Year: 2011

I’ll do another compile of the Big List of Words tomorrow morning. I’m thinking we’re going to have to break the pronunciation project down into manageable chunks. Will need to think about this.

In the meantime, I am pleased to announce that at (long, long) last, George has broken 50 grand. We have half a book, ladies and gentlemen!

. . .but still no title.

Well. It’s not the longest time a book has gone without a title. Agent of Change got its title when I sat down to type the submission draft. And several books have had perfectly good titles that morphed during the writing process — the working title for Scout’s Progress was Mouse and Dragon, after all. Which was a Perfectly Fine Title (obviously), but just a little…off for that book. Happily, a Flash of Brilliance(tm) occurred.

…will wait for Flash of Brilliance(tm).

And write another 50,000 words in a line.

Progress on the Book Presently known as George
51,013 of 100,000 OR 51% complete

“I see it!” he said, looking to Udari. “Brother, I see what your eyes saw! Even a man of action might admire the tiny cock, fire in his eye and one wing trailing.” He slapped his thighs again.

So far today, I’ve collated a Really Big List of Words; kept an appointment for an annual examination; dropped the everyday crescent necklace off at Day’s Jewelers to have the magnets re-attached (again! it’s just barely possible that the magnets are too strong for the chain); hit the gym for half-an-hour of gentle exercise and while there made an appointment with a trainer for Friday mid-morning for evaluation and a training routine; posted a splinter that didn’t make it into Ghost Ship, had lunch with Steve, finished the laundry, and now! I’m going to get with George.

My g0odness, you can get a let of useful stuff done when you don’t have a day-job!

Progress on the Book Presently known as George
49,947 of 100,000 OR 49.9% complete

“I hear our brothers at prayer,” Udari said.

As of Right Now, this is the list for requested pronunciations. I admit to being a little baffled by some of the requests. I mean, honestly, folks — there are thousands of people named Priscilla and Inas living in the world today, hundreds named Miri, and Theo isn’t exactly unknown. Delacroix y Mendoza? Real-world, right-now names, possibly rare in combination, but I’m not willing to bet on that. And Waitley is a proud tribe.

Beyond that, I believe that a few of the words requested are misspelled. I may be wrong, but I’d appreciate a recheck and a cite. I’ve marked the questionable entries with a line of ?s.

List updated Wednesday, September 21, 2011, 1:28 p.m. EDT

********

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
cha’trez
Chane dea’Judan
chernubia
chiat’a bei kruzon
ckrakec
Clonak ter’Meulen
coab minshak’a
conselem
Cris Gobelyn
Daav yos’Phelium
dea’Gauss
delm
delmae
denubia
dramliz
dramliza
dri’at
Dulsey
Dyk Gobelyn
eklykt’i
eldema
eldema-pernard’i
entranzia volecta
Er Thom yos’Galan
fa’vya
Flaren Cha’menthi
galandaria
ge’shada
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
Norn ven’Deelin
Nova yos’Galan
nubiath’a
Paitor Gobelyn
palesci modassa
Pat Rin yos’Phelium
pel’Kana
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
zerkam’ka
zhena

Scrabble accepts your best wishes for her ninth birthday and continued good health.

She will now resume her nap.

Honestly, humans. . .

All righty, then.

Steve and I will be doing, sometime this fall, even sometime this October, an audio pronunciation guide to the Liaden Universe®. Yes! You will be able to hear us speak those words that you have only seen in writing and always wanted to know how to say.

But you have to help us.

Liaden is our second language. We have no idea which words are head-scratchers. Which is why we need your help.

Tell us what words you would like us to include in this new! audio! guide.

Lists appended to this entry only, please (on Facebook, LJ, or here at sharonleewriter.com). Lists appended to other blog-or-facebook entries, or lists sent to me, or to Steve, by email will be ignored.

Thank you.

. . .let the games begin.

