Still no additional progress on Chapter Nine. I've found myself suddenly occupied with a number of other projects and potential projects, and, therefore, with the telephone and e-mail and the writing of Things Which Are Not Daughter of Hounds. But maybe I can get back to the novel tomorrow. I hope so. I left off in a place where one should not leave off in the telling of a story. Anyway, that's been the last two days, chaos and hope and new developments. Yesterday morning, I spent more than two hours signing about 1,000 signature sheets for Cemetery Dance Publications' Thrillers II (which will include two new stories of mine — "Houses Under the Sea" and "The Daughter of the Four of Pentacles"). Late yesterday, I spoke with Bill Schafer at Subterranean Press about upcoming books, including Alabaster (the collection of Dancy stories), the subpress edition of DoA, and my next sf novella (the follow-up to The Dry Salvages), which will likely be "Noah's Raven" (to be written when I finally have time). Also, I learned that there's been a small delay at the printers with To Charles Fort, With Love, and it will now be shipping on the 28th of September. Sit tight, gardas and nixars. It's coming.

I've been nervously eyeing Hurricane Rita, as she plows across the Gulf towards Texas. She's strengthened to a Category 4.

Monday night, Spooky and I watched Pee Wee's Big Adventure, which we followed last night with Beetlejuice, as we eagerly await the release of Tim Burton's Corpse Bride on Friday. Monday night, I read James L. Cambias' "The Oceans of the Blind," and Spooky began reading Something Wicked This Way Comes aloud. I haven't read that novel in at least fifteen years. It still leaves me breathless. Yesterday, I re-read Neil's magnificent Black Orchid. Today, by the way, Neil is in Charlotte, North Carolina, signing at Joseph-Beth Booksellers in the South Park Mall (4345 Barclay Downs Drive).

Spooky's been hard at work on various dolls and cat toys. I think she'll be offerring a few of both on eBay before too much longer. Sophie (the Dread Diabetic Beast) is especially fond of the cat-nip bats...





Me, I've got to get started on Monster Doodle Sculpture #3 very, very soon. It's going to be something truly fearsome and amorphous, the Lone Ameoboid of the Apocalypse, perhaps. Or perhaps not. There's never any telling until the sculpting begins. Anyway, MDS#3 is being offerred with the copy of the limited edition of In the Garden of Poisonous Flowers (signed by Dame Darcy and me) that's currently up on our eBay auctions. You should bid. You should bid now. Feel the hypnotic lure. How can you resist MSD#3 or a harback of Low Red Moon or The Five of Cups? You can't, that's how.