Sharon – Sharon Lee, Writer

Books and brushes and dumplings, oh my!

BUSINESS FIRST: The Uncle wishes everyone to know that there are still signed copies of Diviner’s Bow available from his website. Signed books make wonderful gifts!

The preview is showing Fair Trade because the link takes you to a catalog page where all signed Lee-and-Miller editions are gathered into one happy place.

Here’s the link.

Wrote +/-1060 very drafty words, which I am not adding to the Official Count until the scene is finished. Which it ain’t.

So, questions on Tali’s preferred brush. It’s called a Safari brush, and is a soft, two-sided rubber brush. There are Tricks to using it. I use the brush, then I take a towel and just smooth it over the cat to get the last of the loose fur out. Tali likes both the brush and the toweling, which are both very gentle operations.

What’s so special about dumplings? someone asks. No, not Bisquick dumplings. Chinese steamed dumplings, stuffed with chicken, or pork, or veggies, or combinations thereof. There are also sweet fillings available, but today I went with the savory — chicken and mushroom. Very good; I expect I’ll be a return customer.

The food truck court is right around the corner from a house that Steve and I seriously considered buying, Some Time Back. We decided that a house that had three steps between the kitchen and the dining room, and three steps from the living room to the bedroom, one step from the bedroom to the bathroom, and two steps down to the sunroom, might not be so good if one of us got sick. Nice house in many ways, including having a separate office wing, and an attached garage, but the stairs were a deal-breaker. But, man, what a location, twelve years down the road.

In more personal news, Ashley has left me; she has discovered that she’s allergic to cats. This means I’ll be doing my own housework (poor writer; like she hasn’t been doing her own housework for 50 years), which isn’t necessarily a Completely Bad Thing. I’d been looking for stuff to hang a Schedule on, after all.

Also! I will be taking a Social Media Free Day tomorrow in order to Concentrate on the WIP. For those who worry about me not having enough fun, I do have turkey burgers, and buns, and baked beans, so that I can be appropriately festive.

Everybody stay safe; those who are picnicking or otherwise celebrating — have fun!

Let’s check in with each other on Saturday.

Dumplings for lunch

What went before: Did some handwritten work; tomorrow I’ll be typing. I still haven’t figured out who XX are, but I’m sure they’ll tell me bye-n-bye.

Coon Cat Happy Hour has been served up; I’ve got a couple more things to do, then I’ll be pouring a glass of wine.

Everybody have a good evening; stay safe. I ‘ll see you tomorrow.

Oh. For some reason, this got kicked up by the photo program — this would be me on my 61st birthday at The Lindsey House B&B in Rockland Maine. FWIW.

Thursday. Sunny and warm. Thunderstorms called for, later, with hail.

Breakfast was cream cheese on an English muffin with grapes on the side. I am back from the chiropractor, and thought I was in for the weekend, but! There’s a Dumpling Truck at the KMD Food Truck Court today, and — it just might be that I’ll have to go out again in a few. We’ll see. I mean; it’s not like I don’t have food. OTOH — dumplings.

Today, I do intend to devote most of my time to writing, dumplings or no dumplings. Tomorrow, Saturday, and Sunday will be more of the same. I know what I’m doing first off, so — all good there.

I spent some time with my Garmin Watch this morning, and to hear it tell the tale, I live a Very Stressful Life. Which I’m supposing is not impossible, Given Everything. It’s worth noting that the days when I’m, err, less stressed, are days when I’m writing, so — I’m going with that.

Tali’s fan club will be happy to know that I’ve finally found a brush that Tali likes; she was purring the whole time, and even turned over for me, so I could brush her belly.

In other news, I’m listening to Faking It by Jennifer Crusie. I’m having an OK time with it, but something about the narration itches at me. Maybe some books just aren’t meant to be read aloud? Though Steve read it to me when I was being bathed in the energy of one thousand angry suns every day. OTOH — I found Steve’s voice soothing.

