…the whole house took an after-lunch nap, and we’re all the better for it. So, yay.
Upon rising, rosy and refreshed, from my bed, I did some writing, and now I’m going to do the dishes (Honestly — who uses all these dishes? More to the point, where’s my wife?), then read until Steve calls it a day.
Hope everyone is having a relaxing weekend.
Progress on “Guaranteed Delivery”
2,486/10,000 OR 24.86% complete
A little under the weather today (boo! hiss!), and seriously thinking about joining Mozart, who has a very nice little thing going with the blankets and my pillow.
On the other hand, these stories aren’t going to write themselves.
Which pretty much sums up the Dilemma of the Self-Employed.
While I was dithering, I did some updatery of the Korval homepage, including linking to those artists who have created art on behalf of the Liaden Universe®. It’s an impressive list — go check it out; we’re seriously pleased that our work has inspired such lovely art.
One thing did strike me, though, as I was putting the list together. All of our cover/story artists? Are guys.
Which prompts the question — who are the female cover artists currently working in SF/F? Can anybody help me out with some names?
. . .in other news, Scrabble re-arranged my desk for me on the overnight, and I can’t find my calendar. This? Could be serious.
Yes, it’s true! The laundry is done. Onward, to the dishes!
Today was mostly about the continuing campaign to catch up email (if you haven’t heard from me, I’m not ignoring you; I just haven’t gotten to your letter yet), and writing. The first section of “Guaranteed Delivery” is done; now we switch viewpoints.
I realize that I am remiss in several announcements of possible interest.
First, The Crystal Variation, including Crystal Soldier, Crystal Dragon, and Balance of Trade is now shipping from Amazon.
Second, we have at least one report of a Ghost Ship that we personalized during our stop-over at Uncle Hugo’s reaching its final destination. If you haven’t received yours yet, it’s on the way!
Thirdly, Rachel Hyland (also known for her editorial role at Geek Speak Magazine) did a lovely article about the Romance of the Liaden Universe® here Feel free to read and comment.
Fourthly, I need to do the dishes. Oh, wait…
Progress on “Guaranteed Delivery”
1,595/10,000 OR 15.95% completed
Yes, yes, we did just get back from, Steve tells me, seventeen-and-a-half days on the road. However! Advertent readers will have noted that, during our time away, I purchased a corset.
There was a reason I did that.
Steve and I, with Phil and Kaja Foglio, Abney Park, and many, many other Very Cool People will be Guests at The Great New England Steampunk Exposition in Fitchburg, Massachusetts. The Exposition begins on Friday, September 16, and runs through Sunday, September 18 — and! I see that the program has been posted.
This promises to be a delightful and awesome experience, so do plan on attending!
Once we return from the Expo, we’ll be sticking very close to home (and writing like mad writing things, ahem) until it’s time to make the trip to Chattanooga, in mid-January.
Writing projects currently in hand:
Dragon Ship — Steve is lead writer on this project, which is the sequel to Ghost Ship
George — Sharon is lead writer on this project, which sorta takes place in a pocket of Ghost Ship. If I do it right, it will be another Portal Book into the Liaden Universe®, joining Agent of Change, Conflict of Honors, Balance of Trade, Local Custom, Fledgling. An amusing, if not outright terrifying, note: We had dinner with Madame the Editor at WorldCon, wherein she inquired after “George.” The die may be cast.
“Guaranteed Delivery” — For the moment, Sharon is lead writer for the original fiction posted on Splinter Universe. This will change as various deadlines approach and are surpassed. This particular story, which I hope to post on September 12, concerns the Ride the Luck courier service.
“The Space at Tinsori Light” — another story destined for Splinter Universe, featuring a yos’Phelium pilot from the Diaries. Shooting for mid-October posting, though here we’re getting near the delivery deadline for Dragon Ship, and all things give way before a book deadline.
Trade Secret — the sequel to Balance of Trade. Steve is lead writer on this project.
You will note that there is no Yule Chapbook in this schedule. As those who were at WorldCon heard, Steve and I are in the process of closing down SRM Publisher. We are looking for ways to see paper chapbooks published, perhaps on demand, but we’re still in the exploration stage. As soon as we know what shape the future will take, we’ll let y’all know.
More bidness email dealt with. More laundry done. Amtrak convinced of the Rightness of Refunding the cost of two first class tickets from Chicago to Albany. Documentation supporting this assertion mailed, certified, return receipt, at the local post office. Cat belly scrubbled. Grocery shopping accomplished.
Ran into one of my former faculty members at the grocery store: “Sharon?” he said. I blinked up, saw the face, took a minute to place it…”Hi!” “You look,” he said, “great!”
So does living dangerously improve us all.
Time to collect Steve, who has been dealing with bidness of his own, and hit the kitchen for some lunch. At some point realsoonnow, we’ve got to (re)establish a working schedule around this joint.
…that’s all I got. For those who are going to DragonCon — travel safe, and have fun!
Progress on Guaranteed Delivery
236 words/10,000 OR 2.36% complete
Light bloomed inside the treasure room.
Where was I?
