Procrastinate on This: July 4th Weekend Edition

Hello Dearest,

Just wanted to get a few things out of the way, before we get into this week’s big batch of procrastination. Our last for a while, since the blog is going on vacation for the next couple of weeks.

1) On July 15th, we’ll be naming the 14 winners of a $25 32 CANDLES gift card AND the (seriously) limited edition paperback tote, so enter to win HERE.

2) Is your book club planning to read 32 CANDLES this summer? If so, you could win all sorts of neat-o prizes including totes for your entire club and/or a $100, $150, or $250 32 CANDLES gift card for your club. So definitely enter to win those prizes HERE.

3) We’re going to miss you soooo much while we’re away on vacation, but make sure to keep on visiting us, as we’re doing our Best of FaN reruns until July 18th, when we’ll be back with fresh material and lovely tans.

That all said, Happy Independence Day. Here’s some stuff to procrastinate on, while you’re waiting to get out of the office already.

We're aware that you're super-sad that we're throwing up the deuces for two weeks, but here's 33 Ways To Stay Creative while we're gone, totally stolen from The Creative Addiction Blog -- which we love! Click on the pic for the original post.

1. My third novel has a speculative fiction aspect to it, and it seems like something’s popping off in the black author zeigist, because not only is Colson Whitehead’s next book about zombies, but now Zadie Smith, says that she’s interested in writing a speculative or sci-fi novel within the decade. Loving this trend. [i09]

2. You know how I complained HERE last year about how THE WALKING DEAD television series (unlike its graphic novel source material) seriously underused their characters of color. Well, it looks like the TV series is bringing on the original story’s Michonne, one of the most kick-ass black females in comic history (yay!) … but maybe not until the third season (boo!). Oh, and in less important news, Stephen King and his son, Joe Hill, will be penning episodes for the second season. [The Mary Sue]

3. Neil Gaiman might be writing a sequel to one of my favorite books of all time, AMERICAN GODS. Woo-hoo! [GalleyCat]

4. I am in LOVE with Jana Quin’s Geek Girl Commandments. My favorite two: V)Thou shall not exclude thy non-geek friends from thy social life, for when thou shall seek to convert, to whom shall you preach? and IX) Thou shall respond with thanks to all who accuse you of doing something “like a girl.” [Force of Geeks]

5. Pixar FINALLY has a girl in the lead after like a kajillion years of making movies. All I have to say is about fucking time.