Blog Without A Name

Books read in 2020

40 Trouble in Triplicate, Rex Stout (e)
39 The Outlaws of Sherwood, Robin McKinley (e)
38 Agnes and the Hitman, Jennifer Crusie and Bob Mayer (re-read aloud w/Steve, because Steve had a Notion about alligators, specifically Moot; the Talmadge Bridge, and Savannah in general)
37 Warprize, Elizabeth Vaughan (e)
36 Who Speaks for the Damned, C.S. Harris
35 Don’t Look Down, Jennifer Crusie and Bob Mayer (read aloud w/Steve)
34 Blood and Circuses, Kerry Greenwood
33 The Cat Who Came to Breakfast, Lilian Jackson Braun (Steve read to me)
32 One Fell Sweep, Ilona Andrews (e)
31 Sweep in Peace, Ilona Andrews (e)
30 Clean Sweep, Ilona Andrews (e)
29 Getting Rid of Bradley, Jennifer Crusie (e)
28 Raven Heart, Murphy Lawless (e)
27 Iron Kissed, Patricia Briggs (re-read)
26 The Cat Who Said Cheese, Lilian Jackson Braun (Steve read to me)
25 Blood Bound, Patricia Briggs (re-read)
24 Moon Called, Patricia Briggs (re-re-read)
23 War for the Oaks, Emma Bull (re-re-re-re-&c read)
22 The Widow of Rose House, Diana Bill (e)
21 False Value, Ben Aaronovitch
20 Charity Girl, Georgette Heyer (read aloud w/Steve re-read for both)
19 Minor Mage, T. Kingfisher (e)
18 The Green Mill Murder, Kerry Greenwood
17 Tell Me Lies, Jennifer Crusie (read aloud with Steve)
16 Murder at the Brightwell, Ashley Weaver
15 Crazy for You, Jennifer Crusie (read aloud with Steve)
14 A Conspiracy of Kings, Megan Whalen Turner
13 The Thief, Megan Whalen Turner (re-read)
12 Ocean Light, Nalini Singh (read aloud with Steve)
11 Nerdy, Shy, and Socially Inappropriate, Cynthia Kim
10 Witches Abroad, Terry Pratchett (read aloud with Steve)
9  The Kiss Quotient, Helen Hoang (e)
8  Fall into Spring, Amy Lane (e)
7  Resurgence, C.J. Cherryh (read aloud with Steve)
6  2K to 10K: Writing Faster, Writing Better…, Rachel Aaron (e)
5  Unmasked by the Marquess, Cat Sebastian (e)
4  Jimmy the Kid, Donald E. Westlake (e)
3  Wanted, A Gentleman, KJ Charles (e) (read aloud with Steve)
2  The Book of Atrix Wolfe, Patricia McKillip (e) (re-read)
1  Proper English, KJ Charles (e)

Tshirt Update

Tshirt Commentary.

I just got off the phone with Barb at Offworld Designs. She says that, so far, you guys have ordered dern near 150 tshirts, and she wants to thank you all, very much, for your enthusiasm, and your support.

As some of you may know, Offworld Designs does a bunch of their business through science fiction conventions, which, like everything else, have been cancelled for these months, so the work is very welcome.

Keep up the good work, y’all. And thank you.

Here is the tshirt link, for those who might need it.

https://www.offworlddesigns.com/liaden-universe-t-shirts-mugs?sort=newest

I DARE Liaden Tshirts available for preorder NOW!

Sharon Lee and Steve Miller, working in partnership with Offworld Designs, offers for preorder, starting right now, a new edition of the classic Liaden Universe® tshirt.

For those who want to order NOW, here’s your link.

Continuing, for those who want the Rest of the Story…

The short sleeved shirts are offered in unisex (men) and women’s styles, in your choice of black shirt with pink message, or pink shirt with black message.  In addition, in reply to popular demand, we are also offering a long-sleeve black tee with pink message.

