Author: Sharon

Contest Over!

Thanks to everyone who told the story of their First Contact with the Liaden Universe®. The topic — HERE — is still open to those who want to tell their stories, but the contest is now closed.

The recipients of the five free Trade Secret audiobooks graciously supplied by Audible, will be chosen from among those who commented before the midnight, Friday, December 6, deadline.

Watch Welcome to Liad to find out if you’re one of the lucky winners, and for instructions on how to claim your prize.

Steve and Sharon

Books read in 2013

46. Newt’s Emerald, Garth Nix (e)
45. Ancillary Justice, Ann Leckie
44. Slave to Sensation, Nalini Singh (e)
43. The Rook: A Novel, Daniel O’Malley (e)
42. And All the Stars, Andrea Host (e)
41. Above, Leah Bobet (e)
40. Night Calls, Katharine Eliska Kimbriel (e)
39. Wild Ride, Jennifer Crusie and Bob Mayer (e)
38. 2012: Midnight at the Spanish Garden, Alma Alexander (e)
37. The Hummingbird Wizard, Meredith Blevins (e)
36. Famous Gunfighters of the Western Frontier, W.B. (Bat) Masterson
35. Lord of Light, Roger Zelazny (re-read)
34. Creatures of Light and Darkness, Roger Zelazny (re-read)
33. Ghost Bride, Yangsze Choo (e)
32. Ice Crown, Andre Norton (e)
31. Fair Coin, E.C. Myers (e)
30. Frost Burned, Patricia Briggs (e)
29. Through a Brazen Mirror, Delia Sherman
28. Protector, C.J. Cherryh (read aloud with Steve)
27. Eight Million Gods, Wen Spencer (e)
26. Promises to Keep, Laura Anne Gilman (e)
25. Miles to Go, Laura Anne Gilman (e)
24. Even Money, Dick Francis & Felix Francis
23. Magic Bites, Ilona Andrews
22. Sandman Slim, Richard Kadrey
21. The Diviners, Libba Bray (e)
20. The Eighth Succession, Don Sakers
19. You’re All Just Jealous of My Jetpack, Tom Gauld
18. Captain Vorpatril’s Alliance, Lois McMaster Bujold (e)
17. Hellspark, Janet Kagan (re-re-re-re-re-re-&c-read)
16. The Year of the Dog, Grace Lin
15. The Quantum Thief, Hannu Rajaniemi (e)
14. Let’s Pretend This Never Happened (a mostly true memoir), Jenny Lawson
13. How Dark the World Becomes, Frank Chadwick (e)
12. Shades of Milk and Honey, Mary Robinette Kowal
11. French Fried, Chris Dolley (e)
10. My Father’s Dragon, Ruth Stiles Gannett (read aloud w/Steve)
9. air Game, Patricia Briggs (e)
8. Nymph, Francesca Lia Block (read aloud w/Steve)
7. Oh, Myyy, George Takei (e)
6. Hunting Ground, Patricia Briggs (e)
5. Cry Wolf, Patricia Briggs (e)
4. Alpha and Omega, Patricia Briggs (e)
3. Miss Buncle, Married, D.E. Stevenson (read aloud w/Steve)
2. Agatha Heterodyne and the Hammerless Bell, Phil & Kaja Foglio
1. Moonrise Kingdom screenplay, Wes Anderson & Roman Coppola (e)

ppola (e)

Tell us your first contact story

Nearly 100 intrepid explorers of time and space have already told us how and when they first contacted the Liaden Universe®.  It makes for fascinating reading, so go over here and read!  And while you’re there?  Why not add your own story, for a chance to read one of five! free! audiobook editions of the latest Liaden novel, Trade Secret, courtesy of Audible.

Entries are open until midnight Eastern Time, Friday, December 6, 2013 (that’s this Friday!), so put on your raconteur hat and tell us a story!

 

The Tomorrow Log

The Tomorrow Log, by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller, was released only! hours! ago! as an audiobook.  Here’s the link.

And, here’s the synopsis:

Meanwhile, on another side of the Universe. . .Meet Gem ser Edreth, a wizard with electronics — and a freelance thief. Deliberately solitary, unencumbered by family or friends, he immerses himself in his profession, rising to a pinnacle of skill so exalted that the planetary crime boss seeks him out with a commission to steal.

 Refusing the commission is his first mistake.

 Gem’s hidden past proves an unexpected liability and his plans to leave the planet go catastrophically awry. Suddenly embroiled in interplanetary politics, a potential interstellar war, and in possession of an ancient object of power and an unwanted cousin, Gem discovers that the mysterious Witness for the Telios may hold the key to his salvation — or his undoing.

