Yes, I have returned! I think the Cold From Hell(tm) has been defeated and I am now on the mend. Coughing my way through most days and nights, it's true, but still... A big improvement. I hate leaving my blog so quiet, even for just a few days. Though I was on Twitter regularly - it's much easier communicating in 140 characters at a time when you're sick. ;)

I've done lots of reading, so I should do a roundup of all the great books I've consumed. Um... I'll definitely do that later this week. Right now I'm re-reading Justine Musk's brilliant YA novel Uninvited. I am a Justine fangirl and totally unashamed; can't help myself. She's just started a new blog (as well as her LJ), Tribal Writer: Notes From a Novelist's Life in LA so you should check it out. Especially this post To Develop Your Writer's Intuition, You Must First Read Like a Maniac, which is crossposted to various places.

Oh, and talking of great blog posts, I linked to this one on Twitter but it bears repeating: Scott Tracey (fellow future Flux author!) wrote this winner on How to Create Your Own Fake Town. Well worth the read - it appeals to me because I've always liked made up towns and cities in fiction (which is why I created one for THE IRON WITCH).

Once again, I'm really sorry to pull the plug on KazNoWriMo, but for those who are disappointed check this out! My friend Liz (lilifae), along with esssjay, has set up IndyWriMo to keep the idea going. This is so cool as it means the concept of a 30K writing month in November still lives on, but I don't have to organise it! ;) Not sure if I'll be participating as I'm expecting my editorial notes any day now (eeek!), but we'll see. Check it out and sign up if you're feeling too wimpy for NaNo! Heh.