12. Andy & Don, Daniel de Visé
11. The Thief of Time, Terry Pratchett (read aloud with Steve)
10. Foxglove Summer, Ben Aaronovitch
9. Broken Homes, Ben Aaronovitch
8. Soul Music, Terry Pratchett (read aloud with Steve)
7. Whispers Underground, Ben Aaronovitch
6. Moon Over Soho, Ben Aaronovitch
5. Reaper Man, Terry Pratchett (read aloud with Steve)
4. Conflict of Honors, Sharon Lee and Steve Miller (e) (re-read)
3. Mort, Terry Pratchett (read aloud with Steve)
2. The Sculptor, Scott McCloud
1. A Short History of a Small Place, T.R. Pearson
Author: Sharon
Sigh. . .
So, today started with a visit to the clinic, which was the compromise position, over last night’s: “Go to ER now.”
My pickleball injury is infected, and I am the lucky winner of a seven-day course of antibiotics, with bonus instructions to go to the ER immediately, should scary red lines begin ascending my leg toward my heart.
Stoopid, stoopid immune system.
After we picked up my medicine, Steve took us for a ride, through Belgrade to Augusta. Augusta is where our local Lowes keeps residence, and I purchased an under-counter LED light bar that plugs in, to be installed under the kitchen cabinet over the counter where I make bread. Yay! I’ll be able to see my ingredients!
Note to those who were following the Saga of the Missing Bag of Stick-Up Lights on Facebook yesterday — no, I did not find the bag immediately upon arriving at home today, but that might be because I took a nap.
Spent the evening in the comfy chair, writing, took my second dose of antibiotic, and now I’m ready for another nap.
Trooper, mind you, is ready for a rousing game of flying mouse. He’s already wrassled Belle and Sprite to standstill, and sent them scattering out of a deep nap, by plunging into the cat tunnel and making the Biggest Rustle Ever, and then capturing the rag tiger and eviscerating it all over the living room, as it put up quite a fight. I guess even rag tigers have guts.
Oh! This came in today’s mail. Cover flats for the mass market edition of Dragon in Exile, coming (in June!) to a retailer near you.
To-Do
For those who may have missed it (like, err, me, *blush*), yesterday was launch day for C.E. Murphy’s Magic and Manners. Links and info may be found here. I had a chance to read an ARC of this novel, and had a very good time with it. If you’re a fan of Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice, C.E. Murphy, Regency-Magic crossovers — or all of them! — you want to read this book.
Here at the Confusion Factory, things are, well. . .confused. This isn’t particularly unusual, obviously, but I’m feeling a bit overwhelmed by the current state of the to-do list, which includes such low-pressure items as: Finish final draft of The Gathering Edge (due April 15), which would be somewhat easier to accomplish if it wasn’t currently sporting one of those notes that writers leave for their future selves, which pretty often lead those same future selves to have Serious Doubts about our past and present sanity. In this case the note is the ever-popular, And here a miracle occurs.
The to-do list also includes completing my WorldCon questionnaire (deadline March 31); finishing up an interview; writing a rant/soapbox speech on characterization for RavenCon (for those who are coming to RavenCon, this is Something Rare. I never do individual presentations at cons; they simply require too many spoons, and play to none of my supposed strengths. On this topic, however, I am Just. That. Cranky. Consider yourselves warned. Also be aware that soapbox sessions at RavenCon are scheduled for an hour. There is no way I can talk for an hour, no matter how cranky I am. With questions, we’re probably looking at half-an-hour, tops.)
Where was I?
Oh; the to-do list.
Also on the list — short story, due May 15; novel, due August 15.
In addition, we’re traveling this year — RavenCon, BaltiCon, WorldCon, and a Mini Book Tour in support of Alliance of Equals.
. . .and, back at the to-do list, we have a soupçon of house, medical, private life stuff to cope with, none of which is really intense, but it still needs to be dealt with.
So, yeah, the to-do list feels a little larger-than-life at the moment (I am aware that the to-do lists of Other People are many times more Terrible than my paltry to-do list. I salute those people; they are mighty) If I retire the interview and the worldcon survey, I expect I’ll feel a little more sanguine about the Whole Rest of It. If we figure out what Miracle That Is, Exactly, Which Occurs, Precisely Here? The to-do list will be as nothing.
And that’s about where things are at the Cat Farm and Confusion Factory. Hope y’all are having a good and productive Friday.
Here, have a picture of today’s loaf: Pullman bread, 2 cups of red whole wheat, 3 cups of all-purpose. I usually use 5 cups of white whole wheat, which rises much more lightly than the red, but I ran out of white whole wheat and cleverly did not replace it the last time I was at the store.
