So, there have been Questions.
Herewith Answers.
No, I don’t know when the eArc for Accepting the Lance will come out. I really wish people would stop asking me this question, first thing after we’ve announced a manuscript has been turned in. Or at all, really. I usually know when an eARC has come out because a reader tells me.
No, it’s not likely that the publication date will be moved up from December. Myself, I’m amazed that Baen is getting . . .Lance into print in 2019.
No, it is not a 200,000 +/- manuscript. There’s a reason for that. I’ll explain it later. For right now, let’s just say that. . .
. . .yes, we are scheduled to deliver another book this year to Baen. Its subject is the Dutiful Passage; and it does not yet have a title. About half of it is written, and, honestly? I won’t even look at it until March. No, I don’t know when this novel will be published, and don’t even start with me about the eArc.
Yes, Steve is writing a third book detailing the life and times of Jethri Gobelyn. It, too, does not have a title. Or a deadline. We’re aiming for early 2020.
Yes, there is a brand! new! Liaden Universe® chapbook in your future. Possibly, I will finish drafting it at Boskone. I’m not particularly busy at Boskone, so that actually is a possibility.
No, the rest of my life has not, unfortunately, settled down. My sister is still dead; my father is still in hospice dying of cancer, and I am still charged with making sense out of the dire mess of his paperwork, which also includes pushing and shoving and shouting at the universe until it forks over with Needful Things. This is an exhausting procedure, as many of you know from your own experiences. This is all, of course, in addition to catching up all the stuff I let slide while we were finishing the book, getting paperwork together for the accountant, and the rest of the things going on in our lives which include. . .
Boskone, as mentioned. This is a good thing. I’m looking forward to Boskone. A couple weeks after we come home, Steve will be undergoing outpatient surgery to replace the “generator” that powers the I(mplanted) C(ardioverter) D(ebrillator) in his chest. They tell us that this is a very simple procedure, requiring only a minor incision, the replacement of the battery, and some glue. A couple weeks’ recuperation at home. No biggie, they say. Still worrisome as hell, if you ask me, and you did, so there you have it.
Yes, the cats are fine. I have been overworking the coon cats, but they have risen nobly to the occasion. Scrabble has even taken a couple shifts with me, to give the primary care workers some time to care for themselves.
I think this answers all of the current crop of questions. Y’all stay well; thank you for care.
I’m so sorry to hear about your sister and father. Wishing you strength and patience to deal with it all, some fun at Boskone, and a very speedy recovery for Steve!
I have to admit that you are pretty patient with us when we ask questions, of exhausted authors with real time stressors, that border on requests to fantasy land. I took care of parents and their issues and while mine issueswere different than yours I find some vitamins and natural remedies that helped cushion me. If you are interested, I’ll give you a short list
Just the news that there are three books in the pipeline is enough to make my day. So if nothing else, you have brought some joy into one person’s life and I am grateful.
My condolences on the loss of your sister, and prayers for your father as he walks his final mile. While we all know life is a finite gift – that doesn’t cure the hole in our hearts when a dear one passes. Nor does it untangle the infuriating paperwork that results. You have my sympathy and condolences on that as well.
Info for those asking about eARCs…
As one who visits the forums at Baen’s Bar, I remember Toni Weisskopf (Madame the Editor) once joking that she expects the clamor for eARCs to begin one nano-second after the author has announced the manuscript has been turned in.
Of course they do have a system at Baen, where the manuscript is turned over to the “Baen Elves” to work their magics, transforming said manuscript into the various formats expected by the e-reading consumer. Verifying the formats did not get mangled in the transformation. And updating the Baen website for the sale and distribution of those formats.
Based on observation of various eARC offerings from different authors, I have seen eARCs for very high-demand books available as much as 9 months before publication date. But that is rare. Typically eARCs are available about 4 months before pub-date, but depending on the work-load of the “Elves”, it could be as late as 1 month before pub-date.
In any case, the eARC timing is determined solely by Toni and the Elves. And until the eARC is actually released, the answer you usually get from the publisher is “It will be available when it is ready”.
Thanks for the update it sounds like you have too much on your plate. I am surprised you have time to write anything. Thanks so much for your writing you are my favorite authors.
I do hope that both you and Steve find some time to rest and relax. Perhaps at Boskone? I worry about you two, not only because you write some of my favorite books. I met you two at a con once (no I don’t remember which one… it was in the Misha Merlin era) and you were both so kind to me. I knew I had read some, but not all of your books, and as usual for me, I remembered the plot, but not the titles. So I got a plot-wise summary of your books, so I knew what to buy. (And then, my whole list went out of print)
Yay…thank you.
May your sleep be deep & totally restful.
May your hassles sort themselves out – wishful thinking, I know.
May the battery change go well & last long.
May the words flow…
Best wishes…
*sneaks in from lurking* Thank you for the promise of new stories on the horizon! *offers hugs, and disappears back into the bushes*
Thanks for the update! You both are among my most prolific writers I follow so I always feel like a new book is just around the corner. That’s not always the case with others so I appreciate all the stories you have to share. Sometimes we all need our escape universe to tuck into for a few hours a night. In this case in the form of a book.
Take time to recharge. You and Steve are the top of my favorite author list and I read vociferously.