My reading is A Gentleman of Questionable Judgment, the 9th Lord Julian novel, which I had somehow missed, so now catching up.

. . . and, yeah; I’m for dumplings. I was going to have stir-fry chicken and veggies for lunch, anyhow. Dumplings will go great. And it’s not like they can’t be steamed and heated up for later.

See me convince myself?

So — who has a long weekend coming up? Plans?

Sometime Later: The chicken and mushroom dumplings are to die for.

And the lavender honey latte is good, too.

Yeah, I went crazy.

It’s summer. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.

Here’s a picture of Tali, post-brushing, and the boys, Judging me:

Under-caffeinated writer rambles

What went before: Oof.

I wasn’t feeling 100 percent when I got up this morning, late but not rested after a very mixed sleep. My knee hurt, my back hurt, my hands hurt, yada, yada, poor writer.

Anyhoots, I thought I’d shake it off, and went, slightly groggy, about my business, including going to the grocery store, and getting gas, and visiting the local pet store. Came home, put everything away, made something — oh, veggie stir fry — for lunch, and still felt lousy.

So, I picked up Rookie, who happened to be on my lap, and carried him with me to the bedroom, where we had a lovely and refreshing two hour hap.

I cannot praise Rookie’s nursing skills enough. He immediately donned his professional aspect, walked around the top of the bed, laid down on my stomach to make sure I was flat to the mattress, then came ’round and snuggled into the side of my neck, purring until I went to sleep.

I feel less achy, and I’ve done the dishes and other chores, so the plan is to go to the needlework group, come home, serve up happy hour and my own supper, go to bed early, and see if I can’t do some writing tomorrow.

How’s Tuesday treating everybody?

Wednesday. Cloudy and going to be warm. Feeling much better today.

Breakfast was half an anything bagel with cream cheese and a side of grapes. Drinking my first cup of tea. Lunch will be something to do with chicken breasts.

The only hard thing on the schedule is a visit with the chiropractor in about an hour. Nothing after that until… Monday? And of course Tuesday is the Gala Celebration of Rookie’s Gotcha Day.

In theory, therefore, I have four-and-a-half days to write. That sounds promising, even — exciting. I have a couple scenes, as yet unconnected, that I want to sketch in, and also a continue on the narrative as it stands. This book could be more complicated. OTOH, this is more or less how Salvage Right went together, so the nut hasn’t fallen far from the tree.

I’ve thinking off and on about the conversations I’ve had recently about colleagues who have resorted to reading genre romance in order to up the romance in their sf/f novel, or! to figure out What Women Want, in terms of a hero — and why that makes me … uneasy.

And, I think I’ve finally figured that out. The problem is that genre romance has its Conventions, as does sf/f. One of those is: The Relationship Drives The Plot. The characters may have other problems, other friends, and, yanno, A Life, but the primary problem that must be solved is how are the lovers going to (1) get together and (2) go forward. You don’t, mind, have to SEE them go forward, but it has to be implicit in the HEA that commitment has been achieved and the partners will be going forward together.

A romance writer who is doing her job, therefore, makes certain that the Love Scenes (be they hot or be they sweet) move the characters toward their HEA. They are not only tied to the plot, they are drivers, and there’s a reason they unfold as they do.

SF/F has a long-held Convention that states the Big Problem must be solved at all costs: love and life not being exempt. Love scenes still ought to happen For A Reason, as all scenes no matter the genre ought to happen For A Reason, but the romance and the resolution of the relationship are very, very seldom the primary problem, and the relationship is often used to make more poignant the victory. And because the pacing of sf/f novels and romance novels are so VERY different, the inclusion of Love scenes is also different.

(At some point, someone is going to ask me how they’re different, and I’m going to tell them to go read a swath of Romance and another swath of SF and get back to me. So just be aware.)

