Author: Sharon

Books read in 2020

78  Trust Me on This, Jennifer Crusie (read aloud w/Steve)
77  Divergence, C.J. Cherryh (read aloud w/Steve)
76  Junkyard Cats, Faith Hunter (e)
75  The Mad Miss Mathley, Michelle Martin (read aloud w/Steve)
74  Cotillion, Georgette Heyer (e) (re-re-re-&c-read)
73  Emerald Blaze, Ilona Andrews (e)
72  The Ragged World, Judith Moffett (re-read) (e)
71  Alpha Night, Nalini Singh (read aloud w/Steve)
70  The Liar’s Dice, Jeanine Lin (e)
69 The Cinderella Deal, Jennifer Crusie (Steve read to me)
68  The King of Next Week, E.C. Ambrose (e)
67  A Wizard’s Guide to Defensive Baking, T. Kingfisher (e)
66  Too Many Cooks, Rex Stout (read aloud w/Steve)
65  Maskerade, Terry Pratchett (read aloud w/Steve)
64  The Masqueraders, Georgette Heyer (e) (re-re-re-&c-read)
63  What the Lady Wants, Jennifer Crusie (read aloud w/Steve)
62  Black Dog, Rachel Neumeier (e)
61  The Red Box, Rex Stout (read aloud w/Steve)
60  Court of Fives, Kate Elliott (e)
59  The Rubber Band, Rex Stout (read aloud w/Steve)
58  Ruddy Gore, Kerry Greenwood
57  Manhunting, Jennifer Crusie (read aloud w/Steve)
56  Nobody’s Perfect, Donald E. Westlake (e)
55  Charlie All Night, Jennifer Crusie (read aloud w/Steve)
54  Paladin’s Grace, T. Kingfisher (e)
53  Wolf Rain, Nalini Singh (read aloud w/Steve)
52  Slippery Creatures, KJ, Charles (e)
51  Star Rogue, Susan Grant (e)
50  The Black Mountain, Rex Stout (re-read) (e)
49  The League of Frightened Men, Rex Stout (read aloud w/Steve)
48  The Trouble with Jenny’s Ear, Oliver Butterworth (re-read)
47  Tooner Schooner, Mary Lasswell (re-read) (e)
46  Fer-de-Lance, Rex Stout (read aloud w/Steve, re-read for me; first time for him)
45  Lake Silence, Anne Bishop
44  Getting Rid of Bradley, Jennifer Crusie (read aloud w/Steve, re-read for me; first time for him)
43  Mort, Terry Pratchett (re-read) (e)
42  Network Effect, Martha Wells (e)
41  Lord and Ladies, Terry Pratchett (read aloud w/Steve, re-read for both)
40 Trouble in Triplicate, Rex Stout (e)
39 The Outlaws of Sherwood, Robin McKinley (e)
38 Agnes and the Hitman, Jennifer Crusie and Bob Mayer (re-read aloud w/Steve, because Steve had a Notion about alligators, specifically Moot; the Talmadge Bridge, and Savannah in general)
37 Warprize, Elizabeth Vaughan (e)
36 Who Speaks for the Damned, C.S. Harris
35 Don’t Look Down, Jennifer Crusie and Bob Mayer (read aloud w/Steve)
34 Blood and Circuses, Kerry Greenwood
33 The Cat Who Came to Breakfast, Lilian Jackson Braun (Steve read to me)
32 One Fell Sweep, Ilona Andrews (e)
31 Sweep in Peace, Ilona Andrews (e)
30 Clean Sweep, Ilona Andrews (e)
29 Getting Rid of Bradley, Jennifer Crusie (e)
28 Raven Heart, Murphy Lawless (e)
27 Iron Kissed, Patricia Briggs (re-read)
26 The Cat Who Said Cheese, Lilian Jackson Braun (Steve read to me)
25 Blood Bound, Patricia Briggs (re-read)
24 Moon Called, Patricia Briggs (re-re-read)
23 War for the Oaks, Emma Bull (re-re-re-re-&c read)
22 The Widow of Rose House, Diana Bill (e)
21 False Value, Ben Aaronovitch
20 Charity Girl, Georgette Heyer (read aloud w/Steve re-read for both)
19 Minor Mage, T. Kingfisher (e)
18 The Green Mill Murder, Kerry Greenwood
17 Tell Me Lies, Jennifer Crusie (read aloud with Steve)
16 Murder at the Brightwell, Ashley Weaver
15 Crazy for You, Jennifer Crusie (read aloud with Steve)
14 A Conspiracy of Kings, Megan Whalen Turner
13 The Thief, Megan Whalen Turner (re-read)
12 Ocean Light, Nalini Singh (read aloud with Steve)
11 Nerdy, Shy, and Socially Inappropriate, Cynthia Kim
10 Witches Abroad, Terry Pratchett (read aloud with Steve)
9  The Kiss Quotient, Helen Hoang (e)
8  Fall into Spring, Amy Lane (e)
7  Resurgence, C.J. Cherryh (read aloud with Steve)
6  2K to 10K: Writing Faster, Writing Better…, Rachel Aaron (e)
5  Unmasked by the Marquess, Cat Sebastian (e)
4  Jimmy the Kid, Donald E. Westlake (e)
3  Wanted, A Gentleman, KJ Charles (e) (read aloud with Steve)
2  The Book of Atrix Wolfe, Patricia McKillip (e) (re-read)
1  Proper English, KJ Charles (e)

