Carousel Seas news and! the weather

So! Big News First!

Audible lets me know that Carousel Seas is in production.  This means that the audiobook will release simultaneously with the paper book on January 6, 2015.  And there was much rejoicing!

Steve and I took the morning off to wander over to the Chinah Dinah for breakfast and thence to Augusta for the Maine Crafts Guild Show at the Maine State Museum.  It was a nice show, if smallish, and included paper sculpture, jewelery, stone art, and Stephanie Crossman, who does 3-D art in net.  Check this out.  After the show, we began a tour of the Maine State Museum, which neither of us has visited for several years, but Steve’s back had been bugging him and it was not, sadly, getting better, so we cut the tour short and came home by way of the grocery store and Subway.  Happily, my new car has heated seats.

Home again, we dined on our Subway tuna sub, with a rare glass of lunchtime wine, and set about charging All! The! Things!  Because?

The Weatherbeans are saying this about the weather around the Confusion Factory:

Tonight 11/01 80%:  Rain with a chance of snow in the evening…then rain and snow likely after midnight. Snow accumulation up to 1 inch.
Sunday 11/02 80%: Snow likely. Snow may be heavy at times in the morning. Total snow accumulation of 4 to 8 inches possible.
May I just say, AAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHH.
Thank you.
The snow shovels have been taken out of summer storage, and stationed strategically.  I would like to say that I’m ready for this, but — I’m not.  My goal for this year is to keep both doors to the outside clear of snow — last year, circumstances forced me abandon the front door, and it’s never a good idea to only have one way out of. . .anywhere, really.
Those who read here often may recall that I had set myself to emptying out a file cabinet in the basement.  I am pleased to report that the file cabinet is now empty, though I have a box of personal correspondence which will have to be saved in some fashion, and a box of tearsheets, notes and photographs from my couple-year stint as one of the Town Line’s top reporters.  I have a call in to the Maine State Archive to see if there’s any interest; if not — out they go, because they’re certainly no use to me.
I also have a pile of professional correspondence, including a letter from our very first editor, explaining that our first three books simply didn’t sell, and giving her recommendations for improving ourselves as artists.  It’s. . .a treasure, and I’ve put it aside with the rest of the stuff I’ve been slowly gathering to archive somewhere else.
So, that.
In other news, yes, I’m writing — at the moment, we’re at about 14,000 solid words on the second book of the Five Book Dash, as I go through the pieces pulled form Dragon in Exile and rectify them, adding in other narrative lines as necessary.
And, now, I’d better check on the status of All! The! Things! and, yanno, get to work.
Hope you’re having a lovely weekend, wherever you are.