The first Liaden Universe® tshirts were offered to fans by the authors in 1997.  Since then, there have been several runs of tshirts, each with a different slogan.  The tshirt previous to this one — DRAGON IN EXILE — was licensed in 2015, by Offworld Designs.

There is a Story behind this new tshirt, which I posted on Facebook barely three days ago, and which is reproduced below.

So, I was getting dressed this morning, and, since today’s adventures encompass me going to the pharmacy to pick up my new drugs and old, I said to myself, said I, “Self, you need something to coordinate with your face mask. How about! an I DARE tshirt?”

I went to the tshirt drawer, but of course I don’t have an I DARE tshirt, I have a DRAGON IN EXILE shirt — which is, don’t get me wrong, an EXCELLENT shirt. But I really wanted and I DARE shirt, and I figure to want an I DARE shirt for several weeks in the future.

And then I thought — it should be pink.

Um. I looked at that for a long while, trying to figure out where it had come from, and as I was doing that I was putting on my rings and my stylish new silicon bracelet that says NO IV/BP/NEEDLES THIS ARM, which is ALSO pink, for everyday wear, though I do have a black one, for formal occasions.

SO, for those of you who are with me so far, and before I pitch it to the long-suffering folks at Offworld Designs, here is The Question.

IS THERE ANY INTEREST IN AN I DARE TSHIRT, FEATURING THE TREE-AND-DRAGON ON THE FRONT, CHOICE OF COLORS BLACK OR PINK?

The answer to the above question was a resounding YES! and here we are.

Here’s the link to preorder your shirt-or-shirts.

Liaden Universe® Awards and Honors

So, I’m updating the List of Honors received by the Liaden books, because with one thing and another thing, and that thing over there, dammit — I’d gotten behind on recordkeeping.

Over 300,000 Liaden books in print — this was in April last year, but the best number I have.

13 National Bestsellers:
Liaden Universe® Constellation Volume I
Liaden Universe® Constellation Volume II
Liaden Universe® Constellation Volume III
Ghost Ship
Necessity’s Child
Trade Secret
Dragon Ship
Dragon in Exile
Neogenesis
Mouse and Dragon
Agent of Change
The Gathering Edge
Accepting the Lance

One USA Today Bestseller: Saltation

22 Locus Bestsellers — that’s 22 titles, not weeks on the list

Awards
Balance of Trade, Hal Clement Award 2005
Scout’s Progress, Prism Award #1 2002
Local Custom, Prism Award #2 2002
Scout’s Progress Romantic Times Reviewers Choice, Best Science Fiction novel of 2002

Nebula Award Nominee: “Changeling”

Lee & Miller joint recipients of the Skylark Award, February 2012

Well, there. Busy little universe, ain’t it?

The long view on Saturday Cove

So, yesterday. . .

Yesterday was Saturday.  In addition, it was sunny, and warm, and, yeah, a little  breezy, but with a welcome lack of winter tooth.  A pre-spring breeze, in fact.

Friday morning, I had gone out into the world — aka to two places which were not hospitals (the pharmacy and the post office, and yes, I was wearing a mask) — and had noticed that Skylark the Subaru was just a tad reluctant to start.  I mentioned this to Steve, who mentioned that Saturday was looking good for us to Do Our Duty by our Vehicle, and take it out for a battery-reviving ride.

Which is what we did.  We picked a target — Lincolnville Beach in Ducktrap (or, if you prefer, Lincolnville) — and a route — over Pleasant View Ridge in China, which afforded a tremendous view of Mount Washington, as well as Sugarloaf, and — it was just the White Mountains and the Appalachians, as far as the eye could see.

Anyhow, we were motoring along quite contentedly, enjoying ourselves and the sun, and remarking on how many branches the winter had shaken out of the trees, and everything was going well, until. . .

We made a Fatal Error.

We stopped for gas.

For those non-drivers among us — when you stop for gas, you turn the car off.

