Year: 2011

OK, so, for the next while Complexity R Us here at the Cat Farm. I’ll be a little distracted; and, I fear, a little less kind to people who cannot resist the urge to post Cute anonymous comments.  Or, yanno, overtly obnoxious anonymous comments.  Apologies in advance to the majority who are polite, generous, and brave enough to sign their names to their posts.

Yesterday, for one heart-stopping moment, I thought, that yes! the filing had achieved sentience — and that first act of its newly-awakened intelligence would be the traditional slaying of its creator.

Sadly, it had only achieved an improper center of gravity, and slid to the floor with a rush and a rumble.

So, yanno, yesterday? I filed.

Today, I do believe I’ll write.

For those who remember my mentioning that the trip to town has for the last several months been enlivened by a detour. This is why. Do examine the bottom picture on the right closely.

One of the things that I’ve been told for, well, years, now, by medical personnel is that I really should stop drinking coffee. Apparently this is routinely said to Ladies of a Certain Age. I compromised by cutting down, which is, I think, a good thing. Back in the day, I mainlined office coffee, black. Nowadays, I drink two, maybe three, cups in the morning, with cream-and-chocolate-milk, and occasionally a cup of high-test in the afternoon. That’s enough. And in the meantime, Science keeps coming up with itsy little reasons why coffee might not be Evil after all.

Those of you who live out in San Francisco know all about the most excellent Borderlands Books, owned and operated by Alan Beatts. The store newsletter arrived a couple weeks ago, but I just got around to reading it yesterday. Alan’s written an interesting piece about Amazon, and as it’s also available on the web, I urge you all to take a look. The newsletter is here, and the article is the fourth header down: From The Office.

There was something else I wanted to mention — Ah! I remember.

For a limited time only! Which is to say, through Midnight on October 31, Lee and Miller echapbook Calamity’s Child is on sale for $0.99 at Smashwords, BN, Amazon

Calamity’s Child includes Liaden Universe® story “Sweet Waters” and Nick-and-Nora steampunk story “A Night at the Opera”.

And now? I do believe I’ll have another cup of coffee.

 

We love that our fans write to us; it’s good to know that folks find our characters and our stories compelling and worthwhile. We really do appreciate your care.

But there’s a Thing. We say it from time to time. We haven’t said it for a little while, and a note that came in yesterday reminded me of this.

So!

Please don’t send us story ideas. We have story ideas — lots of them. The problem, as I see it, is not that we’re going to run out of ideas, but that we’re going to run out of time before we’re able to flesh out all the ideas we have into stories.

Ideas are the easy part of the writing process. (But don’t just take my word for it — here’s another writer on the same topic). Execution, that’s where the time and the craft comes in.

Now, you may say, But! How do I know that you guys have thought of my story unless I tell you?

And the answer is — we may not have done. But, yanno? We might have. And if you send us a story idea, and it happens to be an idea for a story under consideration for Splinter Universe? We get to feeling a little weird about going forward, because other authors have unfortunately experienced Time-Consuming and Story-Swallowing Unpleasantnesses because a reader identified one of the author’s stories as having “used” (in at least one case the word used by the offended reader was “stolen”) the reader’s idea, and now they want a piece of the action.

So, it’s just easier for everyone if you don’t send us story ideas. It’s OK to wonder what happened to your favorite characters, or where a plot line might go, but — we have plenty of ideas, really. And we’d like to write as many of them down as we possibly can.

Thanks for listening.

Here ends the PSA.

So, a day of oddities and wonders.

The answer to the Very Simple Question is apparently not at all simple. This is…disappointing. I was hoping to get through the rest of this year (which started, as those playing along at home will recall) with Steve receiving a ICD implant, after a Discovered Check pulmonary situation during his stay in the hospital, last October, for pneumonia (deep breath) Without. Any. More. Drama.(tm).

Wishes, ladies and gentlemen, are apparently still not horses. You heard it here first.

Continuing with the theme, I today received in the mail the copyright certificate for Pilots Choice, which we filed for, it says here, in May 2009. I guess the Library of Congress ran out of stamps. Still, it’s good to see it, and it will be filed with its kinfolk, in due time.