Liaden Universe® InfoDump No. 126

Liaden Universe® InfoDump No. 126
 
TRADER’S LEAP:  ALL THE NEWS
Trader’s Leap is the 23rd Liaden Universe® novel, written by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller.  It is the immediate sequel to Alliance of Equals (the 19th novel in the Liaden Universe®) with the action taking place concurrently with the latter part of Neogenesis and with Accepting the Lance (the 21st and 22nd novels in the Liaden Universe®).  Trader’s Leap will be published by Baen on December 1, 2020.  Yes, there will be an ebook edition published at that time.  You cannot preorder it because Reasons.  We expect, but do not know that there will be an audiobook, as well.
1  The eARC of Trader’s Leap is now available for purchase from Baen.  Here’s your link
2  You may pre-order signed copies (no personalizations this year, sorry) of the Trader’s Leap hardcover, from Uncle Hugo’s SF Bookstore.  Here’s your link.
3  If you’re not sure you want to commit to Trader’s Leap, you may try out the sample chapters at this link.
4.  If you’re STILL not sure, here’s what a couple of discerning readers have to say about the early edition of Trader’s Leap.
NALINI SINGH (author of the Psy-Changeling and Guild Hunter series):  “I recently read an early copy of Trader’s Leap by Sharon Lee & Steve Miller and found it a brilliant, immersive adventure of a book.”
DON BLYLY (owner-operator of Uncle Hugo’s SF Bookstore and long-time science fiction reader): “I’ve been recommending this series since 1988…  I enjoyed this book more than any other book in the series for several years (and I’ve enjoyed them all).”
 
THE WRONG LANCE AVAILABLE FOR PRE-ORDER

In early 2018, the writing team of Lee and Miller “threw away” the first 70,000 words of a Liaden novel.  They weren’t bad words; merely, they weren’t the right words.  The book that rose from the ashes of this failed draft, Accepting the Lance, was published by Baen Books.  Some of the 70,000 words of failed draft found their way into that novel, but about 44,000–didn’t.  They were still perfectly good words; strung together, they presented an interesting story, and an amusing look at what not to do when writing a direct sequel in a long-running-series.  Lee and Miller decided to make these words available to their readers.

The Wrong Lance, as the failed draft was titled, was originally posted at splinteruniverse.com and at Lee and Miller’s Patreon page patreon/leeandmiller.  The chapters have now been removed, and compiled into this volume.

The Wrong Lance is a non-canon Liaden story.  This means that nothing that is reported in its pages actually happened in the Liaden Universe®.  For an accurate report of what did happen at Surebleak during the TerraTrade Survey, please consult Accepting the Lance, by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller.

