Blog Without A Name

Did YOU win a free Audible edition of Carousel Sun?

Check the list below to find out if you’re a winner, and then come on back to the top for the methodology and instructions for collecting your code.

The Methodology:  The names of all contestants were written on slips of paper, which were folded and placed into a Duro 6 brown paper bag, manufactured on Jul 26 14, serial number EL 26 B.  The open top edge of the paper bag was folded over, twice, and vigorously shaken.  Trooper then rubbed his cheek over the bag’s exterior, for luck.

Famous SciFi Author Steve Miller, dressed in a glittery red sequined dress, with matching red high heels then tantalizingly withdrew ten slips of paper from the bag, reading each name in a sultry, yet innocent, voice, much to the approval of Sprite, who was watching from her perch on the file cabinet.

I took those ten slips of paper and compiled the list below.

How to collect your prize: If you are, indeed, one of the lucky winners listed below, this is what you need to do to receive your coupon code.

1.  Write to me at sharonleeATkorvalDOTcom from an email address where you regularly receive mail.  Tell me which name on the list below is yours.

2.  Do #1 above BEFORE noon EDT on Friday, September 19 — that’s this Friday!

3.  If I still have coupon codes in hand at Noon-O-One on Friday, September 19, I will post another list here, of second-tier winners, with instructions for claiming the prizes.

That’s it.

Go!

EDITED TO ADD:  One lucky winner had forgotten, in her enthusiasm, that she already owned a copy of Carousel Sun.  She has asked that her code be given to someone else.  Sprite was pressed into service and pulled one! more! slip of paper from the paper bag, and the name of the new winner has been added to the list below.

The Lucky Winners

1.  Elizabeth Moon
2.  Dawnmoonflower
3.  Alain Roy
4.  Danielle E.
5.  Elaine Walker
6.  Kathy Ferrando
7.  Tina Black
8.  Bobbie Marcus
9.  Susan Kelly
10.  Joyslin

Steve would not let me take a picture of him in his sexy gown, here’s a picture of Trooper, instead:

Trooper oversees the selection of winners
Trooper oversees the selection of winners

 

They say you gotta stay hungry

DRAGON IN EXILE

by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller

Approximately 129,659 words

September 15, 2014

That is a wrap.  The novel has been emailed to Madame the Editor and is now officially Her Problem.

For those playing along at home, Dragon in Exile is, according to the Card File of Notoriety, the 67th piece of collaborative fiction Lee and Miller have committed.  It may also be the hardest novel we’ve ever written, but it’ll take a few days in the Objective Zone to fully decide that.

Right now, my head is full of wet spaghetti, and I’m exhausted, as is Traditional.  Unfortunately, I really can’t go to sleep right now, though there’s nothing that says I can’t sit on the porch and doze in the sun, so that’s what I’m going to do.

I will be contacting the winners of the Carousel Seas Birthday Surprise Contest  tomorrow, Monday, September 15.  Thank you for your patience.

 Today’s blog title is brought to you by Mr. Bruce Springsteen.  Here’s your link.

