The other day I wrote out a long e-mail to my friend Andrew charting the rollercoasting craziness in my life recently.  It takes a certain amount of self-centeredness to complain to Andy, because the guy recently broke his frickin’ neck. Seriously. He’s not paralyzed or anything, and he’s back at work, though he feels sore whenever he spends too much time doing, well, anything involving his body. But he’s better. And his band, Attic of Love, is playing gigs again.

So in that spirit — Andrew’s spirit — today I shall speak only of the peaks, n0t the troughs.

For example, my mom is out of the hospital and recovering at home, with no infections or other nastiness. Props to my little sis and her employers for arranging for her work at home and help out. Because this is an all-peak post, I shall not mention my older sister, who just found out that the muscle tear in her shoulder is not JUST a muscle tear, but a cracked shoulder bone — with a missing chip floating somewhere in her body. Jiminy!

Also, I have a new agent that I’m just thrilled to be working with. Martha Millard represents some of my favorite writers, including Sean Stewart, Michael Swanwick, and William Gibson. I am the small fish in her pond, and happy to be swimming there.

Two days ago I finished the first draft of a story that will appear in an anthology of superhero stories later this year (or early next). The current title is “Message from the Bubblegum Factory.” And the first sentence:

The guards, Dear Reader, are kicking the shit out of me.

I’ve also found out the release date for my second book. The Devil’s Alphabet will be out November 24, 2009. To celebrate, I’ve just posted up the first chapter. It may be rewitten by the time the book’s published, but it should give you a taste of what I’m up to this time.