Well, hmm. I'm not sure whether I should be glad about this or not. I hope I get to keep talking like myself, at least, instead of having to slow down my voice to that dreadful monotone drawl... ;p (I do love Cate Blanchett as an actress, but lord, I found it painful to listen to her speak in those movies!)

Today is a day for links. First of all, Nalo Hopkinson, who is not only one of my very favorite fantasy writers but also an amazing artist, has just posted a whole bunch of new crafts items on her Etsy site to help cover the bills and let her concentrate on writing her next novel. I adore the altered-art compact I bought from her this spring, and she has some new jewelry and altered-art collages that are just stunning (and range from very cheap to not-so-cheap-but-not-horrifyingly-pricey-either). Some of my personal favorites are her Strange Fruit suncatcher/pendant and her Stolen Child altered art assemblage. All of her pieces are so cool and beautiful, it's worth flipping through the gallery even if, like me, you don't have any money to spend right now.

And in the last two days, I've read two short stories that I really loved in different ways. Yesterday I read Lisa Mantchev's A Bouquet at Twilight (in The Town Drunk), which is a lovely, fun, shimmering, sexy chick-lit fantasy with wonderful characters, the kind of story that could cheer me up on the greyest day. SO much fun. Read it!

And just about half an hour ago, I read Christopher Barzak's short story Plenty for the first time, even though it was published in Strange Horizons over 6 years ago. I love good urban fantasy, and it's just gravy for me that this story is set in Youngstown, a town that's significant in my family history. Like every Barzak story I've read, this story is quietly and beautifully written and packs a real punch at the end.