Books read in 2014

29.  Bones of Faerie, Janni Lee Simner
28. Dancer of the Sixth, Michelle Shirey Crean
27.  Tryst, Elswyth Thane (re-re-re-re-re-&c-read)
26.  The Night Circus, Erin Morgenstern
25.  The King of Attolia, Megan Whalen Turner
24.  The Queen of Attolia, Megan Whalen Turner
23.  The Thief, Megan Whalen Turner
22.  Cuckoo’s Egg, C.J. Cherryh (re-re-re-&c-read)
21.  The Windflower, Laura London (Tom and Sharon Curtis) (re-read)
20.  Sparrow Hill Road, Seanan McGuire (e)
19.  Demon’s Lexicon, Sarah Rees Brennan
18.  Refining Felicity, Marion Chesney
17.  Something Wicked This Way Comes, Ray Bradbury (re-read aloud w/Steve)
16. The Vanished Priestess, Meredith Blevins
15.  Nine Princes in Amber, Roger Zelazny (re-read aloud w/Steve)
14.  Code Name Verity, Elizabeth Wein
13.  Ghost Point, James A. Hetley, manuscript (read aloud w/Steve)
12.  Peacemaker, C.J. Cherryh (read aloud w/Steve)
11.  The Red Hot Empress, Meredith Blevins
10.  Hogfather, Terry Pratchett
9.  Black Widow: The Name of the Rose, Marjorie Liu, Daniel Acuna
8.  Agent of Change, Sharon Lee and Steve Miller (e)
7.  The Emperor’s Agent, Jo Graham (e)
6.  Eternity and a Day, Aline Hunter (e)
5.  Kindred Rites, Katharine Eliska Kimbriel (e)
4.  Billy the Kid, the Endless Ride, Michael Wallis
3.  The Steerswoman, Rosemary Kirstein (e)
2.  Uncovered, Jordan Matter
1.  Dancers Among Us, Jordan Matter

Books read in 2014

28. Dancer of the Sixth, Michelle Shirey Crean
27.  Tryst, Elswyth Thane (re-re-re-re-re-&c-read)
26.  The Night Circus, Erin Morgenstern
25.  The King of Attolia, Megan Whalen Turner
24.  The Queen of Attolia, Megan Whalen Turner
23.  The Thief, Megan Whalen Turner
22.  Cuckoo’s Egg, C.J. Cherryh (re-re-re-&c-read)
21.  The Windflower, Laura London (Tom and Sharon Curtis) (re-read)
20.  Sparrow Hill Road, Seanan McGuire (e)
19.  Demon’s Lexicon, Sarah Rees Brennan
18.  Refining Felicity, Marion Chesney
17.  Something Wicked This Way Comes, Ray Bradbury (re-read aloud w/Steve)
16. The Vanished Priestess, Meredith Blevins
15.  Nine Princes in Amber, Roger Zelazny (re-read aloud w/Steve)
14.  Code Name Verity, Elizabeth Wein
13.  Ghost Point, James A. Hetley, manuscript (read aloud w/Steve)
12.  Peacemaker, C.J. Cherryh (read aloud w/Steve)
11.  The Red Hot Empress, Meredith Blevins
10.  Hogfather, Terry Pratchett
9.  Black Widow: The Name of the Rose, Marjorie Liu, Daniel Acuna
8.  Agent of Change, Sharon Lee and Steve Miller (e)
7.  The Emperor’s Agent, Jo Graham (e)
6.  Eternity and a Day, Aline Hunter (e)
5.  Kindred Rites, Katharine Eliska Kimbriel (e)
4.  Billy the Kid, the Endless Ride, Michael Wallis
3.  The Steerswoman, Rosemary Kirstein (e)
2.  Uncovered, Jordan Matter
1.  Dancers Among Us, Jordan Matter

Pre-order SIGNED copies of Carousel Seas NOW

The Uncle has once again come through, for those of you who have been waiting and wondering when you can pre-order your signed copy of Carousel Seas, the Thrilling Conclusion to the Archers Beach Trilogy by Sharon Lee.  Carousel Seas will be published in January*, in trade paper format. Awesome cover art is by Eric L. Williams.

I have had some folks ask me why they should bother buying from Uncle Hugo’s, which charges “extra” (by which they mean “full price”), and here’s the answer:  You don’t have to bother buying from Uncle Hugo’s; follow your bliss; buy from whatever store or vendor you like best.  However, if you want a signed and/or personalized copy of Carousel Seas, Uncle Hugo’s is your only source.

So!  The Rules, and Links:

* You may now pre-order a signed copy of Carousel Seas from Uncle Hugo’s Bookstore via this link

*You may also, for a limited time, have your pre-ordered signed book personalized.  “Personalized” means you ask the author to write something special on the title page in addition to their name.  These can be as simple as, “To Marge,” and as complex as “To Marge in memory of that night in Seattle.”  Fair Warning: I, as the Signing Author reserve the right not to inscribe a book with a personalization I find to be, in my sole judgment:  (1) offensive, (2) too long, (3) anything else.  You will use the Special Instructions box on the order form to write out your personalization — Please check your spelling, ’cause I’m going to assume that you’ve typed it out exactly as you want it.

