Author: Sharon

Shout out for volunteers!

Are you — yes, you! — going to a convention, literary event, or are lucky enough to have a local bookstore or library that will accept promo items? If you are — the Liaden Universe® needs you!

I will soon need folks to take Ribbon Dance postcards out into the world and place them on freebie/promotional tables.

If you can take a few postcards in hand — please reply to this post with your name and address (I won‘t make those messages public, promise), and I’ll send you postcards just as soon as I can.

Spanish Aunts!

Smol Updatery

The WIPnovel broke 50,000 words last night, by a slim margin of 4 words.

This is, by the Letter of the Contract, Half A Book (not to be confused with Half a Bee).  For those coming in late, the Contract stipulates “a Liaden novel, of at least 100,000 words.”  In Reality, the three most recent novels — Fair Trade, Salvage Right, and Ribbon Dance — have all been in the +/-130,000 range.  So!  We’ll see what happens with WIPnovel.

I wish to note for the record, if there is one, that it is not raining today — it is sunny and warming — and that there’s a blue jay in the back yard swearing his fool head off.

 

Books read in 2024

19  Death in the Spires, KJ Charles (e)
18  What Cannot be Said, C.S. Harris (Sebastian St. Cyr #19) (e)
17  The Grief of Stones, Katherine Addison (e) (re-read)
16  Witness for the Dead, Katherine Addison  (e) (re-read)
15  The Goblin Emperor, Katherine Addison (e) (re-re-re-read)*
14  Hen Fever, Olivia Waite (e)
13  Unmasked by the Marquis, Cat Sebastian (e) ( re-read)
12  A Duke in Disguise, Cat Sebastian (e) (reread)
11  Heart of Stone, Johannes T. Evans (e)
10  West with the Night, Beryl Markham (e)
9   A Song to Drown Rivers, Ann Liang (e) (netgalley)
8   Bookstores and Bonedust, Travis Baldree (prequel) (e) (library)
7   We Could Be So Good, Cat Sebastian (e) (library)
6   Thorn Hedge, T. Kingfisher (e) (library)
5   Wild Seed, Octavia M. Butler (e) (library)
4   In Our Stars, Jack Campbell (Doomed Earth #1) (pre-pub) (e)
3   Legends and Lattes, Travis Baldree (e) (library)
2   Heart of the Sun Warrior, Sue Lynn Tan, (Celestial Kingdom #2) (e) (library)
1   This is How You Lose the Time War, Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone (e) (library)

_____
*… I think I may have lost track.  I do know I started several books, and put them aside, because I Just Couldn’t. I stress that it wasn’t Them, it was Me.  I don’t think I actually finished anything before I finally did manage to settle into a re-re-re-&C-read of The Goblin Emperor, so that’s where we’ll pick up the tally.

Sixty

At the risk of repeating myself — it’s raining.  To be fair, this is the first time that it’s rained in, oh, four or five days, and I find it exceedingly unfair that I was once again held hostage by back pain, and so missed being out in the beautiful weather.  Today, of course, my back feels fine.

As a result of on-going back problems, writing has slowed.  I did get some actual work done yesterday, and am hoping for the same today — and even tomorrow.

Unfortunately, the bouts of bad-backness have been messing with The Schedule, and The Schedule is kind of crucial to getting things done around here.  Say what you will about hobgoblins and tiny minds, Habit is a Force and, properly managed, even a Force for Good, in which Good equals keeping on keeping on.  So, will be trying to get back on Schedule, this weekend, as well.

Regarding those few fine days, I present to you — flowers!  from Maine.  The little blue ones are, appropriately enough, called glory-of-the-snow (reminding us that April snow in Maine isn’t all that unusual); and the tall soldier is my very first daffodil.

Books read in 2024

18  What Cannot be Said, C.S. Harris (Sebastian St. Cyr #19) (e)
17  The Grief of Stones, Katherine Addison (e) (re-read)
16  Witness for the Dead, Katherine Addison  (e) (re-read)
15  The Goblin Emperor, Katherine Addison (e) (re-re-re-read)*
14  Hen Fever, Olivia Waite (e)
13  Unmasked by the Marquis, Cat Sebastian (e) ( re-read)
12  A Duke in Disguise, Cat Sebastian (e) (reread)
11  Heart of Stone, Johannes T. Evans (e)
10  West with the Night, Beryl Markham (e)
9   A Song to Drown Rivers, Ann Liang (e) (netgalley)
8   Bookstores and Bonedust, Travis Baldree (prequel) (e) (library)
7   We Could Be So Good, Cat Sebastian (e) (library)
6   Thorn Hedge, T. Kingfisher (e) (library)
5   Wild Seed, Octavia M. Butler (e) (library)
4   In Our Stars, Jack Campbell (Doomed Earth #1) (pre-pub) (e)
3   Legends and Lattes, Travis Baldree (e) (library)
2   Heart of the Sun Warrior, Sue Lynn Tan, (Celestial Kingdom #2) (e) (library)
1   This is How You Lose the Time War, Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone (e) (library)

_____
*… I think I may have lost track.  I do know I started several books, and put them aside, because I Just Couldn’t. I stress that it wasn’t Them, it was Me.  I don’t think I actually finished anything before I finally did manage to settle into a re-re-re-&C-read of The Goblin Emperor, so that’s where we’ll pick up the tally.

