than l'il ol' me, she even included graphics and other such awesome bells and whistles. It was a fun interview, with good questions, and I highly recommend taking a peek, if only so she'll feel that her site traffic justifies having me back someday!

Why, no. I do not have any pride. Why do you ask?

The cats continue healthy. Alice is a bit heavier than I want her to be, since recovering from her illness included a lot of gooshy food and spoiling, so we're trying to feed lightly for the moment. This might work better if a) Thomas weren't a growing boy, b) Lilly were more willing to be pushy about her food, and c) Alice didn't flop in the middle of the floor wailing about how she's starving to death and I am the WORST MONKEY EVER. Although, to be fair, Alice's flopping would be more believable if she didn't shake the floor when she did it. Yes, yes, you're starving, my little tauntaun. And next time there's a cold snap, I am going to crawl inside you to keep myself warm.

Thomas is growing at a truly staggering rate; it's like he's taken Alice's size as a personal challenge, and is determined to beat her before the next time he sees Betsy (I always assume my cats are trying to impress their breeder with their spectacular awesomeness). He's still the sweetest thing on four feet, which is good, since otherwise, I would be in trouble. He's very smart, and very curious. He's also stubborn as hell. Last night, he was on my lap, trying to play with the popcorn I was eating, so every time he reached for a piece, I would flick his paw. A normal cat would have grown annoyed and stalked off, furious at such callous treatment. Thomas started flicking me back. I love my Maine Coons.

I also love my Siamese. Lilly remains the lickingest cat in the entire known universe, as the patch of skin she licked off the inside my elbow last night while I slept will cheerfully attest. She's a little daunted by suddenly being the smallest cat in the house, but she's dignified enough (in all regards except for the licking) to hold her own against the fluffy tide.

And now...toys. As you may know, I love toys. My bedroom is like a terrifying cross between a set built for the Halloweentown movies and a toy store. I have well over a hundred My Little Ponies (and am collecting more every day), the entire current Monster High toy line, and a bunch of random assorted dolls, action figures, and weird things, including an anime-style Emma Frost, a hungry flesh-eating wasp-woman, and the Impala from Supernatural. It's a fun room to sleep in sometimes.

Anyway, yesterday, I got home to find a box on my porch. And inside that box...PONIES. Lots and lots of lovely Ponies, including Baby Racer (a yellow Baby Brother Pony with blue hair and a race car on his rump) and Applejack and some beautifully ringletted Candy Cane Ponies...

And Oakly. The My Little Pony Moose. Who has been on my Top 10 Wish List for ages. And now? NOW SHE IS MINE.

It's a good week to be a Pony geek.

Tara is making me a Barbie version of Alice Price-Healy, which has given me an excuse to go shopping for lots and lots of 1/6th scale weapons on eBay. This is incredibly soothing. It's shopping with purpose, and that purpose will result in my having the best. Barbie. EVER. The other Barbie she made for me, Lt. Anis Bihari of the USS Rutan, is currently off-site having her uniform tailored. I expect much joy when she returns. Oh, and they just announced the second wave of the Monster High Dawn of the Dance line, which will include two of my favorite dolls (Draculaura and Ghoulia).

It's a good week to be a toy geek, period. I am a happy blonde.

Publishers Weekly has spoken on the subject of Late Eclipses, and they say:

"In October 'Toby' Daye's fourth outing, following 2010's An Artificial Night, the half-Fae private detective is once again run through the wringer when problems plaguing the San Francisco Fae community strike home on a personal level. First, in an unprecedented, unexpected move, the Queen of the Mists promotes Toby to countess. Given that the Queen hates her, it's quite obviously a trap, but not something Toby can refuse or avoid. Subsequently, several of Toby's closest friends are struck down through poison and illness, and she's accused of murder. Has an enemy from Toby's past resurfaced, or is she losing her mind? Physically, emotionally, and magically drained, faced with tragedy and despair, Toby's forced to deal with the long-hidden truth behind her Fae heritage. In this tightly plotted adventure, McGuire mixes nonstop action with a wealth of mythology to deliver a wholly satisfying story."