Minneapolis, I believe.
So! We had a grand time on Saturday signing at Uncle Hugo’s, followed by a pleasant dinner with some local fans at It’s Greek to Me, after which we all adjourned to Scott and Irene’s house for chocolate fondue, vitamin dog, and more conversation. We reluctantly left the festivities to pack up again and fell into bed for +/- four hours sleep.
Sunday morning, Scott valiantly picked us up at ‘Way Too Early and drove us to the Amtrak Station, where in due time we boarded the Empire Builder to Chicago.
We had hoped that our timing was good, and that the Lake Shore Limited would take us up and put us down again at Albany-Rensselaer on Monday afternoon.
Alas for hope.
Amtrak was taking passengers only as far as Toledo, Ohio. At that point, quoth the lady at Customer Services, we were on our own; Amtrak had no responsibility (yes, yes, I will be calling Amtrak. Tomorrow, I’m guessing). We could, alternatively, stay three, or possibly four, days in Chicago at our own expense, until Amtrak could fit us into existing trains once it was judged safe to approach the East Coast more nearly than Toledo.
We opted to go home.
Once again, the cellphones proved their usefulness. From the first class lounge in the Chicago Union Station, we called the Radisson Park Inn in Toledo, where Josh set us up with a room, the number of the closest rental car establishment, and arranged to send a taxi to the train station for us. Well done, Josh; we appreciate your efforts on our behalf.
Monday morning, after about four hours sleep, we rose, breakfasted, and called a cab to take us out to Kistler Ford and the Hertz store, where we picked up a white Honda Civic, and got the hell outta town, heading east on I80.
We drove fourteen hours — about seven hundred miles — including encountering a Gap in the Proceedings on I90 just short of Albany, which meant a loooooong detour to Binghamton, and across the river that way, arriving at the Fairfield Inn in East Greenbush New York about four a.m.
We grabbed another four hours’ sleep, and hit the cellphones again, trying to determine if the train station was open, so that we could retrieve our car, which was parked in the covered lot.
The stationmaster at Albany-Rensselaer did not answer the phone, repeatedly. I finally called the local police station, where the dispatcher assured me that the station was open, and off we went again, to ransom Binjali, shift over all our luggage from the Civic, and then drive another howevermany miles to the Albany airport, where we turned said Civic back into the Hertz Corporation with half-an-hour to spare.
“You drove over seven hundred miles since yesterday at noon,” Manual, the Hertz rep, said to me. “That’s crazy.”
Um, yeah.
I bundled into Binjali and Steve drove us home. The cats are being clingy, but apparently satisfied. There was no hurricane damage at our house, or even signs of anything more than a heavy downpour, with a little wind.
Today has been spent sorting — clothes from the trip, snail mail, email, phone calls — and napping (twelve hours’ sleep over the last 72? Most of the awake hours fueled by sugar and caffeine? No wonder my eyes keep crossing). Tomorrow, we need to get back to work. Oh, and I should call Amtrak.
But right now? Mozart needs his belly rubbed.
At the moment, I’m in Minneapolis with my lovely and talented groom. We’re catching up on bidness before grabbing a light lunch and heading across the street to Uncle Hugo’s to say hi to Pat Wrede, who is signing Across the Great Barrier. After Pat finishes up, we’ll take her place behind the table, from which position we hope to sign bunches of Ghost Ship. If you’re within range of Uncle Hugo’s, please do come by to see Pat and us.
Tomorrow, ‘way early, we’re due to catch a train to Chicago, and from there we’ll punt, since much depends on where Irene is in her dance up the East Coast and if Amtrak considers
Albany to be in the Northeast Corridor.
Fans of Scrabble and Mozart will be relieved to know that their auxiliary minion is making all reasonable and prudent arrangements for their safety and comfort. As the auxiliary minion is well-known to be reasonable and prudent, especially in the matter of feline safety and comfort, we may with perfect confidence leave matters in her hands.
Prior to Minneapolis, there was a WorldCon, in Reno, where we met lots and lots of Liaden fans, participated on panels, had several working dinners, attended the SFWA meeting, and bought a corset. Well, I bought a corset, which Steve is now in charge of lacing up, if I ever want to wear it again.
Friends of Liad Angie, Deb, Shawna and Thuy did incredible work at the Liaden Universe® fan table and put on a super FoL party, as well as a Liaden Open House. We are very much in their debt.
After WorldCon, we got on the California Zephyr, which was late, and got later, until I ran out of patience with BNSF’s complete disregard of passenger trains in favor of moving empty coal trains, unlimbered my cellphone, talked to a puzzled but willing reporter at AP and a very nice dispatcher at BNSF in Austin, Texas, I believe. It was nice that I had something to do, since were were fourteen hours late getting into Chicago, where thank ghod we had a hotel room waiting. We got to use said hotel room for a four hour nap and showers before we were due back on a train — the Empire Builder — bound for Minneapolis, where Mickie kindly picked us up at the station and drove us to the Midtown Sheraton, aka temporary Confusion Factory headquarters.
