It isn’t often that I feel the need to gush over a writer’s ability, but twice in the last year I’ve been bowled over by an author’s debut of one sort or another. First time it was Tobias Buckell’s Crystal Rain, and now it’s Bettie Sharpe’s Ember. And in the case of Ember, I wasn’t even asked to review it—it was posted as a ten-part serial at Dionne Galace and now is up as a free ebook at Bettie’s site. I just loved it so much that I had to review it—not just so you can go read it, but in the hopes you’ll go check out Bettie’s first ebook, A Thief in the Night, released today (I’ve got my copy!). Both books are erotic romances, and they’re so far from formulaic. Ember is an incredibly fresh and unique take on the Cinderella story that totally tickled my fancy.

I also have to pass on one other odd fiction-link: I Am a Zombie Filled with Love by Isaac Marion. It’s poignant, insightful, and funny, all at the same time.

I don’t normally link to artwork here; I secretly use Stumbleupon to fulfill my photography and art needs, and most of my favorite picks come from photo.net and deviant art. Unbeknownst to anyone except, perhaps, my husband, I have an enduring fetish for both photos and art. I prefer items awash with saturated colors; serene, empty, stony beaches at sunrise or sunset; the unusual and the unexpected; and, of course, cats, big and small. There is no one style I favor, although there are some I tend to avoid unless I find a specimen that moves me in unusual ways. Skill and talent matter more to me than milieu. The other day I found something particularly unusual; it has some of those saturated colors I mentioned, but it’s the content that particularly struck me. I think a true artist is someone who can look at something ordinary and see—and communicate—something extraordinary in turn. When I look at a turnip I see a turnip, or maybe roasted vegetables or a soup or stew. An artist, however, might see a naked mole rat and a bloody landscape:

Naked Mole Rat Dreams by *ursulav on deviantART

Okay, so as you can see I sometimes have strange tastes!

If you like animals you just have to check out these deer-and-dog photos. A dog adopted a fawn, and the picture of the dog bottle-feeding the fawn (no, I’m not joking) is the most adorable thing ever. Link found on fark, naturally.

I now have another favorite design in our cafepress store besides loot tax:

Healthy Food Doesn’t Have to Suck

I just couldn’t help myself with that one. It popped into my head and wouldn’t leave.

The contractors we got to do our furnace and A/C were awesome. They’re the kind of guys who seem to have fun with their work–and believe me, you’re more likely to get good work out of folks like that than folks who hate what they’re doing. They really paid attention to the little details, which is something you so rarely seem to see these days–right down to things like cleanly tying back all the wiring and such. It took them all of Saturday and much of Sunday to do the job, but they really did a thorough job.

Technorati Tags: animals, cafe press, cafepress.com, fark

FARK.com: (2172897) KITTY THREAD Post a kitty, make someone feel warm and fuzzy

and

The Infinite Cat Project, link found in the above FARK thread.

Important note: the first link above to the FARK thread opens on a page with a ton of images, so it may take time to load. But if you love cats, enjoy!!

I wasn’t going to change the style of the reviews blog as well. Really I wasn’t. But, but, I found this awesome, gorgeous, crisp, clean style that was too perfect not to use. You can see it in action, read about it, and go find the designer’s web site in this post.

In totally different news, check out Mentally Incontinent for laugh-out-loud funny stories. I honestly don’t know how to describe the site, but it’s hilarious. I just wish it didn’t have that white, black and orange color scheme (urk! Not my favorite combo of colors in the world). I found the link after FARK passed on a link to the web site creator’s book on Amazon, and I had to go check out his website.

The Style Contest for Movable Type, Typepad and LiveJournal

I like the basic styles available for MovableType, but I admit I wanted more. So when my husband discovered The Style Contest, I was thrilled. I’ve adapted the Epiphanies to use a style called Foggy Forest, and we’ll see whether or not I end up mucking with my personal blog as well. For the moment at least I think I’ll keep the reviews blog the way it is; it’s simple and clean, and for that particular blog, that’s appropriate.

wcbstv.com - Black Bear Pulls A Goldilocks In N.J. Backyard (make sure to watch the movie of it falling out of the hammock!)

and…

dying cat befriended by deer–the sappy story of the morning, with awesome photo.

Both links found on FARK, naturally.

Michi - The Daily Kitten

Okay, I can’t help it, I love cats and kittens. Check out the daily kitten blog if you’re desperate for a dose of adorable fuzziness.

As is so often the case, link found on Fark.com.