Blog Without A Name

Remember that books make perfect holiday gifts!

For those folks on your list who have — or who will receive — an ebook reader of any flavor, remember Baen Webscriptions for all of their space opera, milSF, classicSF, and fantasy needs.

Electronic editions of all published Lee and Miller novels, a good number of the short stories published in SRM Publisher chapbooks, and Lee’s Carousel Tides are available here.  Shop carefully, there are some duplications, due to various promotional packages.

In addition to the Webscriptions offerings, electronic editions of Sharon Lee’s Maine (aka Jen Pierce) mysteries, as well as some early short stories, are available from Fictionwise.

For those who prefer the comforting weight of a bound book in the hands, remember to hit your local independent bookstore early and often.

Purely to assist in your shopping, below are a list of Lee and Miller, and Lee books that have come out this year:

Fledgling

Saltation

Mouse and Dragon

The Dragon Variation

Carousel Tides

For those procrastinators among us — you know who you are — gift certificates to your favorite bookstore are a way to give today and tomorrow.

Lee and Miller books coming out in 2011 include:

The Agent Gambit

Korval’s Game

Longeye

Ghost Ship

The Crystal Variation

We now return you to your regularly scheduled blog.

The coon cat contingent is especially pleased with the day, it having eventually encompassed long periods of myself on the couch, artfully draped with both the floofy snowflake blanket and the venerable african.  They disposed themselves elegantly and commenced in to snoring while I did the rest thing, which meant nodding off from time to time and also reading.

Reading is, it says here, restful.  I would just mention here that it’s probably more restful if you can avoid laughing yourself into a coughing fit, and that I, too, want a Henderson.

The morning snailmail brought a surprise check for royalties from Fictionwise, making three on the year.  This particular check is especially satisfying because, what with one illness and another, Steve and I had decided that the Thanksgiving Buffet at one of the local establishments is what we shall do in terms of an Autumn Feast, and the funds just in will handily cover that and the tip.   Win.

Before that happy outing, however — tomorrow, in fact — I need to get to the day-job to do catch-up from today, and set-up for the long weekend.  Possibly, this will not take all day, but, with one of the searches on its last day, that’s not really the best square on which to place one’s last coin.

I believe I will take the elevator from The Street to the attic.  That’s rest, surely?

For now, I’m going to mooch back to the couch with Jan Burke’s The Messenger, and read to the coon cats some more.

For those celebrating this week — what are your Thanksgiving plans?

Rumpole Misbehaves, John Mortimer
Strange Bedpersons, Jennifer Crusie
Shinju, Laura Joh Rowland
A Matter of Class, Mary Balogh
Chill, Elizabeth Bear
The Replacement, Brenna Yovanoff
Ghost Ship, Sharon Lee and Steve Miller
Merchanter’s Luck, C.J. Cherryh (reread)
Mr. Monster, Dan Wells
Mockingjay, Suzanne Collins
I Am Not a Serial Killer, Dan Wells
Deceiver, C.J.Cherryh
Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand, Helen Simonson
Half Magic, Edward Eager
Unknown, Rachel Caine
The Devil in the White City, Erik Larson
Sunshine, Robin McKinley
Bone Crossed, Patricia Briggs
‘Till We Have Faces, C.S. Lewis
The Thirteenth Tale, Diane Setterfield
The Ten-Cent Plague, David Hajdu
Bridge of Birds, Barry Hughart (reread)

After a relatively quiet summer we have lots of news!

THREE NEW LIADEN UNIVERSE BOOKS aimed for Baen! Right, Jennifer Jackson, our hardworking agent, brings us word that Baen Books publisher and editor Toni Weisskopf has accepted proposals from Lee & Miller for THREE new Liaden novels to be turned in before the end of 2012. Publication dates are far from set, but the base schedules usually have books appearing in print 6-9 months after they are turned in.

Tentative title #1: Dragon Ship … this is a Theo story, yes. To be turned in around or just after next year’s WorldCon — September 2011.

Tentative title #2: To be Determined. . . due to the publisher a little after New Year’s 2012 — a Surebleak-centric story, with new characters and familiar characters expanded.

Tentative title #3: Trade Secret … this is a Jethri story, following closely on the heels of Balance of Trade. This ought to be turned in before Worldcon 2012.

