Category: Blog

WSFA Small Press Finalists Announced

Liaden Universe® story “Standing Orders” by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller is a finalist in the 2022 WSFA Small Press Award for Short Fiction.
“Standing Orders” was published in Derelict, edited by David B. Coe and Joshua Palmatier, from Zombies Need Brains LLC.
Below is the official press release, including a list of all the finlaists:
The Washington (DC) Science Fiction Association (WSFA) is pleased to announce the finalists for the 2022 WSFA Small Press Award for Short Fiction:
“The Birdsong Fossil” by DK Mok, Multispecies Cities: Solarpunk Urban Futures, (April 2021) World Weaver Press ed. by Christoph Rupprecht, Deborah Cleland, Norie Tamura, Rajat Chaudhuri, and Sarena Ulibarri;
“Dress of Ash” by Y. M. Pang, Seasons Between Us: Tales of Identities and Memories, ed. by Susan Forest and Lucas K. Law, Laksa Media Groups Inc. (2021);
“Eight Mile and the City” by Steven Harper, When Worlds Collide, ed. by S. C. Butler & Joshua Palmatier, Zombies Need Brains, LLC (July 2021);
“Fisherman’s Soup” by Kristina Ten, Mermaids Monthly, (May 26, 2022) ed. by Julia Rios, Meg Frank, and Ashley Deng;
“From the Ashes Flew the Ladybug” by Alexandra Seidel, The Deadlands, Issue 7 (November 2021) ed. by E. Catherine Tobler;
“Laughter Among the Trees” by Suzan Palumbo, The Dark Magazine, Issue 69 (February 2021) ed by Sean Wallace;
“Space Pirate Queen of the Ten Billion Utopias” by Elly Bangs, Lightspeed Magazine, Issue 138 (November 2021) ed. by John Joseph Adams;
“Standing Orders” by Sharon Lee & Steve Miller, Derelicts, ed. by David B. Coe and Joshua Palmatier, Zombies Need Brains, LLC (July 2021);
“A Stranger Goes Ashore” by Adam R. Shannon, Beneath Ceaseless Skies, Issue 328 (April 22, 2021) ed. by Scott H. Andrews; and
“A Universe All to Himself” by Ryan Priest, Metaphorosis, (April 2021) ed. by B. Morris Allen;
The award honors the efforts of small press publishers in providing a critical venue for short fiction in the area of speculative fiction, and showcases the best original short fiction published by small presses in the previous year (2021). An unusual feature of the selection process is that all voting is done with the identity of the author (and publisher) hidden so that the final choice is based solely on the quality of the story.
The winner is chosen by the members of the Washington Science Fiction Association (www.wsfa.org) and will be presented at Capclave (www.capclave.org), held this year on September 30 – October 2, 2022 at the Rockville Hilton & Executive Meeting Center, 1750 Rockville Pike, Rockville, Maryland 20852.

