The Times, They are a'changing

Yesterday, while registering for a website, I was asked to provide some basic demographic info. I was given three choices for sex:  Male, Female, and Transgendered.I'd never seen that option before and my first thought was actually--Seriously? The option just seemed so earnestly PC, almost as if the website was trying too hard.
It And then I thought of Bob Dylan's song, "Don't criticize what you don't understand."
We live in a world that can no longer be defined by either/or. First there was LGBT and now there is QUILTBAG, and maybe soon, labels like these will be totally irrelevant.  It's time, in the words of the classic Apple Computer slogan, to "think different." And maybe that paradigm shift begins with a third choice on a website registry.

The worst Craig's List ad ever

You know I love Craig's List but I've ranted before about the scammers and the schemers and the just plain clueless who post in the writer's jobs and gigs sections. This ad was posted today and I can't decide if it's meant to be a joke or what. I particularly like the location--Santa MANICA.  Yeah, this is an ad I'm going to rush to answer.

BOOOKs, MUNUSCRIPTZ,a nd scipts wasnted (Santa mainica)

Can you tell your story in one sentese. Comitted riters wanted for I can sell yur book. Mustr be willing to do what it takes. I have deals with big companiesaz and know people in Hollywood. I ca make it happen. send yor infro and lets make a sail,

• Location: Santa mainica
• do NOT contact me with unsolicited services or offers
• Compensation: $5,000 to $1,000,00.00 depenz on quallitee of righting.

More free books!

i've always been vaguely aware that there are lots of sites that offer free books, but lately I keep stumbling across them everywhere I go. Here's a new one:  Book Gorilla.

Best Book Promo Item Ever!

I'm always looking for items I can use as promotional tools for my fiction and for the release of Whipping Boy (due out in February from my alter-ego Kat Parrish), I snagged this fantastic Police Line Do Not Cross scarf from Barbara Perelman of "Blazing Needles" on Etsy. (Find her shop here.) I like this scarf so much that I really, really wish it got cold here. (It's been in the 80s this week and if I started wearing a scarf I'd look like one of those eccentric old ladies who wears three layers of sweaters in the middle of the summer.


Barbara provides customized knits, crochet cacti and novelty knits.
And in case you were wondering what a crocheted cactus looks like--here's one. (There are several varieties.) Isn't it adorable?

Free book listings from More or Less Online

I'm enjoying getting my daily notifications from Book Bub, but now I'm also signed up for More or Less Online, which also lists free and almost free ebooks. You can register free here.

Hasbro Adds Windblade to their Transformers line

And she's a bad-ass who transforms into a VTOL jet. Here are some more details.

Word Lists as story prompts

One of the ongoing gigs I have is preparing targeted word lists for a marketing firm. The topics range from "manga" to "medical devices" and researching the lists often leads me to weird terms that suggest stories to me. For example, did you know there's something called "bipolar forceps?" Doesn't that sound like some futuristic medical machine that's gone haywire? The picture makes them look pretty sinister.