Further re Amazon/KDP payment info snafu

This just in from KDP Support:

Hello Sharon,

I’m sorry for the inconvenience caused to you.

There was a temporary glitch in our systems wherein the payment mode that was selected as EFT was reverted back to the check mode of payment. Our technical team has been continually working on the issue and the same will be resolved shortly. You may go forward and update your bank account information once again on the KDP web site to receive payments via EFT.

Also, I assure you that your information has not been compromised and will not be available to any third party under any circumstances.

In the meanwhile, if you receive any payments via check, you may write back to us if you have difficulty in cashing the check and we’ll re-issue your payments via EFT as per your account information on the KDP web site.

I hope this is helpful. Thank you for your continued interest in Amazon KDP.

So, that.

In a separate-but-equal email, I am told by Amazon Associates (!) that they have inadvertently mailed me a check for fees due, after first deducting a $15 check processing fee. The deducted money will, they promise, arrive in my usual bank account by EFT by the end of next week, and would I please just cash the check when it arrives. If for some reason I can’t cash the check, I’m to contact them again, and they’ll do an EFT deposit.

The internets. What did we do for fun before them?

. . .aaaaaand! Back to work.

What the devil is the woman DOING?

So, yes, still working on Dragon Ship. I need to write on the order of 1600 Perfect, Polished, and Publishable words each day, every day for the next 18 days.

Pray for me.

Also? I haven’t seen the a general announcement about this (granted, I’ve not been gallivanting around the internets much lately). It is a real situation (thanks to Eric Shivak for tipping me off), and it’s worth checking out, if you happen to sell ebooks through Amazon KDP.

Sometime in the last couple of days, somehow, some why, some switches got…switched in a number, but not in all, publisher accounts (if you are an author who is epublishing your own work through Amazon this means you!). The switches? Well, the switch that tells Amazon whether to pay you by EFT (Electronic Fund Transfer) or by paper check got flipped to CHECK, regardless of whether you had previously told them to send your money via EFT.

Also? All of the foreign payment information flipped from “Pay me in USD” to “Pay me in [local currency].”

Also, also? In my case, the deposit-to bank information was wiped out.

So, what you want to do, if you publish ebooks through Amazon, is go — right now — to your account and check those switches. All of them. If they’re wrong, flip ’em back.

Though I asked, there has as of this moment been no answer from Amazon/KDP about whether or not my deposit-to bank account has been compromised by Whatever The Heck Happened. Because, yanno, my bank account isn’t nearly as important as Amazon’s bank account.

It’s a shame that it’s rather too easy to say, Oh, well! Amazon has seen a way to limit its exposure to the Christmas Buying Season payout 60 days down the road. If Amazon was a little better about its other business practices, I’m sure that such an idea would never have entered my devious, writer’s head.

So, that’s what else I’ve been doing.

As if that weren’t enough excitement, Amy from Framemakers came over yesterday and we — by which I mean she — spent a couple hours hanging paintings back in the living room, which now looks perfectly lovely and orderly.

This will not, she said, darkly, last.

This morning, Steve and I went in to town to find out what was making the horrific racket in his car. While Mr. Smith and his able crew were looking into that, we did food shopping, stopped at Barrel’s for some wonderful handmade soap, went by the Post Office, where our denim shirts from Renovation had arrived! and so back to Mr. Smith and the happy news that Argent the Subaru needs somewhat more than $1,000 of work in order to make him whole and quiet again.

Sigh.

Now, we’re home, and having snacked on an apple-and-cheddar scone we picked up at Barrel’s, Steve is washing the dishes, I’m finishing up this blog post so that I can start in on writing down today’s Sixteen Big Ones, and life, as they say goes on.

I hope everyone is having a pleasant wind-down to the end of the year. Do be safe, and remember to tell the people you love how much they mean to you.