Books read in 2022

48   A Little Too Familiar, Lish McBride (e)
47   The Wonder Engine, T. Kingfisher (Clocktaur War #2) (e)
46   Clockwork Boys, T. Kingfisher (Clocktaur War #1) (e)
45   Peter Cabot Gets Lost, Kat Sebastian (The Cabots #1) (e)
44   Thornyhold, Mary Stewart (re-read) (e)
43   The Missing Page, Kat Sebastian (Page and Sommers #2) (e)
42   Stormy Petrel, Mary Stewart (e)
41   Hither, Page, Kat Sebastian (Page and Sommers #1) (e)
40   A Delicate Deception, Kat Sebastian (The Regency Imposters #3*) (e)
39   A Duke in Disguise, Kat Sebastian (The Regency Imposters #2*) (e)
38   The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea, Axie Oh (e)
37   The Grief of Stones, Katherine Addison (The Cemeteries of Amalo #2)
36   Sweep of the Blade, Ilona Andrews (Inkeeper #4) (e)
35   The Rat-catcher’s Daughter, KJ Charles (Lilywhite Boys 0.5) (e)
34   Gilded Cage, KJ Charles (Lilywhite Boys #2) (e)
33  When the King Comes Home, Caroline Stevermer (e)
32  Touch Not the Cat, Mary Stewart (re-read) (e)
31  Miss Moriarty, I Presume ( Lady Sherlock Book 6) Sherry Thomas (e)
30  New Tales of Space and Time, ed. Raymond J. Healy (re-read)
29  Trust Me on This, Jennifer Crusie (re-read)
28  Daughter of the Moon Goddess, Sue Lynn Tan (Celestial Kingdom #1) (e)
27  Summer in Orcus, T. Kingfisher (e)
26  A Gentleman Undone, Cecelia Grant (Blackshear Family #2) (e)
25  A Lady Awakened, Cecelia Grant (Blackshear Family #1) (e)
24  Nettle and Bone, T. Kingfisher (e)
23  Shadow of the Swan, Nicola M. Cameron (Hidden Empire #1) (e)
22  Amongst Our Weapons, Ben Aaronovitch (Rivers of London #9) (e)
21  To My Muse, Nicola M. Cameron (e)
20  Unfit to Print, KJ Charles (e)
19  When Blood Lies, C.S. Harris (Sebastian St. Cyr #17)
18  The Last Revival of Opal and Nev, Dawnie Walton (e)
17  Bruno, Chief of Police: A Mystery of the French Countryside, Martin Walker (Bruno, Chief of Police #1) (e)
16  Spellswept, Stephanie Burgis (The Harwood Spellbook #2) (e)
15  Last Guard, Nalini Singh (Psy-Changeling Trinity #5) (re-read aloud w/Steve)
14  Dragonsbane, Barbara Hambly (Winterlands #1) (e)
13  Naked Once More, Elizabeth Peters (Jacqueline Kirby #4) (e)
12  The Pride of Chanur, CJ Cherryh (Chanur #1) (e) (re-read)
11  Written in Red, Anne Bishop (The Others #1)(re-read)
10  Shadow Scale, Rachel Hartman (Seraphina #2) (e)
9   Seraphina, Rachel Hartman (Seraphina #1) (e)
8   Grave Reservations, Cherie Priest (Booking Agents Series #1) (e)
7   Gothel and the Maiden Prince, W.R. Gingell (e)
6   A Gathering of Gargoyles, Meredith Ann Pierce (Darkangel #2)
5   Crystal Lattice, Paul Aurelius (The Crystal Cities #1) (pre-pub provided by the author) (e)
4   The 5th Gender, G.L. Carriger (A Tinkered Stars Mystery) (e)
3   Magic Lessons, Alice Hoffman (Practical Magic #1 or #3, depending) (e)
2   Snowspelled, Stephanie Burgis (The Harwood Spellbook #1) (e)
1   Widdershins, Jordan L. Hawk (Whyborn and Griffin #1) (e)

__________
* The Regency Imposters #1 is Unmasked by the Marquis, which I read backaways

Lee and Miller Upcoming Signings!

Sharon Lee and Steve Miller will be signing books — and talking trash, because, really, you can’t stop us — in person at the following venues on the dates shown:

Saturday, August 27 1-3 pm
Sherman’s Maine Coast Book Shop
158 Main St.
Damariscotta, ME 04543

Saturday, September 3 11 am-1 pm
Sherman’s Book Shop
65 Topsham Fair Mall
Topsham, ME 04086

In which the authors are working

Much like being a Liaden Scout, being a writer is 98% mucking around in the mud, and 2% excitement.

And, after a brief period of excitement, we’re back to Business as Usual, which is exciting enough for those doing the work, but makes for poor telling.

SPOILERS FOR TRADER’S LEAP BELOW.  IF YOU HAVE NOT READ THE BOOK AND DON’T WANT TO READ SPOILERS, STOP READING NOW.

S

P

O

I

L

E

R

S

P

A

C

E

For instance, we are at the moment Reading.  I’m reading Trader’s Leap because the book I’m lead on next has to be the follow to that story.  There’s a minor problem developing because I’m more interested in the Matter of the Redlands than I am in getting Padi onto a trade ship heading into the Dust.  It’s early days, and my brain is still recovering from Salvage Right, so I don’t despair, merely note.

Steve is rereading all the Jethri books to date.  Again.  I think that I take from this that Trade Lanes is intended to be the wrap-up for the Jethri arc.  I could of course be wrong, or Jethri could intend otherwise.