Books read in 2014

39.  A Night in the Lonesome October, Roger Zelazny, (re-re-re-&c-read aloud w/Steve)
38. The Third Circle, Amanda Quick
37.  Agatha Heterodyne and the Sleeping City, Phil and Kaja Foglio
36.  Good Omens, Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett
35.   Surely You’re Joking, Mr. Feynman!, Richard P. Feynman (as told to Ralph Leighton)
34.   A Brother’s Price, Wen Spencer (e)
33.   Spiral Path, Katharine Eliska Kimbriel (e)
32.   Earthly Delights, Kerry Greenwood (e)
31.   Night Broken, Patricia Briggs (e)
30.  Just My Type, Simon Garfield
29.  Bones of Faerie, Janni Lee Simner
28.  Dancer of the Sixth, Michelle Shirey Crean
27.  Tryst, Elswyth Thane (re-re-re-re-re-&c-read)
26.  The Night Circus, Erin Morgenstern
25.  The King of Attolia, Megan Whalen Turner
24.  The Queen of Attolia, Megan Whalen Turner
23.  The Thief, Megan Whalen Turner
22.  Cuckoo’s Egg, C.J. Cherryh (re-re-re-&c-read)
21.  The Windflower, Laura London (Tom and Sharon Curtis) (re-read)
20.  Sparrow Hill Road, Seanan McGuire (e)
19.  Demon’s Lexicon, Sarah Rees Brennan
18.  Refining Felicity, Marion Chesney
17.  Something Wicked This Way Comes, Ray Bradbury (re-read aloud w/Steve)
16. The Vanished Priestess, Meredith Blevins
15.  Nine Princes in Amber, Roger Zelazny (re-read aloud w/Steve)
14.  Code Name Verity, Elizabeth Wein
13.  Ghost Point, James A. Hetley, manuscript (read aloud w/Steve)
12.  Peacemaker, C.J. Cherryh (read aloud w/Steve)
11.  The Red Hot Empress, Meredith Blevins
10.  Hogfather, Terry Pratchett
9.  Black Widow: The Name of the Rose, Marjorie Liu, Daniel Acuna
8.  Agent of Change, Sharon Lee and Steve Miller (e)
7.  The Emperor’s Agent, Jo Graham (e)
6.  Eternity and a Day, Aline Hunter (e)
5.  Kindred Rites, Katharine Eliska Kimbriel (e)
4.  Billy the Kid, the Endless Ride, Michael Wallis
3.  The Steerswoman, Rosemary Kirstein (e)
2.  Uncovered, Jordan Matter
1.  Dancers Among Us, Jordan Matter

Books read in 2014

38. The Third Circle, Amanda Quick
37.  Agatha Heterodyne and the Sleeping City, Phil and Kaja Foglio
36.  Good Omens, Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett
35.   Surely You’re Joking, Mr. Feynman!, Richard P. Feynman (as told to Ralph Leighton)
34.   A Brother’s Price, Wen Spencer (e)
33.   Spiral Path, Katharine Eliska Kimbriel (e)
32.   Earthly Delights, Kerry Greenwood (e)
31.   Night Broken, Patricia Briggs (e)
30.  Just My Type, Simon Garfield
29.  Bones of Faerie, Janni Lee Simner
28.  Dancer of the Sixth, Michelle Shirey Crean
27.  Tryst, Elswyth Thane (re-re-re-re-re-&c-read)
26.  The Night Circus, Erin Morgenstern
25.  The King of Attolia, Megan Whalen Turner
24.  The Queen of Attolia, Megan Whalen Turner
23.  The Thief, Megan Whalen Turner
22.  Cuckoo’s Egg, C.J. Cherryh (re-re-re-&c-read)
21.  The Windflower, Laura London (Tom and Sharon Curtis) (re-read)
20.  Sparrow Hill Road, Seanan McGuire (e)
19.  Demon’s Lexicon, Sarah Rees Brennan
18.  Refining Felicity, Marion Chesney
17.  Something Wicked This Way Comes, Ray Bradbury (re-read aloud w/Steve)
16. The Vanished Priestess, Meredith Blevins
15.  Nine Princes in Amber, Roger Zelazny (re-read aloud w/Steve)
14.  Code Name Verity, Elizabeth Wein
13.  Ghost Point, James A. Hetley, manuscript (read aloud w/Steve)
12.  Peacemaker, C.J. Cherryh (read aloud w/Steve)
11.  The Red Hot Empress, Meredith Blevins
10.  Hogfather, Terry Pratchett
9.  Black Widow: The Name of the Rose, Marjorie Liu, Daniel Acuna
8.  Agent of Change, Sharon Lee and Steve Miller (e)
7.  The Emperor’s Agent, Jo Graham (e)
6.  Eternity and a Day, Aline Hunter (e)
5.  Kindred Rites, Katharine Eliska Kimbriel (e)
4.  Billy the Kid, the Endless Ride, Michael Wallis
3.  The Steerswoman, Rosemary Kirstein (e)
2.  Uncovered, Jordan Matter
1.  Dancers Among Us, Jordan Matter

I was born one morning when the sun didn’t shine

I was going to write a long blog post about luck, but that was before that email generated this reaction and that phone call meant that I had drive there and deal with that and talk to — just basic Life, yanno? But that means the blog post is not going to happen tonight.

