I made a great discovery today: my absolute favorite story from last year, Kij Johnson's novellette "The evolution of trickster stories among the dogs of North Park after the Change", is now available on her website to read for free. It's such a gorgeous, powerful story - do check it out!

I also enjoyed listening to a 9-minute audio interview with Jennifer Weiner, where she talked about the connection between being a social misfit as a kid and growing up to be a writer, among other things. Really fun. (It's in the little video screen near the bottom of the page, with the header "Barnes & Noble studio".)

On the other hand, I am totally sick of our alternating sleet-and-hail weather! Has no one noticed that it's April, and it's supposed to be spring? Sigh. There was a brief, beautiful patch of sunny weather from about 4:30 to 5pm, so I snatched up Maya and headed out for a longer-than-usual walk, just to soak in as much Vitamin D as I could. When I talked to Patrick on the phone a little later, it was hailing in downtown Leeds. Curse those weather gods!

And speaking of Patrick, he's finally figured out a way of bribing me that's infallible. This morning I read the new scene he'd just written in his wonderful Regency-steampunk-on-Mars YA novel. (SO MUCH FUN!) I loved it - but when I finished reading it, after I'd burbled about all the good stuff, I had a special request. There are two side-characters in the scene. I know perfectly well that they're falling for each other, and there's a bit that's just calling out for a Moment Of Awkward Romance (my favorite kind). "Please!" I begged him. "Just write a few more lines to add that in..."

"OK," Patrick said. "But ONLY if you write a new scene of Kat for me."

So now I'm back to work on Kat, despite my lazy-Tuesday feelings. Because honestly, I'll do anything to get some yummy Awkward Romance in the books I love!