Then there’s the vexed question of What Women Want in a (Male) SF Hero. The answer to this has been answered many times in sf/f. I offer the Liaden books as one example, and because they’re handy — but there are many, many others.

In quick sum-up: Men who are strong, but emotionally available; who protect kittens, but who also realize that kittens have claws for a reason, and to deny them the opportunity to use their close is to damage the kitten’s nature. Men who laugh, and who cry, and who aren’t afraid to say, “I don’t know.” Men who are willing to learn, and to teach, and to play. Men who are people, I would say, though I’ve been accused of meaning when I do say that, “Men who act like women.”

So. Long-Winded Auctorial Ramblings R Us.

What’s everybody having for lunch today?

I Dare

Thanks to Kristine Smith for the link that appears at the bottom of this dispatch, which was the first thing I saw when I opened my mail this morning.

The link is to a TED Talk about the importance of creativity, and that everyone creates — even if it’s just that nonsense song you sing to your cat, or deciding to try this instead of that in a recipe. Creation — varying from the so-called “norm” — is what makes us human, even more than laughter — though that’s important, too.

How can you tell that these things are important? You already know the answer to this — Because Someone Is Trying to Take It Away From You.

How do you know your backlist isn’t worthless? Because your publisher won’t revert the rights. How do you know that having fun is important? Because people are shouting at you to Stop Being Frivolous. How do you know your despicable little bit of money is important? Because somebody is trying to rob you. How do you know that your voice is important? Because somebody is trying to shut you up.

Really, it’s a Universal Test. If someone is trying to take something from you — follow it back and find out why.

I gave a shout-out to the importance of fun in my Heinlein Acceptance Speech, but you can only do so much in four minutes. And I have, as I’ve mentioned here before, lived a life of Almost Unremitting Frivolity — writing silly little scifi and fantasy stories; choosing a partner whose gift was making joy, and not so much with the money; indulging myself with cats, and stuffed animals, and music, and baking.

Making art is joy — your body treats it that way. Make art for half an hour and your stress levels drop. People have been studying this — obviously slackers who are looking for a way to justify their need to play, to make, to *have fun.*

I’ll stop here and go get some breakfast while you listen to Amie McNee

The day in review

What went before: Monday. Sunny and already hot.

Breakfast was oatmeal and walnuts. Lunch will probably be a salad, because — easy and cool.

I remembered something I wanted to add to the scene I wrote yesterday, and wound up writing a quick 300 words. Much better now. “Cory Robersun,” indeed. Oh! And now I know why that’s going to be important — makes note. Yeah. That’s good.

So! getting ready to go out to see the chiropractor, then back to do chores, eat lunch, and then out again to meet friends for a catch-up.

What’s everybody else doing today?

Where are my mariner/weather radio experts?

I have here in my hand a CCrane Skywave AM/FM/WX/SW/Air radio. I want to listen to the weather radio, in particular the polling of the lighthouses off the Maine coast and the report from Mt. Washington.

I know that the weather bands range from 162.3625 to 162.5875 MHz. My little radio has seven possible channels under the WX setting: 1 (162.400 MHz); 2 (162.425 MHz); 3 (162.450 MHz); 4 (162.475 MHz); 5 (162.500 MHz); 6 (162.525 MHz); and 7 (162.550 MHz). One of these has in the past been the correct channel, but all I’m getting on any of them is static.

My assumption is that I’m doing something wrong, but such is the scope of my ignorance, that I don’t know what it is.

Could someone please educate me? I’d really like to listen to the lighthouses.

Spanish Aunts.

So took a couple bags of fiction books including a number by some scifi writers named Sharon Lee and Steve Miller to the library for the book sale. No sense them cluttering up the basement until it’s time to clear the house and they end up in the dumpster, after all.

Met my friends, and had a lovely catch-up.