You may pre-order the ebook edition of The Wrong Lance from All the Usual Suspects.  Follows a partial, but by no means complete list:  Apple, Nook, Kobo, Angus & Robertson   Amazon
YES, The Wrong Lance will also be offered from Baen, on October 27.  Baen does not support pre-orders for Pinbeam Books publications.
YES, there will be a paper edition, but Amazon cannot seem to get it together to allow people to pre-order paper copies, so that edition, too, will be available on or near October 27.
WHERE LEE AND MILLER HAVE BEEN AND WHERE THEY WILL BE
On Sunday, August 30, Sharon Lee and Steve Miller joined Debra Doyle and Jim Macdonald virtually at AlbaCon in the Afternoon.  There were readings, a little conversation, and some Q&A.  The event was recorded, and AlbaCon is looking for a good hosting site.  As soon as a link is available, we’ll send it along. NOTE: Sharon Lee and Steve Miller are on-board as Writer Guests of Honor for AlbaCon 2021, date and venue TBD.
On Wednesday, December 2, at 7 pm PACIFIC, Mysterious Galaxy will host Sharon Lee and Steve Miller.  We’ll be reading from Trader’s Leap, talking trash, answering questions, and possibly sipping some wine (7 pm Pacific being 10 pm Maine time).  It should be a whole lot of fun and we look forward to seeing you there.  To sign up for this event, follow this link (yes, we know Sharon’s name is spelled wrong; we’ve asked that this Be Fixed).
AND NOW A WORD FROM STEVE MILLER

September means that annual genre award season is fast approaching, and alas, very often “Best of Year” lists start circulating by Halloween, with a quarter of the year yet to go! The problem for us is that with the recent 1) proliferation of awards and 2) proliferation of authors, and 3) multiple complications in our lives that have been quite distracting – we don’t know what awards (especially small press and convention awards) our work for 2020 may be/will be eligible for.

If you, dear readers, know of an award you think our work should be nominated for – can you do a favor for us and your fellow readers by making that nomination? If the nomination must come from a publisher (in some cases that’s us) let us know. If it must come from a nominator not yourself but who you know – please pass a suggestion on. If it requires submitting samples to specific readers, let us know.

So far we know that the Liaden novel Trader’s Leap will be out December 2. We also know we’ll have “Preferred Seating” a Liaden short story (5,065 words) at Baen.com in November. Those already suffer from the “late in the year syndrome” – so please watch out for them and consider them as is appropriate. Also, Pinbeam Books (that’s us) published “The Gate That Locks The Tree” – a novella at 21,818 words, number 30 in the Adventures in the Liaden Universe series – on February 20.

Aside those items, this year our publication lists includes two genuine oddities: Splinter Universe Presents — a chapbook of partials and odds and end. Not a novel, not a short story, a collection of splinters – maybe it could go under “Related works” category some awards allow … in any case, if you admired it and think it worthy, nominate or suggest it … it came out April 13, via Pinbeam Books. But wait, that’s not all! – another Splinter Universe Presents item via Pinbeam Books – The Wrong Lance – comes out October 27. That one is the “didn’t quite work” start to the book that became Accepting the Lance … again. Hard to know what award category it might come under, if any; I note it was published briefly online before moving to more formal publication status.

Thank you for listening. Thank you for your good will and your support of our work during this 30-odd year journey.

THE SMALL PRINT
REMEMBER TO VISIT THESE SITES
Lee and Miller Patreon Support Page
Pinbeam Books: an online catalog, with vendor links, to all Lee-and-Miller, Miller, and Lee self-published works
Splinter Universe: features outtakes, splinters, oddities from the Lee&Miller writing career, currently changes irregularly.
Welcome to Liad: The official homepage for Liaden Universe® news
Offworld Designs: Liaden gear
BLOGS
Sharon Lee’s Blog Without a Name mirrored at Eagles Over the Kennebec
Steve Miller’s blog, Journeyman

 

FACEBOOK CONNECTIONS
Steve Miller
Sharon Lee
Clan Korval
Friends of Liad
Flaran cha’menthi

Splinter Universe

TWITTER
Steve’s on Twitter : @bechimo
Sharon’s on Twitter, too : @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, to unsubscribe from the Liaden Universe® email list, or to change your delivery email address, go here