 

Five Things Make a Post

1.  You have ONLY until midnight, Eastern Time, on Friday, December 6 to enter to win one of five FREE audio editions of Trade Secret.  The contest rules and entry portal are here. We’re getting some really interesting anecdotes over there — go ahead and add yours.

2.  You have until midnight, Central Time, on Tuesday, December 31, to order a signed and personalized copy of the upcoming trade paper release of Carousel Sun, from Uncle Hugo’s SF Bookstore.  Particulars here.

3.  The eARC of Carousel Sun is now available, in every format known to Man or Turtle directly from Baen.  Here’s the link.

4.  Been meaning to get someone hooked on the Liaden Universe®?  Remember that Agent of Change and Fledgling are available as free downloads, direct from Baen, as well as from Amazon, BN, iTunes, and other venues too numerous to mention.

5.  Several folks have contacted me, asking for the best address to which to send seasonal greetings.   Steve and I, and the cats, are pleased to receive mail at PO Box 1586, Waterville ME 04903-1586.  Thank you for asking.

 

Win a free Liaden Universe® audiobook!

In honor of Trade Secret, and the 25th Year of the Liaden Universe®, Sharon Lee and Steve Miller are, with the connivance of Audible.com, hosting a contest.  You — yes, YOU, could win one of five free Trade Secret audiobooks!

The rules are here.

NOTE:  Only entries that are appended to the post above, on korval.com will be counted.  And?  You only have through midnight Eastern US time, on Friday, December 6, 2013 to enter.

OK?

Gentlefolk, start your motors!

Here’s the link to the contest again.

#SFWAPro

A Portrait of the Princess

It’s still snowing here at the Cat Farm and Confusion Factory.  I’ve been doing Boring But Necessary work — balancing the checkbook, updating links, and whatnot.  I’m thinking this afternoon belongs to the Yule cards — to get them off my desk, if for no other reason.  Then I have to figure out who to call at the ACA because the Promised Specialist hasn’t called, and hisorher time is up.  That’s probably for tomorrow — after I get the Yule cards off of the top of the file.

I want to assure everyone that I have not been undertaking the BBN work alone.  I have had supervision:

Princess Sprite in her fortress. Photo by Sharon Lee
Princess Sprite in her fortress.
Photo by Sharon Lee

And, yanno?  Now looks like a good time to take a break and shovel some snow.

* * *

Progress on One of Five
13,321/100,000 words OR 13.32% Complete

But, there. Quin was. . .mostly. . .quite sensible, wasn’t he? And didn’t he, regardless, spend time better used for reading, or for exercising, threading beads along wires and chains? Indeed, some of his creations were quite pretty, and could at least be given as gifts, and worn. There was some cachet, too, in the wearing of a handmade jewel; even if the stones were semi-precious, at best.

Liaden Universe® InfoDump Number 103

*SIGNED AND PERSONALIZED CAROUSEL SUN AVAILABLE FOR PRE-ORDER*
The following message from the Uncle has just arrived:

/We’ve arranged for our order of Carousel Sun by Sharon Lee (sequel to Carousel Tide) to be shipped from the bindery to the author for signature and then shipped on to us. If you pre-order a copy before the end of December and request a personalization as well as a signature, we’ll try to arrange it. The book won’t be shipped until around the end of January or beginning of February, and you can continue to order a signed copy until we’re sold out. But if you wait until January to order a copy, you won’t get a personalized copy. (Yes, we still have signed hardcover copies of the last 2 Liaden Universe® novels by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller.) The link to all the signed Lee & Miller stuff is on the Browse Our New Books page./
/Best regards,/
/Don Blyly/
/Uncle Hugo’s Science Fiction Bookstore/

*Here’s the bullet-point version:*

1. You may now pre-order a signed copy of /Carousel Sun/ from Uncle Hugo’s Bookstore via this link: http://www.unclehugo.com/prod/ah-lee-miller.php
<http://www.unclehugo.com/prod/ah-lee-miller.php>

2. You may also, for a limited time, have your pre-ordered signed book *PERSONALIZED.* “Personalized” means you ask the author to write something special on the title page //in addition to// their name. These can be as simple as, “To Marge,” and as complex as “To Marge in memory of that night in Seattle.” Fair Warning: As the Signing Author, Sharon reserves the right //not// to inscribe a book with a personalization she finds to be, in her sole judgment: (1) offensive, (2) too long, (3) anything else. In such cases, she will sign your book — period. You will use the Special Instructions box on the order form to write out your personalization — /PLEASE CHECK YOUR SPELLING/, because Sharon is going to assume that you’ve typed it out /exactly/ as you want it.

3. **THERE IS A DEADLINE INVOLVED** if you want your pre-ordered signed copy of /Carousel Sun/ **personalized**. That deadline is *DECEMBER 31, 2013*. So you need to do this now.