Came home to find that Maximus Medicare has decided Martin’s Point made no error in deciding well after the fact that the treatment they told me was covered, wasn’t, and I am liable for the entire bill. No one seems to care that this does not particularly make me willing to trust Martin’s Point ever again, and I suppose they have a point. If I need a medical intervention, I’m probably going to have it done and worry about being bankrupted by medical bills later.

Coon Cat Happy Hour has been served and devoured. Trooper is sitting on my lap. Tali is lounging on the edge of the desk. I have poured a glass of wine.

Tomorrow, I’ll go to the grocery early, I think, then come back for a solid several hours of writing before it’s time to go to the needlework meeting.

I think that’s it for the day. I’m glad I got in a tiny bit of writing before the day started.

Everybody stay safe; I’ll see you tomorrow.

Here are the coon cats, ignoring me and my silly, leafy lunch

Books read in 2025

37 Copper Script, K.J. Charles (e)
36 The Masqueraders, Georgette Heyer, narrated by Eleanor Yates (re-re-re-&c-read; 1st time audio)
35 Everyone Here Spoke Sign Language: Hereditary Deafness on Martha’s Vineyard, Nora Ellen Groce (e)
34 Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day, Winifred Watson, narrated by Frances McDormand (re-re-re-&c-read; 1st time audio)
33 The Wings upon Her Back, Samantha Mills (e)
32 Death on the Green (Dublin Driver #2), Catie Murphy (e)
31 The Elusive Earl (Bad Heir Days #3), Grace Burrowes (e)
30 The Mysterious Marquess (Bad Heir Days #2), Grace Burrowes (e)
29 Who Will Remember (Sebastian St. Cyr #20), C.S. Harris (e)
28 The Teller of Small Fortunes, Julie Leong (e)
27 Check and Mate, Ali Hazelwood (e)
26 The Dangerous Duke (Bad Heir Days #1), Grace Burrowes (e)
25 Night’s Master (Flat Earth #1) (re-read), Tanith Lee (e)
24 The Honey Pot Plot (Rocky Start #3), Jennifer Crusie and Bob Mayer (e)
23 Very Nice Funerals (Rocky Start #2), Jennifer Crusie and Bob Mayer (e)
22 The Orb of Cairado, Katherine Addison (e)
21 The Tomb of Dragons, (The Cemeteries of Amalo Trilogy, Book 3), Katherine Addison (e)
20 A Gentleman of Sinister Schemes (Lord Julian #8), Grace Burrowes (e)
19 The Thirteen Clocks (re-re-re-&c read), James Thurber (e)
18 A Gentleman Under the Mistletoe (Lord Julian #7), Grace Burrowes (e)
17 All Conditions Red (Murderbot Diaries #1) (re-re-re-&c read) (audio 1st time)
16 Destiny’s Way (Doomed Earth #2), Jack Campbell (e)
15 The Sign of the Dragon, Mary Soon Lee
14 A Gentleman of Unreliable Honor (Lord Julian #6), Grace Burrowes (e)
13 Market Forces in Gretna Green (#7 Midlife Recorder), Linzi Day (e)
12 Shakespeare: The Man Who Pays the Rent, Judi Dench with Brendan O’Hea (e)
11 Code Yellow in Gretna Green (#6 Midlife Recorder), Linzi Day (e)
10 Seeing Red in Gretna Green (#5 Midlife Recorder), Linzi Day (e)
9 House Party in Gretna Green (#4 Midlife Recorder), Linzi Day (e)*
8    Ties that Bond in Gretna Green (#3 Midlife Recorder), Linzi Day (e)
7    Painting the Blues in Gretna Green (#2 Midlife Recorder), Linzi Day (e)
6 Midlife in Gretna Green (#1 Midlife Recorder), Linzi Day (e)
5    The Goblin Emperor, Katherine Addison (Author), Kyle McCarley (Narrator) re-re-re&c-read (audio)
4    The House in the Cerulean Sea, TJ Klune (e)
3    A Gentleman in Search of a Wife (Lord Julian #5) Grace Burrowes (e)
2    A Gentleman in Pursuit of the Truth (Lord Julian #4) Grace Burrowes (e)
1    A Gentleman in Challenging Circumstances (Lord Julian #3) Grace Burrowes (e)

_____
*Note: The list has been corrected. I did not realize that the Gretna Green novella was part of the main path, rather than a pleasant discursion, and my numbering was off. All fixed now.

