Blog Without A Name

Sufficient unto the day are the submissions thereof

So, these things happened today:

  1.  Trader’s Leap, the twenty-third novel of the Liaden Universe® co-created by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller, has been turned in to Madame the Publisher at Baen.  . . .Leap weighs in at about 122,000 words and concerns itself with the doings aboard Dutiful Passage. The action in . . .Leap happens concurrently with the action in Accepting the Lance (due out in December).  The action happens so concurrently, in fact, that for most of last year, . . .Lance and . . .Leap were thought by their fond authors to be one novel.  No publication date as yet.  If I were guessing, which you’d think I’d know better than by this point in my life, I’d say look for it in bookstores late in 2020.
  2. “A Visit to the Galaxy Ballroom,” a short story commission by Baen.com in support of the publication of Accepting the Lance, has also been turned in.  Look for it on the front page of Baen.com in mid-November.  The story will be free for everyone to read.

I still have one more professional commitment to fulfill, which it would soothe me to have it turned in before I hit Foot Surgery Day on October 18.  It’s not technically due ’til the end of November, but, since the future is an Uncharted Country, I’d like to get it off the decks.

I also need clear the detritus of Having Written A Novel from my desk and its immediate surrounds, clear away the stack of administrivia that’s been waiting for attention, and make some more arrangements for my convalescence.  My greatest fear for the recuperation period is that I will succumb to depression brought on by boredom and inactivity.  I mean, you wouldn’t think I’d be bored, given that mountain of books over there that I call my TBR pile, but I’m pretty much used to getting up, getting around, and getting out.  Also, I’m Particularly Unskilled at Just Sit There and Rest™.

Well.  Practice makes perfect.

We have made some efforts to make the Command Chair interesting.  Steve has very kindly put a birdfeeder outside of the Command Window, which looks over the busy street at the front of the house.  The chair also faces the Big Screen, so I’ll be able to have waterfalls and fireplaces on view, not to mention — hey, let’s get crazy! — actual movies.  And, yanno, I do have a laptop, so I won’t be cut off from civilization entirely.

So, anyway, that’s what’s going on at the Cat Farm and Confusion Factory on the first of October.

What’s going forward at your house?

 

 

Books read in 2019

37. The Cat Who Blew the Whistle, Lilian Jackson Braun (read aloud with Steve)
36. Silver Silence, Nalini Singh (read aloud with Steve)
35. Faking It, Jennifer Crusie (read aloud with Steve)
34. Fire Logic, Laurie J. Marks
33. Cats in Cyberspace, Beth Hilgartner (read aloud with Steve; re-read for both)
32. Dread Nation, Justine Ireland (e)
31. Masque World, Alexei Panshin (read aloud with Steve; re-read for both)
30. The Girl in the Tower, Katherine Arden
29. The Thurb Revolution, Alexei Panshin (read aloud with Steve; re-read for both)
28. Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day, Winifred Watson (re-re-re-read)
27. Star Well, Alexei Panshin (read aloud with Steve; re-read for both)
26. The Cat Who Wasn’t There, Lilian Jackson Braun (read aloud with Steve)
25. The King of Attolia, Megan Whalen Turner (re-read)
24. The Queen of Attolia, Megan Whalen Turner (re-read)
23. The Goblin Emperor, Katherine Addison (re-read)
22. Maiden of the Machine, Volume 1, Caitlin Like
21. The Sandman: Preludes & Nocturnes, Neil Gaiman
20. The Franchise Affair, Josephine Tey (read aloud with Steve)
19. City of Whispering Stone, George C. Chesbro (read aloud with Steve)
18. Allegiance of Honor, Nalini Singh (read aloud with Steve)
17. Storm Cursed, Patricia Briggs (e)
16. Who Slays the Wicked, C.S. Harris
15. The Warlock in Spite of Himself, Christopher Stasheff (re-read)
14. The Cat Who Knew a Cardinal, Lilian Jackson Braun (read aloud with Steve)
13. Wild Ride, Jennifer Crusie & Bob Mayer (read aloud with Steve; re-read for me; first read for him)
12. Shadow of a Broken Man, George C. Chesbro (read aloud with Steve)
11. How Much for Just the Planet?, John M. Ford
10. Brat Farrar, Josephine Tey (read aloud with Steve; re-read for me; first read for him)
9.  Spinning Silver, Naomi Novik
8.  Lies Sleeping, Ben Aaronovitch
7.  The Luckiest Lady in London, Sherry Thomas
6.  Release the Virgins, Michael A. Ventrella, editor (read aloud with Steve)
5.  Becoming, Michelle Obama
4.  Agnes and the Hitman, Jennifer Crusie & Bob Mayer (read aloud with Steve; re-read for me; first read for him)
3. the unbeatable Squirrel Girl, Ryan North, Erica Henderson
2.  Alliance Rising, CJ Cherryh & Jane S. Fancher (read out loud with Steve)
1.  A Shilling for Candles, Josephine Tey (read out loud with Steve)