In an Ideal Universe, once you’ve finished filling the tank, you get back in the car, turn the key, the motor turns over, and Bob’s your uncle.

In a less-than-Ideal-Universe, which is where we all seem to be stuck, the car — doesn’t start.

So, there we were, at the Irving gas station on Route 3, right next to Lori’s Diner, blocking access to a gas delivery point, dead, so to speak, in the water.

We called Triple A which this time did not fail us, and very soon we had Sparky himself from Sparky’s Garage, who gave us a boost with a — wait for it — handheld battery about the size of an ipad, and three times as thick.

On the road again, we resumed our drive, arriving at Lincolnville Beach to find that the Entire Population of Central Maine had thought to themselves, “Yanno?  nobody will be at Ducktrap.”  We passed on by, waving at the ocean, and headed up-coast, diverting into Northport, which — no, I can’t describe Northport.  I love the place, but I have peculiar tastes in villages.  Say, that Northport is built vertically above the sea; all roads, save the ridge road to which we scrupulously adhered, go either up, briefly, to the top of the hill, or down, eventually, to the sea.

The ridge road allows many good view of the sea, close in and distant, and so we drove, looking out, across to Searsport, and down to where the odd little boathouses are tucked into crinkles of land right at the edge of the water, and down to more public places, Saturday Cove, and the center harbor.

Coming out of Northport, we continued up to Belfast, did a circuit of the crowded public pier, and so to home, stopping to sit in line at Burger King, to gather fish sandwiches to take home.

So, that was fun, and I’m glad we got out for a drive.  Less fun, I’m going to have get a new battery in the car — and soon.  I want the car to start, and no back-chat, when I get out of Ray Gun Therapy.  That means — new battery before Wednesday, which is complicated by the fact that the weatherbeans are calling for 3-5 inches of snow between 8pm this evening, and midnight, Monday.

Oh, April, you really are the cruelest month.

Books read in 2020

39 The Outlaws of Sherwood, Robin McKinley (e)
38 Agnes and the Hitman, Jennifer Crusie and Bob Mayer (re-read aloud w/Steve, because Steve had a Notion about alligators, specifically Moot; the Talmadge Bridge, and Savannah in general)
37 Warprize, Elizabeth Vaughan (e)
36 Who Speaks for the Damned, C.S. Harris
35 Don’t Look Down, Jennifer Crusie and Bob Mayer (read aloud w/Steve)
34 Blood and Circuses, Kerry Greenwood
33 The Cat Who Came to Breakfast, Lilian Jackson Braun (Steve read to me)
32 One Fell Sweep, Ilona Andrews (e)
31 Sweep in Peace, Ilona Andrews (e)
30 Clean Sweep, Ilona Andrews (e)
29 Getting Rid of Bradley, Jennifer Crusie (e)
28 Raven Heart, Murphy Lawless (e)
27 Iron Kissed, Patricia Briggs (re-read)
26 The Cat Who Said Cheese, Lilian Jackson Braun (Steve read to me)
25 Blood Bound, Patricia Briggs (re-read)
24 Moon Called, Patricia Briggs (re-re-read)
23 War for the Oaks, Emma Bull (re-re-re-re-&c read)
22 The Widow of Rose House, Diana Bill (e)
21 False Value, Ben Aaronovitch
20 Charity Girl, Georgette Heyer (read aloud w/Steve re-read for both)
19 Minor Mage, T. Kingfisher (e)
18 The Green Mill Murder, Kerry Greenwood
17 Tell Me Lies, Jennifer Crusie (read aloud with Steve)
16 Murder at the Brightwell, Ashley Weaver
15 Crazy for You, Jennifer Crusie (read aloud with Steve)
14 A Conspiracy of Kings, Megan Whalen Turner
13 The Thief, Megan Whalen Turner (re-read)
12 Ocean Light, Nalini Singh (read aloud with Steve)
11 Nerdy, Shy, and Socially Inappropriate, Cynthia Kim
10 Witches Abroad, Terry Pratchett (read aloud with Steve)
9  The Kiss Quotient, Helen Hoang (e)
8  Fall into Spring, Amy Lane (e)
7  Resurgence, C.J. Cherryh (read aloud with Steve)
6  2K to 10K: Writing Faster, Writing Better…, Rachel Aaron (e)
5  Unmasked by the Marquess, Cat Sebastian (e)
4  Jimmy the Kid, Donald E. Westlake (e)
3  Wanted, A Gentleman, KJ Charles (e) (read aloud with Steve)
2  The Book of Atrix Wolfe, Patricia McKillip (e) (re-read)
1  Proper English, KJ Charles (e)