Possibly, it will happen tomorrow, but! Since the other thing that didn’t happen today was getting any work done — don’t stay up waiting for it, is all I’m saying.

I do want to take a moment to squee over a Thunderbird add-on I found yesterday — manually-sort-folders — which also allows one to manually sort mailboxes, which means that my mailboxes are now in the correct order for the first time since the Great Email Revamp which is, I can’t tell you, such a relief.  Having the mailboxes out of order was driving me bugs.  I was completely disoriented and all my mail was in the wrong place and — it was awful.

But now it’s wonderful, and if you are one of the six other people on the face of the earth who find having your mailboxes in the right order of supreme importance — please don’t spent another second feeling off-center and stupid. Avail yourself of this marvelous add-on.

The other thing that happened yesterday was that our chairs arrived, and Steve heroically put them together, so — new desk chair, yay!

Our LL Bean Wicked Good Slippers also came in — no assembly required.  Between new slippers and a new robe, I am ready for winter!

Or, at least, the lounging on the couch drinking hot chocolate part of winter.

And that?

Is all I’ve got.  Tomorrow — pay attention, Tomorrow!

No. Interruptions.

Ye flipping ghods, I have a book to write.

_______________

Today’s blog post brought to you by Tennessee Ernie Ford; 16 tons.  Here’s your link.

Sunday cat spam

So, today is chores and starting in to clean up the chapters-in-hand.  Leftover avgolemeno is on-deck for the midday meal.

In the meantime, we have cat spam.

Lest anyone think that I labor alone, please be assured that I have help on-paw for the chores.  Here’s Trooper, helping me strip the bed:

Trooper helping with the chores
Trooper helping with the chores

In the meantime, Scrabble was observing Steve’s progress in the kitchen:

Scrabble supervises breakfast
Scrabble supervises breakfast

. . .while Sprite counted her treasures:

The princess among her treasures
The princess among her treasures

. . .and Mozart did his imitation of a Shmoo*:

Mozart does the Shmoo
Mozart does the Shmoo

EDITED TO ADD:

Scrabble dancing encouragement for Steve:

Scrabble reveals a new dance move
Scrabble reveals a new dance move

 

_____________

*For those young’uns among us, here is the history of ShmooKind, or, more correctly, Shmoon.

Saturday in the sun

The sun rose today.  The sky was blue.  It didn’t rain.

It was glorious.

Steve and I went desk-chair shopping, which meant sitting in rather a lot of desk chairs at the local office store.  I really liked the Lazy-Boy executive chair.  If I’d looking for a chair to nap it, I’d’ve snapped it up in a heartbeat.  Sadly, I occasionally fall asleep in the not-very-comfy chair I already employ, so — the Lazy-Boy got voted off the island.

Found a Raynor Nefil Smart Motion Managers mesh chair, which was Highly Adjustable, and comfy-enough.  It was expensive and ugly, but it would probably do the trick.  I emailed its information to myself and we continued test-chairing.

After dismissing several more, both Steve and I found that we both independently liked the Tempur-pedic 8000 task chair — more comfy than the mesh chair, not as comfy as the Lazy-Boy, with all of the adjustments available to the mesh chair — and somewhat less expensive.  Also, while A Thing of Beauty, still a nice-enough looking piece of furniture.

Another email sent to myself, some minor office supply shopping taken care of, and out we went into the day — which, as I have mentioned WAS NOT RAINY — this time bound for Belanger’s Drive-Through in Downtown Fairfield, where Steve and I split a warm apple crisp with vanilla ice cream while sitting at a picnic bench in the sun.

Ah.

Eventually, we came home, as one must, to a late dinner, and, having research chairs, I now believe that I’ll read somebody else’s book for a little while.

