Okay, so has this ever happened to you?  You are engrossed in a historical novel and you think, If only this author also wrote about zombies!  You are not alone, and so I am happy to present to you the cover of the forthcoming anthology, The New Dead, in which, with my story “What Maisie Knew” (neat title, no?) I burst upon the bright stage of zombie fiction.  Why?  Author Chris Golden, with whom I have one of those friendly email acquaintances, offered me a slot on the line-up, and I figured I’d take a crack at it.  I’d never really thought about writing a zombie story before, but I like a challenge, and I’m pleased with the way things turned out.  Look for it in February of 2010.  For more info, including the whole table of contents, check out Chris’s blog here.

Is this a trick question?

Also, if you are looking for ways to kill time – and really, why else would you be reading this? – check out this link to some very creepy and disturbing old ads.  It’s fun, and also educational.

And to round out this Friday, I have some good Bordeaux values to report on, discovered at my local Costco.  I don’t know how much longer this kind of excellent wine from the ’05 vintage – at under $20 —  are going to be coming along, so snag them if you can find them.  First, the Château Lilian Ladouys Saint Estèphe.  Gorgeous floral nose, full bodied, very tannic, impressive length.  An undercoat of grass, mineral and copper gives way to blueberry, blackberry and fig.  I plan to buy a few bottles to cellar, as this one is very young.  If you don’t have storage facilities, or you cannot wait, decant the crap out of it.  I’d say it took about three hours to open up.  91 points.  Even better, in my view, was the Château Bernateau St. Émilion, offering a bright nose of red fruit, loam and French oak.  The acidity here really shines, hoisting up notes of cherry, cranberry, raspberry, cedar and a hint of coffee.  Ready to go now with decanting, but I plan to sit on a few bottles for 2 – 4 years just to see what happens.  93 points.  As always, my slow descent into alcoholism goes something like this.

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