"If the apocalypse comes, beep me."

As a pop-culture junkie who treats monster movies as something barely this side of a religion, it was inevitable that I would wind up falling in love with a certain California blonde girl when she funky chickened her way into my life ("How loose is your goose? My goose is totally loose..."). My love for her impacted my view on life, my video collection, and even my speech patterns—you can tell when I've been watching old episodes of Buffy the Vampire Slayer by changes in my cadence and intonation. It's a little freaky.

So it was also inevitable that when I was invited to be a contributor to Whedonistas: A Celebration of the Worlds of Joss Whedon by the Women Who Love Them, I would jump at the chance.

This star-studded essay collection is the second in the female-centric essay series from Mad Norwegian Press, and was edited by Lynne Thomas and Deborah Stanish. I haven't read the whole thing yet, but just the list of contributors feels me with geeky glee. I'm in a book with Emma Bull! My fourteen year old self can finally die happy! I mean, except for the part where then, I wouldn't remember why being in a book with Emma Bull is cool, so let's skip that.

One of the other contributors, Teresa Jusino, has written a lovely post explaining the book and why it's awesome at Tor.com. Just to further convince you that the book is made of win, the editors and Tor.com have conspired to let you get an early look at my essay, "The Girls Next Door: Learning to Live with the Living Dead and Never Even Break a Nail." (If you can come up with a more me-esque title, I'm not sure I want to know about it.)

Go forth! Read! Maybe improve your holiday season and chances of surviving when the Hellmouth finally opens by ordering yourself a copy! It's going to be fun for the whole family.

Grr. Argh.

'Tis the season to be easily distracted by shiny things.

We're about to enter the month of December, and I figure, what the heck, let's be festive! So I'm going to be doing two things throughout the month, namely...

1. Giveaways! I have lots of things to give, including books, CDs, other people's books, and things I find under my bed. Some of the giveaways will be random, some may require effort on your part, but watch this space for news. First up will be a random drawing for Rosemary and Rue, opening tomorrow.

2. Shopping lists! It's the most shopping-oriented time of the year, so I figure I should offer some awesome ideas for your holiday gifting purposes. But! I am not the all-seeing, all-knowing Wizard of Oz. If you have any suggestions, be they books, obscure movies, or Etsy stores full of awesome, please email them to me via my website contact form. I repeat, email. Don't comment on my journal, please. If I can fit your suggestions into a list, you may see them here!

December is upon us. Let's send this calendar year out with a bang.

Quick memo as we prep for Mail-a-palooza.

With the actual pressing of the physical Wicked Girls CDs rapidly approaching, I'm trying to take care of all pending poster requests. I'm going to put up a new post in the next day or two, with information on shipping times and international postage. For the moment...

If you have indicated that you would like a "Wicked Girls Saving Ourselves" poster, I have emailed you. If you have not seen an email from me, it was probably eaten by your spam folder. Look for a message from "Xocolatl.com." If you can't find it, comment here with your name and email address, and I'll try contacting you through another avenue. I have nine requests set as "pending" right now, and I'd love to track them all down.

Thanks!