Author: Sharon

Well, I wrecked the El Camino; it woulda been DWI, so I just walked off and left it, laying on its side

EDITED TO ADD:  “Chimera” is now up on Baen.com, starting on the first page and jumping inside, and!  the book has been claimed.  Thank you all for keeping the Story Watch!

Busy few days, and a busy few more ahead.  I shall sum up.

On Wednesday, I did in fact have a doctor’s appointment.  It was both irritating and puzzling, but the important thing is that we managed to forge a plan of action that meets the needs of both of us.  So, that.

Also on Wednesday, we looked at a house.  The house was. . .not as advertised.  We were disappointed; our realtor was. . .annoyed.

Also! on Wednesday, someone was scheduled to look at our house at 4:30, so we dutifully left the premises at 4:00, only to receive an email at 4:27 from our realtor, letting us know that the buyers had cancelled.  We were in Augusta by that point, so we stayed at the Barnes and Noble for a while, looking at books and wondering when in ghod’s name the Fashion for Dystopia will have run the course.

We had a cup of soup and split a sandwich at the BN Cafe, then headed back to Waterville, because!  On Wednesday, we had tickets to the second sold-out showing of The Last Unicorn (which I had never seen), at Railroad Square Cinema, with Peter Beagle himself on-hand to answer questions.

We had fun, the movie was good, and we got home late and over-caffeinated.

Moving on. . .

Thursday was a working day, until the arrival of the mason early in the evening.  He slung his ladder up over the eaves, walked across the roof and confirmed, by picking up bricks, and throwing down nuggets of mortar that, yes, indeedy, we do need to replace — that’s replace, not repair — the chimney.  As we had summoned him because we’d found bricks in the lawn, this wasn’t exactly a surprise.

Today, is a working morning, then a short trip out to — wait for it! — look at a house — then back for the second shift.  My intention is not to budge from this house over the weekend, and finish up the manuscript.  We all know what they say about intentions, right?

Also, today!  Is the beginning of the period when “Chimera,” a Liaden Universe® short story, may appear on the Baen.com front page.  As advertised on Twitter, the first person who alerts me to the presence of “Chimera” on the Baen front page will win! a rare Russian edition of Crystal Dragon, signed by the authors.

And that?  Catches us up.

Oh, except for Sprite.

Sprite was helping me edit yesterday’s chapter this morning:

Sprite helping with the editing
Sprite helping with the editing

Then, she got curious about the camera:

Hey! Whatcha doin?
Hey! Whatcha doin?

Today’s blog title brought to you by James McMurtry, “Rachel’s Song.”  Here’s your link.

 

In which there are bills in the mail

Visited the vampires early this morning; afterwards moved on to Starbucks for mocha and bagel.  They were out of multigrain bagels so I had to be content with an Everything Bagel.  O! woe is me.

Home to find bills in the mail, and that the UPS account number, possession of which will magically get one cool dozen boxes of books out of my living room and on the bus to Minneapolis, is apparently none so easy to acquire.  Two fiddles at the UPS online form, one email to those who had provided the pre-paid labels, which do NOT include the account number, a third fiddle at the online form, one phone call to UPS, one phone call to the label providers, one more go at the online form, and we have ignition!  Boxes to be picked up no later than 3:00 today.

Yay.

I now await a call from yet another doctor’s office, to let me know if the appointment set up for Wednesday is actually needed.  I’m not very much in charity with the doctor or her office at this particular moment, and if they fear being in my Black Book (as who would not?), they’ll get cracking and give me a call-back.

Also, I am exhausted, which I blame on the vampires, and which is not useful at the moment, since I have work to do.  So!  I’ll be arising from the comfy chair in just a moment to make a pot of coffee.

In other news, it’s cloudy and cold in East Winslow, and, honestly, if it’s going to be as cloudy and damp as all that, it might as well rain and have done.

And that?  Is all I got.

Everybody stay safe.

Cloudy Saturday

You may have heard the rumor that we’re writing a book here in East Winslow. Well!  The rumor’s true, and work continues.  Yesterday’s project was to frog about 5,000 words (thanks to Brenda Clough for this very useful word, “frog”), and to wander around the house wailing and rubbing ashes in my hair, finally to gather with Steve at the kitchen table for two hours of serious staring at each other, interspersed with sentence fragments, after which I repaired to my office to make several pages of dense notes.  I also identified the section that needs to be built up in order for this other section here to work, and the place where I forgot to put back in a scene that I took out because it was in the wrong place the first time.

Today’s project is to fix both of those problems and to get with the notes.

Yesterday, we also signed 180 books.  Today, we will sign the remaining 60, and commence in to personalizing 68, after which we will tape up the boxes, affix labels, and on Monday call UPS to make a pickup.

