Free the Princess competition

Matt Delman has a fun competition going on over at Free the Princess. You're invited to write a short (three or four sentences) diary entry from the point of view of a fictional character. Closing date is the 29th June. Why not pop over there now and have a look?

How to take a good photo

Today my Beloved and I went to Loseley Park to have lunch, wander the gardens, and take some photos for Disgruntled Bear. It didn't go entirely smoothly.



Oops!

Today only - free story from GUD

GUD magazine is offering one of their stories free, just for today. I enjoyed it.

Warning: coarse language and bodily functions but no sex or violence!

You can read The Prettiest Crayon in the Box here.

You are all great!

Thank you to everyone who donated money for Bevie's family. Stacy is going to send them a money order for nearly $500 ($498.08).

I'm glad to be part of such a wonderful community.

Sexual stereotypes strike again

I'm always amused when someone makes wild statements about men's or women's capabilities and then they're shown to be wrong.

Rob Thurman is a woman who writes from a male Point Of View. She guest posted over at Talk in the Shadows and wrote:

I even once received a fan mail that said ‘thank God, finally a man writes a male pov. Women can’t do it.’

Of course they can't.

It's so lovely to see the stereotype being proved wrong.

A thing of beauty

You may remember that Kate offered to redesign a couple of authors' websites. Well, she's finished Wendy's and it's fabulous. Why don't you go and have a look?

If you agree about the fabulosity, you might want to read Kate's Guide to author websites. It's a must-read for anyone setting up a website.

Not much time left to help Bevie's family

If you haven't yet taken advantage of Stacy's kind offer to take donations for Bevie's family and you want to then you have roughly 48 hours left. Stacy's closing down the donation button (in her left sidebar) at 2:00 p.m. U.S.A. Central Time ("Chicago time") on Friday 21st in order to have enough time to get the money order and mail it out to Bevie's family.

The unrepentant cat

Bonnie (tortoiseshell) and Rufus (ginger)

They seem so cute coming towards me for a cats' treat but don't let their innocent looks fool you. Rufus is ASBO cat.

When he started limping yesterday evening after I shut him in for the night, I thought that this time he'd found something sharp to tread on in our garage, but no. The vet today found that as well as a swollen paw he has a cat bite on his shoulder. He's been fighting again. He's had an antibiotic jab and I've got pills to give him. Oh joy. And even better he has to stay in for a few days. I think I'll go crazy.

Is it any wonder he gets called The Monster, while Bonnie is Squeaky Cat?

Comfort reading

I've just finished the latest Kim Harrison book Black Magic Sanction which is pure escapism. I've read all eight books in the series now. They are definitely comfort reads - they pull me into another world where for a time I can forget about anything that's troubling me. A bit like alcohol but with no side effects and a much quicker recovery rate when real life calls.

Other authors I like for comfort reading are Diane Duane, Tanya Huff, and Terry Pratchett. What are your comfort books? Or do you prefer chocolate? (I like combining the two.)

On a happier note

Kate In The Closet has a birthday today and her fabulous husband has given her an amazing present. You might want to visit her blog and see.

Happy Birthday Kate!