Blog Without A Name

Next Tuesday, we begin our journey to Orlando for Oasis 23.  We expect to have a good time, and we’re really looking forward to seeing everybody.  The packing — eh.  But packing will happen on Monday, after work.

The first order of this weekend’s business is Ghost Ship, which, with one thing and another, has languished long enough.  In and around will be house-cleaning, so that Mary can find her way from the kitchen to the living room, and laundry, so we’ll have clothes to wear in Orlando, and a Serious Consultation with Steve regarding which plushy should accompany us on the trip.

That last is a tough choice.  For a good, long time, Hassan the Assassin was our default traveling companion.  Then Harwil the platypus entered our service at the KC Nebulas, and he became the companion of choice, mostly due to being much flatter than Hassan.  Steve’s Lord Black Cat has accompanied us on a couple of trips.  [Here’s a picture of Steve and Lord Black Cat and me and Hassan (and a host of others) at the Stuffed Animal Tea Party hosted by Alison Looney at Penguicon 4.0]

I feel a little for the other plushies, of which we own a ridiculous number.  There’s Sly the Fox, the day-job office plushy, who may be even flatter than Harwil and is certainly deserving of a vacation, and at least one of the hedgehogs is small enough to tuck into a traveling bag, not to mention the stuffed lizard (though that one’s stuffed with sand, and quite heavy, so maybe not).  The Looney Bloom Kristin Looney gave us (also at Penguicon 4.0; I think the idea was that Hassan needed someone at his back) can certainly fit in a bag.

It’s a puzzle, it is.

Which stuffed animal do you take with you when you travel?

This is the fifth and final day of Mouse and Dragon Snippet Week, sponsored by Baen Books. Snippets to follow.

Aelliana: What would you be willing to do, in order to salvage Mizel?

Daav: On my honor, I will wait here until my brother comes.

Aelliana: You are delm of Low Port. I ask safe passage.

Daav: Stipulate that we are idiots of the first water, polished and ready to be set.

Aelliana: Daav, I think we should have another child.

Daav: I can scarcely argue with a lady who has a plan.

One week of snippets is now concluded. Thank you for your kind attention. Remember, Mouse and Dragon hits bookstores on June 1, from Baen.

* * *

The above are snippets from Mouse and Dragon, by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller, for Friday, May 21.

Now beginning the penultimate day of the Mouse and Dragon Tweetathon! Snippets of Interest to follow.

Daav: Come out now, rogue, and show yourself to the pilot. I can do nothing if she decides to space you. She is the final authority here.

Aelliana: But how unhandsome! You leave me no words to say at all.

Daav: Torn from virtuous industry by a ravishing temptress; all — all! to be done over!

Aelliana: Did you know that a ship must be inspected and certified before a third-party lien may be set against it?

Daav: We will find the route, Pilot. I swear it.

Aelliana: One would welcome a cat, if possible.

* * *

The above are snippets from Mouse and Dragon by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller for Thursday, May 20.  One more day of Mad Snippeting remains!  In the meantime, if you’re interested in what you’ve seen so far, please consider asking your favorite bookstore to order it in for you, or pre-order from IndieBound or from Amazon

This is third day of the Mouse and Dragon Tweetathon, sponsored by Baen Books. Street date is June 1. Mark your calendars!

Daav: My brother is enjoying himself far too much.

Kareen: Pilot, you are a mouse among raptors. Your best chance of survival is to be small, and to feast upon whatever crumbs fall your way.

Aelliana: Does this tree speak to you?

Daav: If I measured each of my loves against what I feel for you, it would seem that I had never loved anyone at all.

Aelliana: Certainly, any error should be rectified. I regret, however, that I am unable to continue my contract.

Daav: Every toasted cheese sandwich is unique unto itself. Like art, there are no mistakes.

* * *

The above are snippets for Wednesday, May 19, 2010.  There are two more days of snippage this week, and one of them is tomorrow!  Please join us then. Snippets are delivered throughout the day via Twitter from BaenBooks and ClanKorval, then collected at the end of the day as a blog posting, for the convenience of those who do not tweet.

Day Two of Mouse and Dragon Snipathon! Watch the skies.

Aelliana: If you will cast blame, Balance, and doom, then I am your proper target, ma’am! Daav did only as he ought!

Daav: My sister sees a hundred-year scandal in a teacup misaligned in a formal setting. You must not take Kareen too seriously, Aelliana.

Aelliana: Daav. What else have the Healer’s done?

Daav: We are a broken set, van’chela. I could wish your brother still alive, that I might thank him fitly for his care of you.

Aelliana: If you will be Anne, then I will be Aelliana. I hope I have not disrupted your whole day.

Daav: You may not defame my lady or call her craven! She pressed on and did was was needful, with courage and generosity.