Edited to add: Requests for “all of them” will be treated as so much wind in the trees.  We are looking for a list from you of the words you wish to hear pronounced.  This is no time for laziness, ladies and gentlemen.  The authors are lazier than all of you put together.

This policy brought to you in part by the gentlemen reader who wished to insist that the word “adumbration” was Liaden.

Thank you for your understanding, The Management.

Steve and I are returned from The Great New England Steampunk Exhibition. The cats are glad to see us, for values of glad that include Scrabble sitting in the co-pilot’s chair in my office…with her back to me.

Ah, well.

We had fun at the con; met some interesting people; got to catch up a little with Kaja and Phil Foglio; saw lots of very, very well-conceived and well-done costumes, and a sword dancer. The Abney Park concert was super. I did get to shake hands with the band members and thank them for the pleasure their work has given me.

..which is always an odd thing, no matter which side of the transaction you’re on. I think it’s important to thank people — and especially artists — for a job well done. Yet, when people thank me for the pleasure our work has given them, I often find myself with nothing more intelligent to say than, “No, thank you.” And so it was with Abney Park; the band members were puzzled, but kind, and shook hands and the transaction was complete. And as I say, the concert was super, so — well done, all around.

The con. . . suffered from some organizational snafus, as well as some truly horrendous problems with hotel management. There was the all-too-common lack of hotel imagination when it came to the reality of hundreds of people needing to eat NOW and THERE, which put an unreasonable strain on the hotel staff, who nonetheless did their damnedest to provide good service.

In the end, it all got survived, and the majority of con-goers remained cheerful and pleased with the event. I hope that the concom will learn from its errors, and that they will find another venue for the event next year.

Personally, I discover that I need to be more mindful of my own scheduling and eating. Twice now in two cons I’ve managed to bork my blood sugar big-time by deciding that the show must go on, even if that meant lunch was half of a chocolate chip cookie and a glass of water. This apparently will no longer do — or it will, if I don’t mind the consequences, which it happens that I do.

Today’s tasks include finishing the bookkeeping, catching up the email, eating a good lunch and dinner (ahem) and probably taking a nap, so that I’m up and open for bidness tomorrow, which is, just by the way, Scrabble’s Appointed Birth Day, 2011. She will be, so we believe, nine years old.

So!  How was your weekend?

The bookkeeping is almost done. The little bit that’s left will have to wait until after the con.

The back-brain helpfully supplied me with the rest of the scene I was working on yesterday for George — the “rest” being the stuff that goes in between the sentences. I have made notes. The Leewit will of course be traveling with me, and I hope to have some few minutes to work, in between It All.

I will be freezing the discussion of copyright violation because I won’t be around to unscreen anonymous posts.

And now? I have to pack.

What’re y’all doing that’s fun?

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

So, the new haircut and the new color. Not quite magenta, but stripes of purple-brown and red-brown amongst the gray.

Yesterday! We installed the new Super Router we’d bought on our Monday expedition. It was easy, and fairly fraught-free. I did have to call Netflix, but the helpful young man who answered the phone got me all straightened out in about six seconds’ flat. Which means.

The television now streams Netflix.

Both The Leewit and Haysus can find and use the wireless signal in the living room.

Victory!

Other than that, I banged some more on the bookkeeping, and wrote, and did laundry, and ranted on the intertubes. Boring ol’ day, really.

Today, I have an appointment to get my hair cut. I’m not ruling out magenta dye, but it’s equally possible that I’ll just stick with the silver.

After the hair cut, I need to pack, and finish the laundry, and catch up some more email, and explain to Scrabble and Mozart how, yes, we are going to be gone again for Days and DAYS, but that Mary will be right here with them, so that they won’t lack for quality service.

Tomorrow, we’re for Fitchburg, and the Great New England Steampunk Exhibition. See you there!

Progress on the Book Presently known as George
48,850 of 100,000 OR 49% complete

“Who’d thought such a little kid could make such a big mess outta Simon Says?”