They like me! They really like me!

Pardon me while I dance THE DANCE OF JOY.

So people are stating to post their "best of..." lists for 2010. Heck, I'm even doing it, and I'm frequently the last person to notice that the bandwagon is rolling through the center of my town. Much to my surprise and delight, Feed is showing up on a few of those lists, which is sort of like, whoa, really? I mean...whoa, really? I love this book like I love sunshine and zombie puppies, but I didn't write it to make lists, I wrote it to get it out of my head. So the fact that it is is just...

It's staggering.

But here it is on Book Yurt's 2010 W00t List, described as "smart, scary, sassy and not at all what you'd expect from a zombie novel." (I'm also described here, as "both hilarious and ferociously smart." I can roll with that, being an overly-intellectual former stand-up comic. See? Every skill applies somewhere.)

And the Devourer of Books listed Feed as one of the books she gushed about in 2010, describing it as, "a smart book with fantastic world building." She was talking about the audio book, too, and gave kudos to the narrators.

But the one that really floored me—I mean floored me, knocked me on my ass and stole my lunch money—is the one that half the world emailed me about while I was sleeping. Because Feed, my little zombies-and-politics Sorkin/Romero love letter, Feed...

Well, it made The Onion AV Club's list of the Best Books They Read in 2010. Feed. My book. Made that list. HOLY CRAP. And they say:

"Feed resembles a Cory Doctorow novel in its intelligent speculation about how technology will reshape familiar aspects of the world, but it's more like The West Wing in its close observation of a presidential campaign from the inside, as seen through the eyes of a handful of bloggers invited along on the campaign trail. It's a breathless, exciting pulp novel with one of 2010's most surprising endings, but it's also a smart futuristic extrapolation about what the future may look like thanks to the Internet and new modes of communication, zombies or no."

I am stunned. Totally stunned. And also, have no lunch money, because this review took it. And somehow, I do not mind.

BEST OF 2010, BABY! WOOOOOOOOO!

The links are beginning to haunt my dreams. So here: let's get a few of them out of the way.

First up, Tim Pratt's fabulous Locus review has been posted online, and says, "While there's plenty of zombie mayhem, political snark, and pointedly funny observations here, the heart of this book is about human relationships, which are still the most important thing in the world...even in a world where you might have to shoot the person you love most in the head, just to stop them from biting off your face. While Feed is the first volume of the Newsflesh trilogy, it stands alone perfectly well—but if you like smart zombie action with a heart, you’ll be eager for the sequel, Deadline." Locus Magazine: where the awesome is.

KT Grant has posted her review of Feed, including some very sweet commentary on having met me at New York City Comicon. She says, "Mira's world building in Feed is bar none, one of the best I've ever read." Also, "The best possible compliment I can give this book and the writing talents of Mira Grant, is that if Edward R, Murrow, one of the greatest American broadcast journalists was still alive, he would embrace Feed for its message. George Romero, the godfather of the zombie apocalypse, would stand up and cheer. Feed is, hands down, one of the best zombie stories I’ve ever read, behind George Matheson's I Am Legend."

This is where I pause a moment (something I rarely do in these review roundups) and note that this, right here, is why I am Mira Grant. KT is a lovely person, with taste in books that does not, unfortunately, include my Toby series. She really, really disliked Rosemary and Rue, and has not, so far as I know, read the sequels. She was going to pass on Feed solely because she knew it was me. Reviews changed her mind. But for all those people who picked up Feed not knowing it was me, and not liking my work under my own name...this is why I'm Mira Grant. Because they are so different.

Carrying on...

Vampifan has posted a great review of Feed, and says, "This is a novel that can be read as a political thriller with zombies, which is how I described it to my parents. They both read it and both enjoyed it as much as me, which is high praise as neither of them has ever read a zombie novel before." I have crossover appeal!

karenhealey (best name ever) has posted her spoiler-tagged Feed review, and it's hysterical. Seriously, if you've read Feed, click through.

Persephone Magazine has posted a lovely critical review of Feed (and has some harsh things to say about the book's print quality). No good pull quotes this time, but give it a read; it's quite solid.

