…s the unmindful soul” “Dặn dò nợ trần duyên rửa sạch” Dặn dò is “advise, recommend”, “nợ” is a debt (a karmic debt, in this context), “trần” I’m not too sure of (the dictionary suggests “ceiling”, “maximum”). “duyên” is a completely untranslatable Vietnamese word that means “bound to meet as lovers or friends [in a future life]”. “rửa sạch” is “wash”. So probably something like “Reminds it to incur no debt, washes it clean of worldly bounds” “Qua…

…In which John DeNardo was kind enough to let me ramble on and on about the importance of food: read it here. (still swamped, in case you had doubts. What little time I do have is spent napping…)…

…000 words of my (untitled) novel set in a post-apocalyptic, colonial Paris completed by August 2 (ok, maybe by end of August). Can’t say much about it (I *hate* talking about what I’m writing while I’m writing it), but it’s got fallen angels, Vietnamese dragons and immortals, and plenty of magical fireworks. You can see a snippet from the WIP on my write-a-thon page–as well as information for donating, and links to all the pages by fabulous other…

…y night, in which much fun was had (and many fajitas consumed). Overall, a really great experience–thanks to all organisers and the attendees, and I hope to make it to another Finncon where I actually try the sauna and eat the smoked fish (and party until the end of the night, though I realise that is unlikely to happen any time soon…) Oh, and if you want more Finland in your conventions? The same team (or at least a team with a significant amount…

So, it would appear that “Immersion” has won a Locus Award for Best Short Story. It’s kind of very… humbling when you see that the past list of winners includes Ted Chiang, Ursula Le Guin, and Roger Zelazny… My deepest thanks to everyone who voted/nominated/spread the word, and special extra thanks to E. Lily Yu, who very kindly agreed to accept for me. Lots of friends among the winners and finalists–big congrats to, among many others, Pat Cadiga…

…Ooooh, so happy to see that my recipe for thịt kho tàu has been featured in the Guardian’s recipe swap for Lunar New Year. I feel like I’ve unlocked some major achievement there 🙂…

…f your whole body–they’re all yours, they’re all irreversible and deadly. But you feel nothing–no exhilaration, no relief; not the burning agony of your wounds. Nothing; but that sense of unnamed relief–that knowledge you won’t have to face the judges in the City again. Nothing, until the ground comes up to meet you, and you land in a jumble of pain and shattered bones–and the scream you didn’t think you had in you scrapes your throat raw as you l…

From last week’s wordage, for all my write-a-thon supporters: “Come on,” Isabelle said, pushing a small stone door in an unremarkable corridor; and Philippe, with a sigh, followed her. To stop, awestruck, at what lay inside. It had been a church, once. You could still see the columns and the beginning of the vaulted ceiling, a first row of arches gracefully bending towards each other; and the remnants of wooden benches, burnt where they had stood…

…idence of history. But Les Halles had been destroyed in the War; and the fragile magical balance that had followed led to an arrangement where the Great Market rotated between the major Houses. Things researched: geography of Ile de La Cite. Zola’s life, of all things. Plot direction of the day: drastic alterations to outline for chapter. Wondering how to cram in extra body count….

…Just a heads-up that we’re moving this week, so from Sunday onwards (and quite possibly for 10 days after that), we’ll have no internet access (and no landline), so I very probably won’t be in a position to answer emails (of which I already have a backlog!). Hopefully everything will be back to normal by mid-August….