AFTERMATH OF HOSPITAL VISIT
In case you missed the news, Steve was hospitalized for about a week in October, due to pneumonia and complications. He’s basically recovered now (though still subject to some follow-up medical visits), but that time out put a crimp in a planning for the holiday chapbook, especially since he’s also involved in moving the SRM Publisher office *(see note below). So, yes, the usual Yule chapbook will not appear before the end of the year, for which he apologizes.

SKYBLAZE DUE IN FEBRUARY
Right, this year’s slightly delayed holiday chapbook from Lee & Miller will arrive in February, and will be titled SKYBLAZE.

We expect to start shipping on Groundhog’s Day 2011, (that’s February 2 in the US). Preorders can be made here — http://www.korval.com/skyblaze/ — through February 1, 2011. No pre-orders will be accepted after that date. The chapbook will feature a novella centered in the midst Korval’s tumultuous exit from Liad and arrival on Surebleak. Don’t miss it!  Again, that’s http://www.korval.com/skyblaze

CAROUSEL TIDES LIFTS OFF AT THE BEACH!
Sharon Lee’s Carousel Tides seaside fantasy has been getting good reception from readers and reviewers following a unique book launch party at Old Orchard Beach, Maine’s summer holiday mecca. Held at Beggar’s Ride, a one of kind art gallery and artist’s center, the Carousel Tides event brought dozens of people from as far away as Huntsville, Alabama; Maryland; Virginia, and points north and west to meet Sharon and get their very own signed copy direct form the author’s hand.  Carousel Tides is set in Archer’s Beach, Maine, an alter ego of Old Orchard Beach, and a place where the land and sea bring power together to help a guardian hold a very special gate. Carousel Tides is available at most genre shops and brick-and-mortar bookstores as well as from Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and other online sites; both an ebook version (from Baen) and an audible.com audio book are also available. One reviewer said …  “In one reading, this book is seamless, the work of a master who knows what she’s doing. It’s the best fantasy Sharon Lee has done, I’ll even say her best book, and a keeper. It’s one to remember come award time. And even better – this book can stand alone for all eternity, like the rocks it is built upon, or it can carry the weight of a sequel.” (http://alfreda89.livejournal.com/476622.html#cutid1 )

BOSKONE UNCERTAINTY
As much as Lee and Miller like to support Boskone, this year’s convention may have to do without the authors, depending very much on scheduling and medical permissions.  Watch for future InfoDumps, or authorial blogs, for more information.

*NOTE BELOW ABOUT SRM
SRM Publisher will be moving operations during November and quite a few of the Meisha Merlin books available are in short supply. During November and until December 17 expect one day specials and other short-term offers on a changing group of books and chapbooks.  Plan B is sold out.

WHERE IN THE WORLD ARE LEE AND MILLER?
Sharon and Steve will be signing at the Barnes and Noble Marketplace in Augusta, Maine on Saturday, December 4, beginning at 1 p.m.

DISCLAIMER STUFF
This InfoDump is a product of the Liaden Universe®, accept no imitations. You have received this message because you asked for it. If you wish to subscribe to the Liaden Universe® email list, go: http://www.fireopal.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/liadenuniversenews

Steve and I had plans to meet at the Framemakers in downtown Waterville at 3:30 today.  Therefore, I left the day-job, detoured to Tim Horton’s  for much-needed caffeine and sugar To Go, and headed for Main Street.

At the Framemakers, Amy was. . . let’s say that Amy was Highly Appreciative of David Mattingly’s Ghost Ship art.  The three of us played with matte-board and frames for a while, which is always fun, and agreed that the purple and gold scheme was stunning.  That decided, we left Amy to do the hard part, while we went down the block to Barrels, where we shopped mustard (mmmm, mustard) and jam, coming away with three jars of the former (Raye’s Winter Garden, Classic, and Lemon Pepper) and one jar each of blueberry and pumpkin butter.

At home, I found in my inbox a notice from SFWA (that’s Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America) that the nominating period for the Nebula Award ballot is now open, closing on February 15, 2011.

Last year, I’d read a couple of works that I thought deserved recognition; this year, I haven’t (1) read that much and (2) been blown away by anything that I did read.  I hope that will change before the closing date for nominations.

In the meantime, if you are an Associate or Active member of SFWA, you are eligible to nominate works to the Nebula ballot, which will be voted on by Active members in March.  Winners will be announced at the Nebula Awards Weekend, in Washington D.C., over the weekend of May 19 – 22, 2011.

