Double Crossed: A Spies and Thieves Story

There are some things I would happily get terminal cancer to make happen. I'd like Superman to fly into Iron Man in Man of Steel (although the winner of the battle of wits is pretty obvious). I'd like J.K. Rowling to write a short story in which Harry Potter kills some vampires. I'd like a character in the Kane Chronicles to run into some weird kid in an orange t-shirt with a pen. Mostly, I'd like there to be a minisode of Doctor Who in which he and Sherlock Holmes walk past each other on a London street and don't notice each other. How hard would that be? Moffat, four cheekbones, two minutes, and one Christmas charity telethon and the donations you'd get would end world hunger and get us colonies on Mars. All in probably less than ten hours.

But everyone seems to be too stuffy for crossovers. Even though an episode of Doctor Merthur Wholock: the Downton Abbey Years could get us to the final frontier, we have to keep our art separate because that's The Rule.  And sometimes, like in the case of something potentially titled Doctor Merthur Wholock: the Downton Abbey Years, I can see why we have Rules. That sounds like a really horrible idea.

But you don't have to look very far down Netflix or the best sellers lists to notice that the artists having the most success are the ones that have started to have just as much fun toying with their work as a fan fiction site.

So anyway, let's congratulate Ally Carter for being cooler than Steven Moffat and writing a short story mash-up between her two lovely series, Gallagher Girls and Heist Society! It made my day to stumble across it. The novella is called Double Crossed and available for free online through this classy little site she's set up on Kindle, iBookstore, Nook, Kobo, Sony Reader, and as a PDF file for your computer. Does anyone know what Kobo is?

While I haven't finished yet it's been the perfect thing to get me through the last week before Perfect Scoundrels, the latest Heist Society book, comes out (Feb. 5!).

Did I really write the phrase "cooler than Steven Moffat" up there? You should know before you judge me that it's pretty late at night here. I've been reading witty conversations between Macy McHenry and W.W. Hale. The Fifth. And I'm a little too excited I can say that.

Books to Look for this Spring 2013

Perfect Scoundrels by Ally Carter
Coming Feburary

It seems like I will never outgrow Ally Carter novels: the ultimate cheesy pleasure. Have I mentioned? This newest addition to the Heist Society series has me ticking down days on my calendar. Don't judge.

This Is What Happy Looks Like by Jennifer E. Smith
Coming Feburary

So far I've heard only great reviews about Jennifer E. Smith from my favorite authors. The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight is also sitting at the top of my Books to Read list. This Is What Happy Looks Like is one of those small town girl meets celebrity novels we never can seem to find in in ourselves to get tired of. And I really love whoever does this cover art.

Being Henry David by Cal Armistead
Coming March

Teenage amnesiac awakes with nothing but a copy of Walden, by Henry David Thoreau. Fulfills both of my most statistically unlikely life goals (be named after an author and get amnesia- I could re-cry over all the Harry Potters) in less than 300 pages.

The Fault in Our Stars John Green quote

When all else fails, there will always be a John Green quote begging to be put online for the billionth time. The internet just can't resist. Swear this is the last one. For a while.

"I'm in love with you, and I'm not in the business of denying myself the simple pleasures of saying true things. I'm in love with you, and I know that love is just a shout into the void, and that oblivion is inevitable, and I know the sun will swallow the only earth we'll ever have and I am in love with you.

Check back on Friday- we're back to weekly posting!