Books Read in 2011, Last Call

Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day, Winifred Watson (read aloud with Steve)
The Wolves of Willoughby Chase, Joan Aiken (re-re-re-&c-read)
Agatha Heterodyne and the Guardian Muse, Phil & Kaja Foglio
Cotillion, Georgette Heyer (read aloud with Steve)
The Shattered Vine, Laura Anne Gilman
The Convenient Marriage, Georgette Heyer (read out loud with Steve)
Desdaemona, Ben Macallan (e)
The Sleeping Partner, Madeleine E. Robins
My Life, Deleted: A Memoir, by Scott Bolzan, Joan Bolzan, and Caitlin Rother (e)
Across the Great Barrier, Patricia C. Wrede
Scaramouche, Rafael Sabatini (e)
Destroyer, C.J. Cherryh (read out loud with Steve)
Magic Under Glass, Jaclyn Dolamore (e)
Silver Borne, Patricia Briggs (e)
Warrior Sheep One: Quest of the Warrior Sheep, Christine and Christopher Russell
Phoenix Rising, Pip Ballantine and Tee Morris (e)
Crown Jewels, Walter Jon Williams (e)
Explorer, C.J. Cherryh (read out loud with Steve)
Defender, C.J. Cherryh (read out loud with Steve)
Bond of Blood, Roberta Gellis (e)
Inheritor, C.J. Cherryh (read out loud with Steve)
I Don’t Want to Kill You, Dan Wells
Invader, C.J. Cherryh (read out loud with Steve)
Library Wars Volume 1: Love and War, Kiiro Yumi
The Perilous Gard, Elizabeth Marie Pope
Edie Ernst, USO Singer — Allied Spy, Brooke McEldowney
Silver Phoenix, Cindy Pon
Treasure Island, Robert Louis Stevenson (e)
Foreigner, C.J. Cherryh (read aloud with Steve)
Betrayer, C.J. Cherryh (read out loud with Steve)
Right-Ho, Jeeves, P.G. Wodehouse (e)
American Rose, Karen Abbott
The Bull God, Roberta Gellis (e)
Sin in the Second City, Karen Abbott
Of Blood and Honey, Stina Leicht (e)
The God Engines, John Scalzi (e)
Or Else My Lady Keeps the Key, Kage Baker (e)
Unseen, Rachel Caine
Total Eclipse, Rachel Caine
Weight of Stone, Laura Anne Gilman
The Story of Chicago May, Nuala O’Faolain

Light Return

Yes, yes, I’m still working.

But! I wanted to share a picture of our tree.

I also wanted to share a picture of Mozart, but when I approached his napping place, he looked up, blinked at the camera, and put his head back down with a paw over his eyes.

So, OK, I can take a hint.

Et cum spiritu tuo

An early morning discussion of the addresses of Hamlet’s duplex (2B and Not 2B) brought to mind the pope’s phone number, which is the title of today’s post, and also a Catholic in-joke. Worse, it’s an in-joke for Catholics who still (faintly) recall the respondents to the Latin Mass, and! those who still remember when phone numbers were rendered thusly: Northfield Eight Six-Nine-Three-Six. You’d think my brain would have more interesting things to do than remember this stuff, but! The above is pronounced, indifferently, I expect: Etcum Spiri Two-Two-O. Note the lack of an international calling code.

When it’s not being a phone number, the phrase is part of the response pair: Dominus vobiscum/Et cum spiritu tuo, which means The lord be with you/And with your spirit.

So now you know.

OK! Exciting doin’s here at the Confusion Factory:

1. I am in the position of needing to write a whole lotta words in a short number of days. This means? I’m turning off the internet and the email. I hope you all have a delightful holiday season of your choice, and I’ll see you again early, but not too early, in the New, and please Goddess Much Better, Year.

2. “Kin Ties” and “Guaranteed Delivery” have aged off the of the Splinter Universe site. They are now available as echapbook Courier Run right now from Smashthing and from Amazon, and RSN from BN. I did clean up the typos and put in the missing words, but there are no other changes.

3. Be good to yourselves, and to each other. Remember to tell the people you love how much they mean to you.

See you in 2012.