4. There will only be a limited number of signed copies of /Carousel Sun/ available, they will only be available through Uncle Hugo’s SF Bookstore in Minneapolis. The exact number of signed copies available depends upon how many are pre-ordered. So, sooner is better than later to order, if you want a signed copy.

5.HERE’S THE LINK AGAIN: http://www.unclehugo.com/prod/ah-lee-miller.php

6. The Uncle is doing me — and you! — a pretty substantial favor here, so please be courteous. And while you’re at the Lee-and-Miller book page that the link above leads to, take a few minutes to look around.

Thank you for your interest and support.

*TRADE SECRET HITS A DOUBLE*
Newest Liaden Universe(R) novel Trade Secret hit the Bookscan Bestseller List for Science Fiction at Number 6 (the unsigned edition) AND Number 30 (the signed edition)!

Thanks to *EVERYONE* who made this possible!

*MORE CAROUSEL SUN NEWS!*

The trade paper edition of /Carousel Sun/ will be published on February 4, 2014. I have heard a rumor that there will be an Audible edition, out at about the same time.

The eBook edition of /Carousel Sun/ will be available a few weeks ahead of the paper publication.

The eARC of /Carousel Sun/ is available directly from Baen. . .RIGHT NOW. Here’s the link: http://www.baenebooks.com/p-2229-carousel-sun-earc.aspx

*BOOKS MAKE WONDERFUL PRESENTS: THE YULE 2013 EDITION*
Remember, Lee and Miller, and Lee, novels are available in:
Paper Editions! at your favorite bookstore
Electronic Editions! direct from Baen in the format of your choice, from BN, Amazon, iTunes, Blio and others
Audio Editions! direct from Audible.com

And! Lee and Miller eChapbooks are available from Pinbeam Books: http://www.pinbeambooks.com

Also? If someone in your life has not yet encountered the Liaden Universe(R) — Steve, Sharon, and Baen want to give them a present! electronic editions of AGENT OF CHANGE and of FLEDGLING — FREE! The free editions may be downloaded from Baen, in the format of choice, and from BN, Amazon, iTunes, Blio, and others.

*/THE TOMORROW LOG/ COMING FROM AUDIBLE!*

Lee and Miller’s /The Tomorrow Log/ will be available from Audible.com on December 3, 2013 (/that’s Tuesday!/), narrated By Kevin T. Collins.

*WHERE IN THE WORLD ARE LEE AND MILLER?*

Steve and Sharon will be attending the following conventions, as panelists:

*Boskone 51* (http://www.nesfa.org/boskone/), February 14-16, 2014, Boston MA
*DetCon 1* (http://detcon1.org/), the North American Science Fiction Convention (NASFiC), July 17-20, Detroit MI

**PUBLICATION SCHEDULE**

The *publication schedule* (aka When Things Are Available for Purchase/Reading) now looks like this:

*November 2013*: /Trade Secret/ hardcover, ebook, and audiobook
*December 3, 2013*: /The Tomorrow Log/ audiobook
*January 2014*: /A Liaden Universe® Constellation Volume 2 /tradepaper
*January 15, 2014*: “The Gift of Music,” free short story, Baen website
*February 2014*: /Carousel Sun/ tradepaper, ebook (audiobook?)
*March 2014*: /Necessity’s Child/ mmp
*January 2015*: /Carousel Seas /tradepaper, ebook

Here is the *delivery schedule* for the next five Liaden Universe® novels (aka the date that each novel is due in Madame the Editor’s hands):

*May 15, 2014*: First of Five
*February 15, 2015*: Second of Five
*November 15, 2015*: Third of Five
*August 15, 2016*: Fourth of Five
*May 15, 2017*: Fifth of Five

Blogs and Other Webly Things of Note
Theo_Waitley is the discussion group for readers of Fledgling and Saltation: http://community.livejournal.com/theo_waitley/
Where Dragons Rest: http://community.livejournal.com/liaden_readers/
Steve Miller’s blog, Journeyman: http://kinzel.livejournal.com/
Sharon Lee’s blog, Eagles over the Kennebec: http://rolanni.livejournal.com/
Sharon Lee’s “Professional” blog: http://sharonleewriter.com
Splinter Universe Discussion List: http://splinterverse.livejournal.com

*Facebook Connections — please feel free to add us!*
http://facebook.com/kinzel — Steve Miller
http://facebook.com/rolanni — Sharon Lee