Today we will also view two, perhaps three, houses in the Greater Waterville Megaplex.  I’m in the mood to choose one of the three and Have Done, so it will be Steve’s job to Be Prudent.

Yesterday, we also had the Dead River guy, who repositioned the propane tank, which had been displaced by the Snows of Winter, leveled it, and replaced the cutoff valve which had been savaged by ice.  It’s interesting to note that, when a particularly intense CLANG! came forth from the work site, Sprite ran back to my office, to take shelter in the Safest Spot — which would be Grandpa Mozart’s place under my desk.

I may have forgotten to mention the other day that, when I had my height taken at my annual, I was found to no longer be six foot tall.  I’m now a paltry 70.75 inches tall.  I suppose no one will look up to me now.

Tomorrow On Monday I shall visit the vampires, which means that tomorrow tonight I shall fast, and then I will come home to write some more.

Tomorrow, then, being Sunday, will be a Day of All Writing.

What’re y’all doing that’s fun or interesting?

 

Minor update Patreon Accountability

For those playing along at home.

We received notification just a hair before midnight Eastern on May 5 that $1313.25 had been transferred to our checking account.  The deposit arrived this morning, May 7, having lost another $0.25, which was its just toll to the transfer company.

We have, yes, taken the tax money out first.  (I’m sorry for constant harping re tax money, but I can’t stress enough, to any freelancers who happen to be following this:  Always take the tax money out first.  Do not think you’ll be able to catch it up later; that way lies only tears.  Uncle Sam does not care how much you make; he only cares that you have paid taxes on every penny you have made.)

I think that ties up the last loose end.

Once again — thank you all.

Books read in 2015

14. Tracker, C.J. Cherryh (read out loud with Steve)
13.  Chanur’s Legacy, C.J. Cherryh (re-read, read out loud with Steve)
12.  Chanur’s Homecoming, C.J. Cherryh  (re-read, read out loud with Steve)
11.  The Kif Strike Back, C.J. Cherryh (re-read, read out loud with Steve)
10.  Why Kings Confess, C.S. Harris
9.  Chanur’s Venture, C.J. Cherryh (re-read, read out loud with Steve) (Note:  the publisher’s note at the end of the book states that the next-in-series is Chanur’s Revenge. This is false. The next-in-series is The Kif Strike Back.)
8.  Angels’ Blood, Nalini Singh (read out loud with Steve)
7.  The Pride of Chanur, C.J. Cherryh (re-read, read out loud with Steve)
6.  What Darkness Brings, C.S. Harris
5. When Maidens Mourn, C.S. Harris
4.  Where Shadows Dance, C.S. Harris
3.  What Remains of Heaven, C.S. Harris
2.  Where Serpents Sleep, C.S. Harris
1.  When Gods Die, C.S. Harris

And another eye for another eye till everyone is blind

So, today. . .

Doctor’s appointment — came away with a ‘script for the shingles vaccine and orders for the vampires

Bank — deposited two checks from kind readers, which made it possible to go to the. . .

Town office — paid annual excise tax on Kineo and got new license plate sticker

Post Office — picked up Locus and mailed letters

Came home to enjoy the warm chicken nestled on lettuce and tomatoes that Steve made for our supper.  Put stickers on Kineo, so I could stop having to remember that, and! just as we were cleaning up the dinner dishes, came the Big Brown Truck, and a sturdy young man in Regulation Shorts unshipped 12 boxes of Dragon in Exile, which we shall in the fullness of time sign, personalize, and ship off to Uncle Hugo, so that your preorders can be filled.

And now?

Time to go to work.

Today’s blog post brought to you by Tommy Sands, There Were Roses

Monkey from Elitch Gardens in Denver
Monkey from Elitch Gardens in Denver

Patreon Accounting Post

Here is the promised accountability post for the first completed Patreon month in support of Sharon Lee and Steve Miller.

By April 30 end-of-day, 203 kind people had pledged a total of $1,493

Six people pledged in May, and were not billed for April by Patreon, nor should they have been.  The system works!

Two pledges were denied — which is to say that the credit card company denied the charge, or the patron declined the opportunity to continue.

One pledge for $0.50 produced a $0 payout to the artists — the entirety of that pledge went to fees

Of the $1,493 pledged, Patreon collected a total of $1,467.50, deducted $80.86 in credit card fees, and deducted its own fee of $73.39

The artists will receive (on May 5, it says here):  $1,313.25

Once the artists receive their payout, they will deduct 33% or $434 and place it into the account from which they pay their taxes

$879.25 will then be available to buy cat food, people food, coffee!, to keep the lights on while we finish Alliance of Equals (due May 31!) and get ready for the Grand Northeast Book Tour, starting on June 2.

Thank you all so very much for your support, your good humor, and your continued presence in our lives.

Sharon and Steve
Scrabble, Trooper, and Sprite