Yesterday, we slept in, and had lunch at Pham’s Deli in the Global Market before reporting in to Mr. Blyly, who put us to work personalizing pre-ordered Ghost Ships. We then returned to Temp Headquarters, crashed, took care of bidness, had dinner and crashed again.
Kudos to Sheraton desk personnel in Chicago and in Minneapolis, for helping to make the transition from fraught train travel to restful napping places smooth and easy. A special thank-you to Manager Andy Finsness for the free bike tickets, the laundry detergent, and the cabernet sauvignon. And a heartfelt thank! you! to e-leaven deli in Chicago for not only producing breakfast on demand, but for wrapping us up a wonderful turkey sammich on pumpkin sage bread to eat on the train.
…I think that brings y’all up to date. How’ve things been going in your part of the world over the last couple weeks?
Magic Under Glass, Jaclyn Dolamore (e)
Silver Borne, Patricia Briggs (e)
Warrior Sheep One: Quest of the Warrior Sheep, Christine and Christopher Russell
Phoenix Rising, Pip Ballantine and Tee Morris (e)
Crown Jewels, Walter Jon Williams (e)
Explorer, C.J. Cherryh (read out loud with Steve)
Defender, C.J. Cherryh (read out loud with Steve)
Bond of Blood, Roberta Gellis (e)
Inheritor, C.J. Cherryh (read out loud with Steve)
I Don’t Want to Kill You, Dan Wells
Invader, C.J. Cherryh (read out loud with Steve)
Library Wars Volume 1: Love and War, Kiiro Yumi
The Perilous Gard, Elizabeth Marie Pope
Edie Ernst, USO Singer — Allied Spy, Brooke McEldowney
Silver Phoenix, Cindy Pon
Treasure Island, Robert Louis Stevenson (e)
Foreigner, C.J. Cherryh (read aloud with Steve)
Betrayer, C.J. Cherryh (read out loud with Steve)
Right-Ho, Jeeves, P.G. Wodehouse (e)
American Rose, Karen Abbott
The Bull God, Roberta Gellis (e)
Sin in the Second City, Karen Abbott
Of Blood and Honey, Stina Leicht (e)
The God Engines, John Scalzi (e)
Or Else My Lady Keeps the Key, Kage Baker (e)
Unseen, Rachel Caine
Total Eclipse, Rachel Caine
Weight of Stone, Laura Anne Gilman
The Story of Chicago May, Nuala O’Faolain
For those who care about such things, brand-new Liaden Universe® novelette “Kin Ties” is now live! on the intertubes! right here.
Enjoy!
In the woods at the edge of a farmland, there lived a wolf. Hunting had been thin of late and his ribs showed through rough fur.
One evening, the wolf was prowling along the edge of the forest, looking, he said to himself, for deer, though in truth he would have settled for a mouse, or even a vole.
In the shadows up ahead, something moved. The wolf’s heart leapt — and fell, because it was no deer that moved toward him out of the dusk, but a sleek brown farm dog, out for a bit of a ramble.
“Well met, cousin!” the dog called to the wolf. “It’s been some time since we’ve talked.”
“So it has,” the wolf said resignedly, as the dog came close.
“Why, cousin, whatever has befallen you?”
“The hunting’s been a little thin,” the wolf said. “It’ll pick up eventually. It always does.”
“Starving can’t be good for you,” the dog scolded. “You know, you can be as well-fed as I am, if you’ll follow my advice.”
Now, generally the wolf didn’t think much of the dog’s intelligence. On the other hand, he could hardly dispute that the dog was in fine shape, while he…might not survive the winter.
So, he made himself humble and he said to the dog, “What must I do?”
“You must bark when a stranger approaches. You must snarl at beggars, growl at thieves, and fawn on the people who live in the house. Do this, and you will get as much as you can eat, and more, as well as clean hay to sleep in, and a box to keep off the rain.”
This sounded almost too good to be true, and yet, the wolf said to himself, the dog was well-fed.
“To whom should I apply?” he asked, trembling at the thought of so much benefit in return for so little effort.
“Because we are cousins,” the dog said loftily, “I will sponsor you to my master. Come along and I will do so now.”
The wolf fell in beside the dog. They passed out of deep wood shadows into the twilight of the field-edge and there the wolf saw something alarming.
“Cousin!” he cried. “What has happened to you? Your neck — the fur is quite worn away, and the skin is chafed and raw!”
“Oh, that’s nothing,” the dog said. “Don’t mind it.”
“But, what has caused this?” demanded the wolf, thinking perhaps a thief hadn’t cared to be growled at.
“It’s only the mark of my collar,” the dog said, a little sharply. “Where my master fastens the chain.”
“What? Can you not wander as you please?”
“Of course not,” said the dog. “But that’s of no mind. My master lets me off the chain to ramble…quite often.” And he started off again, but the wolf didn’t move.
A few paces out, the dog stopped and looked over his shoulder.
“Well?” he said. “Aren’t you coming?”
“No.” The wolf shook his head. “Not at all. Never.”
And he turned around and ran back into the woods.
Better to starve free than be a fat slave
–Aesop