That's all for now. I will triumph over this link list! Maybe...

I'm a Zombie Girl,
In a Zombie wo-oo-orld,
I'm decaying,
But I'm staying!

Out of mercy to the sensitive souls among you, I will stop there. See how merciful I can be? When I remember that other people don't necessarily enjoy cannibalism before breakfast? Then again, when one is attempting to build a better pain chart (thank you, Hyperbole and a Half), sometimes it's necessary to find out where the limits are.

I'm in a very Mira mood today, maybe because it's gray and raining, maybe because my weekend is like a katamari, and full of things, and maybe because, drullroll please...

FEED is a 2010 Romantic Times Reviewers' Choice Nominee in the Science Fiction Category! (For a slightly more compact ballot, focusing on the paranormal and science fiction nominees, check this link.)

I am, like, crazy-excited over this, because this is a really big deal. The Romantic Times Reviewers' Choice Awards are a great bellwether of quality and awesomeness, and this is my first time appearing on the ballot. I'm truly, totally jazzed. So, y'know. Fingers crossed and the apocalypse doesn't come!

PANDEMIC DANCE PARTY FOR EVERYBODY!

Publishers Weekly has released their list of the Best Books of 2010. Including their selections for the best science fiction, fantasy, and horror.

Feed made the list.

I am genuinely overjoyed. It's also a nice change from focusing on trying to breathe without hacking up a lung, that having been my previous activity for the morning. I wrote one of the Best Books of 2010! OH MY SWEET GREAT PUMPKIN AND PIE.

This isn't very coherent, in part because I don't have it in me to be coherent right now. Mostly, I just have it in me to be flailing wildly, and totally ecstatic.

Squee.

Treat: a new interview is up at Papercut Reviews, and there's a chance to win a signed copy of either Rosemary and Rue or An Artificial Night. So whether you're a new reader or a long-time friend of the series, you can maybe win the book that's right for you!

Treat: Cory Doctorow has posted his thoughts on this year's Hugo Awards, and has some really sweet things to say about my acceptance speech. It's nice that other people remember it. I barely do. I was sort of out to lunch that day.

Treat: Katie Babs has posted about the New York Comic Con, and has a picture of a rare public Mira Grant sighting. The lovely Miss Mira is neither covered in gore nor decapitating anyone, which makes this picture doubly rare.

And today's big treat, which comes better late than never, I give you the September 2010 issue of Geek Speak magazine. Why? Because, well, it includes a fantastic interview with me (conducted in Australia, no less), which asks me a lot of fun things I don't get asked very often, a cracking good review of An Artificial Night, and a sweet, passionately lovely review of AussieCon IV, including, yes, my Campbell win. Seriously, I was like, 30% of this issue, it's awesome.

Those are your treats for this lovely Halloween morning. Stay safe tonight, and remember, always check your candy.

There is a review of Feed in the October issue of SciFi Magazine. This is a major newsstand glossy, produced by the media group that ones the SyFy Channel (you know, where I spend much of my time). The cover story is about Resident Evil: Afterlife. Inside, there are stories about Haven and the new season of Eureka.

And then there is me.

A review of my book. In this magazine.

Sometimes this business of writing continues to astonish me. I know, I know: I worked hard, I worked for a long time, this isn't all being handed to me on platters by magical ponies from the moon (which is really a pity, as I would love to catch me some magical moon ponies of my very own). I don't sit here feeling like I'm getting things I shouldn't have...even if I do occasionally wonder when I'm going to wake up from this astonishingly detailed linear dream.

My book is reviewed in a magazine that includes a review of a Resident Evil movie and a television show based on the works of Stephen King. If there was any actual question of whether or not I may have accidentally sold my soul at the crossroads, this pretty much answers it.

Good thing I keep a fiddler around, huh?

Golly.

