Year: 2011

For those who care about such things, brand-new Liaden Universe® novelette “Kin Ties” is now live! on the intertubes! right here.

Enjoy!

In the woods at the edge of a farmland, there lived a wolf. Hunting had been thin of late and his ribs showed through rough fur.

One evening, the wolf was prowling along the edge of the forest, looking, he said to himself, for deer, though in truth he would have settled for a mouse, or even a vole.

In the shadows up ahead, something moved. The wolf’s heart leapt — and fell, because it was no deer that moved toward him out of the dusk, but a sleek brown farm dog, out for a bit of a ramble.

“Well met, cousin!” the dog called to the wolf. “It’s been some time since we’ve talked.”

“So it has,” the wolf said resignedly, as the dog came close.

“Why, cousin, whatever has befallen you?”

“The hunting’s been a little thin,” the wolf said. “It’ll pick up eventually. It always does.”

“Starving can’t be good for you,” the dog scolded. “You know, you can be as well-fed as I am, if you’ll follow my advice.”

Now, generally the wolf didn’t think much of the dog’s intelligence. On the other hand, he could hardly dispute that the dog was in fine shape, while he…might not survive the winter.

So, he made himself humble and he said to the dog, “What must I do?”

“You must bark when a stranger approaches.  You must snarl at beggars, growl at thieves, and fawn on the people who live in the house. Do this, and you will get as much as you can eat, and more, as well as clean hay to sleep in, and a box to keep off the rain.”

This sounded almost too good to be true, and yet, the wolf said to himself, the dog was well-fed.

“To whom should I apply?” he asked, trembling at the thought of so much benefit in return for so little effort.

“Because we are cousins,” the dog said loftily, “I will sponsor you to my master. Come along and I will do so now.”

The wolf fell in beside the dog. They passed out of deep wood shadows into the twilight of the field-edge and there the wolf saw something alarming.

“Cousin!” he cried. “What has happened to you? Your neck — the fur is quite worn away, and the skin is chafed and raw!”

“Oh, that’s nothing,” the dog said. “Don’t mind it.”

“But, what has caused this?” demanded the wolf, thinking perhaps a thief hadn’t cared to be growled at.

“It’s only the mark of my collar,” the dog said, a little sharply. “Where my master fastens the chain.”

“What? Can you not wander as you please?”

“Of course not,” said the dog. “But that’s of no mind. My master lets me off the chain to ramble…quite often.” And he started off again, but the wolf didn’t move.

A few paces out, the dog stopped and looked over his shoulder.

“Well?” he said. “Aren’t you coming?”

“No.” The wolf shook his head. “Not at all. Never.”

And he turned around and ran back into the woods.

Better to starve free than be a fat slave
–Aesop

Liaden Universe® InfoDump No. 90
To WorldCon we shall go…

Free Reading! Coupon Offer
1. “Intelligent Design” will be retired from the Baen front page on Monday, August 15, to make way for a brand! new! story! Once it is retired, “Intelligent Design” will be added to the free eBook compilation of front page stories, which can be downloaded here.

2. “Kin Ties” will be available for free reading at Splinter Universe on August 12 (that’s Friday!). To help people who may not have read its elder brother, “Changeling,” we (that’s Steve and Sharon, acting as Pinbeam Books) are offering a more-or-less half-off coupon for the eBook. This coupon is Smashwords-specific. All you need do is go here, choose your preferred format and use coupon code KB93Q (not case sensitive) at checkout. The coupon will expire on August 12 (yep, that’s still Friday).

Bestseller Lists!
1. A friendly bookseller lets us know that Ghost Ship has hit the Bookscan Bestselling SF List for the week of August 1. Which isn’t too bad for a book with a pub date of August 2. 