Books read in 2020

77  Divergence, C.J. Cherryh (read aloud w/Steve)
76  Junkyard Cats, Faith Hunter (e)
75  The Mad Miss Mathley, Michelle Martin (read aloud w/Steve)
74  Cotillion, Georgette Heyer (e) (re-re-re-&c-read)
73  Emerald Blaze, Ilona Andrews (e)
72  The Ragged World, Judith Moffett (re-read) (e)
71  Alpha Night, Nalini Singh (read aloud w/Steve)
70  The Liar’s Dice, Jeanine Lin (e)
69 The Cinderella Deal, Jennifer Crusie (Steve read to me)
68  The King of Next Week, E.C. Ambrose (e)
67  A Wizard’s Guide to Defensive Baking, T. Kingfisher (e)
66  Too Many Cooks, Rex Stout (read aloud w/Steve)
65  Maskerade, Terry Pratchett (read aloud w/Steve)
64  The Masqueraders, Georgette Heyer (e) (re-re-re-&c-read)
63  What the Lady Wants, Jennifer Crusie (read aloud w/Steve)
62  Black Dog, Rachel Neumeier (e)
61  The Red Box, Rex Stout (read aloud w/Steve)
60  Court of Fives, Kate Elliott (e)
59  The Rubber Band, Rex Stout (read aloud w/Steve)
58  Ruddy Gore, Kerry Greenwood
57  Manhunting, Jennifer Crusie (read aloud w/Steve)
56  Nobody’s Perfect, Donald E. Westlake (e)
55  Charlie All Night, Jennifer Crusie (read aloud w/Steve)
54  Paladin’s Grace, T. Kingfisher (e)
53  Wolf Rain, Nalini Singh (read aloud w/Steve)
52  Slippery Creatures, KJ, Charles (e)
51  Star Rogue, Susan Grant (e)
50  The Black Mountain, Rex Stout (re-read) (e)
49  The League of Frightened Men, Rex Stout (read aloud w/Steve)
48  The Trouble with Jenny’s Ear, Oliver Butterworth (re-read)
47  Tooner Schooner, Mary Lasswell (re-read) (e)
46  Fer-de-Lance, Rex Stout (read aloud w/Steve, re-read for me; first time for him)
45  Lake Silence, Anne Bishop
44  Getting Rid of Bradley, Jennifer Crusie (read aloud w/Steve, re-read for me; first time for him)
43  Mort, Terry Pratchett (re-read) (e)
42  Network Effect, Martha Wells (e)
41  Lord and Ladies, Terry Pratchett (read aloud w/Steve, re-read for both)
40 Trouble in Triplicate, Rex Stout (e)
39 The Outlaws of Sherwood, Robin McKinley (e)
38 Agnes and the Hitman, Jennifer Crusie and Bob Mayer (re-read aloud w/Steve, because Steve had a Notion about alligators, specifically Moot; the Talmadge Bridge, and Savannah in general)
37 Warprize, Elizabeth Vaughan (e)
36 Who Speaks for the Damned, C.S. Harris
35 Don’t Look Down, Jennifer Crusie and Bob Mayer (read aloud w/Steve)
34 Blood and Circuses, Kerry Greenwood
33 The Cat Who Came to Breakfast, Lilian Jackson Braun (Steve read to me)
32 One Fell Sweep, Ilona Andrews (e)
31 Sweep in Peace, Ilona Andrews (e)
30 Clean Sweep, Ilona Andrews (e)
29 Getting Rid of Bradley, Jennifer Crusie (e)
28 Raven Heart, Murphy Lawless (e)
27 Iron Kissed, Patricia Briggs (re-read)
26 The Cat Who Said Cheese, Lilian Jackson Braun (Steve read to me)
25 Blood Bound, Patricia Briggs (re-read)
24 Moon Called, Patricia Briggs (re-re-read)
23 War for the Oaks, Emma Bull (re-re-re-re-&c read)
22 The Widow of Rose House, Diana Bill (e)
21 False Value, Ben Aaronovitch
20 Charity Girl, Georgette Heyer (read aloud w/Steve re-read for both)
19 Minor Mage, T. Kingfisher (e)
18 The Green Mill Murder, Kerry Greenwood
17 Tell Me Lies, Jennifer Crusie (read aloud with Steve)
16 Murder at the Brightwell, Ashley Weaver
15 Crazy for You, Jennifer Crusie (read aloud with Steve)
14 A Conspiracy of Kings, Megan Whalen Turner
13 The Thief, Megan Whalen Turner (re-read)
12 Ocean Light, Nalini Singh (read aloud with Steve)
11 Nerdy, Shy, and Socially Inappropriate, Cynthia Kim
10 Witches Abroad, Terry Pratchett (read aloud with Steve)
9  The Kiss Quotient, Helen Hoang (e)
8  Fall into Spring, Amy Lane (e)
7  Resurgence, C.J. Cherryh (read aloud with Steve)
6  2K to 10K: Writing Faster, Writing Better…, Rachel Aaron (e)
5  Unmasked by the Marquess, Cat Sebastian (e)
4  Jimmy the Kid, Donald E. Westlake (e)
3  Wanted, A Gentleman, KJ Charles (e) (read aloud with Steve)
2  The Book of Atrix Wolfe, Patricia McKillip (e) (re-read)
1  Proper English, KJ Charles (e)

Personally speaking

On the personal side of things, I’ve been (still and much more slowly than I’d like) recuperating from the adventures of the last six months (actually, this Run of Adventure started in early December 2018, so, yanno, no wonder I’m exhausted, never mind the world-spanning trash fire that is 2020).  My most recent project has been to learn how to write again (yeah, but at least I didn’t forget how to read), since there are projects in-queue and Steve can’t write them all.

