Three men have been arrested in London after a suspicious fire was set at “the home and office of publisher Martin Rynja”, aka Gibson Square Publishing, the UK publisher of The Jewel of Medina. According to the BBC, the three men were arrested under the Terrorism Act of 2000, “on suspicion of the commission, preparation or instigation of acts of terrorism.”
The police confirmed that there has been small fire inside the property in Lonsdale Square, which had to be put out. “At this early stage it is being linked with the arrests,” the spokesman added.
[Scotland] Yard officials have refused to identify those arrested or give any information on the nature of the terrorist plot they are alleged to have been planning.
Residents in Lonsdale Square said armed police, assisted by fire-fighters, broke down the door of number 47 at around 2.30 this morning.
My reaction: holy fucking shit. You have got to be fucking kidding me.
Thanks to Marianne and Faellie for the heads up.
From Lucinda Betts: a truly fascinating article on why and how our brains are wired to enjoy stories. Seriously - worth a read over your morning weekend coffee.
We tell stories about other people and for other people. Stories help us to keep tabs on what is happening in our communities. The safe, imaginary world of a story may be a kind of training ground, where we can practice interacting with others and learn the customs and rules of society. And stories have a unique power to persuade and motivate, because they appeal to our emotions and capacity for empathy.
Storytelling is one of the few human traits that are truly universal across culture and through all of known history.
Kimberly needs help: she needs you to name her cactus.
I vote “Prick.”
Seriously. It’s transfixing.
Oh, the fine cover captioning of the wonder-hipped heroine. Well done, y’all.
The winner, by one vote: Bren, for her entry:
She:"Hold on, I’ve got something for you
*farting sound*
OK, now what were you saying?”
Fart humor - it makes a cover even more funner and gooder.
A website that reviews romance novels from a couple of smart bitches who will always give it to you straight. No bullshit. No gushing--unless the author really deserves it. To find out more, read all about us or check out our minty-fresh and funkadelic FAQ section.
Ironically, I was just looking up P.C. Hodgell last week, hoping to see that she would have a new book out soon or an active blog.
PC Hodgell does have a livejournal, by the way: tagmeth.
…From HaBO:
Kalen beat me to it. This definitely reminds me of some of Rosemary Sutcliffe’s stories. There was one with a young girl and a slightly older boy who, IIRC, was from over the sea (today’s Ireland). He was blamed for…
I didn’t much care for Stuart’s “Wild Thing”, but I loved Gaffney’s “Wild at Heart”. Michael is such a unique hero. He’s a man unable to lie, which is a great strength but also makes him vulnerable. I adored him. …
From HaBO: Mowgli-esque
Man, I bought this series as ebooks from Baen ages ago and have never read them. Perhaps I should get them loaded onto my reader and read them.
From HaBO:
Wow, this is the first one I actually knew, and it is one of my definite keepers. (So was “Simple Jess,” both with atypical heroes.)
From HaBO: Mowgli-esque