2. Speaking of Ghost Ship — there’s a nice review at SFRevu

3. Also! The editors at Amazon.com (why does a bookstore have editors? No, on second thought, I don’t want to know) have chosen Ghost Ship for inclusion in their Fall Reading Preview   (http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html/ref=br_lf_m_1000535991_grlink_6?ie=UTF8&plgroup=6&docId=1000535991)

4. Even cooler, Uncle Hugo’s has posted its bestsellers for July, with Ghost Ship at the top of the list — but that’s not the cool part. The cool part is that of the 12 bestselling trade editions for July, Lee and Miller books hold 11 spots, cheated — cheated! — of a full house by the presence of Warrior Sheep #1:  The Quest of the Warrior Sheep. (Note to self: Get a copy of Warrior Sheep #1)

5. Proving that mere planetary divides such as oceans and hemispheres mean nothing to those who call deep space home, Ghost Ship appears on the bestseller list at Galaxy Bookstore in Sydney, Australia.

WorldCon or Bust!
1. We (that’s Steve and Sharon) are going to be traveling for a few days, with a WorldCon at the end of it. This means our access to Things Internetly will be limited, first by the conditions of the train and then because we’ll be enjoying the con. So! If you should see Ghost Ship or any other Lee and Miller book or story on a bestseller list, or see a review (Amazon reviews not counting), sing out, do!

2. While we’re traveling (see #2, above) we’ll be keeping in touch somewhat via Twitter and Facebook. To join us on Twitter and share the news: Liaden Universe fans & Friends of Liad at and before the convention should try #liadens for news; @Clankorval is Sharon Lee, @bechimo is Steve Miller.

Twitter may be most useful for non-attendees for catching glimpses of the Worldcon action at Renovation where it looks like several dozen Friends of Liad will be joining the fray for a FoL fan table, parties, FoL breakfast, Lee & Miller kaffeeklatsch, L & M signings, and more. You can check up on the schedules of the intrepid Cat Farm and Confusion Factory contingent by looking over the (ahem) 70 plus page Pocket Program downloadable here.  There are some day rate and at the door memberships still available if you just can’t resist a late decision, or know someone who can make it in your stead.

3. Watch the skies — most WorldCons produce at least one Marvel or Wonder, and some produce both.

But wait, there’s more!
On SATURDAY, August 27, from 2:30 until 4 p.m. Steve and Sharon will be signing Ghost Ship (and other books. Yes, you can bring books you already own to be signed and/or personalized) at UNCLE HUGO’S SCIENCE FICTION BOOKSTORE AT 2864 Chicago Ave, Minneapolis, MN 55407-1320. For more information, check out the Uncle Hugo’s site. A local meal or two with readers and fans is also likely.

Can’t make it to WorldCon?
Lee and Miller will be Guests of Honor at the following upcoming conventions — maybe we’ll see you at:

THE GREAT NEW ENGLAND STEAMPUNK EXPOSITION
September 16-18, 2011
Courtyard Marriott/Central Massachusetts Expo Center
Fitchburg, Massachusetts
http://www.thegreatnewenglandsteampunkexhibition.com/index.html
Steve and Sharon will be Guests at this Steampunk Extravaganza. Other attending luminaries include but are not limited to Abney Park, Phil and Kaja Foglio, and Jake von Slatt.

CHATTACON 37
January 20-22, 2012
Chattanooga Choo Choo
1400 Market St
Chattanooga, TN 37402

Chattacon

Chattacon is a classic southern convention that Steve went to several times in very early incarnations — but hasn’t been back to for more than 30 years! This year coming, as for the last several, the convention will be held at Chattanooga Choo Choo — a train station turned into a hotel — a destination worth a trip all by itself! GOH list includes Steve Miller and Sharon Lee, Laura Anne Gilman, John Picacio – Artist GoH, Rachel Caine – Special Guest, and Mark Van Name – Toastmaster

Support your local bookstore
Uncle Hugo’s: http://www.unclehugo.com/
University Bookstore: http://www.bookstore.washington.edu/services.taf?dept=about&category=loca
Pandemonium Books: http://www.pandemoniumbooks.com/
Missing Volume: http://www.themissingvolume.com/
Borderlands: http://www.borderlands-books.com/
Dream Haven: http://www.dreamhavenbooks.com/
Flights of Fantasy: http://www.fof.net/
Mysterious Galaxy: http://mysteriousgalaxy.booksense.com/
Constellation Books: http://www.constellationbooks.com/NASApp/store/IndexJsp
Children’s Book Cellar: http://www.indiebound.org/stores/childrens-book-cellar

All of the above folks do mail order and take want lists.