For my “practice” story, I thought I’d do something easy — yes, yes, laugh — and write a story I’d already written from the POV of the second protagonist.  For those who’d like to have a second big laugh:  I thought this would be easy because I already knew the plot.  Anyhow, I committed to this endeavor, and spent a couple hours a day for, oh, four or five days, staring at the screen and playing lots of solitaire, which was actually promising.  Eventually, I got bored with losing against the House, and started to write.  Mind you, I never have known “how” I write — I just sit down at the keyboard and make words until I have a story.  Not an efficient method, but mine own.  In times of depression, I can reason my way through a story and get a reasonable result, though that’s harder and not as much fun.  Still the method was available to me, and that’s how I started in.

After all, I knew my character and her situation, I knew the reason she was in the pickle she was in.  So I began write the sentences that explained those details, and was feeling pleased to hit 100, 250 words per session.

At some point, as I was mooching along at this snail’s pace, something. . .clicked.  My fingers started moving, and I let them, and the next time I took a breath, I’d written 1,000 words and the story was moving along.  I hope to finish it, eh, tomorrow, in first draft, and will ask Steve to go over it.  If it is indeed a story, I’ll consider myself in working condition, open a new file and start on the story that’s due in December.

So, that.

In other news, Steve and I took and electron-free day to celebrate my birthday.  We went to Pemaquid Point, and I can report that the Light is still there.  We also hit Robbins Hill Nature Area in Solon, to look at the vista, which means that I can also report that Bigelow Mountain, Mount Abraham, and Sugarloaf are likewise still there.

. . .and that’s what’s been doing around the Cat Farm and Confusion Factory.

Everybody stay safe.

We’re back!

There was a database catastrophe at our web hosting facility, which brought down sharonleewriter.com, splinteruniverse.com, and pinbeambooks.com for a few days.  We are back now, and in catch-up mode.

So, let’s catch up!

1  The Wrong Lance, Splinter Universe Presents, Volume 2 has been compiled into an ebook and is available for preorder from The Usual Suspects.  Here’s a so-called “universal” link.  Here’s the link for the Kindle edition.

1a  YES, the ebook will be available from Baen, but not until Release Day.  Baen does not have the ability to take pre-orders for Pinbeam Books (the Lee&Miller Publishing Arm)

1b  YES, there will be a paper book, but not until (or a little before or after).  Amazon is our source for paper books, and Amazon has not so far been able to figure out how to allow people to pre-order paper books

1c  If you want to talk about The Wrong Lance with other readers, a discussion area has been created for you, here

2  The eARC of Trader’s Leap, the 23rd novel in the Liaden Universe® created and authored by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller is now available for download.  Here’s your link

2a  If you’d like to read a sample of Trader’s Leap, that starts here

3  You may preorder a signed (not personalized) copy of the Trader’s Leap hardcover from Uncle Hugo’s SF Bookstore.  Here’s your link

3a  For those who have not heard the news, Uncles Hugo and Edgar were lost to the Minneapolis riots.  The owner, Mr. Blyly (aka the Uncle), wished to make signed books available to long-time customers and Liaden Universe® readers.  The only way this could be made to work was for Baen to have the printer send Steve and me pages for us to sign.  These pages will be bound into a set of books and sent to Mr. Blyly.  This process of binding in a special page is in the industry called “tipped in,” which technical description you will see on the catalog page linked above.

3b  Trader’s Leap hardcover may also, of course, be preordered from your favorite bookstore, whatever it is.

3c  You may not preorder the ebook edition of Trader’s Leap from your favorite bookstore as yet.  This is because of how Baen markets its bundles and eARCS and that’s all I know on the subject.

3d  There is no word yet on an audio edition.

