More News From Zach's Cancer Fight

We won't know for two more weeks whether the chemo is doing what it's intended to do, but meanwhile it's certainly having its predictable side effects. This weekend has been all about high fevers and low white blood cell counts.

I need a cheer or chant for white blood cells that is as annoyingly irresistible as my mother's we-love-you-liver song was. Somehow leukocyte is not a word that lends itself well to the Gimme an L! treatment. Likewise neutrophil. I suppose there's always Be! Aggressive! B E Aggressive!, but perhaps Be fruitful and multiply would be better advice for them. Getting their numbers up is the goal of the moment.

Anybody with a background in cheerleading have a suggestion? My default short form is the sonnet, which is sometimes clever, but rarely catchy. The situation calls for an earworm.

E-Books For The Thrifty, The Gluttonous, And The Tech-Shy

Drollerie Press is having a big sale, with all books $1.99 or less. You can try a lot of new authors, fill up the new electronic device in your life, and save a big chunk of change. People who've been curious about e-books but haven't wanted to plunk down ten dollars per title for mainstream bestsellers can experiment where the stakes are low and the quality is high. If you like my books, you'll probably enjoy Faerie Blood by Angela Korra'ti (annathepiper), and Shadow of the Antlered Bird by David Sklar (thunderpigeon). Rush forth in a buying frenzy!