REMINDER! Pre-order your signed copy of Accepting the Lance!

The Uncle has spoken, to wit:

People have been asking all year when they will be able to order signed copies of the next Liaden novel by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller, Accepting the Lance ($25.00, expected early December), and you can get your copy personalized if you order by November 10.  We’ve just arranged to also have signed copies of two Liaden novelettes in trade paperback, Adventures in the Liaden Universe #28: Fortune’s Favor ($8.00, expected by mid-September) and Adventures in the Liaden Universe #29: Shout of Honor ($10.00, expected by mid-September).  These will be signed but not personalized.  If you wish to order all 3 Liaden books, we can either send the trade paperbacks right away (with a $6.00 shipping charge) and the hardcover in December (with another $6.00 shipping charge), or we can hold them all until December (and only have a single $6.00 shipping charge).  If you are ordering all 3 Liaden books, please let us know in the Order Comments section during checkout if you want one shipment or two shipments.  The Order Comments section is also where you should put your personalization request for Accepting the Lance.

Here is your link to the preorder page at Uncle Hugo’s SF Bookstore.

Here is the link to the Uncle’s newsletter, which lists events and lots of other opportunities to acquire signed books from your favorite author.

For those joining us for the first time:  Signed means that the authors will write their names in your book.  Personalized means that the authors will transcribe a short message supplied by you in your book, and also sign it.

Notes about personalized books:  The authors reserve the right to reject any personalization request for any reason.  This is solely up to the authors; there is no appeal.  Pro Tip:  The best way to make sure your personalization request is honored is to keep it short, keep it clean, and keep it polite.  Thank you.

All righty, then!  Start that pre-ordering.

One! More! Time!

Here’s the link.

Writers’ Weekend Off

So, this weekend, we took off to celebrate my birthday — belatedly.  We had planned this trip since we realized that Trader’s Leap wouldn’t be finished by my Actual Birthday, so on Friday, September 20, we took off for Lubec, Maine on the Bay of Fundy.

If you are unfamiliar Lubec, it is the easternmost town in the contiguous United States, situated across Lubec Narrows from Campobello Island, New Brunswick Canada.  Steve secured a third floor corner room in Cohill’s Inn, with windows looking over the Narrows, toward Mulholland Light on the Island, and more! windows! looking up the Bay toward Eastport.

In addition to being in just an awesome place, geographically, we were in Lighthouse Country.  Friday, after we checked into our room, we headed to West Quoddy Head Lighthouse, got our Lighthouse Passports stamped and took a cool zillion pictures.  Here’s some:

We then retired to our room, but were drawn outside again to watch the tide (the Bay of Fundy is famous for its rapid, dangerous tides) come in and to take another cool zillion pictures, this time of cormorants and seals.

Here’s a couple seals:

Next day, we crossed the International Bridge to Campobello Island, and drove out to visit Harbour Head Light Station at the verymost other end of Compobello Island, and Mullholland Point Light, in Welshpool, New Brunswick, which was coincidentally situated directly across Lubec Narrows from our room.

Here’s Head Harbour Light Station:

And here’s Mulholland Point Light:

Here’s a picture of The Spark Plug, in Lubec Narrows.  You can’t visit The Spark Plug, but the docent at West Quoddy Light had a stamp, so we got to claim it.