Blogs and other webly things of note:
Theo_Waitley is the discussion group for readers of Fledgling and Saltation: http://community.livejournal.com/theo_waitley/

Where Dragons Rest: http://community.livejournal.com/liaden_readers/

Steve Miller’s blog, Journeyman: http://kinzel.livejournal.com/

Sharon Lee’s blog, Eagles over the Kennebec: http://rolanni.livejournal.com/

SRM Publisher blog: http://srmpublisher.livejournal.com/

Sharon Lee’s “Professional” blog: http://sharonleewriter.com

Splinter Universe Discussion List: http://splinterverse.livejournal.com

Facebook Connections — please feel free to add us!

http://facebook.com/kinzel — Steve Miller

http://facebook.com/rolanni — Sharon Lee

Liaden Interest Groups on Facebook
Clan Korval: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=38719490864&ref=ts

Friends of Liad: http://www.facebook.com/home.php?ref=home#/group.php?gid=16280839259&ref=ts

Flaran chamenthi: http://www.facebook.com/home.php?ref=home#/group.php?gid=2213414696&ref=ts

GoodReads
Sharon’s Author Page:http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/57980.Sharon_Lee
*Steve’s on Twitter*: http://twitter.com/bechimo

*Sharon’s on Twitter, too*: http://twitter.com/ClanKorval

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

Still sick, but I got ’em on the run. *eyes saltwater gargle wearily*

Because I slept all day yesterday, I did not fulfill my goal of completing the last of the workshop papers, nor did I dig a hole in the Cat Garden. Today, it’s raining, and Steve has respectfully — not to say, reasonably — suggested that we conduct a Proper Burial after our world travels are through. Below, therefore, a Revised To-Do List.

In case one has missed the announcement elsewhere, there is a teaser up at Splinter Universe for “Kin Ties,” which goes live — anyone?

Yes, excellent! “Kin Ties” goes live on Friday.

And, now, to work.

To-Do Before Leaving for Reno
1. Finish critiquing the submissions for our section of the WorldCon Writing Workshop: 1, 2, 3
2. Do prep for the panel I’m moderating
3. Make sure The Leewit has the latest edition of George on her SDcard, and the notes for “Guaranteed Delivery”
4. Write an essay with Steve. Must isolate a topic.
5. Have and recover from pre-departure panic attack
6. Pack, which includes “do laundry”
6a. Find all pertinent wires
7. Upload “Kin Ties” to Splinter Universe
8. Turn over keys, house, and felines to cat sitter

1. Remember that “Intelligent Design” will be retired from the Baen front page on Monday, August 15, to make way for a brand! new! story! Once it is retired, “Intelligent Design” will be added to the free eBook compilation of front page stories, which can be downloaded here.

2. “Kin Ties” will be available for free reading at Splinter Universe on August 12 (that’s Friday!). To help people who may not have read its elder brother, “Changeling,” we (that’s Steve and Sharon, acting as Pinbeam Books) are offering a more-or-less half-off coupon for the eBook. This coupon is Smashwords-specific. All you need do is go here, choose your preferred format and use coupon code KB93Q (not case sensitive) at checkout. The coupon will expire on August 12 (yep, that’s still Friday).

3. A friendly bookseller lets us know that Ghost Ship has hit the Bookscan Bestselling SF List for the week of August 1. Which isn’t too bad for a book with a pub date of August 2.

