This year is launching off into... AMAZING. Not only did I sell that short story, but there' Paul Goat Allen's Best Fantasy for 2012 on the Barnes and Noble site long with Brent Weeks, Mark Lawrence, John R. Fultz, Saladin Ahmed, Howard Andrew Jones, Myke Cole, Joe Abercrombie, Jeff Salyards, N.K. Jemisin, Brom, and R.A. Salvatore. Great writers, every one. So, that's quite an amazing list to be on--let alone hang about on the top.[1] I'm honored and thrilled to death. I'm even more excited to be sharing it with N.K. Jemisin. Not only does she rock --I love reading her feminist posts-- but her books are wonderful. There's other great news received this morning, but I really don't want to jinx it. So, we'll just say... holy crap 2013, you're totally kicking ass and taking names. THANK YOU.

In other great news, my good friend Martin has launched his first film project via Kickstarter. It's a non-fiction film about the serial killer that stalked Austin's streets three years before Jack the Ripper. The famous O.Henry[2] wrote about the case when he lived here, and yet, it never got much notice beyond Austin. In fact, most Austinites don't even know about it--nor its connection to our beloved Moon Towers. I strongly suspect it's because most of the killer's[3] victims were female African-American cooks who worked in affluent white homes. I'm planning on backing the project as soon as I can. I've known Martin for ten years. He's a great guy, very talented, hard-working, and he's done his research. He's been working on this project for more than three years now. This film deserves to take off. Back it, if you can. You won't be sorry.
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[1] Can I say that it's even better not being the only female author on the list too?
[2] Although, I'm not sure how famous he was at the time.
[3] Or killers'--there's evidence there may have been two men involved.