Books read in 2020

38 Agnes and the Hitman, Jennifer Crusie and Bob Mayer (re-read aloud w/Steve, because Steve had a Notion about alligators, specifically Moot; the Talmadge Bridge, and Savannah in general)
37 Warprize, Elizabeth Vaughan (e)
36 Who Speaks for the Damned, C.S. Harris
35 Don’t Look Down, Jennifer Crusie and Bob Mayer (read aloud w/Steve)
34 Blood and Circuses, Kerry Greenwood
33 The Cat Who Came to Breakfast, Lilian Jackson Braun (Steve read to me)
32 One Fell Sweep, Ilona Andrews (e)
31 Sweep in Peace, Ilona Andrews (e)
30 Clean Sweep, Ilona Andrews (e)
29 Getting Rid of Bradley, Jennifer Crusie (e)
28 Raven Heart, Murphy Lawless (e)
27 Iron Kissed, Patricia Briggs (re-read)
26 The Cat Who Said Cheese, Lilian Jackson Braun (Steve read to me)
25 Blood Bound, Patricia Briggs (re-read)
24 Moon Called, Patricia Briggs (re-re-read)
23 War for the Oaks, Emma Bull (re-re-re-re-&c read)
22 The Widow of Rose House, Diana Bill (e)
21 False Value, Ben Aaronovitch
20 Charity Girl, Georgette Heyer (read aloud w/Steve re-read for both)
19 Minor Mage, T. Kingfisher (e)
18 The Green Mill Murder, Kerry Greenwood
17 Tell Me Lies, Jennifer Crusie (read aloud with Steve)
16 Murder at the Brightwell, Ashley Weaver
15 Crazy for You, Jennifer Crusie (read aloud with Steve)
14 A Conspiracy of Kings, Megan Whalen Turner
13 The Thief, Megan Whalen Turner (re-read)
12 Ocean Light, Nalini Singh (read aloud with Steve)
11 Nerdy, Shy, and Socially Inappropriate, Cynthia Kim
10 Witches Abroad, Terry Pratchett (read aloud with Steve)
9  The Kiss Quotient, Helen Hoang (e)
8  Fall into Spring, Amy Lane (e)
7  Resurgence, C.J. Cherryh (read aloud with Steve)
6  2K to 10K: Writing Faster, Writing Better…, Rachel Aaron (e)
5  Unmasked by the Marquess, Cat Sebastian (e)
4  Jimmy the Kid, Donald E. Westlake (e)
3  Wanted, A Gentleman, KJ Charles (e) (read aloud with Steve)
2  The Book of Atrix Wolfe, Patricia McKillip (e) (re-read)
1  Proper English, KJ Charles (e)

In which Rolanni picks up sticks

The last couple days have been sunny and warm, with high temperatures near 60F/16C, here at the Cat Farm and Confusion Factory.  Tomorrow, the weatherbeans predict rain, or possibly snow, with a high around 36F/2C.

Welcome to Maine.

The deck is not quite finished — still lacking a privacy panel and the stairway down to the yard.  But it’s plenty finished enough to put the deck chairs out, so that’s what we did.  It’s nice to sit in the sunshine.  I took advantage of that same warm sunshine to play the games of post-winter trash collection and pick-up-sticks in the yard.  The Lawn Guys promise to come by next week to do a serious clean up — for instance, the branch that fell out of the apple tree needs either an application of chain saw to get it into pieces short enough to schlepp down to the Big Pile of Twigs by the Forest Gate, or it needs a tractor to drag it there.