*There is a deadline involved if you want your pre-ordered signed copy of Carousel Seas personalized.  That deadline is November 15, 2014.  So you need to do this now.

*There will only be a limited number of signed copies of Carousel Seas available, they will only be available through Uncle Hugo’s SF Bookstore in Minneapolis.  The exact number of signed copies available depends upon how many are pre-ordered.  So, sooner is better than later to order, if you want a signed copy.

**Here’s the link again.

Thanks very much for  your interest and support.

———-
*For the purposes of this discussion, I am using “publish” to mean PUBLISHED IN PAPER FORMAT.  Obviously, the eARC and the eBook editions will be published somewhat soon, same like always.

**The Uncle is doing me — and you! — a pretty substantial favor here, so please be courteous. While you’re there, look at the Lee-and-Miller page, to make sure you have All the Books!  And!  Look around the place a little, why not?  There might be Even More Cool Books that you’ve missed.

Birthday recap and progress report

Thanks to everyone for the birthday wishes.  They’re very much appreciated, and I did have a lovely day, with much more of a celebration than anticipated.

Yesterday started out cool and cloudy, which is actually my favorite sort of day. Later, it gave into its damper nature and rained, but that was OK, too.

We had appointments to view two houses.  One is probably Exactly the Sort of House we, at our advanced and advancing ages Ought Really to Move Into.  It was quite a nice house, and had everything on The List, saving a sun room/screened porch, but those lacks could probably be more-or-less easily addressed.  It did not make me stand up and cheer, but…newish roof, two car garage, and a nice big, sunny window for the cats all count, too.

The other house. . .

The other house and I were Immediately Sympatico, while, at the same time, I Knew Quite Clearly that it was Completely Unsuitable for us, at our advanced & advancing etc. It was what I think of as an Artists’ House, and artistic people were clearly living there. As I said to Steve, If we were already living in this house, I would see no reason to move.  As it was, I kinda wanted to sit on the stairs and have a soda and talk to the people who did live there.

After house-viewing, we went to lunch at Jin Yuan on Temple Street and so to home where we split a piece of carrot cake and some vanilla ice cream and retired to the living room to read.  Steve was reading Dragon in Exile on the couch, and I was in the blue recliner with Dancer of the Sixth (in which I seem to see Influence, but that may just be me).  I would like to report that all three Coon Cats visited me on the recliner and hung out a bit while I read.  Mozart and Trooper sort of draped themselves across my lap, but Sprite insisted that she squeeze between me and the arm of the chair, before she purred herself into an intense sleep, from which she only roused when I got up to tend to business.  I am In Awe of both her ability to squish, and her purring expertise.

Today, I have a few chores on the list, but I believe I will finish reading my book while Steve finishes up Dragon. . .  And then we shall see.

The contest to win a free Carousel Sun audiobook is now closed.  I will, as promised, be making the awards this weekend.  Thank you all for playing!

I also have some news from Don Blyly at Uncle Hugo’s SF Bookstore in Minneapolis, which I will report in another post.

Hope everybody has a great Friday!

In which a plan comes together

I finished the Ultimating of Dragon in Exile in the wee hours of the morning. For those playing along at home, the word count stands at 127,690  — or! 128% complete.

Today, I’ll print out and Steve will read the book from “The. . .”  all the way to “own.”  We are, just a smidge, ahead of schedule.

This timing is actually going to work well, because among yesterday’s treasures was a call from our real estate agent, telling us that we need to vacate the house this afternoon so that it can be shown.  So!  This morning — straighten the house and print out the manuscript.  This evening — um?  Scrabble?  Rummy?  My Neighbor Tortoro?  Tomorrow — we’re scheduled to look at two houses in town in the afternoon, around which errands Steve will read the manuscript and I will read. . .something else.  After he finishes his read, I will fix any problems he has identified, or — if it is a Perfect Manuscript, which is, of course, Exactly What We Expect(tm) — I’ll simply make sure things are spelled correctly, convert the manuscript to .doc and email it to Madame the Editor.

