Author: Sharon

Memento Mori

It’s been a rough few days here at the interface between here and gone…

For those who have not heard the news elsewhere, Ann Crispin, who has been engaged in a long battle with cancer, is declining.  She says good-bye, here. There are links in this article to places where folks can leave messages for Ann.

I’ve known Ann for a buncha years; in addition to her writing, she worked tirelessly for SFWA, and, as part of Author Beware, to protect new and beginning authors from the many pitfalls set to snare them.

Edited to add:  Ann died today, September 6, 2013. 

On yet another home front, we here in Waterville have lost Bill Taylor to cancer.  In the years I knew him, Bill was the owner of the Framemakers in downtown Waterville.  He was a sweet man who was interested in just about everything, and I miss him already.  Bill’s obituary is here.

And — last one for now, I promise — we lost Fred Pohl early in the week.  He was 93, and had been during his 60-year career in science fiction, one of our most influential editors and writers.  Fred’s obituary is here.

. . .

Remember to hug the people you love, hey?  It’s a good day for it.

Madame the Editor asks a boon of the readers of Liad

Many thanks to everyone who sent Hevelin cites!  We have them all now, and Madame the Editor sends her gratitude!  You guys are great.

* * *

Advertent readers will have noticed that Dragon Ship bore a dual dedication — to Anne McCaffrey and to Rusty Hevelin.

While many, many readers knew Anne and/or her work, fewer people knew Rusty, who was an active and impish presence in the science fiction community for 70 years.  Yes, you read that right.  Seventy years.

I met Rusty when his hair was still red (here’s a picture from that era), at. . .CONfusion, I guess it was, in the late 1970s, and we’d run into him, in the way of con-going fandom, off and on over the years.  I think I last saw him to speak to at the Denver WorldCon in 2008, where he greeted me with, “Good to see you here!  Denvention THREE.  Who would have thought?”  (Here’s what he looked like, then.)

By reason of having been a member of the community for so many years, Rusty, of course, knew everybody.  And it was this aspect of him that Steve and I chose to celebrate when we created Hevelin the norbear for the Liaden Universe®.

Now, for the last several years of his life, Rusty made his home with Joe and Gay Haldeman, who are Personages in the sf community — and very nice people.  It is on behalf of the Haldemans that Madame the Editor asks her boon.

Madame would like to locate all of the sections in the Liaden books that feature Hevelin the norbear, in order to send them to the Haldemans.  I think this is lovely; I think they’ll be amused.  Hell, I think Rusty would have been amused.

I will appoint myself as gathering-point.  What I would like to ask, adding my plea to Madame’s is this:

If those who have the time would send to me, at rolanniATkorvalDOTcom, scenes in which Hevelin appears, I would very much appreciate it.

I will need the following information:

Title of Book (and if included in a omnibus edition)

Pages on which scene starts and ends (if paper) with a search phrase from the scene

Cut ‘n paste of the scene itself (if electronic)

. . .I’m thinking that Hevelin first appears in Mouse and Dragon, and has parts in Saltation, (possibly) Ghost Ship, and Dragon Ship.  Please note that we are at this time only interested in Hevelin; other norbears need not apply.

Thanks in advance for your help!

 

We have an entire book about Auks!*

So, in the month of August, I wrote two short stories.  Here are the opening lines of each:

The Gift of Music:
The ballroom and the concert halls paid best, but they wanted the Big Bands, and the big acts up from New York and Atlantic City.

The Wolf’s Bride:
The dogs of the village knew him; and he passed without challenge from forest edge to market street, walking with a predator’s sure, silent tread down the moss-lined way.

#

Yesterday, was an Official Day Off, in respect of my hands, which I had managed to offend.  I read Lord of Light for the first time in many years, and remain constant in my opinion that Creatures of Light and Darkness is, just barely, the superior novel.  Others may, of course, disagree.

Today, there is yoga, and grocery shopping, and various small chores, then the opening of the proposal file and the beginning of staring into the middle distance, contemplating Things Liaden.  I will probably also sign sheets of paper — but not too many sheets of paper, hands; I promise.

So!  What’re you doing today that’s fun and interesting?