Oh, and here’s a picture of Cohill’s Inn, our Lubec Headquarters, from Mulholland Point Light, across the Narrows in Canada.  Ours was the room on the third floor right, last window, and then two windows around the corner.

Today, we said a reluctant farewell to Lubec, and Proceeded homeward in a leisurely fashion, taking side trips to Cutler, to view the really pretty little New England Harbor, and the super sekrit submarine base.  We have no pictures of Cutler, for obvious reasons.

Our second side trip was to Roque Bluffs State Park.  Here’s a picture of the sign, and the Art:

We’re home now, obviously, and reluctantly.  It was 68F/20C this morning when we left Lubec (stopping for breakfast at the Shore Thing Diner). When we arrived home in the metropolis of Waterville, it was 82F/28C.  If I could move Lubec Narrows to our back yard. . .

So!  Tomorrow, it’s back to work, but, boy, didn’t we have a great weekend!

Books read in 2019

36. Silver Silence, Nalini Singh (read aloud with Steve)
35. Faking It, Jennifer Crusie (read aloud with Steve)
34. Fire Logic, Laurie J. Marks
33. Cats in Cyberspace, Beth Hilgartner (read aloud with Steve; re-read for both)
32. Dread Nation, Justine Ireland (e)
31. Masque World, Alexei Panshin (read aloud with Steve; re-read for both)
30. The Girl in the Tower, Katherine Arden
29. The Thurb Revolution, Alexei Panshin (read aloud with Steve; re-read for both)
28. Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day, Winifred Watson (re-re-re-read)
27. Star Well, Alexei Panshin (read aloud with Steve; re-read for both)
26. The Cat Who Wasn’t There, Lilian Jackson Braun (read aloud with Steve)
25. The King of Attolia, Megan Whalen Turner (re-read)
24. The Queen of Attolia, Megan Whalen Turner (re-read)
23. The Goblin Emperor, Katherine Addison (re-read)
22. Maiden of the Machine, Volume 1, Caitlin Like
21. The Sandman: Preludes & Nocturnes, Neil Gaiman
20. The Franchise Affair, Josephine Tey (read aloud with Steve)
19. City of Whispering Stone, George C. Chesbro (read aloud with Steve)
18. Allegiance of Honor, Nalini Singh (read aloud with Steve)
17. Storm Cursed, Patricia Briggs (e)
16. Who Slays the Wicked, C.S. Harris
15. The Warlock in Spite of Himself, Christopher Stasheff (re-read)
14. The Cat Who Knew a Cardinal, Lilian Jackson Braun (read aloud with Steve)
13. Wild Ride, Jennifer Crusie & Bob Mayer (read aloud with Steve; re-read for me; first read for him)
12. Shadow of a Broken Man, George C. Chesbro (read aloud with Steve)
11. How Much for Just the Planet?, John M. Ford
10. Brat Farrar, Josephine Tey (read aloud with Steve; re-read for me; first read for him)
9.  Spinning Silver, Naomi Novik
8.  Lies Sleeping, Ben Aaronovitch
7.  The Luckiest Lady in London, Sherry Thomas
6.  Release the Virgins, Michael A. Ventrella, editor (read aloud with Steve)
5.  Becoming, Michelle Obama
4.  Agnes and the Hitman, Jennifer Crusie & Bob Mayer (read aloud with Steve; re-read for me; first read for him)
3. the unbeatable Squirrel Girl, Ryan North, Erica Henderson
2.  Alliance Rising, CJ Cherryh & Jane S. Fancher (read out loud with Steve)
1.  A Shilling for Candles, Josephine Tey (read out loud with Steve)

Calling the Mighty Tyop Hunters!

MIGHTY TYOP HUNTERS! Your hour is NOW!

If you have found TYPOS* in the eARC of Accepting the Lance, you may send them to me at rolanniATkorvalDOTcom. However, you may only do so until 9 PM EASTERN, Monday, September 9.

The format for sending typos is to send a few identifying words around the typo so it can be found (my pagination is not your Kindle’s pagination; this is a True Fact, so page numbers are useless).

