Puppies, plumbers, and Poe, oh my!

I’ve got three big bits of news. Two involve killer unicorns and one involves a small green state in the far north of our world.

And that’s really all I can say for now. Yes, I know, I’m an unbearable tease. Do not worry, all shall be revealed in time.

In another, far more prosaic sphere of my existence, I’ve got a plumber and a heating guy coming to the house today. Because everything breaks at once. Oh, and I have to make a vet appointment for Rio. Because my baby girl, she is getting so big, and she has to get her lady parts all removed. Wah. I know that we will all be happier after it’s done, but I’m not looking forward to the whole “keep her still for a week” “here’s her giant Elizabethan collar” “oh, she might not be able to control herself for a few days” part of the process. (This is probably all more than you want to know.) My friend’s dog got a badass tattoo when she had hers done, but the vet says they only do that in pounds so that, if the dog ever ends up in a shelter again, the vets know they’ve been fixed. So Rio doesn’t even get a tattoo out of the experience. Pobrecita.

Back to writing: Friday is the day I’ll be putting up the next secret story, so you’d better sign up for my newsletter (see sign up form in right hand column, and the hints post if you’re having trouble). I’ve been getting a lot of questions about these legendary secret stories, and I realize that some of you may have missed the announcement during the December giveaways, so here it is again, all official-like:

Every month from now until the release of Tap & Gown, I’m giving away a free story, set “between the lines” of the secret society girl books, to subscribers to my newsletter.

Doesn’t that sound fun? The first story, “Poe in D.C.,” is already available. It’s set after the end of Secret Society Girl and is told from Poe’s perspective as he works at his summer job. The next story is also from Poe’s perspective (I do know which side of the bread my butter is on) but there are going to be all sorts of new voices in the months to come.

Okay, the heating guys are here, and they say I have to call the gas company. Sigh. Home ownership is so much fun.