We have hyacinth and snowdrops in the backyard, and several pods of daffodils blooming by the front door.

So, yes, it is spring, Maine-style.

For those who may have missed it — Splinter Universe Presents! has published.  Here’s a link to Apple, BN, Kobo, and Angus & Robertson.  Here’s the Kindle link.  Here’s the link to the paper edition.

Splinter Universe Presents! is a collection of character sketches, discovery drafts, portions of novels, and of stories, that quit before they became whole.  Each piece comes with an author commentary, which may make the volume of value to those who are interested in the writing process, and possibly to those who wish to become — or who are becoming — writers.  All of the material has been previously published to splinteruniverse.com, and all are Liaden in nature.

In other news, I have what I sincerely hope is the definitive telehealth visit with Oncologist the First this afternoon, to discuss the results of the oncotyping.  Today, I should find out what my treatments will be, going forward, and have the beginning of a schedule for same.  Which is to say, Waiting will End, and Events will Move.  That by itself will be a relief.

At the moment, I have two coon cats — Trooper in the copilot’s chair, and Sprite on the desk by my keyboard — snoring in the sun, my mug is empty, and it’s time to make up a list for Instacart, and start the towels to washing.

See y’all on the flipside.  Stay safe.

Books read in 2020

37 Warprize, Elizabeth Vaughan (e)
36 Who Speaks for the Damned, C.S. Harris
35 Don’t Look Down, Jennifer Crusie and Bob Mayer (read aloud w/Steve)
34 Blood and Circuses, Kerry Greenwood
33 The Cat Who Came to Breakfast, Lilian Jackson Braun (Steve read to me)
32 One Fell Sweep, Ilona Andrews (e)
31 Sweep in Peace, Ilona Andrews (e)
30 Clean Sweep, Ilona Andrews (e)
29 Getting Rid of Bradley, Jennifer Crusie (e)
28 Raven Heart, Murphy Lawless (e)
27 Iron Kissed, Patricia Briggs (re-read)
26 The Cat Who Said Cheese, Lilian Jackson Braun (Steve read to me)
25 Blood Bound, Patricia Briggs (re-read)
24 Moon Called, Patricia Briggs (re-re-read)
23 War for the Oaks, Emma Bull (re-re-re-re-&c read)
22 The Widow of Rose House, Diana Bill (e)
21 False Value, Ben Aaronovitch
20 Charity Girl, Georgette Heyer (read aloud w/Steve re-read for both)
19 Minor Mage, T. Kingfisher (e)
18 The Green Mill Murder, Kerry Greenwood
17 Tell Me Lies, Jennifer Crusie (read aloud with Steve)
16 Murder at the Brightwell, Ashley Weaver
15 Crazy for You, Jennifer Crusie (read aloud with Steve)
14 A Conspiracy of Kings, Megan Whalen Turner
13 The Thief, Megan Whalen Turner (re-read)
12 Ocean Light, Nalini Singh (read aloud with Steve)
11 Nerdy, Shy, and Socially Inappropriate, Cynthia Kim
10 Witches Abroad, Terry Pratchett (read aloud with Steve)
9  The Kiss Quotient, Helen Hoang (e)
8  Fall into Spring, Amy Lane (e)
7  Resurgence, C.J. Cherryh (read aloud with Steve)
6  2K to 10K: Writing Faster, Writing Better…, Rachel Aaron (e)
5  Unmasked by the Marquess, Cat Sebastian (e)
4  Jimmy the Kid, Donald E. Westlake (e)
3  Wanted, A Gentleman, KJ Charles (e) (read aloud with Steve)
2  The Book of Atrix Wolfe, Patricia McKillip (e) (re-read)
1  Proper English, KJ Charles (e)