Books read in 2024

17  The Grief of Stones, Katherine Addison (e) (re-read)
16  Witness for the Dead, Katherine Addison  (e) (re-read)
15  The Goblin Emperor, Katherine Addison (e) (re-re-re-read)*
14  Hen Fever, Olivia Waite (e)
13  Unmasked by the Marquis, Cat Sebastian (e) ( re-read)
12  A Duke in Disguise, Cat Sebastian (e) (reread)
11  Heart of Stone, Johannes T. Evans (e)
10  West with the Night, Beryl Markham (e)
9   A Song to Drown Rivers, Ann Liang (e) (netgalley)
8   Bookstores and Bonedust, Travis Baldree (prequel) (e) (library)
7   We Could Be So Good, Cat Sebastian (e) (library)
6   Thorn Hedge, T. Kingfisher (e) (library)
5   Wild Seed, Octavia M. Butler (e) (library)
4   In Our Stars, Jack Campbell (Doomed Earth #1) (pre-pub) (e)
3   Legends and Lattes, Travis Baldree (e) (library)
2   Heart of the Sun Warrior, Sue Lynn Tan, (Celestial Kingdom #2) (e) (library)
1   This is How You Lose the Time War, Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone (e) (library)

_____
*… I think I may have lost track.  I do know I started several books, and put them aside, because I Just Couldn’t. I stress that it wasn’t Them, it was Me.  I don’t think I actually finished anything before I finally did manage to settle into a re-re-re-&C-read of The Goblin Emperor, so that’s where we’ll pick up the tally.

Boosting the Signal: Baen Books eligible for the Dragon Awards

The below is from Baen Books, reproduced in its entirety.

For those who read here for news of Things Liaden — yes, both Salvage Right and Ribbon Dance, the novels, are eligible this year, as well as the cover art for both books.

Honestly, I can’t choose between the cover art for Salvage Right and Ribbon Dance, so good luck with that.

For those interested in the Dragon Award Rules, go here

Without further comment — here’s Baen:

Dear readers,

The following is a comprehensive list of our eligible titles for the 2024 Dragon Awards. They are listed in publication order, except for the cover artists. They are listed alphabetically by artist with the books they illustrated.

Science Fiction
“Salvage Right” by Sharon Lee & Steve Miller
“Endangered Species” by Charles E. Gannon
“House of Rough Diamonds” by Jane Lindskold
“The Silent Hand” by Michael Mersault
“Through the Storm” by John Ringo & Lydia Sherrer
“The Dyson File” by Jacob Holo
“The Icarus Twin” by Timothy Zahn
“Light of the Veil” by Richard Fox
“Protected Species” by Charles E. Gannon
“Threading the Needle” by Monalisa Foster
“Among the Gray Lords” by D. J. Butler
“Beggar’s Sky” by Wil McCarthy
“Beyond Enemies” by Marisa Wolf
“The Icarus Job” by Timothy Zahn
“Interstellar Medic: The Long Run” by Patrick Chiles
“Toll of Honor” by David Weber
“Disquiet Gods” by Christopher Ruocchio
“Admiral and Commander” by Charles E. Gannon & Chris Kennedy
“Beyond the Ranges” by John Ringo with James Aidee
“The Thermopylae Protocol” by David Weber & Jacob Holo
“Ribbon Dance” by Sharon Lee & Steve Miller

Fantasy
“Lord of a Shattered Land” by Howard Andrew Jones
“The City of Marble and Blood” by Howard Andrew Jones
“Monster Hunter Memoirs: Fever” by Larry Correia & Jason Cordova
“My Brother’s Keeper” by Tim Powers
“The Eccentrics” by Tim Akers

Alternate History
“1638: The Sovereign States” by Eric Flint, Gorg Huff, & Paula Goodlett
“Dirty Water” by Tom Kratman
“An Angel Called Peterbilt” by Eric Flint, Gorg Huff, & Paula Goodlett

Horror
“Hyde & Seek” by Simon R. Green

Best Illustrative Book Cover
Bob Eggleton, Beyond the Ranges

Marianne Plumridge Eggleton, Interstellar Medic: The Long Run

Dominic Harman, Light of the Veil
Dominic Harman, Threading the Needle
Dominic Harman, Down These Mean Streets

Sam R. Kennedy, The Silent Hand
Sam R. Kennedy, Beyond Enemies

Tom Kidd, 1638: The Sovereign States
Tom Kidd, House of Rough Diamonds
Tom Kidd, An Angel Called Peterbilt

Todd Lockwood, Hyde & Seek
Todd Lockwood, The Eccentrics

David Mattingly, Salvage Right
David Mattingly, Toll of Honor
David Mattingly, Ribbon Dance