( Click here for review goodness.Collapse )

Last week was a big, big week for me, at least if you categorize "Seanan is running around in circles screaming like an idiot" as "big week." How big? Well, for starters, The Onion A.V. Club reviewed Feed. YES. I AM IN THE ONION. FUCK YEAH, SEAKING. Ahem. The reviewer says:

"Set more than two decades after an uprising of the living dead, Feed uses meticulous world-building to shape a narrative that's believable, thrilling, and instantly clear. From examining the political consequences of a world constantly under siege to detailing how blogging and Internet news feeds would develop in the face of the threat, Grant's creativity and thoroughness give her narrative an unshakable credibility."

...if you'll excuse me a minute, I'll be in my bunk.

Not that I'll be staying there for long, because io9 also posted a review of Feed. Holy cats. They call Feed "perfect summer apocalypse reading," and say "This fast-paced undead thriller will be great for people who enjoy their zombie slaughtering with a hearty slice of social commentary." The whole review is worth reading, but those were the quotes that really buttered my biscuits. (io9 also did a fun and awesome post on the book website. Check it out.)

The Book Smugglers are frequent reviewers of my material, and I was thrilled when Thea gave Feed a review. She says "More than anything else, I loved the amount of thought Ms. Grant put into writing this book. Feed is INCREDIBLY detailed; George's world is fleshed out, from the genesis of the deadly pathogen to the constant vigilance required living with this airborne virus. Ms. Grant's vision of a future American ravaged by KA is grimly complete." Yay!

I also did what's called an "Inspirations and Influences" post for the Book Smugglers, talking about what inspires me, what drives me to write, and where the Newsflesh trilogy came from. The giveaway is over, but the interview remains.

Jenn Brozek has posted a combined review and interview at the Apex blog, and says "Feed is the best zombie book I have ever read. It is smart, fast paced, and intriguing. What could have been a run-of-the-mill zombie farce is, instead, a near future political thriller with twists and turns that you can see coming but only in retrospect." Glee.

Anna has entered Feed in her book log, and says "I’m not sure what impressed me more, and there’s a lot to impress here: the backstory of the Kellis-Amberlee virus; the various complex social and political changes that happen in America as a result of the Rising; the fact that in this world, George Romero is considered a national hero; or the upsurge of bloggers as a source of organized journalism. Either way, it makes me very much want to up the ante on my own writing efforts. Take note, my fellow writers. This is how worldbuilding is done."

Victory is mine, victory is mine, joy in the morning, victory is mine. I have drunk deep from the keg of glory.

Glee.

Do you like cheerleaders? Do you like aliens? Do you like urban legends? Well, then you're just gonna love my latest published short story, "Dying With Her Cheer Pants On," in which the Fighting Pumpkins Cheer Squad goes up against an alien invasion in a battle to the death, with the very fate of mankind hanging in the balance.

"Dying With Her Cheer Pants On" is available now, in the April 2010 issue of Apex Magazine.

Some of you may have heard me perform this story live, since it's a favorite reading piece of mine (and how could it not be? I mean, really). For those of you who haven't, there's an audio version of the same story in this month's issue. Totally awesome.

Go, read, enjoy, and remember...

GO PUMPKINS!

"Hey, why didn't you mention that Rosemary and Rue made the Locus Recommended Reading List for 2009?"
"I didn't think of it."
"Well, you should."
"Really?"
"Yes."
"It's not braggy?"
"MENTION IT."

So here, by order of one of my many secret masters, is the official mention: Rosemary and Rue [Amazon]|[Mysterious Galaxy] made the Locus Recommended Reading List for 2009, under the "Debut Novel" category. I am...honestly stunned and bewildered and amazed and delighted, and a whole lot of other things. Like, emotionally, I'm scrambled eggs right now.

In case you don't know what Locus Magazine is, it's essentially the trade magazine for the science fiction/fantasy/horror literary community. They publish announcements, interviews, reviews, and basically anything else that readers (and writers) are likely to really care about. It's pretty awesome. The first time my name was in the magazine, I screamed and bought three copies. Now? Now I'm just looking stunned (and buying three copies).

This time last year, I was paralyzed with fear over the upcoming release of my first book. Now, I'm paralyzed with fear over the upcoming release of my second book, and still utterly over-the-moon and waiting to wake up. Also, if you haven't read Rosemary and Rue yet, you should get a copy.