4  If you have read the Trader’s Leap eARC and Want To Talk About It, a Spoiler Discussion space has been set up here

 

Books read in 2020

76  Junkyard Cats, Faith Hunter (e)
75  The Mad Miss Mathley, Michelle Martin (read aloud w/Steve)
74  Cotillion, Georgette Heyer (e) (re-re-re-&c-read)
73  Emerald Blaze, Ilona Andrews (e)
72  The Ragged World, Judith Moffett (re-read) (e)
71  Alpha Night, Nalini Singh (read aloud w/Steve)
70  The Liar’s Dice, Jeanine Lin (e)
69 The Cinderella Deal, Jennifer Crusie (Steve read to me)
68  The King of Next Week, E.C. Ambrose (e)
67  A Wizard’s Guide to Defensive Baking, T. Kingfisher (e)
66  Too Many Cooks, Rex Stout (read aloud w/Steve)
65  Maskerade, Terry Pratchett (read aloud w/Steve)
64  The Masqueraders, Georgette Heyer (e) (re-re-re-&c-read)
63  What the Lady Wants, Jennifer Crusie (read aloud w/Steve)
62  Black Dog, Rachel Neumeier (e)
61  The Red Box, Rex Stout (read aloud w/Steve)
60  Court of Fives, Kate Elliott (e)
59  The Rubber Band, Rex Stout (read aloud w/Steve)
58  Ruddy Gore, Kerry Greenwood
57  Manhunting, Jennifer Crusie (read aloud w/Steve)
56  Nobody’s Perfect, Donald E. Westlake (e)
55  Charlie All Night, Jennifer Crusie (read aloud w/Steve)
54  Paladin’s Grace, T. Kingfisher (e)
53  Wolf Rain, Nalini Singh (read aloud w/Steve)
52  Slippery Creatures, KJ, Charles (e)
51  Star Rogue, Susan Grant (e)
50  The Black Mountain, Rex Stout (re-read) (e)
49  The League of Frightened Men, Rex Stout (read aloud w/Steve)
48  The Trouble with Jenny’s Ear, Oliver Butterworth (re-read)
47  Tooner Schooner, Mary Lasswell (re-read) (e)
46  Fer-de-Lance, Rex Stout (read aloud w/Steve, re-read for me; first time for him)
45  Lake Silence, Anne Bishop
44  Getting Rid of Bradley, Jennifer Crusie (read aloud w/Steve, re-read for me; first time for him)
43  Mort, Terry Pratchett (re-read) (e)
42  Network Effect, Martha Wells (e)
41  Lord and Ladies, Terry Pratchett (read aloud w/Steve, re-read for both)
40 Trouble in Triplicate, Rex Stout (e)
39 The Outlaws of Sherwood, Robin McKinley (e)
38 Agnes and the Hitman, Jennifer Crusie and Bob Mayer (re-read aloud w/Steve, because Steve had a Notion about alligators, specifically Moot; the Talmadge Bridge, and Savannah in general)
37 Warprize, Elizabeth Vaughan (e)
36 Who Speaks for the Damned, C.S. Harris
35 Don’t Look Down, Jennifer Crusie and Bob Mayer (read aloud w/Steve)
34 Blood and Circuses, Kerry Greenwood
33 The Cat Who Came to Breakfast, Lilian Jackson Braun (Steve read to me)
32 One Fell Sweep, Ilona Andrews (e)
31 Sweep in Peace, Ilona Andrews (e)
30 Clean Sweep, Ilona Andrews (e)
29 Getting Rid of Bradley, Jennifer Crusie (e)
28 Raven Heart, Murphy Lawless (e)
27 Iron Kissed, Patricia Briggs (re-read)
26 The Cat Who Said Cheese, Lilian Jackson Braun (Steve read to me)
25 Blood Bound, Patricia Briggs (re-read)
24 Moon Called, Patricia Briggs (re-re-read)
23 War for the Oaks, Emma Bull (re-re-re-re-&c read)
22 The Widow of Rose House, Diana Bill (e)
21 False Value, Ben Aaronovitch
20 Charity Girl, Georgette Heyer (read aloud w/Steve re-read for both)
19 Minor Mage, T. Kingfisher (e)
18 The Green Mill Murder, Kerry Greenwood
17 Tell Me Lies, Jennifer Crusie (read aloud with Steve)
16 Murder at the Brightwell, Ashley Weaver
15 Crazy for You, Jennifer Crusie (read aloud with Steve)
14 A Conspiracy of Kings, Megan Whalen Turner
13 The Thief, Megan Whalen Turner (re-read)
12 Ocean Light, Nalini Singh (read aloud with Steve)
11 Nerdy, Shy, and Socially Inappropriate, Cynthia Kim
10 Witches Abroad, Terry Pratchett (read aloud with Steve)
9  The Kiss Quotient, Helen Hoang (e)
8  Fall into Spring, Amy Lane (e)
7  Resurgence, C.J. Cherryh (read aloud with Steve)
6  2K to 10K: Writing Faster, Writing Better…, Rachel Aaron (e)
5  Unmasked by the Marquess, Cat Sebastian (e)
4  Jimmy the Kid, Donald E. Westlake (e)
3  Wanted, A Gentleman, KJ Charles (e) (read aloud with Steve)
2  The Book of Atrix Wolfe, Patricia McKillip (e) (re-read)
1  Proper English, KJ Charles (e)