I’m also pulling together a database of all our works, original publication and all reprints.  It’s not that we haven’t been keeping track of these things, but we started keeping track on cards, and just kept with it, since neither one of us is a database person, particularly, and there were Books to Write.  So, an hour or two of database work a day, to ensure that our Literary Executor will have something to work from, eventually.

In and around are the cats, of course.  Firefly is settling in nicely.  She hangs out with Sprite a lot, has a cordial relationship with Belle, and remains quite fond of Trooper.  She’s also Getting the Hang of Steve and me — no mean task.  She had early established the back of the couch as an Accepted Petting Zone, and has been expanding those territories.  She has become accustomed to me picking her up and holding her over my shoulder for a bit, or picking her up and carrying her to a chair for some chin skritches before Press of Business requires her elsewhere.  Most evenings, she joins me when I embroider — me in the rocker, and her in the jetpac under the table next to the rocker.

So, that’s the news.  Writers at work, and content to be so.

Here’s a picture of Firefly and Sprite:

 

 

 

Books read in 2022

46   Clockwork Boys, T. Kingfisher (Clocktaur War #1) (e)
45   Peter Cabot Gets Lost, Kat Sebastian (The Cabots #1) (e)
44   Thornyhold, Mary Stewart (re-read) (e)
43   The Missing Page, Kat Sebastian (Page and Sommers #2) (e)
42   Stormy Petrel, Mary Stewart (e)
41   Hither, Page, Kat Sebastian (Page and Sommers #1) (e)
40   A Delicate Deception, Kat Sebastian (The Regency Imposters #3*) (e)
39   A Duke in Disguise, Kat Sebastian (The Regency Imposters #2*) (e)
38   The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea, Axie Oh (e)
37   The Grief of Stones, Katherine Addison (The Cemeteries of Amalo #2)
36   Sweep of the Blade, Ilona Andrews (Inkeeper #4) (e)
35   The Rat-catcher’s Daughter, KJ Charles (Lilywhite Boys 0.5) (e)
34   Gilded Cage, KJ Charles (Lilywhite Boys #2) (e)
33  When the King Comes Home, Caroline Stevermer (e)
32  Touch Not the Cat, Mary Stewart (re-read) (e)
31  Miss Moriarty, I Presume ( Lady Sherlock Book 6) Sherry Thomas (e)
30  New Tales of Space and Time, ed. Raymond J. Healy (re-read)
29  Trust Me on This, Jennifer Crusie (re-read)
28  Daughter of the Moon Goddess, Sue Lynn Tan (Celestial Kingdom #1) (e)
27  Summer in Orcus, T. Kingfisher (e)
26  A Gentleman Undone, Cecelia Grant (Blackshear Family #2) (e)
25  A Lady Awakened, Cecelia Grant (Blackshear Family #1) (e)
24  Nettle and Bone, T. Kingfisher (e)
23  Shadow of the Swan, Nicola M. Cameron (Hidden Empire #1) (e)
22  Amongst Our Weapons, Ben Aaronovitch (Rivers of London #9) (e)
21  To My Muse, Nicola M. Cameron (e)
20  Unfit to Print, KJ Charles (e)
19  When Blood Lies, C.S. Harris (Sebastian St. Cyr #17)
18  The Last Revival of Opal and Nev, Dawnie Walton (e)
17  Bruno, Chief of Police: A Mystery of the French Countryside, Martin Walker (Bruno, Chief of Police #1) (e)
16  Spellswept, Stephanie Burgis (The Harwood Spellbook #2) (e)
15  Last Guard, Nalini Singh (Psy-Changeling Trinity #5) (re-read aloud w/Steve)
14  Dragonsbane, Barbara Hambly (Winterlands #1) (e)
13  Naked Once More, Elizabeth Peters (Jacqueline Kirby #4) (e)
12  The Pride of Chanur, CJ Cherryh (Chanur #1) (e) (re-read)
11  Written in Red, Anne Bishop (The Others #1)(re-read)
10  Shadow Scale, Rachel Hartman (Seraphina #2) (e)
9   Seraphina, Rachel Hartman (Seraphina #1) (e)
8   Grave Reservations, Cherie Priest (Booking Agents Series #1) (e)
7   Gothel and the Maiden Prince, W.R. Gingell (e)
6   A Gathering of Gargoyles, Meredith Ann Pierce (Darkangel #2)
5   Crystal Lattice, Paul Aurelius (The Crystal Cities #1) (pre-pub provided by the author) (e)
4   The 5th Gender, G.L. Carriger (A Tinkered Stars Mystery) (e)
3   Magic Lessons, Alice Hoffman (Practical Magic #1 or #3, depending) (e)
2   Snowspelled, Stephanie Burgis (The Harwood Spellbook #1) (e)
1   Widdershins, Jordan L. Hawk (Whyborn and Griffin #1) (e)