This year, Lee and Miller have two novels eligible for nomination:  Saltation, and Mouse and Dragon.  In addition, Sharon Lee has an eligible novel:  Carousel Tides.

Tonight, Steve has a library trustee meeting.  Ball o’fire that I am, myself, I plan to curl up on the couch with a coon cat or two and. . .read a book.

Everybody have a good evening, ‘k?

. . .first one published was Agent of Change, a mass market original from Random House/Del Rey, in February 1988, then Conflict of Honors, in June 1988; Carpe Diem in October 1989; and Plan B in trade paper in…

February 1999.

Yeah, little bit of break, there.

Starting with the February 1999 release, though, we got more regular in our habits, with the result that we just recently handed in our eighteenth collaborative novel.

A lot of you have heard this story before.  The reason I’m doing a refresher right now is. . .

. . .with the assistance of Madame the Agent, and the willingness of Toni Weiskopff at Baen. . .

. . .we just today sold three more Liaden Universe® novels.

Dragon Ship, the sequel to next August’s Ghost Ship, is due in September 2011.  Trade Secret, the sequel to Balance of Trade, is due in May 2012.  In-between those two — due in January 2012 — is an as-yet-untitled Surebleak-centric story featuring some interesting new characters.

Keep in mind that the above are the authors’ delivery dates and not publication dates.  We don’t know what the publication dates may or will be.  That comes later.

First, we need to write like heck.

Announcing!  Skyblaze:  Adventures in the Liaden Universe® Number Seventeen in time for everybody’s favorite holiday —

Groundhog Day.

Read all about it, and pre-order here.

1. Dinner last night at the Riverside Cafe was lovely.  I had spinach and garlic ravioli; Steve had a haddock fillet the size of Montana.  There was good music, the promise of more, and! there was dessert!

2.  I have today performed Marvels, and thereby retired the backlog of House bookkeeping.  All that remains is the SRM bookkeeping, in the fine tradition of saving the best for last.  This means — anybody?  Yes, you there with the purple hair?  Exactly, thank you!  It means that I’m behind on my email.

3.  I need three books, and Miller Library has them all on the shelf.  Have I mentioned lately how very much I like working inside of a library?

4.  The reading lamp in the living room died this morning.  This is not convenient.

5.  My cold has graduated from sandpaper throat to sneeze-and-drip.  Begone cold!  I have no time for this!

Yeah, like that’ll work…

I have started sketching in Teh Shiny.

I have Committed Bookkeeping.

I have made reservations for Saturday dinner.

I have committed a poster that is too Radical to be used for its intended purpose (sigh).

Truly.  Yes, TRULY I am mighty.

I am mentioning right now, because I have rocks for brains and forgot to do so before now:  Y’all remember that David Mattingly does make a limited number of prints of his cover art available for sale?  And very reasonably, too?  So, if you’re loving the art for Ghost Ship as much as we do around the Cat Farm, get thee to David’s bio page, click on the email link at the bottom and open negotiations.

It is raining in Central Maine; a condition that is projected to last for the next day or so.

I think I may go to bed early.  It’s hard work, being mighty.

I just now emailed the corrected! and expanded! Ghost Ship to Toni at Baen.  Hopefully, that’s got everything.  Doubtless, we’ll hear, if not.

In the meantime, I want to write!  Yes.  Yes, I do.  Unfortunately, what I want to write is probably not the next thing I ought to write, though it is one of the projects currently under discussion. And, honestly?  What I ought to really be doing is the bookkeeping.  Before it achieves sentience.

Well.

It can’t hurt to just noodle out a couple pages of Teh Shiny, right?  While we’re between contracts and all?

Yeah, I’m doomed.

Carousel Tides looks to be doing well for itself — Number Two bestselling trade paperback at Uncle Hugo’s for October! *is chuffed*.

If you’ve read the book, please do consider posting a review on Amazon, BN, Goodreads, LibraryThing, or, yanno, your website or journal.  Word of mouth is a Powerful Force for Good.

Fans of the day-job will be delighted to learn that it has graduated to Mad Scramble, where it will remain, breaking all-too-briefly for Yuletide, before shifting into high gear.

Mozart is sitting on the desk at my left hand, purring.  I think he’s happy to have All Those Papers out of his way.

Steve is in the kitchen, building grilled cheese sammiches.

Mmmmm, grilled cheese.

What small pleasure are you enjoying this evening?