Thank you, Chris Huning, for the lovely surprise!
Look WHO came in today’s mail
Blog Without A Name
That’s not thunder. . .
So it turns out that the Really Loud peal of thunder that woke us up at 6:11 this morning. . .was an earthquake. Epicenter in Sidney, 2.6 on the scale. Sidney’s about 15 miles from the Cat Farm and Confusion Factory.
For the record, I am against this increased trending in Maine earthquakes.
Have I mentioned here that the ebook edition of A Liaden Universe® Constellation, Volume One is now available in all formats known to man from Baen and also from the Amazon Kindle store? Well, it is. The paper book will be on the shelves of a bookstore near you on July 2.
Yesterday was another boring day from an observer’s point of view. I wrote 3,700 words of climax for Carousel Seas. Today, with luck and a tailwind, I’ll take care of the wrap-up, and then it will be done! Done! DOOOONE!
Ahem. Except for the final pass-through and patch, of course. But that’s next week and in-between, there’s a weekend.
Mike the Electrician and his helper, Scott, did enliven the early part of yesterday by arriving to install the two new ceiling fans. FWIW, they pronounce the Harbor Breeze Hive Series flush-mount ceiling fan Best! Ceiling! Fan! Ever! We’re pretty happy with them, too.
. . .and I think that’s all I have to report.
Who has exciting plans for the weekend?
* * *
Progress on Carousel Seas
96,670/100,000 words OR 97% complete
I understood the land’s distress. Nerazi was the second person I’d met in the Changing Land; she’d helped Gran nurse me back from being elfshot and almost dead. In all the time since, I’d seen her at a standstill exactly twice.
And I’d never seen her afraid.
In which the author is boring
So, I’ve been writing — nothing to see here; move along.
I hope to have a finished penultimate draft by the end of the week, by which I mean Saturday. The manuscript will then rest a couple days while I lie on the couch and regrow my brain. Then, I’ll go through it with a red pen for the final edit before submission.
Have I mentioned here that I’ve begun taking yoga? It turns out that one of the instructors from the local yoga studio also teaches two mornings a week at the senior center, for significantly less than the studio charges. I’ve been to two yoga classes, and have, surprisingly, enjoyed myself. I will, I think, be doing this for a while.
Tomorrow, the electrician and his mate will be here at 9! a.m.! to install ceiling fans, and I expect to write some more.
. . .that’s all I got.
* * *
Progress on Carousel Seas
92,944/100,000 OR 93% complete
“And be an instant celebrity with everybody’s got a gambling debt suddenly remembering how you’re their long-lost cousin on their mother’s side.”
Books read in 2013
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)
Books read in 2013
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)
What writers do, Part fiftyeightmillionandtwelve
As Shoe told us, many years ago, “Typists type; writers stare out windows.”
True to my job description, I spent the last howevermany hours staring out the window, and pushing my backbrain for the Thrilling Conclusion to Carousel Seas, in order, if it would be soverykind.
The result of all this window-staring is two typed pages outlining the final action, with heroics befitting the end of the book and the end of the series, in, as far as I can tell, the correct order. Yay. All I have to do now is write it.
…which will not be happening today because I managed to overclock my brain just a teensy bit, so today is a Day Off.
I dawdled over my breakfast and coffee, reading something that’s not written by me. Sandman Slim, in fact. I’m not precisely sure why I’m reading it; possibly I’m waiting for the main character to grow a brain.
This afternoon, as advertised elsewhere, I will be viewing the classic drama, “Now You See Me” at the local cinema. This evening? The possibilities are endless. Maybe I’ll finish reading my book.
Tomorrow, I will have Mike the electrician in early, so that he can Survey the Situation with regard to the possible installation of ceiling fans. It comes about that ceiling fan installation may not be as simple as the young man at Lowe’s would have had us believe (quelle surprise!). Apparently, due to the age of the house, Mike the electrician has some doubts regarding the existence of the proper box to hold the fan into the ceiling. The box, he tells me, may be installed by himself, but will add cost. So! Excitement already on tomorrow’s calendar.
Tomorrow afternoon, I’ll get with the Thrilling Conclusion and see how fast I can type.
As some of you may know, Steve is down South, visiting the Old Country. Mozart and Scrabble wish it to go on record that this is not acceptable and that they will be filing the report with the Committeecat. So far, I’ve managed to short-circuit this intention by hiding all the pencils.
I hope your weekend is being exciting/relaxing/busy — whichever you prefer.
Eye Candy! Carousel Sun cover art
We have, through the kind offices of Tony Daniel and Danielle Turner at Baen, the following Sneak Peak of the cover art for Carousel Sun by Sharon Lee, which is tentatively slated for publication in early 2014.
I like it.
by Eric Williams
For those coming in late, Carousel Sun is the sequel to Carousel Tides — available even now at a bookstore near you; in all ebook formats known to man from Baen, from the Kindle Store, and the Apple ebook store. It is also available as an audiobook from Audible. I’m writing the last book in the trilogy — Carousel Seas — as we speak.
#SFWApro
In which the day is in turmoil
So, no writing today.
I did Other Things, so I’m not a Complete Loss as a human being, and perhaps words will happen tomorrow. Certainly, it’s possible.