__________
* The Regency Imposters #1 is Unmasked by the Marquis, which I read backaways

Books read in 2022

45   Peter Cabot Gets Lost, Kat Sebastian (The Cabots #1) (e)
44   Thornyhold, Mary Stewart (re-read) (e)
43   The Missing Page, Kat Sebastian (Page and Sommers #2) (e)
42   Stormy Petrel, Mary Stewart (e)
41   Hither, Page, Kat Sebastian (Page and Sommers #1) (e)
40   A Delicate Deception, Kat Sebastian (The Regency Imposters #3*) (e)
39   A Duke in Disguise, Kat Sebastian (The Regency Imposters #2*) (e)
38   The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea, Axie Oh (e)
37   The Grief of Stones, Katherine Addison (The Cemeteries of Amalo #2)
36   Sweep of the Blade, Ilona Andrews (Inkeeper #4) (e)
35   The Rat-catcher’s Daughter, KJ Charles (Lilywhite Boys 0.5) (e)
34   Gilded Cage, KJ Charles (Lilywhite Boys #2) (e)
33  When the King Comes Home, Caroline Stevermer (e)
32  Touch Not the Cat, Mary Stewart (re-read) (e)
31  Miss Moriarty, I Presume ( Lady Sherlock Book 6) Sherry Thomas (e)
30  New Tales of Space and Time, ed. Raymond J. Healy (re-read)
29  Trust Me on This, Jennifer Crusie (re-read)
28  Daughter of the Moon Goddess, Sue Lynn Tan (Celestial Kingdom #1) (e)
27  Summer in Orcus, T. Kingfisher (e)
26  A Gentleman Undone, Cecelia Grant (Blackshear Family #2) (e)
25  A Lady Awakened, Cecelia Grant (Blackshear Family #1) (e)
24  Nettle and Bone, T. Kingfisher (e)
23  Shadow of the Swan, Nicola M. Cameron (Hidden Empire #1) (e)
22  Amongst Our Weapons, Ben Aaronovitch (Rivers of London #9) (e)
21  To My Muse, Nicola M. Cameron (e)
20  Unfit to Print, KJ Charles (e)
19  When Blood Lies, C.S. Harris (Sebastian St. Cyr #17)
18  The Last Revival of Opal and Nev, Dawnie Walton (e)
17  Bruno, Chief of Police: A Mystery of the French Countryside, Martin Walker (Bruno, Chief of Police #1) (e)
16  Spellswept, Stephanie Burgis (The Harwood Spellbook #2) (e)
15  Last Guard, Nalini Singh (Psy-Changeling Trinity #5) (re-read aloud w/Steve)
14  Dragonsbane, Barbara Hambly (Winterlands #1) (e)
13  Naked Once More, Elizabeth Peters (Jacqueline Kirby #4) (e)
12  The Pride of Chanur, CJ Cherryh (Chanur #1) (e) (re-read)
11  Written in Red, Anne Bishop (The Others #1)(re-read)
10  Shadow Scale, Rachel Hartman (Seraphina #2) (e)
9   Seraphina, Rachel Hartman (Seraphina #1) (e)
8   Grave Reservations, Cherie Priest (Booking Agents Series #1) (e)
7   Gothel and the Maiden Prince, W.R. Gingell (e)
6   A Gathering of Gargoyles, Meredith Ann Pierce (Darkangel #2)
5   Crystal Lattice, Paul Aurelius (The Crystal Cities #1) (pre-pub provided by the author) (e)
4   The 5th Gender, G.L. Carriger (A Tinkered Stars Mystery) (e)
3   Magic Lessons, Alice Hoffman (Practical Magic #1 or #3, depending) (e)
2   Snowspelled, Stephanie Burgis (The Harwood Spellbook #1) (e)
1   Widdershins, Jordan L. Hawk (Whyborn and Griffin #1) (e)