——-

*Ref here (possibly not safe for work, not for content, but for loudness of laughter)

Books read in 2013

Lord of Light, Roger Zelazny (re-read)
Creatures of Light and Darkness, Roger Zelazny (re-read)
Ghost Bride, Yangsze Choo (e)
Ice Crown, Andre Norton (e)
Fair Coin, E.C. Myers (e)
Frost Burned, Patricia Briggs (e)
Through a Brazen Mirror, Delia Sherman
Protector, C.J. Cherryh (read aloud with Steve)
Eight Million Gods, Wen Spencer (e)
Promises to Keep, Laura Anne Gilman (e)
Miles to Go, Laura Anne Gilman (e)
Even Money, Dick Francis & Felix Francis
Magic Bites, Ilona Andrews
Sandman Slim, Richard Kadrey
The Diviners, Libba Bray (e)
The Eighth Succession, Don Sakers
You’re All Just Jealous of My Jetpack, Tom Gauld
Captain Vorpatril’s Alliance, Lois McMaster Bujold (e)
Hellspark, Janet Kagan (re-re-re-re-re-re-&c-read)
The Year of the Dog, Grace Lin
The Quantum Thief, Hannu Rajaniemi (e)
Let’s Pretend This Never Happened (a mostly true memoir), Jenny Lawson
How Dark the World Becomes, Frank Chadwick (e)
Shades of Milk and Honey, Mary Robinette Kowal
French Fried, Chris Dolley (e)
My Father’s Dragon, Ruth Stiles Gannett (read aloud w/Steve)
Fair Game, Patricia Briggs (e)
Nymph, Francesca Lia Block (read aloud w/Steve)
Oh, Myyy, George Takei (e)
Hunting Ground, Patricia Briggs (e)
Cry Wolf, Patriacia Briggs (e)
Alpha and Omega, Patricia Briggs (e)
Miss Buncle, Married, D.E. Stevenson (read aloud w/Steve)
Agatha Heterodyne and the Hammerless Bell, Phil & Kaja Foglio
Moonrise Kingdom screenplay, Wes Anderson & Roman Coppola (e)

In which the author goofs off

So!  Last night I finished “The Wolf’s Bride,” which, at 10,381 words, is officially  a novelette.  Such a cute word, novelette.  “The Gift of Magic,” by contrast, is a shortish short story, weighing in at 4,330 words. This means I wrote a grand total of 14,711 words in August.  Which means I’m a slacker.    It’s now September, my obligations to my characters are retired, and that little nip of fall in the air tells me it’s time to get to work.

So, in anticipation of getting right to work, we slept in this morning,  had a leisurely breakfast of fresh fruit with other things — in Steve’s case, Cheerios; in mine, yogurt with wheat germ — and then Did Things.  I have other Things still to Do, notably changing out the  old USB hub for one that (hopefully) works, signing lots and lots of pages, and doing the bookkeeping that sort of accumulated in a paper drift on the corner of my desk while I was playing with Cael.

Some day realsoonnow, I need to get Ox set up properly for the upcoming Road Trip, but I suspect that today is not that day.  However, I did buy him a wireless mouse yesterday, to make up for neglecting him.

I hear via Twitter from the redoubtable Mr. Standlee that Spokane has won the bid to host the 2015 WorldCon.  Here’s the link, in case you want to register, or volunteer.

Mr. Standlee also lets the world know that Detroit has won the bid to host the 2014 NASFiC (North American Science Fiction Convention).  Here’s that link.

Steve and I intend to be at both DetCon and Sasquan.  Hmmm.  I’m going to have to start seriously saving pennies.

In other, though not lesser, news, today is Scrabble’s declared eleventh birthday, the Shelter having supposed her to be one year old when she locked up for being an unsupervised juvenile on the streets.  She celebrated by performing a new dance, which I unfortunately did not photograph.  Let us just say that the choreography was both stunning and unique, which we have, of course, come to expect from an artist of Scrabble’s standing.

She has now retired to the hefalumps.  Celebratory ice cream is planned later, for Steve and I, with catnip for the Queen of the Day — and the silly fluffs, too.

Here, have a birthday picture:

Scrabble, celebrating
Scrabble, celebrating

Friday at the Confusion Factory

The on-signing check for the Audible edition of The Tomorrow Log arrived in the mail, and, between agency fees and taxes, we get to keep (just barely) more than half of it!  Go, us!

“The Wolf’s Bride” currently stands at 6,239 words.  Possibly, I can bring it in under 10,000 words — a novelette rather than a novella.  It’s possible that I may finish it today.  I would really like to finish it today, especially considering that it’s an extra, a favor to the character, and can’t be turned loose to be read anywhere until after Carousel Seas is published (nope, no pub date yet; watch the skies).