Word Play

One of the. . .side effects of being simultaneously the author of a long-running series which contains quite a number of made-up words, and a long-time reader of Just About Anything is that. . .sometimes readers of the stuff I write don’t know when I’m using a “real” word or a made-up word.

I hasten to say that this is not just something that I do — use old words, or make up news ones.  Most writers indulge in word play.  We wouldn’t be in this business, if we didn’t love language.

From Trader’s Leap, we have the following. . .odd. . .words:

brume — (broom) mist or fog.  This is an English word

empyrean — (em-PEER-ee-in) celestial. This is an English word

louche — (loosh) disreputable or sordid in a rakish or appealing way. This is an English word

wrapt — (rapt) past participle of wrap. This is an English word, although it is an old English word

aequitas — (ee-KWI-tis) This is a Latin word, the basis of the English word “equality”.  It is also the name of a goddess: In Roman mythology, Aequitas, also known as Aecetia, was the goddess of fair trade and honest merchants.

ombudsone — (ohm-BUDS-one) one third of this word is made up.  The English form is “ombudsman,” but in the Liaden Universe® we try to avoid unnecessary gendering.  So “man” in the original gets replaced with “one,” and I think we should immediately adopt this word in real life.

daibri’at — (DAY-bree-aht) Liaden Universe® Tai Chi.  This is a made-up word

sokyum — (SEW-kee-um) a large feline-ish creature.  This is a made-up word

zaliata — (zah-LEE-ah-tah) For the purposes of our narrative, it denotes an energy creature, perhaps an angel.  Another made-up word

And, there!  That was fun.  At least, it was for me.

 

Well, we know where we’re going, but we don’t know where we’ve been

I just made a Project To-Do List

Well.  It’s good to be busy.

1  Finish collecting and collating the tyops.  End September 9

2  Proof The Wrong Lance ebook, collate it, and get it up for pre-order

2a  Take The Wrong Lance down from Patreon and Splinter Universe. September 12

3  Complete interview.  November 1

4  Write short story for DERELICT anthology.  December 1

5  Write short story to make the pair with “Galaxy Ballroom” for Adventures in the Liaden Universe® Number, um…31? (eek!)  November 15

6  Decide if I’m Actually Going to Write another Archers Beach novel, or if I can scratch that itch by writing two novellas, instead.  Realsoonnow

7  Assist Steve as needed on the (two) Liaden books he’s lead on.  July 2021, July 2022

8  Plot and write the next Liaden book, but one.  Um.  July 2023?

The really annoying thing is?  I feel like I’m missing something.

Well.  It’ll come to me.