Hope y’all had an enjoyable and slightly lazy Saturday.

Books read in 2014

37.  Agatha Heterodyne and the Sleeping City, Phil and Kaja Foglio
36.  Good Omens, Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett
35.   Surely You’re Joking, Mr. Feynman!, Richard P. Feynman (as told to Ralph Leighton)
34.   A Brother’s Price, Wen Spencer (e)
33.   Spiral Path, Katharine Eliska Kimbriel (e)
32.   Earthly Delights, Kerry Greenwood (e)
31.   Night Broken, Patricia Briggs (e)
30.  Just My Type, Simon Garfield
29.  Bones of Faerie, Janni Lee Simner
28.  Dancer of the Sixth, Michelle Shirey Crean
27.  Tryst, Elswyth Thane (re-re-re-re-re-&c-read)
26.  The Night Circus, Erin Morgenstern
25.  The King of Attolia, Megan Whalen Turner
24.  The Queen of Attolia, Megan Whalen Turner
23.  The Thief, Megan Whalen Turner
22.  Cuckoo’s Egg, C.J. Cherryh (re-re-re-&c-read)
21.  The Windflower, Laura London (Tom and Sharon Curtis) (re-read)
20.  Sparrow Hill Road, Seanan McGuire (e)
19.  Demon’s Lexicon, Sarah Rees Brennan
18.  Refining Felicity, Marion Chesney
17.  Something Wicked This Way Comes, Ray Bradbury (re-read aloud w/Steve)
16. The Vanished Priestess, Meredith Blevins
15.  Nine Princes in Amber, Roger Zelazny (re-read aloud w/Steve)
14.  Code Name Verity, Elizabeth Wein
13.  Ghost Point, James A. Hetley, manuscript (read aloud w/Steve)
12.  Peacemaker, C.J. Cherryh (read aloud w/Steve)
11.  The Red Hot Empress, Meredith Blevins
10.  Hogfather, Terry Pratchett
9.  Black Widow: The Name of the Rose, Marjorie Liu, Daniel Acuna
8.  Agent of Change, Sharon Lee and Steve Miller (e)
7.  The Emperor’s Agent, Jo Graham (e)
6.  Eternity and a Day, Aline Hunter (e)
5.  Kindred Rites, Katharine Eliska Kimbriel (e)
4.  Billy the Kid, the Endless Ride, Michael Wallis
3.  The Steerswoman, Rosemary Kirstein (e)
2.  Uncovered, Jordan Matter
1.  Dancers Among Us, Jordan Matter

In which the author has technology. . .and cats

So, we here at the Confusion Factory have been plotting.

Plotting books, that is, since we have four left to write on the current contract.

We are, of course, most closely plotting the next book in line, Book The Second, and in the spirit of that plotting, I devoted my morning to reading the 26,000-ish words removed from Dragon in Exile because they didn’t belong there.  It’s now Steve’s turn to read those words, while I commence in to reading a large-ish chunk of Crystal Dragon.

In order to read in comfort, I of course repaired to the couch, where I very soon gathered Able Assistants.  I took my smartphone with me, and made some notes on it, via Evernote, which were conveniently awaiting me on the desktop when I came back to my office after lunch.

Yay! technology.

On the weather front, we seem to have survived the season’s first nor’easter:  three days of wind and rain, and rain and wind, and, for a change, rain and wind.  The sky is appreciably brighter, by which I mean, it’s a sort of semi-luminous slate-grey.  Possibly tomorrow we will see the fabled sun described in tales of yore.

And now, I’m headed back for the couch and the day’s second bout of reading.

The glamor, yeah.  Non-stop.