It was cool enough this morning that Mozart sought out his floofiest blanket, under my desk, and is presently snoring like a German Shepard.  Fall could start now, for all of me, but I see that we’re in for a couple days of warmish weather in the near future.  *sighs*

I’ve ordered in paper books — a collection of some of Bat Masterson’s columns about local colorful folk, all of them gunfighters; a biography of Doc Holliday, and another, of Billy the Kid.

I’m also looking to download some fiction to my tablet, since Steve and I will be on the road for a few days.  So!  Who’s read a good book lately?

Five things make a post

…the Buy All the Things! edition

1.  Have you remembered to purchase:
Moon’s Honor   |Kindle| |Nook|
Technical Details  |Kindle| |Nook|
Surfside |Kindle| |Nook|

2.  Have you cruised the Pinbeam Books eCatalog to make sure you have all available Lee and Miller, and Lee, and Miller eChapbooks?

3.  Have you preordered your signed edition of Liaden Universe® novel Trade Secret, the sequel to Balance of Trade from Uncle Hugo?

4.  Have you remembered to buy someone you love a present, just because?  Tying this into the theme — Books make wonderful presents!

5.  “The Wolf’s Bride” wants to be a novel.  Argh.

Books read in 2013

Creatures of Light and Darkness, Roger Zelazny (re-read)
Ghost Bride, Yangsze Choo (e)
Ice Crown, Andre Norton (e)
Fair Coin, E.C. Myers (e)
Frost Burned, Patricia Briggs (e)
Through a Brazen Mirror, Delia Sherman
Protector, C.J. Cherryh (read aloud with Steve)
Eight Million Gods, Wen Spencer (e)
Promises to Keep, Laura Anne Gilman (e)
Miles to Go, Laura Anne Gilman (e)
Even Money, Dick Francis & Felix Francis
Magic Bites, Ilona Andrews
Sandman Slim, Richard Kadrey
The Diviners, Libba Bray (e)
The Eighth Succession, Don Sakers
You’re All Just Jealous of My Jetpack, Tom Gauld
Captain Vorpatril’s Alliance, Lois McMaster Bujold (e)
Hellspark, Janet Kagan (re-re-re-re-re-re-&c-read)
The Year of the Dog, Grace Lin
The Quantum Thief, Hannu Rajaniemi (e)
Let’s Pretend This Never Happened (a mostly true memoir), Jenny Lawson
How Dark the World Becomes, Frank Chadwick (e)
Shades of Milk and Honey, Mary Robinette Kowal
French Fried, Chris Dolley (e)
My Father’s Dragon, Ruth Stiles Gannett (read aloud w/Steve)
Fair Game, Patricia Briggs (e)
Nymph, Francesca Lia Block (read aloud w/Steve)
Oh, Myyy, George Takei (e)
Hunting Ground, Patricia Briggs (e)
Cry Wolf, Patriacia Briggs (e)
Alpha and Omega, Patricia Briggs (e)
Miss Buncle, Married, D.E. Stevenson (read aloud w/Steve)
Agatha Heterodyne and the Hammerless Bell, Phil & Kaja Foglio
Moonrise Kingdom screenplay, Wes Anderson & Roman Coppola (e)

Regarding Carousel Sun

Asyouknowbob, Carousel Sun, the eagerly-awaited  sequel to 2010’s smash hit Carousel Tides, will be published in February 2014.

Now, asyouALSOknowbob, Carousel Sun will, like its prequel before it, be published as a trade paperback.  Which is perfectly fine; I like trade paperbacks.  Especially when they have my name on the front cover.  In fact, the only thing wrong with trade paperbacks is that they do not enjoy the “signed edition” status currently bestowed upon Baen hardcovers.  Doesn’t seem fair, somehow. I said as much to Don Blyly of Uncle Hugo’s, and —

He agreed.

So, here’s the deal.  Don and I are working on a way to provide those who want them with signed copies of Carousel Sun.

But that’s not all!  We’re trying to figure out a system that will allow me to personalize copies of Carousel Sun pre-ordered from Uncle Hugo’s (and only from Uncle Hugo’s).  Which, if we can pull it off, would be very cool indeed.

Watch this space for details.  This has been a Distant Early Warning; the pre-order page will in no case go up on Uncle Hugo’s website before mid-November.

. . .and there you have it.  Is that exciting or what?