Also! An Alert Reader lets us know that The Crystal Variation by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller, published earlier this month by Baen Books, an omnibus edition including three novels: Crystal Soldier, Crystal Dragon, and Balance of Trade — has been listed in Locus Magazine’s Classic Reprints section, here.

So, anyhow, I’m tired now; it’s been a long day, in it’s way.

See y’all tomorrow.

Progress on the Book Presently known as George
54,575 of 100,000 OR 54.6% complete

“By the blood of the Bedel,” Rafin breathed, “you have eyes, do you not, little one? This. . .” Strong teeth showed in a dark, angular face, as he held the ragged lump up and shook it. “This will do, I think. Eh? Eh?” The grin became a shout of laughter that rang the dark metal behind them.

Scaramouche, Rafael Sabatini (e)
Defender, 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

Proof ordered.

To the folks who asked if I had thought about CreateSpace/Lightning Source, the answer is — yes.  But, Amazon is slowing down delivery of Lightning Source books (discussion here), because, um, they can.  And CreateSpace is owned by Amazon and I’d really rather not put all of my eggs in Amazon’s basket (plus, I want to list on BN, too).  So, Lulu looked like a good compromise position.  I note and will look at Booklocker — thank roseaponi for the link — but not this evening.

In other news, the Cat Eating Machine (aka the vacuum cleaner) and I have concluded our bidness.  I note that Scrabble headed for the high ground, as is her habit, but Mozart — Mozart has apparently read Hex’s paper, published in the Journal of Proper Feline Behavior, in which he argues that a Supreme Disregard for the antics of the Cat Eating Machine ultimately nets more points of Cool, and has taken up this new philosophy.  He remained in his cat hammock — asleep — even though I vacuumed right under him.

Pretty dern Cool, I say.

Tomorrow, I have an appointment in town with a person who I hope can (and will) answer my Very Simple Question, then to the gym, and home again.

Who’s got something exciting planned for Monday?

Progress on the Book Presently known as George
53,427 of 100,000 OR 53% complete

“That,” he said in a fierce whisper, “is mine.”

 

Well, I did a lot of learning yesterday, and I need to order a proof copy of the completed book from lulu.  My, my, aren’t they expensive?  And clever, too!

For those playing along at home, if you’re willing to do your own fulfillment, it really is worth your time to seek out a local printer and order up 200 (or wherever their Big Price Break Point lies).  Depending on the number of pages and extra goodies in terms of color that you want, you ought to be able to easily halve lulu’s price per.

The “distribution to Amazon, BN, and others!” requires the purchase of a “distribution package” — I haven’t tracked down how much that is, but the cost of that is added on top of the manufacturing cost of each book.  The manufacturing cost of Barnburner (130-page digest-sized perfect bound) at the moment stands at $4.48.  That goes directly to lulu.  If I (the, yanno, author/production department) want a piece of the action, I need to add $$ on top of that.  Plus whatever other extra costs are hidden in the small print.  Which starts to add up to an expensive little mystery novel.

So, that!

Regarding the Big List of Words, as requests seem to have petered out, and that’s Some Big list, I’m freezing requests NOW.  Steve and I will be thinking about how to proceed in a sanity-preserving manner.  I expect we’ll break the list down into little lists and post them as can.  Our intent is to at least begin before the end of the year.

This morning, the Cat Eating Machine and I have some bidness to conclude; I’ll order in that proof.  After lunch, it’s all George, all the time.

Hope everybody has a good day!

Scattered day, much thinking, small writing. I suspect that I will write one more chapter, so that I’ve achieved a Certain Point, then print out and read what’s here.

I did go to the gym today and meet with the trainer. I now have a workout routine! I did half of said workout routine today, as part of the training. My stomach muscles? Are really pissed off at me. I’m committing to three days a week — Monday, Wednesday, and Friday — an hour each day, even if I have to wimp out on the strength-building machines at first, and finish out the hour on the treadmill or the bike.

Go, me.

