for the status update re: short stories!
On the topic of Dresden-like books, the Iron Druid Chronicles aren't bad but it is definitely true they suffer from Marty Sue-ism.
Simon R. Green on the other hand (all his books -- they are set in the same universe) has some awesome characters and is definitely worth a read. Mind you, I am not entirely sure how particularly Dresden-like they are, but they are definitely good books.