* * *

The above are snippets for Tuesday, May 18, 2010.  Snippeting resumes tomorrow, via Twitter from BaenBooks and ClanKorval, at the Same Early Hour(tm).  Please join us then.

Yes!  An interview.  With us.

And! A Special Companion Piece — Love Letters to Liad.

Plus a whole buncha other really good stuff that you should totally read.

Why are you still here?  Go — read!

Today, I am tweeting an upcoming book, doing clerical work and minor carpentry, and giving a talk that will be taped for cable.

Is my life weird?

Hexapuma has lost the last of his hearing.  Mostly, he seems good with this, but every so often, he’ll set in to declaiming and when he hears no response, he tends to get a little crazy.  So Steve was suggesting that we get him a robot playmate — maybe a robotic tank.  I don’t mind the idea, as long as we can get one that charges off of house power, but wonder how the treads would function on the carpeting.  Since the lack of hearing makes Hex utterly fearless in terms of Cat Eating Machines, maybe a Roomba is the answer.  Does anybody have a Roomba?  What can you tell me, good and bad?  Also, how much to get this upgrade?

The first day of Mouse Tweets is done.  Tomorrow, we start up again where we left off, and so on and so forth, until Friday sees an end.

On my way home today, I stopped by the shoe store and am now the proud owner of a pair of Skecher’s men’s sport shoes.  I am Very Tall.  Also, bouncy.  There on the shelf were Skecher’s “Shape Ups” guaranteed to help me tone and lose weight just by walking.  Allll right, then.  Hunnert buck shoes are not in this week’s budget.  Neither, to tell the truth were the forty dollar pair, but one needs must…

Shoes accomplished, I stopped at Day’s Jewelers to perform a commission on behalf of the day-job, and while I was there arranged to have my wedding ring resized.  I can pick it up tomorrow after work.  In the meantime, my hand feels weird.

And suddenly!  It’s almost time to leave for Oasis!  Um, eek.

Mouse and Dragon, the long-awaited sequel to Lee & Miller’s beloved Scout’s Progress hits stores June 1 from Baen Books. Snippets follow.

Daav: I am her copilot in a hostile port. Her brother did his utmost to murder her, and nothing to his credit, that he failed. If he failed.

Aelliana: But. . .Am I damaged?

Daav: She was his destined lifemate. They were to have shared…everything. She had been hurt, grievously, and no one called to aid her.

Aelliana: The door opened. I knew it was Daav before I turned, and nothing more natural than to walk into his arms.

Daav: “Your pardon, Pilot. It will not happen again.” Aelliana shook back her hair. “Now THAT was not the correct answer.”

Aelliana: If it must be said before Korval to be true, then I say that I wish, very much, to come under Korval’s care.

* * *

The above are the snippets for Monday, May 17, 2010.  Snippeting resumes tomorrow at a Really Unfortunate Hour.  Please join us then.

Mouse and Dragon on the Nets and in the News

Starting early Monday morning (that’s Maine, USA, time) May 17 Sharon will be tweeting short snippets from Mouse and Dragon through the BaenBooks Twitter feed; those tweets should also be reflected on Sharon’s Facebook page and on her blog.

Please feel free to retweet or otherwise share the information about the snippets – and the book! – as appropriate. Why is this happening? Because Mouse and Dragon should be in stores real soon now – officially June 1 according to a bunch of places – and is already available to pre-order from most quality independent bookstores. Where should you look? Try the list lower in this newsletter for hints or visit Indiebound, as well as Barnes and Noble, Books-A-Million, Borders, Powells, Amazon.com, and your local science fiction convention.

Author Travel Notes:  Oasis 23 and DucKon 19

Time for you to tune old plans or make sudden new plans to join Lee & Miller in Orlando, Florida for Oasis on your Memorial Day break, or catch them several weeks later in Naperville, IL at Duckon. The authors will be Guests of Honor for both of these events, and welcome the opportunity to meet with as many Friends of Liad as possible. Be there!

Saltation Subscribers Take Note!

As reported previously by Infodumpling, by the time Baen Management had put in the “transfer inventory” order that would send 1200 pre-ordered Saltations truckin’ to Maine, to be signed by the authors and shipped to supporters, the warehouse was, essentially, empty. A rash of just-in-time orders from bookstores meant that there were not nearly enough books remaining to fill the authorial pre-orders.

Baen ordered an immediate new printing; the books will be in the warehouse by the end of May and will arrive in Maine soon after. However, also as previously advertised, Lee & Miller will be RSN leaving Maine for Oasis, a convention in Orlando, and thus may be unable to sign and ship 1200 books in a timely fashion even if they arrive before we leave; handling that many books with care takes time.

We will do our best to get the books out quickly and as soon as we can.