Locus says so.

So I have a reporter from the Contra Costa Times coming over this afternoon to interview me and take some pictures for a local author profile piece. This is pretty cool. I've never been profiled in the newspaper before. We've cleaned the whole house (for values of "we" that mean "mostly my mother"), my room is slightly less of an EPA hazard zone than usual, and the cats have been thoroughly lectured on not throwing up in front of the cameraman. After a great deal of discussion, I have agreed to the following list of Things Seanan Isn't Allowed To Discuss With the Reporter (unless she starts it):

1. The Black Death.
2. Parasites.
3. How parasites caused us to evolve gender.
4. Endemic bubonic plague in California's ground squirrels.
5. The X-Men.
6. Crazy Australian mermaid shows.
7. Anything involving venom.
8. Dinosaurs.
9. The inevitability of the zombie apocalypse.
10. Anything that involves socially unacceptable hand gestures.
11. The ineffective nature of H1N1 as a slatewiper pandemic.
12. How my pandemic would be better.
13. Pandemics, period.
14. My collection of My Little Ponies.
15. My collection of plush weaponry.
16. My collection of plush viruses.
17. Banana slugs.
18. How to evolve a society of pseudo-mammal telepaths from parasitic wasps.
19. Why you would want to do that in the first place.
20. Giant squid.
21. Reality television.
22. Bedbug reproduction.
23. Anything Kate won't let me talk about during dinner.
24. Necrosis.
25. The slow conversion of aspartame into formaldehyde.
26. Monkeyspheres.
27. The fact that the turtle couldn't help us.
28. My limited and specialized knowledge of ASL.
29. The virtues of the machete vs. the meat cleaver.
30. That vial of liquid mercury I bought at a garage sale.
31. Tarantulas.
32. Cheese.
33. Jerusalem crickets.
34. What I did last summer.
35. The vast disparity between women's "appropriate" weight and the things women eat in television commercials.
36. Evil Dead: the Musical.
37. Why you should turn to cannibalism immediately when stranded on a desert island.
38. Kuru.
39. Flensing.
40. Parthenogenic reproduction.
41. Reasons to go crawling around in a sewer.
42. Observing autopsies.
43. Why yoga is better with Rob Zombie.
44. SyFy Original Movies.
45. The drinking games that accompany same.
46. Why I went to Waverly Place last time I was in Manhattan.
47. Pie.
48. Pi.
49. Structured poetry.
50. People as an available source of protein.

Well, my editor—Mira's editor—somebody's editor said very nice things about acquiring the Newsflesh trilogy. I am pleased and flattered.

Meanwhile, over on InevitableZombieApocalypse.com (which may be the best domain name ever), word is being spread, although they credit me, not Mira, as the author. Can one's own pseudonym come stalking in the night to wreak vengeance? It bears consideration. (They got their info from Media Bistro, which has a somewhat larger piece.)

The odds that I sold my soul at the crossroads for fame and fortune seem to be getting higher. On the plus side, it means the constant attendance of the Everything You Ever Wanted Fairy; I am hence not particularly disturbed.

Whee.

So I belong to SFWA (The Science Fiction Writers of America), a truly massive organization filled with writers of Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror. Having grown up in fandom, the fact that I now qualify to be a part of SFWA -- to belong to an organization with all these people -- still sometimes seems like proof that I'm going to wake up any second now. Seriously. There has to be a catch.

SFWA publishes a bi-monthly magazine, The SFWA Bulletin, to make sure that all its members have at least a vague notion of what's going on. Each issue includes a spotlight on a brand-new member, someone who's just recently joined and needs a cheery introduction to the rest of the clubhouse. Guess who the spotlight's on in the October/November issue?

You're a good guesser.

So there's a little interview with me, and a picture from my website, and it's all very posh. It's also all very real. I mean, the potential that somebody's going to yank this football away from me goes down daily, because there's just too much concrete evidence piling up out there. I'm in the magazine that SFWA sends to all its members.

How awesome is that?