Dropping in quickly to recommend Kelly Link’s new collection of short stories, Pretty Monsters. I got to hear Kelly read a wonderful story from this collection — “The Wrong Grave” — when she came to the UT two years ago during a visit to Austin for World Fantasy. If you click the link, you can read that story online, to get a sense of how lovely, weird, and thrilling Kelly’s stories are. And then, of course, you should buy the book!

I’ve been writing in all caps a lot this week, for several reasons. First: I SOLD MY BOOK! More specifically, my lovely agent Diana Fox sold my novel Alcestis to Soho Press. It’ll be published in their Fall/Winter 2009-2010 catalogue as a hardback, with a trade edition the year after. I’ve already had a quick chat with my very nice editor — my editor! how great is that! — who will be sending me her notes on the book soon. As weird as it might sound, I’m really looking forward to revising the book with her guidance. I spent several months revising it during the last semester of my MA program, but I knew there would be at least a bit more work to do if it ever sold, and I’m happy to get fresh advice.

Diana called to tell me about the offer approximately twenty minutes after I’d passed my dissertation prospectus exam. I’m now ABD, at least unofficially, and I should be applying for candidacy pretty soon if I’m lucky. Life’s going to be a little busy for, uh, the next two or three years. (Every semester I reassure myself by thinking, oh, things will quiet down after X event, and then I am proven entirely wrong. I think I’ll just stop pretending.)

I’ll be back with more book news as I get it!