Books Read in 2011

The Wolves of Willoughby Chase, Joan Aiken (re-re-re-&c-read)
Agatha Heterodyne and the Guardian Muse, Phil & Kaja Foglio
Cotillion, Georgette Heyer (read aloud with Steve)
The Shattered Vine, Laura Anne Gilman
The Convenient Marriage, Georgette Heyer (read out loud with Steve)
Desdaemona, Ben Macallan (e)
The Sleeping Partner, Madeleine E. Robins
My Life, Deleted: A Memoir, by Scott Bolzan, Joan Bolzan, and Caitlin Rother (e)
Across the Great Barrier, Patricia C. Wrede
Scaramouche, Rafael Sabatini (e)
Destroyer, C.J. Cherryh (read out loud with Steve)
Magic Under Glass, Jaclyn Dolamore (e)
Silver Borne, Patricia Briggs (e)
Warrior Sheep One: Quest of the Warrior Sheep, Christine and Christopher Russell
Phoenix Rising, Pip Ballantine and Tee Morris (e)
Crown Jewels, Walter Jon Williams (e)
Explorer, C.J. Cherryh (read out loud with Steve)
Defender, C.J. Cherryh (read out loud with Steve)
Bond of Blood, Roberta Gellis (e)
Inheritor, C.J. Cherryh (read out loud with Steve)
I Don’t Want to Kill You, Dan Wells
Invader, C.J. Cherryh (read out loud with Steve)
Library Wars Volume 1: Love and War, Kiiro Yumi
The Perilous Gard, Elizabeth Marie Pope
Edie Ernst, USO Singer — Allied Spy, Brooke McEldowney
Silver Phoenix, Cindy Pon
Treasure Island, Robert Louis Stevenson (e)
Foreigner, C.J. Cherryh (read aloud with Steve)
Betrayer, C.J. Cherryh (read out loud with Steve)
Right-Ho, Jeeves, P.G. Wodehouse (e)
American Rose, Karen Abbott
The Bull God, Roberta Gellis (e)
Sin in the Second City, Karen Abbott
Of Blood and Honey, Stina Leicht (e)
The God Engines, John Scalzi (e)
Or Else My Lady Keeps the Key, Kage Baker (e)
Unseen, Rachel Caine
Total Eclipse, Rachel Caine
Weight of Stone, Laura Anne Gilman
The Story of Chicago May, Nuala O’Faolain

Books Make Wonderful Gifts (advert)

And! as the fat little snowflakes drift lazily down from the grey sky, let us pause to consider where and how best to buy Reading Matter from Lee and Miller, and Lee, for those readers on your Holiday Gift Giving List.

Paper books: 

For the first time in. . .a lot of years, the entire Liaden Universe® backlist is in print.  You lucky people, you.  Books are available from your favorite local bookstore and online booksellers.  Here are the titles:

The Dragon Variation:  includes Local Custom, Scout’s Progress, Conflict of Honors

The Agent Gambit:  includes Agent of Change, Carpe Diem

Korval’s Game: includes Plan B, I Dare

The Crystal Variation: includes Crystal Soldier, Crystal Dragon, Balance of Trade

Fledgling — Book One detailing the life and times of Theo Waitley

Saltation — Theo Waitley, Book Two

Mouse and Dragon — Sequel to Scout’s Progress

Ghost Ship — Sequel to BOTH Saltation and I Dare (note:  Amazon is sold out of this book.  Uncle Hugo’s SF store has signed copies available.  They do mail order, but you need to act FAST.)

Also in print and available from the bookstore of your choice are:

Carousel Tides, by Sharon Lee — contemporary fantasy set in a down-on-its-luck Maine resort town.  A haunted carousel, selkies, the ghost of an Abenaki warrior — what’s not to love?

Duainfey, by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller —  Book One of the Fey Duology.  Dark fantasy about a young human girl who becomes a pawn in a plot to overthrow the Fey Queen.

Longeye, by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller — Book Two of the Fey Duology.