Kurt Miller, Endangered Species
Kurt Miller, Very Important Corpses
Kurt Miller, Through the Storm
Kurt Miller, The Dyson File
Kurt Miller, Protected Species
Kurt Miller, Weird World War: China
Kurt Miller, United We Stand
Kurt Miller, Admiral and Commander
Kurt Miller, The Thermopylae Protocol
Kurt Miller, Tales from the United States Space Force

Alan Pollack, They’re Here!
Alan Pollack, Monster Hunter Memoirs: Fever

Dave Seeley, Lord of a Shattered Land
Dave Seeley, The City of Marble and Blood
Dave Seeley, The Icarus Twin
Dave Seeley, Beggar’s Sky
Dave Seeley, The Icarus Job

Eric Williams, My Brother’s Keeper

Kieran Yanner, Between Princesses and Other Jobs
Kieran Yanner, Dirty Water
Kieran Yanner, Among the Gray Lords
Kieran Yanner, Disquiet Gods

Forty-two

So, it’s raining, as it has been for the last few days.  For a couple of those days, I had back spasms and was therefore zoned out on muscle relaxants and pain killers, which you’d think would make some things easier, but — didn’t.

I’m finding the wind and the rain unsettling, which is something of an about-face.  I used to love wild weather.  Well.  Perhaps that’s something for young people, who may not be overly worried about trees, or wires, coming down.

I was born during a hurricane, as my father told me, so maybe I had a predisposition, or even a kinship.  I used to race the wind — at first running; later in my car.  I grew up in Baltimore, which was a thunderstorm-rich area.  I loved the smell of ozone, and would stand outside to watch the lightning crackle across the sky.

The weather in Central Maine doesn’t tend toward violent thunderstorms.  We get your nor’easters — wind and snow; wind and rain; your occasional sou’easter.  Hurricanes, ayuh, we get those, too.  And I find that I’m not a wind-junkie anymore, and that makes me sad.

In other news, I’m writing, slowly, and trying to stay on-topic.  It’s so very weird, not to print out the pages and leave them on the dining room table for Steve to read.  Instead, I print out what I wrote every evening, so I can read it over my  breakfast — that works, pretty much.  The worst part is when, mid-writing, I’ll ask myself, “And why are we doing this, exactly?” — it kind of derails the process.

Still, work is going forward, and I’ll take progress.

Below, proof of coon cats being on the case.

 

 

Looking for something to read? Of course you are

This just in!

Chicks in Tank Tops, edited by Jason Cordova, including a whole buncha stories by a whole buncha swell writers, including Esther Friesner, Joelle Presby, David Drake, Jody Lynn Nye, Lee & Miller, and more! is now available as an audiobook.  Here’s your link.

And as if that weren’t exciting enough, you may now preorder from your favorite vendor, Last Train Outta Kepler 283C, edited by David Boop.  Check out the table of contents:

David Boop, Introduction
Kevin Ikenberry, Time Marches On
Sharon Lee & Steve Miller, Last Train to Clarkesville
Kelli Fitzpatrick, The Rogue Tractor of Sunshine Gulch
David Mack, Living by the Sword
M. Tod Gallowglas, The Ballad of the Junk Heap Man and Mistress Bullet
Dr. Chesya Burke, This World Belongs to Monsters
John Stith, Jasper and the Mare
D.J. Butler, Support Your Local Audit Chief
Lezli Robyn, Grace Under Fire
Christopher Smith, Last Transport to Kepler-283c
David Afsharirad, The Double R Bar Ranch On Alpha Centuri 5
Mel Todd, Not My Problem
Mark L. Van Name, Enjoy Every Sandwich

Here’s the Amazon preorder link

Books read in 2024

16  Witness for the Dead, Katherine Addison  (e) (re-read)
15  The Goblin Emperor, Katherine Addison (e) (re-re-re-read)*
14  Hen Fever, Olivia Waite (e)
13  Unmasked by the Marquis, Cat Sebastian (e) ( re-read)
12  A Duke in Disguise, Cat Sebastian (e) (reread)
11  Heart of Stone, Johannes T. Evans (e)
10  West with the Night, Beryl Markham (e)
9   A Song to Drown Rivers, Ann Liang (e) (netgalley)
8   Bookstores and Bonedust, Travis Baldree (prequel) (e) (library)
7   We Could Be So Good, Cat Sebastian (e) (library)
6   Thorn Hedge, T. Kingfisher (e) (library)
5   Wild Seed, Octavia M. Butler (e) (library)
4   In Our Stars, Jack Campbell (Doomed Earth #1) (pre-pub) (e)
3   Legends and Lattes, Travis Baldree (e) (library)
2   Heart of the Sun Warrior, Sue Lynn Tan, (Celestial Kingdom #2) (e) (library)
1   This is How You Lose the Time War, Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone (e) (library)

_____
*… I think I may have lost track.  I do know I started several books, and put them aside, because I Just Couldn’t. I stress that it wasn’t Them, it was Me.  I don’t think I actually finished anything before I finally did manage to settle into a re-re-re-&C-read of The Goblin Emperor, so that’s where we’ll pick up the tally.