Winding down the weekend

What went before: SNIPPET!

“You are such a smart ass,” she said, sadly.

He raised an eyebrow. “I thought that had been well-established.”

“Some days, it just shines brighter,” Miri said.

And back to work we go.

We’re at an awkward hour; the hour wherein Google assures me that there is No Chance of Rain until Thursday, and yet — that does appear to be water falling out of the sky. It is also the hour wherein I have finished a scene, which adds, in addition to action! adventure! and pathos! to the WIP, +/-1,295 words, for a Grand Total of 46,435. More or less.

It’s early in the day yet, but I’ve made the Conservative Decision to not try to plunge into the next scene, but to gently wind down the day, and the weekend, here. I am pleased with progress made these last couple days. I have a kind of Swiss cheese day tomorrow, so likely there won’t be much writing done, but Tuesday is free until it’s time to go to Group Sewing, and the rest of the week is free, except for brief visits to the chiropractor. So, it looks good for more writing getting done in a reasonable manner.

There had been an appeal — somewhere (here are the wages of mirroring my posts everywhere) — to describe what goes on at Coon Cat Happy Hour. These things of course are confidential, but you look like a trustworthy bunch.

Coon Cat Happy Hour begins about an hour before 7 pm with Trooper announcing that his throat has been cut and this dire wound can only be healed through a proper application of gooshy food to a plate, right NEOW!

At 7, I arise, open a can of gooshy food, split it four ways, arranging each portion artistically on its own china plate. I serve the ladies first, as Miss Manners would have me to do; and then the gentlemen. The ladies tend to share their portions; the gentlemen view imbibing as a competition, to see who can finish his plate first, then horn in on the ladies. The ladies have lately been managing to eat their portions, daintily and without fuss, before the Huns descend from the mountains.

After the dishes are shining clean, I pick them up and put them in the dishwasher.

I then pour myself a glass of wine and join the coon cats in their after-Happy-Hour-Club on the couch, where we read or watch an episode of (lately) Dr. Who until it’s time for me to get my evening meal together.

And on that note — everybody stay safe.

I’ll check in tomorrow.

Napping happened this afternoon, and I have proof!

Thunderstormin’

So, I had a good day. I can tell you right now that I’m not going to break 50,000 words this weekend. After sorting through my notes and writing a couple of short scenes, the WIP stands at +/-45,140 words. Tomorrow, I believe, will be a day like unto this one.

Outside my windows, the weather was cool and rainy, and briefly thunderstormy. Tomorrow, we’ll see temps start to climb again, settling in for the rest of the week around the mid-80sF, and giving the Fourth of July Celebrants a lovely, warm, sunny weekend.

I should say that lunch was so-called “Greek chicken and lemon soup” from the co-op, and it was Good, along with a salad, and a third of the mini-brie (also from the co-op), and bread. I have enough left over for tomorrow’s lunch, too, should I wish to go in that direction.

Coon Cat Happy Hour is coming right up, after which I do believe I’ll pour myself a glass of wine and watch an episode of Dr. Who.

For those interested, it looks like the cross-posting of my daily rambles is, if not a hit, then at least enjoyable to the majority, so I’ll continue doing that for as long as FB makes it easy for me.

For fun during a break, I looked at houses for sale in Northport/Belfast/Lincolnville, which also got me Isleboro, because Geography. Hah, I say. And again, I say — HAH.

So! What did y’all do today?