Things that happened instead of words included:
Business and Other emails.
I followed Steve to Augusta, so that his vehicle could be made road-ready for his upcoming trip to the Old Country, Baltimore.
Had lunch at Longhorn Steak House in Augusta, while waiting for said car &c, where we preserved our unbroken record of not eating steak. I had a bowl of (wonderful) tomato and basil soup with a chicken cobb salad. Steve had the tomato and basil soup and a chicken fontina sandwich.
After lunch, we spaced around Pier One, which is an excellent forum in which to space around. I cleverly purchased neither the Gray Owl (which I commend, if you or one near to you has a stuffie fetish — a very soft, squishable and satisfying owl) nor the elephant tapestry curtains , though it was a Near Thing in both instances. I do regret the Owl.
Following our adventure at Pier One, we decamped to Barnes and Noble, where we had the very great pleasure of catching up with Stew, who had been “in charge” of the SF/F section, back when BN had booksellers who were “in charge” of sections. Also? I bought books. Be amazed.
From BN, it was back to Charlie’s Subaru, where we collected Steve’s car and, each in our own vehicle, proceeded in a homeward direction, through bands of heavy wind and rain. It was on this return trip that I discovered that the minor problem my car had been having is now a problem that needs to be dealt with before Steve leaves for the Old Country, Baltimore, else I run the serious risk of being stranded 15 miles out of town for a week, which is not a proposition that I am able to entertain with equanimity. So, tomorrow! Perhaps Even Before Coffee! I will be calling Mr. Smith’s garage and hoping he will be able to see me in a forthwithly timeframe.
I also today sought out and found yoga lessons in Waterville, even, yea, yoga lessons that are affordable for an aging and inflexible woman on a freelancer’s budget. So, tomorrow, assuming all is well with the car in a timely manner, I will be attending my first ever yoga session. Pray for me.
Have I mentioned here that Baen/S&S is sending Steve and me on a New England book tour in support of Trade Secret? It will definitely encompass Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and (upstate) New York and may dip down as far as Philadelphia, depending on Circumstances. When the tour is made solid, I’ll post details here.
…and that’s all I got, beside reading with Mozart on the couch for an hour or so. Maybe I’ll go back and read some more.
Hmmm…
Five things make a post
1. This year, I’m participating in the Clarion West Write-a-Thon. This is Clarion West’s major annual fundraising event; all money raised goes to support the workshop that has produced dozens of professional writers and changed the lives of thousands.
2. As you may know, Mike Brotherton is one of the leaders of the LaunchPad Astronomy Workshop for Science Fiction writers. The workshop had previously been partially funded through NASA and the NSF. Funding cuts at those agencies means that LaunchPad is looking for funds elsewhere.
3. If you like trivia contests, you may want to put daily play at freekibble.com onto your schedule. For every trivia question answered (two are posted each day), 10 pieces of kibble are donated to a shelter dog/cat. The kibble is donated whether your answer is right or wrong.
4. Also, remember freerice.com, where every correct answer wins 10 grains of rice to the World Food Programme to help end hunger. You can rack up 1,000 grains of rice without breaking a sweat, so remember to set a timer before you start to play.
5. Another picture from the BEA, this one taken at Saturday’s book signing:
Photo by Jim Minz
* * *
Progress on Carousel Seas
80,649/100,000 OR 80.65% complete
“So, you’re thinking world domination?” he murmured.
“Who wants all that work?”
#SFWApro
In which the authors goof off
It was a gorgeous morning, so Steve and I slipped the leash took the day off. Part of it was spent house-looking in Old Orchard Beach, where we were. . .dismayed to find that a liveable (and affordable!) house was located in a tangled warren of houses connected by thin alleyways that would become virtually impassable in winter. There was not only no place to put the snow, there wasn’t sufficient room to allow a town plow through. The Forester — not a large car by any means — was feeling a bit crowded.
Damn.
There’s quite a nice house in town which is also affordable, and on a nice street largely inhabited by college professors and solid career people. It has a garage and a sun porch and a front porch and is a Perfectly Nice House, really, excepting it’s two hours away from the ocean.
I may need to give the whole live-at-the-ocean thing a miss this lifetime.
This small blight upon the day aside, we had a lovely time. I rode a bike for the first time in mumbletymumble years and managed not to fall over and kill myself. It’s true what they say — you never forget! Now, I want a bike of my own. For when we move to the city and it would actually be possible to bike without getting run over by a log truck.
There was also ice cream on the day — and we purchased ceiling! fans! that mount flush to the ceiling, so I will be able to walk under them without being decapitated! What an age we live in. My mission tomorrow is to call the electrician and make a date to have him stop by and install one of these lovely things in the kitchen and another in the bedroom.
I’m already regretting not having bought a third, to install in my office, but the credit card was already staggering under the double-whammy.
Tomorrow, it’s back to work. Good thing, too, since it’s supposed to rain.
* * *
Progress on Carousel Seas
78,943/100,000 OR 79% complete
In the next moment, a wind lifted us, up and beyond the destruction — and set us down, gently, in the shadow of the ruined Gate.
“Thank you, my lady,” I heard Tioli say, and felt a cold kiss pressed upon my hand.