This is correct format for reporting a typo: “Very nearly as bad! Perhaps I ought not to remark at all, but merely flout my skill in becoming silence.” QUERY: Should “flout” be “flaunt”?

*WHAT TYPOS ARE: Spelling errors. Wrong words. Missing words. Wrong character name and/or misspelled character name.

WHAT TYPOS ARE NOT: Grammar “errors” ESPECIALLY in dialogue. Sentences you don’t like. We’re not writing at this point; we’re seeking to make the existing narrative as clean as possible.

Everybody psyched?

Go!

Liaden Universe® InfoDump Number 123: The Lance Edition

Liaden Universe® InfoDump Number 123: The Lance Edition

ACCEPTING THE LANCE eARC AVAILABLE NOW
For those who indulge, the eARC of ACCEPTING THE LANCE, the the 22nd Liaden Universe® novel, created and co-written by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller, is now available from Baen.com.  eARCs are electronic Advance Reading Copies; they will contain errors of formatting, grammar, and perhaps even spelling.  However!  There will be no major changes to the story between it and the final book, which will be available in All Its Perfection on December 3.

Here is your link to the eARC edition of ACCEPTING THE LANCE:  https://www.baen.com/accepting-the-lance-earc.html

A SPOILER DISCUSSION PAGE has been opened at for those who have read . . .LANCE and want to talk about it.  Please be kind to the people who will not read the story until December — or later! — and limit spoilers to this area.

Here is your link to the SPOILER DISCUSSION:  https://korval.com/2019/08/27/spoiler-discussion-accepting-the-lance/

SAMPLE CHAPTERS
Not sure you want to invest in ACCEPTING THE LANCE?  Here’s your link to the first 25 sample chapters:  https://www.baen.com/Chapters/A9781982124212/A9781982124212.htm

YOU MAY NOW PREORDER SIGNED COPIES OF ACCEPTING THE LANCE
Uncle Hugo’s Science Fiction Bookstore in Minneapolis will once again kindly be taking preorders for signed and/or personalized copies of ACCEPTING THE LANCE.  Here is what they have to say:People have been asking all year when they will be able to order signed copies of the next Liaden novel by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller, Accepting the Lance ($25.00, expected early December), and you can get your copy personalized if you order by November 10.  We’ve just arranged to also have signed copies of two Liaden novelettes in trade paperback, Adventures in the Liaden Universe #28: Fortune’s Favor ($8.00, expected by mid-September) and Adventures in the Liaden Universe #29: Shout of Honor ($10.00, expected by mid-September).  These will be signed but not personalized.  If you wish to order all 3 Liaden books, we can either send the trade paperbacks right away (with a $6.00 shipping charge) and the hardcover in December (with another $6.00 shipping charge), or we can hold them all until December (and only have a single $6.00 shipping charge).  If you are ordering all 3 Liaden books, please let us know in the Order Comments section during checkout if you want one shipment or two shipments.  The Order Comments section is also where you should put your personalization request for Accepting the Lance.

Here is your link to the preorder page at Uncle Hugo’s:  http://www.unclehugo.com/prod/ah-lee-miller.php

Here is the link to the Uncle’s newsletter, which lists events and lots of other opportunities to acquire signed books from your favorite authors:  http://www.unclehugo.com/prod/Newsletter127-largeprint.pdf

For those joining us for the first time:  Signed means that the authors will write their names in your book.  Personalized means that the authors will transcribe a short message supplied by you in your book, and also sign it.

Notes about personalized books:  The authors reserve the right to reject any personalization request for any reason.  This is solely up to the authors; there is no appeal.  Pro Tip:  The best way to make sure your personalization request is honored is to keep it short, keep it clean, and keep it polite.  Thank you.

PUBLICATION ACCEPTING THE LANCE
ACCEPTING THE LANCE will be published in hardcover and ebook editions on December 3.  There will be an audiobook edition, narrated by Eileen Stevens.  You may pre-order the hardcover edition from the bookseller of your choice.  Because of Baen’s tradition of selling eARCs prior to the publication date, you may not preorder the final ebook edition.

