My wife was laid off from her job yesterday. She's looking for a new one, and for freelance work. She's been a catalog and website copywriter, and a buyer, for the past eight years; she also has office manager/admin experience, and can write pretty much any kind of copy. If anybody knows of good paying gigs, drop me a note. Ideally in the SF Bay Area, for go-into-an-office jobs, though we'd be willing to entertain suitably juicy options farther afield. We have enough savings to get us through a couple of months, but if something doesn't turn up by then, things will get extremely difficult.

Many people have suggested I do a direct-appeal-to-the-people sort of thing. I'm considering it. I've been toying with the idea of writing a Marla Mason prequel novella/short novel, about her early days as a sorcerer. Would any of you be interested in a donation-driven serial approach, with me posting a chapter a week free online, and soliciting whatever people want to pay? And possibly selling a hard copy/e-book through Lulu.com or something when it's done?

Keeping a roof over our heads is priority #1. Keeping up with our 19-month-old son's medical bills is priority #2, since he has an ongoing chronic medical condition that requires examinations under anesthesia by a specialist, and occasionally surgery, at least a couple of times a year. Not to mention the constellation of pre- and post-operation visits. So I'm exploring my financial options. Comment or e-mail to let me know if you'd be willing to contribute to such a thing. If there seems to be interest, it could be a good option for me -- I've been eager to write this story, anyway. It would be weird and heartbreaking and full of punching.