Today’s blog title brought to you by The Talking Heads: The Road to Nowhere

Books read in 2020

75  The Mad Miss Mathley, Michelle Martin (read aloud w/Steve)
74  Cotillion, Georgette Heyer (e) (re-re-re-&c-read)
73  Emerald Blaze, Ilona Andrews (e)
72  The Ragged World, Judith Moffett (re-read) (e)
71  Alpha Night, Nalini Singh (read aloud w/Steve)
70  The Liar’s Dice, Jeanine Lin (e)
69 The Cinderella Deal, Jennifer Crusie (Steve read to me)
68  The King of Next Week, E.C. Ambrose (e)
67  A Wizard’s Guide to Defensive Baking, T. Kingfisher (e)
66  Too Many Cooks, Rex Stout (read aloud w/Steve)
65  Maskerade, Terry Pratchett (read aloud w/Steve)
64  The Masqueraders, Georgette Heyer (e) (re-re-re-&c-read)
63  What the Lady Wants, Jennifer Crusie (read aloud w/Steve)
62  Black Dog, Rachel Neumeier (e)
61  The Red Box, Rex Stout (read aloud w/Steve)
60  Court of Fives, Kate Elliott (e)
59  The Rubber Band, Rex Stout (read aloud w/Steve)
58  Ruddy Gore, Kerry Greenwood
57  Manhunting, Jennifer Crusie (read aloud w/Steve)
56  Nobody’s Perfect, Donald E. Westlake (e)
55  Charlie All Night, Jennifer Crusie (read aloud w/Steve)
54  Paladin’s Grace, T. Kingfisher (e)
53  Wolf Rain, Nalini Singh (read aloud w/Steve)
52  Slippery Creatures, KJ, Charles (e)
51  Star Rogue, Susan Grant (e)
50  The Black Mountain, Rex Stout (re-read) (e)
49  The League of Frightened Men, Rex Stout (read aloud w/Steve)
48  The Trouble with Jenny’s Ear, Oliver Butterworth (re-read)
47  Tooner Schooner, Mary Lasswell (re-read) (e)
46  Fer-de-Lance, Rex Stout (read aloud w/Steve, re-read for me; first time for him)
45  Lake Silence, Anne Bishop
44  Getting Rid of Bradley, Jennifer Crusie (read aloud w/Steve, re-read for me; first time for him)
43  Mort, Terry Pratchett (re-read) (e)
42  Network Effect, Martha Wells (e)
41  Lord and Ladies, Terry Pratchett (read aloud w/Steve, re-read for both)
40 Trouble in Triplicate, Rex Stout (e)
39 The Outlaws of Sherwood, Robin McKinley (e)
38 Agnes and the Hitman, Jennifer Crusie and Bob Mayer (re-read aloud w/Steve, because Steve had a Notion about alligators, specifically Moot; the Talmadge Bridge, and Savannah in general)
37 Warprize, Elizabeth Vaughan (e)
36 Who Speaks for the Damned, C.S. Harris
35 Don’t Look Down, Jennifer Crusie and Bob Mayer (read aloud w/Steve)
34 Blood and Circuses, Kerry Greenwood
33 The Cat Who Came to Breakfast, Lilian Jackson Braun (Steve read to me)
32 One Fell Sweep, Ilona Andrews (e)
31 Sweep in Peace, Ilona Andrews (e)
30 Clean Sweep, Ilona Andrews (e)
29 Getting Rid of Bradley, Jennifer Crusie (e)
28 Raven Heart, Murphy Lawless (e)
27 Iron Kissed, Patricia Briggs (re-read)
26 The Cat Who Said Cheese, Lilian Jackson Braun (Steve read to me)
25 Blood Bound, Patricia Briggs (re-read)
24 Moon Called, Patricia Briggs (re-re-read)
23 War for the Oaks, Emma Bull (re-re-re-re-&c read)
22 The Widow of Rose House, Diana Bill (e)
21 False Value, Ben Aaronovitch
20 Charity Girl, Georgette Heyer (read aloud w/Steve re-read for both)
19 Minor Mage, T. Kingfisher (e)
18 The Green Mill Murder, Kerry Greenwood
17 Tell Me Lies, Jennifer Crusie (read aloud with Steve)
16 Murder at the Brightwell, Ashley Weaver
15 Crazy for You, Jennifer Crusie (read aloud with Steve)
14 A Conspiracy of Kings, Megan Whalen Turner
13 The Thief, Megan Whalen Turner (re-read)
12 Ocean Light, Nalini Singh (read aloud with Steve)
11 Nerdy, Shy, and Socially Inappropriate, Cynthia Kim
10 Witches Abroad, Terry Pratchett (read aloud with Steve)
9  The Kiss Quotient, Helen Hoang (e)
8  Fall into Spring, Amy Lane (e)
7  Resurgence, C.J. Cherryh (read aloud with Steve)
6  2K to 10K: Writing Faster, Writing Better…, Rachel Aaron (e)
5  Unmasked by the Marquess, Cat Sebastian (e)
4  Jimmy the Kid, Donald E. Westlake (e)
3  Wanted, A Gentleman, KJ Charles (e) (read aloud with Steve)
2  The Book of Atrix Wolfe, Patricia McKillip (e) (re-read)
1  Proper English, KJ Charles (e)