Internet Lite

So I managed to do most of the mundane tasks that had piled up on my desk. I haven’t, for instance, spoken to Fidium about maybe going with a less-expensive option, now that there’s only one Power User on-site, because — has Fidium’s number been hijacked by some scam offering people who call in a free!Free!FREE! wearable call button? Cause that’s all I get when I call them — and what I really want is a sales rep.

I also did not arrange for an extended warranty for the LG washer and dryer because the site is scrod. I have until October, so maybe I’ll try again sometime later.

I had a bad few moments when I realized that I’m on the last pack of checks that has Steve’s name and mine name on them. I really don’t want to have checks that just say “Sharon Lee,” not because I think Steve’s going to be writing checks anytime soon, but because I actually feel safer with his name on the checks. I guess I’ll go over to Checks Unlimited and see if they still have me on-file. The bank clearly doesn’t care; they’ve been cashing the checks with no complaint.

I may not be around much tomorrow or Sunday, because Plans to Write.

And on that note — everybody stay safe. I’ll check in as can.

Here’s another picture from Saturday Cove to tide you over (see what I did there?)

Thursday, with puffin and marble

What went before: Well, as a guy named Steve Miller once said to me, “Lady, we sure can waste some time.”

And he wasn’t wrong.

As planned, I betook myself to the Searsport side of Belfast and picked up puffin and marble. Returning to Belfast, I shopped at the co-op, including picking up a tuna fish sandwich on whole grain bread, which I took down to the public boat landing and had a picnic.

I wrestled with the question of going down to Ducktrap, and, as reported earlier, I lost. I count it a win that I didn’t continue down the coast. I credit the fact that I had food in the cooler for that (smol) bit of common sense.

After I had refreshed myself at Lincolnville Beach (which is in the Village of Ducktrap; it’s possible that this may not be something Universally Known), I turned back to Belfast, taking only a VERY minor detour through Saturday Cove and Bayside, picked up Route 1 again, returned to Belfast, and came home via Route 3 until I got in the vicinity of the Old Neighborhood, where I Deviated from the Route to take a couple corner-cutting back roads that I haven’t been on for years, by reason of no longer living in the Old Neighborhood, and so to home, where I put away my spoils, had a fourth of what I’m told is a single serving of Shaw’s carrot cake with a smear of ice cream as a coming home present, and now? I Address The Internets.

By the time I put the house back together — which I didn’t do before I left, and which includes putting the sheets back on the bed — it’ll be Coon Cat Happy Hour, so!

I’m taking the rest of the day off.

So…Friday? Friday. Sunny and cool. And that’s fine.

Rook and Tali are taking turns knocking each other over and practicing their T. Rex yells. I’m not sure T. Rex was that high on the scale, but who knows, really?

Breakfast was an anything bagel from yesterday’s foraging at the co-op, with cream cheese and a side of cherries. Trooper is expressing his disappointment with management, and Firefly is sleeping on the box on my desk.

This morning, I have an appointment with the chiropractor — who gave me an exercise to do because my shoulders are frozen. Does anybody here know “Wall Angels?” Ow. By which I mean to say, OW. Also, it’s humiliating not to be able to get my arms over my head. Getting old sucks.

My Grand Plan for the day is to clear the pile of RL stuff on my desk, and finish up a couple of other chores, including the Grand Changing Out of the Cat Boxes and attendant sweeping up of the basement, then go internet-lite tomorrow and Sunday to try to get some work done. I’d like to break +/-50,000 words, so we’ll put that as a Goal.

I also need to figure out a better schedule; the one I’m sorta keeping to was the schedule in force when Steve died, and it worked well for the necessities of the house at that time. I’m feeling like I’m scrambling to keep to outline, so to speak, which creates stress, which creates more work for the cats. And NOBODY wants the cats to work more than they already do, poor creatures.

It’s time to give Trooper his morning gooshy food, and see if I can take care of one or two of these silly pieces of paper on my desk before it’s time to go out.

How’s everybody else doing? Keeping to the schedule?

There were a few pictures from yesterday. They may be viewed here