The other thing of note that I did today was order a new alarm clock. This was unexpectedly time consuming. Who knew buying a clock would be so hard? All I wanted was a dual alarm atomic clock with a thermometer. After much shopping and reading of reviews and specs, I compromised with a SmartSet Dual Alarm Clock Radio with Jumbo 1.3-Inch LED Display and Time Projector (Silver). You may ask, and reasonably, Why did you buy a clock that projects the time? And I would be forced to say, It came with.

Maybe there’ll be a way to turn it off.

In other news, I am exploring ways to offer print books to people who want them. To that end, I will be doing a tour of Lulu and seeing how much of a strain it will be to upload Barnburner as my Test Case.

Anybody who’s used Lulu have any advice/insight/warnings?

Progress on the Book Presently known as George
52,213 of 100,000 OR 52% complete

“Enough! We dream as one! Now, let us go and gather what is needed.”

I’ve got a bunch of stuff to do today, so you’ll have to amuse yourselves.

Here, draw a stickman.

Thanks to Kristine Smith for the link.

Sigh. Instead of clarifying matters, this afternoon’s meeting muddied them further. Must seek advice elsewhere. Honestly, ask a simple question…

Tomorrow! Back to the gym and a date with the trainer.

Tonight! Lunch. And a glass of wine.

Definitely, a glass of wine.

Progress on the Book Presently known as George
51,814 of 100,000 OR 51.8% complete

The chin lowered, black eyes wide now. “Maybe you blind,” Anna said. “Maybe you stupid.”

The List, as of 9:30 a.m. EDT, September 22, 2011. I make it to be 136 words/phrases/names so far.

a’nadelm
a’thodelm
a’trezla
aelantaza
Aelli
Aelliana Caylon
al’bresh venat’i
al’kin chernard’i
Anthora yos’Galan
Arin Gobelyn
balent’i kalandon
balent’i tru’vad
binjali
Cantra yos’Phelium
cha’leket
Chapelia
cha’trez
Chane dea’Judan
chernubia
chiat’a bei kruzon
Cho sig’Radia
ckrakec
Clonak ter’Mulen
coab minshak’a
conselem
Cris Gobelyn
Daav yos’Phelium
dea’Gauss
delm
delmae
denubia
dramliz
dramliza
dri’at
Dulsey
Dyk Gobelyn
Efraim
eklykt’i
eldema
eldema-pernard’i
entranzia volecta
Er Thom yos’Galan
fa’vya
Flaran Cha’menthi
galandaria
ge’shada
gigneri
Glavda Empri
Grig Tomas
Gylles
i’lanta
ilania frrogudon palon dox
illanga kilachi
Inas Bhar
indra
Iza Gobelyn
Jabun
Jan Rek ter’Astin
Jela
Jelaza Kazone
Jen Sar Kiladi
Jethri Gobelyn
Jon dea’Cort
Juntavas
Kamele
Kareen yos’Phelium
Karsin Pelnara
Kestra
Khatelane Gobelyn
Kilon pel’Meret
Korval
l’ganin brat’a, vyan se’untor
lazenia spandok
Liad
Liaden
lisamia keshoc
Luken bel’Tarda
Megelaar
Mel Gobelyn
melant’i
menfri’at
mirada
Miri
misravot
Mizel
nadelm
Natesa
Nelirikk
nidj
Norn ven’Deelin
Nova yos’Galan
nubiath’a
onagrata
Paitor Gobelyn
palesci modassa
Pat Rin yos’Phelium
pel’Kana
Phobai
prena’ma
prethliu
Priscilla Delacroix y Mendoza
qe’andra
qua’lechi
Ran Eld Caylon
relumma
Ren Zel dea’Judan
Samiv tel’Izak
Seeli Gobelyn
Shadia ne’Zame
Shan yos’Galan
Sheriekas
Sinit Caylon
Tayzin
ter’Fendil
Thawla
Thawlana
Theo Waitley
thodelm
tra’sia volecta
Trealla Fantrol
Trelu
va’netra
Val Con yos’Phelium
Valcon Berant’a
Valcon Melad’a
van’chela
Vandar
Voni Caylon
yos’Galan
yos’Phelium
Yxtrang
zaliata
Zam
zamir
zerkam’ka
zhena