4. Speaking of Ghost Ship — there’s a nice review at SFRevu

5. Also! The editors at Amazon.com (why does a bookstore have editors? No, on second thought, I don’t want to know) have chosen Ghost Ship for inclusion in their Fall Reading Preview

6. Even cooler, Uncle Hugo’s has posted its bestsellers for July, with Ghost Ship at the top of the list — but that’s not the cool part. The cool part is that of the 12 bestselling trade editions for July, Lee and Miller books hold 11 spots, cheated — cheated, I say! — of a full house by the presence of Warrior Sheep #1. (Note to self: Get a copy of Warrior Sheep #1)

7. Proving that mere planetary divides such as oceans and hemispheres mean nothing to those who call deep space home, Ghost Ship appears on the besteller list at Galaxy Bookstore in Sydney, Australia.

8. We (that’s Steve and Sharon) are going to be traveling for a few days, with a WorldCon at the end of it. This means our access to Things Internetly will be limited, first by the conditions of the train and then because we’ll be enjoying the con. So! If you should see Ghost Ship or any other Lee and Miller book or story on a bestseller list, or see a review (Amazon reviews not counting), sing out, do!

. . .To the best of my knowledge at the moment, that’s all the news that’s fit to print. Now, I’m for the couch and the workshop papers, which I will finish today.

1. Pick up Hex’s ashes in Lewiston
1a. Prepare Cat Garden to receive same
2. Finish proofing the galleys for Mouse and Dragon
3. Finish critiquing the submissions for our section of the WorldCon Writing Workshop: 1, 2, 3
4. Do prep for the panel I’m moderating
5. Get a haircut
6. Make sure The Leewit has the latest edition of George on her SDcard, and the notes for “Guaranteed Delivery”
7. Write an essay — or is Steve writing the essay? Must check. Edited to add: Essay collaborative. How strange.
8. Complete various travel-related errands at Staples, the bank, Sign of the Sun, Hannaford, CVS and other fine merchants
9. Have and recover from pre-departure panic attack
10. Pack, which includes “do laundry”
10a. Find all pertinent wires
11. Upload “Kin Ties” to Splinter Universe
12. Make sure the vet has cat sitter’s name on file as holding Mozart and Scrabble’s power of attorney while we’re gone
13. Turn over keys, house, and felines to same cat sitter

…well, some progress there, anyway. And if worse comes to, which it so very often does, I can do panel prep on the train.

And now, having used the day in running errands, it’s to the couch — me, a red pen, a yellow pad, a grey coon cat, and a workshop submission.

Heh. Heh. Heh.

Thanks to everyone who chimed in with Droid apps and ideas!  I think I’m pretty well set for connectivity and entertainment on the Great Train Ride West.

The NPR Too-100 Science Fiction, Fantasy Poll is still on-going. Go on over and vote! for your Ten Most Favorite SF/F books/series, ever. Yes, The Liaden Universe® is a contender.

At Eagles Over the Kennebec there’s a poll and essay test ongoing.  The poll is open to “everyone,” but apparently LiveJournal means something different when it says “everyone” than I do.  In any case, if you can’t see the radio buttons, do feel free to leave a comment about your favorite title and why it’s your favorite.

WorldCon prep is starting to heat up.  I need another week, but I ain’t gonna get it.  Before we leave, I need to:

1.  Pick up Hex’s ashes in Lewiston
1a. Prepare Cat Garden to receive same
2. Finish proofing the galleys for Mouse and Dragon
3. Finish critiquing the submissions for our section of the WorldCon Writing Workshop
4. Do prep for the panel I’m moderating
5. Get a haircut
6. Make sure The Leewit has the latest edition of George on her SDcard, and the notes for “Guaranteed Delivery”
7. Write an essay — or is Steve writing the essay? Must check
8. Complete various travel-related errands at Staples, the bank, Sign of the Sun, Hannaford, CVS and other fine merchants
9. Have and recover from pre-departure panic attack
10. Pack
10a. Find all pertinent wires
11. Upload “Kin Ties” to Splinter Universe
12. Make sure the vet has cat sitter’s name on file as holding Mozart and Scrabble’s power of attorney while we’re gone
13. Turn over keys, house, and felines to same cat sitter

Eep.

So! Who’s going to WorldCon?

Wow, is that a classy headline, or what?