Whereupon there will be MUCH rejoicing.

Remember that the Birthday Planning Challenge to win a free! audio! edition! of Carousel Sun by Sharon Lee (hey, that’s me!) is still going on.  Rules and entry forms HERE. Thanks to everyone who has entered so far; you guys think I’m some kind of adventurous.

And now?  I need to refill my coffee cup and turn on the Cat Eating Machine.

Win the Carousel Sun audiobook

Well, Audible has kindly provided me with ten codes that, in the right hands, will each automagically become a free Carousel Sun audiobook.

All I have to do is figure out how to get them into the right hands.

So!  Here’s what we’re going to do.

My birthday is this coming Thursday.  You know and I know that what I’ll be doing on my birthday is slaving over a hot manuscript, but! that begs the Important Question, which is. . .

What OUGHT I to be doing on my birthday?

Plan my birthday celebration for me in comments!  Top ten celebrations each win one of these codes good for a free audiobook of Carousel Sun, the sequel to Carousel Tides; the second book in the Archers Beach Trilogy by Sharon Lee!

Contest closes at 12:01 am EDT on Friday, September 12.

Given that I will be slaving over a hot manuscript, let’s say that I’ll award the prizes by Sunday, September 14.

Have at it!

In which there may not BE enough coffee in Brasil

My first cup of coffee is gone, Mozart has had his first round of food, we need to do something about our breakfast, and the rain that came through last night was carrying autumn on its back. Yay, Autumn!

As I write this, 82% of the Penultimate Draft of Dragon in Exile has been Ultimated.  That means I have 103 pages, or about 23,000 words to finish.  That’s the good news.

The bad news is that these? These are the 23,000 words that were whipped out at white heat in order to finish, finish, FINISH DAMMIT.  Ahem.  So, they’re. . .um. Somewhat unruly.  My hope is that the sentences make sense.  Well, that most of the sentences make sense.

So, after breakfast (see what I did there?) I will be retiring, with printout, red pen, yellow pad, stickies, coon cats, and Even More Coffee to the couch.  And may ghod have mercy on my soul.

And you thought writing was easy.

At least, after this is over, I will never have to write again.

Well.

Except for the short story that’s due in October; and that other novel, that’s due in 2015; and — but it’s probably best, I think, to Live in the Moment.  So!

Finish this book, O Writer Brain, and you Never Have to Write Again.  In which Never is defined as “at least two weeks.”  Deal?

Yeah.

Let’s do this thing.

Progress continues

As I drink my first cup of coffee on this lowering and damp Saturday morning, 66% of Dragon in Exile’s Penultimate Manuscript is Ultimate. This is down from yesterday evening’s report to Facebook of 68%, because Steve needed to tweak the Last Missing Scene, and tweaking added words.  The Penultimate Manuscript, then — and always realizing that this is a Fluid Thing — stands at 125,000 words.  It is equally possible, in the upcoming process, that we will lose or gain words.  Occasionally, the word count at the end of the last edit remains exactly the same, but the specific words have all been altered.

In any case, I have 34% or about 36,000 words/190 pages of Penultimate Draft to transform into Ultimate Draft.  The 83,000 words that lie behind me had been pretty well gone over, and over, and over, so progress was swift.  The ones that lie ahead — not so much with the polishing.  Expect progress to slow.

The final draft is due to Madame the Editor on Monday, September 15, and we’re still well on track to meet that deadline.

For those playing along at home, I have heard from the Top Secret Office at Nook Press, which assures me that they are looking into the non-payment problem.  So, that.

And I think that’s all I’ve got. Writers are boring when they’re on deadline. . .

So!  What’re you doing this weekend that’s fun?