Pinbeam Books: http://www.pinbeambooks.com an online catalog, with vendor links, to all Lee-and-Miller eChapbooks
Splinter Universe: http://www.splinteruniverse.com features outtakes, splinters, and oddities from the Lee&Miller writing career, currently changes irregularly.
Welcome to Liad — The official homepage for Liaden Universe® news — http://www.korval.com
The Hyperspatial Boardwalk Shop: T-shirts, mugs, more! — http://www.cafepress.com/hyperspatial

Liaden Interest Groups on Facebook
Clan Korval: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=38719490864&ref=ts
Friends of Liad: http://www.facebook.com/home.php?ref=home#/group.php?gid=16280839259&ref=ts
Flaran chamenthi: http://www.facebook.com/home.php?ref=home#/group.php?gid=2213414696&ref=ts

Twitter
Steve’s on Twitter: http://twitter.com/bechimo
Sharon’s on Twitter, too: http://twitter.com/ClanKorval
Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/rolanni/

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: http://www.fireopal.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/liadenuniversenews

To-Do, with Snow

If it’s December in Maine, it must be snowing, right?

And it is!  Snowing, that is.  Accumulations of 1-3 inches, say the Weatherbeans, which is, yanno, more of a Practice Snow.

So, today, I have a to-do list, which I fear I will not accomplish fully, but it’s good to have goals, right?

I will say that throwing One’s “outline” away was the right thing to do; I’m now back up to 1,000 words a day, from a grind of 500 or less.  Realsoonnow, I need to get back on the 2,000+ word-a-day diet, but right now I’m just happy that the characters have come back from lunch break.  Also, I got to write a Very Cool Scene, so it’s all good.

Steve and I braved the crowds yesterday to hit the grocery store, in anticipation of today’s promised snow, and, while we were out, we visited TJ Maxx.  There we purchased an AM/FM/CD/MP3 stereo clock radio, which will shortly be placed in the living room and, in beautiful theory, give the general household access to music, an access we lost when the last CD stereo blew out.  As much as we like music in this house, you’d’ve thought we would have done something about it before now, but apparently some things Take Time.

Anyway, today’s task list looks kinda like this:

1.  Write and publish InfoDump #103
2.  Address Yule cards
3.  Perform various Necessary Services for Felinekind
4.  Laundry
5.  Write the next scene
6. Update the side links at Eagles Over the Kennebec
7.  Dishes?  Nah, all of us know that ain’t happening today  Surprise!

Hope everybody had a lovely Thanksgiving/Thursday and a relaxing weekend.

* * *

Progress on One of Five
12,392/100,000 words OR 12.39% COMPLETED

“Shocking,” Father murmured, his silver eyes half-closed. “But tell me how you will turn this sad situation to your hand.”

Pre-order *Personalized* copies of Carousel Sun

The following message from the Uncle has just arrived:

We’ve arranged for our order of Carousel Sun by Sharon Lee (sequel to Carousel Tide) to be shipped from the bindery to the author for signature and then shipped on to us.  If you pre-order a copy before the end of December and request a personalization as well as a signature, we’ll try to arrange it.  The book won’t be shipped until around the end of January or beginning of February, and you can continue to order a signed copy until we’re sold out.  But if you wait until January to order a copy, you won’t get a personalized copy.  (Yes, we still have signed hardcover copies of the last 2 Liaden Universe® novels by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller.)  The link to all the signed Lee & Miller stuff is on the Browse Our New Books page.
Best regards,
Don Blyly
Uncle Hugo’s Science Fiction Bookstore

Here’s the bullet-point version:

* You may now pre-order a signed copy of Carousel Sun from Uncle Hugo’s Bookstore via this link

*You may also, for a limited time, have your pre-ordered signed book personalized.  “Personalized” means you ask the author to write something special on the title page in addition to their name.  These can be as simple as, “To Marge,” and as complex as “To Marge in memory of that night in Seattle.”  Fair Warning: I, as the Signing Author reserve the right not to inscribe a book with a personalization I find to be, in my sole judgment:  (1) offensive, (2) too long, (3) anything else.  You will use the Special Instructions box on the order form to write out your personalization — Please check your spelling, ’cause I’m going to assume that you’ve typed it out exactly as you want it.

*There is a deadline involved if you want your pre-ordered signed copy of Carousel Sun personalized.  That deadline is December 31, 2013.  So you need to do this now.

*There will only be a limited number of signed copies of Carousel Sun available, they will only be available through Uncle Hugo’s SF Bookstore in Minneapolis.  The exact number of signed copies available depends upon how many are pre-ordered.  So, sooner is better than later to order, if you want a signed copy.

*Here’s the link again.

*The Uncle is doing me — and you! — a pretty substantial favor here, so please be courteous.  And while you’re at the Lee-and-Miller book page that the link above leads to, take a few minutes to look around.

Thanks very much for  your interest and support.