Books read in 2016
11. The Thief of Time, Terry Pratchett (read aloud with Steve)
10. Foxglove Summer, Ben Aaronovitch
9. Broken Homes, Ben Aaronovitch
8. Soul Music, Terry Pratchett (read aloud with Steve)
7. Whispers Underground, Ben Aaronovitch
6. Moon Over Soho, Ben Aaronovitch
5. Reaper Man, Terry Pratchett (read aloud with Steve)
4. Conflict of Honors, Sharon Lee and Steve Miller (e) (re-read)
3. Mort, Terry Pratchett (read aloud with Steve)
2. The Sculptor, Scott McCloud
1. A Short History of a Small Place, T.R. Pearson
Pharaoh’s army got drowned, O Mary, don’t you weep
Let’s see…
Yesterday, we caucused. It was, IMHO, a disorganized mess run by people who didn’t think that Any Explanation of the process was necessary. It got the job done, eventually, and thank ghod. Our caucus gave the nod to Bernie Sanders, as, I learn this morning, did the majority of Maine caucuses.
One of the pieces of information that was shared during yesterday’s meeting was that reports from the South indicate that three times as many Republicans are voting (via primary and caucus) as are Democrats. One wonders if this is a result of the gerrymandering Republicans have done over the last few years, along with the restrictions on voting times for populations which are known to vote Democrat, or, if, yanno, Democrats really are that complacent.
In Maine, we have reports of people standing in lines for three hours outside the caucus site in Portland, and of high turnouts in many towns. Which is good, but New England can’t balance the entire South.
If your primary or caucus is still in the future, please vote. Thanks.
This morning, I played pickleball and took my first injury: a floor burn on my right knee, result of diving for a ball — and continuing in a floorward direction, after I had missed.
Stoopid gravity.
I was also, for one game, fourth in a team three women who “play the net,” a philosophy of pickleball of which I had been entirely unaware until this morning.
“Why are you standing all the way back there?” my partner wanted to know. “Don’t you want to play the net?”
“No,” I said. “I’m so long, I’ll get fouled in the net if I get right up on it like that.”
“The *experts* all play the net. When you watch pickleball, you see that, don’t you?”
“Ah, no. I don’t. I don’t watch pickleball, except when I’m here. Many of my partners have had Strong Opinions about where I should stand, no one has suggested I should ‘play the net.’ And, honestly, I don’t aspire to be an Expert Pickleball Player. I want to have fun and give good game. Those are my goals.”
My next game, with a different partner and different opponents, we all played mid-court and long, which is what I’ve more or less become used to doing.
So! I’m home now, having played five games of pickleball. I need to ice my knee, I suppose, in the interests of Proactiveness, and then I need to sort some laundry before it overflows the hamper and consumes the bathroom.
Hope y’all are having a pleasant Monday.
Today’s blog title brought to you by Pete Seeger by way of Bruce Springsteen: Oh, Mary, Don’t you Weep. Here’s your link.
Weekend News Roundup
This Just In: Sharon Lee and Steve Miller will be Writer Guests of Honor at MarsCon 2017, with Science Guests Benjamin and Carriann Higginbotham, and Ghost of Honor Anne McCaffrey. The theme of the convention is Dragons in Space. This will be our second time as Writer GoHs at MarsCon; our first visit was in 2003, and we had a blast. Sooooo looking forward to going back. MarsCon will be held March 3-5, 2017. Here’s your link.
Visit the Liaden Universe® Store at OffWorld Design: Coffee mugs, denim shirts, t-shirts, polos! New colors and items have been added, just in time for spring! Here’s your link.
Order your signed and/or personalized copy of Alliance of Equals: Uncle Hugo’s Science Fiction Bookstore in Minneapolis is now accepting pre-orders for signed and/or personalized copies of Lee and Miller’s 19th Liaden Universe® novel, Alliance of Equals, which will be published in July. There is a deadline for pre-ordering personalized books (where “personalized” means the authors, in addition to their signatures, write something specifically requested by the person buying the book). That deadline is June 1. Here’s your link.
Patreon: Last year, at the urging of some of our readers, and with some trepidation, Steve and I set up a Patreon account. Patreon provides a centralized and streamlined way for supporters of a certain artist (or team of artists) to offer extra financial support. Some folks offer incentives, and thank you gifts for their supporters; we haven’t done this, and, honestly, in the near future all we’re offering in return for your support is our very sincere thanks, and a promise to keep on writing. If you’d like to support us on Patreon, here’s your link.
In other news, work on The Gathering Edge, the 20th Liaden Universe® novel, continues, and Steve and I are gearing up for a slightly busy* year of con-going, and book touring.
______
*By which I mean, “busier than last year”.