A short story in support of . . .Lance will be published to Baen.com in mid-November, tentative title is:  “A Visit to the Galaxy Ballroom.”

Advance praise for Lee and Miller’s Accepting the Lance:
ACCEPTING THE LANCE is a tour de force! So many threads woven, so many pieces moved on the board, old and new friends met, this book is an extraordinary installment in a brilliant series. I stayed up till 3 a.m. reading it and I have zero regrets. An incredible ride of a book!
—Nalini Singh, Wolf Rain ~ Out Now/Archangel’s War ~ September/A Madness of Sunshine ~ December

TRADER’S LEAP
TRADER’S LEAP the twenty-third novel in the long-running and much-feted Liaden Universe® created and co-written by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller, will be TURNED IN on September 30, 2019.  At this point, it is tentatively scheduled for publication in late 2020.

. . .LEAP is the direct sequel to 2016’s ALLIANCE OF EQUALS, and happens concurrently with the action in ACCEPTING THE LANCE.

Upcoming Conventions
Steve and Sharon have had a rough couple years In Real Life, and are mostly sticking close to home this year.  We are open to invitations from conventions for 2020, and beyond.

Remember to Visit These Sites:
Lee and Miller Patreon Support Page:
https://www.patreon.com/leeandmiller

Pinbeam Books: http://www.pinbeambooks.com an online catalog, with vendor links, to all Lee-and-Miller, Miller, and Lee self-published works

Splinter Universe: http://www.splinteruniverse.com features outtakes, splinters, oddities from the Lee&Miller writing career, currently changes irregularly.

Welcome to Liad — The official homepage for Liaden Universe® news — http://www.korval.com

Offworld Designs: Liaden gear: https://www.offworlddesigns.com/liaden-

Blogs and Other Webly Things of Note
Sharon Lee’s blog, Eagles over the Kennebec: https://rolanni.dreamwidth.org/
Sharon Lee’s “Professional” blog: http://sharonleewriter.com
Steve Miller’s blog, Journeyman: https://kinzel.dreamwidth.org/

Facebook Connections
http://facebook.com/kinzel — Steve Miller
http://facebook.com/rolanni — Sharon Lee
Clan Korval: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=
Friends of Liad: http://www.facebook.com/home.php?ref=
Flaran chamenthi: http://www.facebook.com/home.php?ref=

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

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/

Signed Copies of Accepting the Lance Available for Pre-Order NOW!

The Uncle has spoken, to wit:

People have been asking all year when they will be able to order signed copies of the next Liaden novel by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller, Accepting the Lance ($25.00, expected early December), and you can get your copy personalized if you order by November 10.  We’ve just arranged to also have signed copies of two Liaden novelettes in trade paperback, Adventures in the Liaden Universe #28: Fortune’s Favor ($8.00, expected by mid-September) and Adventures in the Liaden Universe #29: Shout of Honor ($10.00, expected by mid-September).  These will be signed but not personalized.  If you wish to order all 3 Liaden books, we can either send the trade paperbacks right away (with a $6.00 shipping charge) and the hardcover in December (with another $6.00 shipping charge), or we can hold them all until December (and only have a single $6.00 shipping charge).  If you are ordering all 3 Liaden books, please let us know in the Order Comments section during checkout if you want one shipment or two shipments.  The Order Comments section is also where you should put your personalization request for Accepting the Lance.

Here is your link to the preorder page at Uncle Hugo’s SF Bookstore.

Here is the link to the Uncle’s newsletter, which lists events and lots of other opportunities to acquire signed books from your favorite author.

For those joining us for the first time:  Signed means that the authors will write their names in your book.  Personalized means that the authors will transcribe a short message supplied by you in your book, and also sign it.

Notes about personalized books:  The authors reserve the right to reject any personalization request for any reason.  This is solely up to the authors; there is no appeal.  Pro Tip:  The best way to make sure your personalization request is honored is to keep it short, keep it clean, and keep it polite.  Thank you.

All righty, then!  Start that pre-ordering.

One! More! Time!

Here’s the link.