In print, but available from Lulu only:

Barnburner, by Sharon Lee —  Mystery set in the fictional town of Wimsy, Maine, featuring Jennifer Pierce, intrepid reporter, and Fox, a lord of cyberspace.

Gunshy, by Sharon Lee — the second book of Jen and Fox.

Here’s the link to a page from which these books may be ordered

Audiobooks:

Carousel Tides, by Sharon Lee, narrated by Elisabeth Rodgers, published by Audible.

Local Custom, by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller, narrated by Michael Shanks, published by Buzzy Multimedia

Ebooks:

Every! Single! Liaden Universe®! Novel! EVER PUBLISHED is available in the ebook format of your choice! from Baen Books.  Here’s a link to the Lee and Miller, and Lee, page.  

Every! Single! Liaden Universe®! Short Story! published by SRM Publisher through February 2011 (Adventures in the Liaden Universe® Volumes 1-17) is available in the ebook format of your choice!  Here’s a link to Pinbeam Books, where every title is listed, with the stories included in each, and handy links to each title at  BN, Amazon and Smashwords.  Other stories are also available.  Take a couple minutes and check out the site.

Barnburner and Gunshy, by Sharon Lee (see descriptions, above) are available in the ebook format of your choice from Fictionwise.  Here’s a link to the page from which these volumes may be purchased.

Edited to add:  Both Baen Books and BN offer gift cards for electronic books.  Here’s the link to Baen’s cardHere’s the link to BN’s card. 

Splinter Universe Stories:

Three Liaden Universe® stories are available to be read for free (though donations are gratefully accepted), as well as a story by Steve, plus various splinters, notes, and outtakes from novels.  Here’s the link.

There now, wasn’t that easy?

Thank you all! for your support, your attention, and your care over the years.  You guys are the best.

And this? Is your Friday morning video interview

In the spring of 2011 Sharon Lee and Steve Miller of Liaden Universe® fame took part in a TV interview as part of a special Maine Writers and Publishers project in connection with “What Are You Reading,” on a Maine cable access station. Topics included a history of the Liaden franchise, writing techniques, science fiction conventions, and writing as a team.

Clicky the linky for the interview, live! on YouTube:

Lee & Miller: What are you reading?

We’re going to Michigan

Well, actually, no. We’re not going to Michigan; the post takes its title from a song from Audiobody, called (wait for it) “We’re Going to Michigan,” which has gotten stuck sideways in my head.

(Audiobody was a great find; I have their CD “Do Something Difficult,” and I couldn’t be more pleased. Thank you, EepyBird)

So, anyway, a busy couple days here at the Confusion Factory. Work on Dragon Ship continues; putting the house back together continues; planning for our various winter trips continues (Chattanooga on January 19! Um. Eeep!)(Boston on February 17! Urg!); deliveries continue to arrive (this just in — and I do mean just; the UPS truck is driving away as I type — give-away ribbons, including but not limited to, Happy Birthday Theo! Want one? Come see us at Chattacon.). The guy who was to come back and finish the couple little chores in the house for us has vanished into the ether, sigh. And I have a call in to a young lady who will help me hang the paintings up in such a manner that they won’t fall down again.

Discoveries continue, too. Just yesterday I discovered that it’s harder to upload a video to Youtube than Youtube lets you know. Also, I learned that some folks think a book that you can’t give to a YA reader is by definition a bad book.

Someone in the recent past asked why our books aren’t in the SFBC (Science Fiction Bookclub) catalog. The short answer is: both Balance of Trade and Partners in Necessity were available through SFBC. They didn’t do well (though there was a while there where I couldn’t talk to a SF-reading mundane* who didn’t say, “But! I read your book from SFBC! Why weren’t there any more?”) and SFBC has passed on any more Liaden material.

So, anyway, this is a check-in post. Things — lots of things! — are in process. The cats are asleep. And! there’s nothing much to see here.

What’s going on with y’all? Everybody ready for whatever Winter Holiday you honor?

___
*”Mundane” is the word that self-identified, con-going, and/or fanzine fans use to connote people who are not self-identified con-going and/or fanzine fans.