As if every day didn't seem to bring fresh news about CRISPR that suggests Blood Capital will become reality before I can get the book on shelves, you can now buy "young" blood using PayPal and have it stuffed in your aging shell of a body.

The New York Post has the story here, but the TL;DR is this — a tech startup called Ambrosia (no relation to the company in Blood Capital) is harvesting the blood of healthy 20-somethings and jamming it into the bodies of anyone who can afford it. Now, there have been some studies — in animals — that suggest transfusing young mouse blood into old mice can reverse some of the effects of aging. However, (my understanding is) these studies are not yet conclusive (though studies on humans are underway).

The lack of conclusive evidence doesn't seem to bother Ambrosia's clients, however, as the company appears to be expanding. To badly misquote Dr. Ian Malcolm in Jurassic Park,

"Capitalism, uh, finds a way."

Oh well... one step closer to the blight and my book becoming non-fiction.

Thank you, everyone, who entered my dystopian giveaway. Entries closed Wednesday and I have now drawn the winner — congratulations Kristin, who won ebook copies of:

• The Fifth Season, by N. K. Jemisin.
• Lifelike, by Jay Kristoff.
• Sync City, by Peter Ryan.
• The Seclusion, by Jacqui Castle.

I'll be running a new giveaway next month. If you want to make sure you don't miss it, sign up to my email newsletter.

Netflix has greenlit a new series based on the "Grishaverse" novels by Leigh Bardugo. The series will initially be eight episodes and cover content from both Shadow and Bone and Six of Crows, which exist in the same universe.

In a world cleaved in two by a massive barrier of perpetual darkness, where unnatural creatures feast on human flesh, a young soldier uncovers a power that might finally unite her country. But as she struggles to hone her power, dangerous forces plot against her. Thugs, thieves, assassins and saints are at war now, and it will take more than magic to survive.

Eric Heisserer (Bird Box, ARRIVAL) will adapt and serve as showrunner for the series. Read more on the Netflix site here.

A new Captain Marvel trailer has dropped — have you seen it yet?

I'm getting pretty excited for this movie; it looks like there'll be plenty of Marvel's self-aware humour, and Captain Marvel herself is looking [email protected].

I'm giving away some great dystopian books to celebrate the start of 2019!

I'm giving away:

• The Fifth Season, by N. K. Jemisin.
• Lifelike, by Jay Kristoff.
• Sync City, by Peter Ryan.
• The Seclusion, by Jacqui Castle.

Entry is free. By entering you agree to join my mailing list (if you're already on my mailing list, you can still enter).

Entries are open until 16 January 2019 (Australian Eastern Daylight Time).

“In the first act get your principal character up a tree; in the second act, throw stones at him; in the third, get him down gracefully.”

Anonymous

Note: this quote is often attributed to one of various playwrights. However, according to this article on the Quote Investigator, the actual source is unknown. The first known occurrence of the quote is from November 1897 in the “Bridgeport Herald” of Bridgeport, Connecticut, but they do not attribute the quote.