Two, count 'em, two books by some very talented friends of mine are officially out in the world today: Mainspring by Jay Lake, and Ragamuffin by Tobias S. Buckell! Go buy 'em both.

I wrote a couple thousand words on the Death novel last night and sailed right across the 40,000 word mark. It's technically a novel! (Albeit one with no ending. And not much of a middle.) I'll cross the halfway point tonight, probably; I'm shooting for around 85,000 words total. Up next: an agoraphobic valet must brave the horrors of Chicago O'Hare international airport. A major viewpoint character dies. (But in this particular book, death is mostly just a change of venue.) The incarnation of Death finds something even he's afraid of. Revolutionaries plot revolution. Things are heating up!

Been watching the start of the third season of Doctor Who, and I like the new companion. She's a wholly different character from Rose Tyler, which is a good thing. And they're clearly laying the groundwork for overarcing plot threads even from the very first episode, with little tidbits and drops and background hints, which I admire.