OK, I'm blushing.

Rachel is far too kind. But she runs a great web site, and she's tall and slender and gorgeous. She also has absolutely the coolest family ever. One of my great treasured memories from my first visit to North Carolina was visiting Rachel's house with her mother Shelley, Ken (Shelley's husband), Michele, and Paul. We were all sitting around the living room, talking casually and glancing at Rachel's books. In a few minutes, we were all reading: a moment of silent community. I was looking at the short stories of James Morrow, and I have Rachel to thank for introducing me to his work. And also for telling me about Neil Gaiman's blog, which led both to my current Gaiman obsession and to this blog.

Thanks, Rachel — I owe you a lot.