Anyhow — remember ‘way back the beginning of the summer when NPR asked everybody within the sound of their pixels to nominate books-and-series for their Top 100 Science Fiction and Fantasy Book List? Well! They’ve whittled the first list of 5,000+/- titles down to the top 250 and now they need your help again. Go here and choose your personal top 10 from the list provided. Full disclosure: Yes, “The Liaden Universe by Sharon Lee & Steve Miller” is on the list.

OK, that. What’s next? Droid apps! Actually, Droid app. Those of you who use your Droid to make notes-to-self — which app do you use? I had just about settled on one that looked to be everything I wanted and more! (having narrowly talked myself out of the one that takes notes in 18th century copperplate), but upon reading the fine print, it would appear that this particular app prevents the phone from going to sleep, which means, as I understand the matter, the phone will chew through its battery faster. Yes, the Droid does have the increased capacity battery (the first thing I do for my gadgets, after they’ve taken the Oath of Fealty, is fix ’em up with the high-capacity battery and more memory, if applicable), but I’m going to be traveling by train, and power outlets are not always as plentiful as one would wish.

How’m I doing here? One more topic to cover.

Who can help me with LJ-Book? I…can’t seem to get a book out of it. It’s probably something very, very simple that I’m doing wrong, but at this point it seems pretty clear that I’m not going to find it on my own.

In other news from around the Cat Farm, yesterday was the Official! Ghost Ship Release Day. The sales numbers on Barnes and Noble have been dancing around in the 400 and 500s, which is pretty dern awesome; and in the 700 to 900 range at Amazon.com, which also Isn’t Too Bad.

It’s been difficult to work without Hexapuma keeping a watch over my keyboard, but I have been paying attention to the submissions for the writing workshop Steve and I are leading on WorldCon Thursday, and also to George. That last is going a little less quickly than I want, but I’m at one of the anchor scenes, and it has to be right — set deep and straight.

The WorldCon dance card is filling right up. Looks like I’m going to sprint out to the museum for mummies on Wednesday morning before the con starts — which, for us, will be Wednesday at 3:45, at the Sierra View Library. Still have to locate a laundromat for…Sunday sometime, that looks like. Except for those two outside excursions, it’ll be All Con, All the Time.

Today…can’t figure out if it’s going to rain or just be cloudy, cool and damp. I can go with either of those, frankly, because? I’ll be at the dining room table, staring at a blank page until the drops of blood break out on my forehead.

Wish me luck.

Progress on the Book Presently known as George
45,844 words/100,000 OR 45% complete

“You see them don’t you?” she whispered, her breath hot against his cheek and smelling faintly of mint. “You see them, inside the darkness. They’re waiting for us, eh? Aren’t they? Waiting to eat us, and spit out our souls.”

 

Yesterday was Steve’s birthday; a quiet birthday. We had lunch at Selah Tea in Beautiful Downtown Waterville, did a small ride, with milkshakes, came home for a pizza and wine and a chapter of Explorer.

This morning was about lining up the bills to be paid while we’re traveling. More bookkeeping to do tomorrow morning, thank ghod. I’d hate to run out of stuff to do. It now being after lunch — a reprise of Steve’s spicy black beans and rice from Friday — it’s time to get to the couch and with George. The idea here is to try to institute a schedule that caters to the writing brain’s preference not to work early in the day and! which allows us to go to bed before 3 a.m. Going to bed at 3 a.m. does not find All That Much favor with Certain Physicians, which is a damned shame, but there you are.

In case you haven’t seen it Elsewhere, we-as-Pinbeam-Books are offering a 50% off coupon on the electronic edition of “Changeling,” to help people prep for the August 12 publication of “Kin Ties.” All you need to do is go over to Smashwords, choose your preferred format (yes, Kindle (mobi) and Nook (ePub) are supported, DRM-free) and use coupon code KB93Q (not case sensitive) at checkout. The foregoing coupon is good until August 12.

“Kin Ties” will of course be available to read on August 12.

And now? To the couch!

See y’all later.