Books read in 2016
10. Foxglove Summer, Ben Aaronovitch
9. Broken Homes, Ben Aaronovitch
8. Soul Music, Terry Pratchett (read aloud with Steve)
7. Whispers Underground, Ben Aaronovitch
6. Moon Over Soho, Ben Aaronovitch
5. Reaper Man, Terry Pratchett (read aloud with Steve)
4. Conflict of Honors, Sharon Lee and Steve Miller (e) (re-read)
3. Mort, Terry Pratchett (read aloud with Steve)
2. The Sculptor, Scott McCloud
1. A Short History of a Small Place, T.R. Pearson
In which there is weather
Well. . .nuts.
It snowed on the overnight — wet, gloppy snow, which then changed to driving sleet-and-rain, the so-beloved Wintery Mix. We woke up, early, because Tai Chi class on Wednesday, to a driving rain. The surface of the driveway was a kind of mud slurry, iced with brittle snow, and when the town plow went by, the blade was pushing a wave that would have been credible off of The Big Island.
Since I don’t believe in winter road surfing, I decided to give Tai Chi a miss and practice my small dance here at home.
However, today is also Hospital Day, so, after breakfast, when the rain stopped, I again surveyed the situation.
Long story short, the car is presently stuck in the mud. This situation will rectify itself overnight, when it’s supposed to get cold again, but for right now…the writer is in.
The cats have declared a Snow Day and are lobbying hard for everybody to go back to bed. Steve is currently under assault from Belle and Scrabble, who are practicing the deadly Synchronized Snoring.
Speaking of Belle, last night’s dream (she was sleeping on my stomach for a while), concerned a Big Jumble of people and furniture; if I had to guess, I’d say that we were living in shared housing of some kind, and our apartment/rooms were going to be painted, so we had to move all our stuff to a holding area. In the process of doing that, and relocating our four cats, I discovered in our space, a plush white cat with grey cloud markings, black tips on her ears, and a little grey mustache perfectly placed under her pink nose. She was very friendly, and obviously “knew” me. I was confused, and texted Steve, “Do we have FIVE cats?” Very vivid, especially the feeling that the cat knew me.
Well.
Here’s the quality of help I currently have to call on in my office:
Sleeping with cats
So, Belle is our Champion Napper here at the Cat Farm. She really enjoys her naps, and often does two at once. She seems to prefer company, but will happily nap alone, if that’s how the dice roll.
I don’t even have a rating as a Napper — it’s a tough field — but I do like company in my poor efforts, and Belle has taken to tutoring me in the fine points.
I’ve noticed a couple of things, napping with Belle, that I don’t notice when napping with the other cats — or, in fact, when I go solo.
First is that her purr is incredibly soothing. I’ll lie down with my head awhirl — the normal state of the inside of my head is a kind of barely controlled thought-twist, which, like the ringing in my ears, can’t ever be said to go away entirely; the range of action is something like: Kind of Loud, Loud, Awfully Loud, Way too Loud, and Batten the Hatches.
But, Belle’s purrs cut through all that noise. It takes a few minutes, but she’s also a champion purr-er, and has real staying power. And she manages to achieve silence inside my head, a state I’ve noticed now several times in the millisecond before the purr does its final work and puts me to sleep.
The other thing I’ve noticed when napping with cats is the quality of dreams. Despite my whirlwind head, I very rarely dream, or — for those who insist that everyone Does Too dream — remember my dreams. If I’ve had cat assistance, I do dream, and often remember my dreams, and I wake up a shade more relaxed than I would do, sleeping alone.
Belle-induced dreams though, are — a little different.
They are almost all in the genre of Saving the Kittens. I have, in recent dreams, rescued kittens who were stuck behind a large appliance; stood between kittens and a large, noisy machine; and moved a number of kittens to a place of safety after one was grabbed by a Bad Person and thrown.
These are not restful dreams, though they are infused with a sense of purpose and determination. I wake up a little more alert, it seems, and attentive to possible threats — to the kittens. It’s an odd feeling, though not necessarily unpleasant.
. . .and I wonder if these are shared dreams — that is, if Belle, having been a Mom Cat in what I know to be a very safe place for cats, still reviews these themes in order to keep her edge, if, yanno, kittens fall into her way again.
On the other hand, it could just be my subconscious having some fun with association.
Either way, it’s striking and notable, and I have, therefore, noted it.
Soliciting statements of interest
An Alert Reader has noticed that February 2018 marks the 30th Anniversary of the Liaden Universe® in print. This is derived from the fact that Agent of Change was published as a paperback original by Del Rey, in February 1988.
Said Alert Reader has put out a call for celebratory Limited Edition Hardcovers in honor of this anniversary. Clearly, this is not something that we, the authors, can do. We can, however, take the idea to Madame the Publisher, if there seems to be sufficient interest.
This is where you come in.
If Limited Edition Liaden Universe® Hardcovers were published, would you purchase it/them?
I realize that price is very often an object for you, as it is for me, so if you have a price in mind, let me know that, too.
Thanks for your help.
. . .Sprite also thanks you for your help.