We will let you know when the pre-ordered Saltations hit Maine, and keep you informed of our progress in signing and mailing them. We are sorry to have to ask to wait even longer for your books.  This event is unprecedented and utterly beyond our control, but who expected Saltation to end up on the Wall Street Journal bestseller list, after all?

Carousel Tides Website Launches

In support of her Maine-based contemporary fantasy, Carousel Tides, Sharon has built a website, here.  There are several sections on geographies in and around Archers Beach, for completists, some information about the novel, comments from advance readers, as well as two sample chapters. Content (and samples) will be added between now and the book’s release date in early November, so be sure to bookmark and check back often!

And Now for Something Completely Different

As many of you know, SRM Publisher from time includes fliers or postcards from other publishers in mailings and orders. Of all the inclusions added over the years, one stood out in reaction from readers – the news that Thunderbirds™ had found a home at FTL Publications. We’re happy to pass on the following message from Joan Marie Verba, publisher at FTL Publications:

On Tuesday, May 18, 2010, FTL Publications is having a Virtual (Re)Launch Party for its Thunderbirds™ titles: Countdown to Action, Action Alert, and Deadly Danger. These are the officially licensed, approved, and sanctioned novels based on the 1960s Thunderbirds™ television series, set in the decade of the 2060s. Buy any Thunderbirds™ book from any source on that day, and you can download free bonus gifts. Details at the website: http://www.countdowntoaction.com.

Countdown to Action is a Mom’s Choice Awards Silver Recipient, a finalist in the National Best Books Awards, and a finalist in the Foreword Magazine Book of the Year Awards. Action Alert is also a Mom’s Choice Awards Silver Recipient. Deadly Danger is a finalist in the 2010 Scribe Awards.

Where in the World are Lee and Miller?

Sharon and Steve will be Writer Guests of Honor at Oasis 23 (http://www.oasfis.org/oasis/) May 28 – 30, 2010 in Orlando, Florida*! In addition to stellar programming, planning is going forth for a Friends of Liad breakfast!

June 18 – 20, 2010, Steve and Sharon will be Literary Guests of Honor at DucKon 19 (http://www.duckon.org/) in Naperville, Illinois!

Please tell the registration folks that we sent you!

We will also be attending ReConStruction, the 10th Occassional North American Science Fiction Convention, in Raleigh, NC, August 5-8, 2010.

Yes, You Can Read Lee and Miller on Your Ebook Reader!

All of the published Liaden Universe® books, the Fey Duology, and The Tomorrow Log are available from Baen Webscriptions .

There are instructions on the Webscription site for downloading their books to your Kindle, iPhone, iTouch, Sony EReader, and other devices (just click the link on the upper left-hand side of the page)

Several Sharon Lee short stories, and the Jennifer Pierce Maine novels, Barnburner and Gunshy, are available from Fictionwise.

Support Your Local Bookstore

Uncle Hugo’s: http://www.unclehugo.com/

University Bookstore: http://www.bookstore.washington.edu/services.taf?dept=about&category=loca

Pandemonium Books: http://www.pandemoniumbooks.com/

Missing Volume: http://www.themissingvolume.com/

Borderlands: http://www.borderlands-books.com/

Dream Haven: http://www.dreamhavenbooks.com/

Flights of Fantasy: http://www.fof.net/

Mysterious Galaxy: http://mysteriousgalaxy.booksense.com/

Constellation Books: http://www.constellationbooks.com/NASApp/store/IndexJsp

Children’s Book Cellar: http://www.indiebound.org/stores/childrens-book-cellar

All of the above folks do mail order and take want lists.

Blogs of Note

Theo_Waitley is the discussion group for readers of Fledgling and Saltation: http://community.livejournal.com/theo_waitley/

Where Dragons Rest: http://community.livejournal.com/liaden_readers/

Steve Miller’s blog, Journeyman: http://kinzel.livejournal.com/

Sharon Lee’s blog, Eagles over the Kennebec: http://rolanni.livejournal.com/

SRM Publisher blog: http://srmpublisher.livejournal.com/

Sharon Lee’s “Professional” blog: http://sharonleewriter.com

Facebook Connections — please feel free to add us!

http://facebook.com/kinzel — Steve Miller

http://facebook.com/rolanni — Sharon Lee

Liaden Interest Groups on Facebook

Clan Korval: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=38719490864&ref=ts

Friends of Liad: http://www.facebook.com/home.php?ref=home#/group.php?gid=16280839259&ref=ts

Flaran chamenthi: http://www.facebook.com/home.php?ref=home#/group.php?gid=2213414696&ref=ts

GoodReads

Sharon’s Author Page:http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/57980.Sharon_Lee

*Steve’s on Twitter*: http://twitter.com/bechimo

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

DISCLAIMER STUFF

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