I will be honest with you, I had a whole other idea for a comic this week, but Sunday was Dave’s birthday and I felt honor-bound to celebrate him when, while looking for animal inspiration online, I came across a picture of a proboscis monkey. Nothing says “I love you” like “you remind me of a slightly stunned proboscis monkey,” right?

Also! I have a new story up at Strange Horizons right now, which sits (as I have said elsewhere) at  the juncture between body worship and body horror, and I very much hope you enjoy it. Plus, if your eyes are bleeding from too much screen time, you can listen to it as a podcast.

Now. If anyone has the stomach for more ear updates, my ear is mostly fine! If still somewhat oozing. I experienced a few dark nights of the soul last week, because I really started believing it looked awful and was noticeable, a feeling that was made worse by the fact that Dave was out of town and couldn’t just take a look and tell me otherwise. But he’s home now, and has assured me it’s not a big deal (and if he’s lying, I have no idea) which all goes to show why he deserves a proboscis monkey of his very own, I think.

Just! A! Quick! Book! Update! It’s really more of a reminder: you can pre-order my new novel Invitation to a Bonfire now (from various locations! Or from Powell’s, where I just saw it go up! I’ll have to add a link to my website!). Pre-orders really help a book, because they get calculated into your first-week sales, which can be significant. So if you think you want the book, why not have at it? What do you really need to buy, food?