Here, before I go.  Have some pictures of my assistants, hard at work:

Sprite, sending support from Her Royal Throne
Sprite, sending support from Her Royal Throne
Trooper climbed up and arranged himself in the most convenient place, after I wouldn't let him sleep on the pages
Trooper climbed up and arranged himself in the most convenient place, after I refused to let him sleep on the pages

 

. . .later, he moved down by my feet
. . .later, he moved down by my feet

 

Question for those who have read the Carousel books

Before I ask the question, I shall Issue a Warning.  To wit:

BECAUSE OF THE NATURE OF THE QUESTION, THE ANSWERS MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS.  IF YOU OBJECT TO SPOILERS, DON’T READ THE ANSWERS!

This is the only Warning that will be issued.  Thank you for your attention.

Off in Another Part of the Internet, someone has observed that the Carousel books are to Urban Fantasy as Cozy Mysteries are to Hardboiled Detective.  They further wonder if there is a subgenre of Cozy Fantasy, which I believe there is not, though I’m willing be proved wrong.

Most importantly, however, is the request for More Like This from other authors — which is to say, now that he has finished the Carousel books he would like to read more books like them — and asks for titles.

Now, I’m derned if I know of anything just exactly like the Carousel books — I was trying for a Certain Deliberate Effect, and I think I pretty much hit it (in case there was any doubt, I’m rather proud of the Carousel books).  I could offer a list of anti-Carousel books, by which I mean those books that the Carousel books were written to. . .refute.  But, with the exception of maybe deLint, sorta-sometimes, I’m coming up blank on the “if-you-liked-this-then-you’ll-like-that.”

So! for those who have read at least two of the Carousel books (those being, in order of publication and event: Carousel Tides, Carousel Sun, and Carousel Seas) — can you help a fellow reader out with authors/titles/subgenres?

Thanks!

Books read in 2014

36.  Good Omens, Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett
35.   Surely You’re Joking, Mr. Feynman!, Richard P. Feynman (as told to Ralph Leighton)
34.   A Brother’s Price, Wen Spencer (e)
33.   Spiral Path, Katharine Eliska Kimbriel (e)
32.   Earthly Delights, Kerry Greenwood (e)
31.   Night Broken, Patricia Briggs (e)
30.  Just My Type, Simon Garfield
29.  Bones of Faerie, Janni Lee Simner
28.  Dancer of the Sixth, Michelle Shirey Crean
27.  Tryst, Elswyth Thane (re-re-re-re-re-&c-read)
26.  The Night Circus, Erin Morgenstern
25.  The King of Attolia, Megan Whalen Turner
24.  The Queen of Attolia, Megan Whalen Turner
23.  The Thief, Megan Whalen Turner
22.  Cuckoo’s Egg, C.J. Cherryh (re-re-re-&c-read)
21.  The Windflower, Laura London (Tom and Sharon Curtis) (re-read)
20.  Sparrow Hill Road, Seanan McGuire (e)
19.  Demon’s Lexicon, Sarah Rees Brennan
18.  Refining Felicity, Marion Chesney
17.  Something Wicked This Way Comes, Ray Bradbury (re-read aloud w/Steve)
16. The Vanished Priestess, Meredith Blevins
15.  Nine Princes in Amber, Roger Zelazny (re-read aloud w/Steve)
14.  Code Name Verity, Elizabeth Wein
13.  Ghost Point, James A. Hetley, manuscript (read aloud w/Steve)
12.  Peacemaker, C.J. Cherryh (read aloud w/Steve)
11.  The Red Hot Empress, Meredith Blevins
10.  Hogfather, Terry Pratchett
9.  Black Widow: The Name of the Rose, Marjorie Liu, Daniel Acuna
8.  Agent of Change, Sharon Lee and Steve Miller (e)
7.  The Emperor’s Agent, Jo Graham (e)
6.  Eternity and a Day, Aline Hunter (e)
5.  Kindred Rites, Katharine Eliska Kimbriel (e)
4.  Billy the Kid, the Endless Ride, Michael Wallis
3.  The Steerswoman, Rosemary Kirstein (e)
2.  Uncovered, Jordan Matter
1.  Dancers Among Us, Jordan Matter