__________
* The Regency Imposters #1 is Unmasked by the Marquis, which I read backaways

Books read in 2022

44   Thornyhold, Mary Stewart (re-read) (e)
43   The Missing Page, Kat Sebastian (Page and Sommers #2) (e)
42   Stormy Petrel, Mary Stewart (e)
41   Hither, Page, Kat Sebastian (Page and Sommers #1) (e)
40   A Delicate Deception, Kat Sebastian (The Regency Imposters #3*) (e)
39   A Duke in Disguise, Kat Sebastian (The Regency Imposters #2*) (e)
38   The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea, Axie Oh (e)
37   The Grief of Stones, Katherine Addison (The Cemeteries of Amalo #2)
36   Sweep of the Blade, Ilona Andrews (Inkeeper #4) (e)
35   The Rat-catcher’s Daughter, KJ Charles (Lilywhite Boys 0.5) (e)
34   Gilded Cage, KJ Charles (Lilywhite Boys #2) (e)
33  When the King Comes Home, Caroline Stevermer (e)
32  Touch Not the Cat, Mary Stewart (re-read) (e)
31  Miss Moriarty, I Presume ( Lady Sherlock Book 6) Sherry Thomas (e)
30  New Tales of Space and Time, ed. Raymond J. Healy (re-read)
29  Trust Me on This, Jennifer Crusie (re-read)
28  Daughter of the Moon Goddess, Sue Lynn Tan (Celestial Kingdom #1) (e)
27  Summer in Orcus, T. Kingfisher (e)
26  A Gentleman Undone, Cecelia Grant (Blackshear Family #2) (e)
25  A Lady Awakened, Cecelia Grant (Blackshear Family #1) (e)
24  Nettle and Bone, T. Kingfisher (e)
23  Shadow of the Swan, Nicola M. Cameron (Hidden Empire #1) (e)
22  Amongst Our Weapons, Ben Aaronovitch (Rivers of London #9) (e)
21  To My Muse, Nicola M. Cameron (e)
20  Unfit to Print, KJ Charles (e)
19  When Blood Lies, C.S. Harris (Sebastian St. Cyr #17)
18  The Last Revival of Opal and Nev, Dawnie Walton (e)
17  Bruno, Chief of Police: A Mystery of the French Countryside, Martin Walker (Bruno, Chief of Police #1) (e)
16  Spellswept, Stephanie Burgis (The Harwood Spellbook #2) (e)
15  Last Guard, Nalini Singh (Psy-Changeling Trinity #5) (re-read aloud w/Steve)
14  Dragonsbane, Barbara Hambly (Winterlands #1) (e)
13  Naked Once More, Elizabeth Peters (Jacqueline Kirby #4) (e)
12  The Pride of Chanur, CJ Cherryh (Chanur #1) (e) (re-read)
11  Written in Red, Anne Bishop (The Others #1)(re-read)
10  Shadow Scale, Rachel Hartman (Seraphina #2) (e)
9   Seraphina, Rachel Hartman (Seraphina #1) (e)
8   Grave Reservations, Cherie Priest (Booking Agents Series #1) (e)
7   Gothel and the Maiden Prince, W.R. Gingell (e)
6   A Gathering of Gargoyles, Meredith Ann Pierce (Darkangel #2)
5   Crystal Lattice, Paul Aurelius (The Crystal Cities #1) (pre-pub provided by the author) (e)
4   The 5th Gender, G.L. Carriger (A Tinkered Stars Mystery) (e)
3   Magic Lessons, Alice Hoffman (Practical Magic #1 or #3, depending) (e)
2   Snowspelled, Stephanie Burgis (The Harwood Spellbook #1) (e)
1   Widdershins, Jordan L. Hawk (Whyborn and Griffin #1) (e)

__________
* The Regency Imposters #1 is Unmasked by the Marquis, which I read backaways

The Magical Mystery is waiting to take you away

Yesterday’s plan, insofar as there was a plan, was to Get Out of the House and Do Something Else.

We were in large measure, Successful.

I drove us to Coburn Gore, which, for those of you who are Unfamiliar lies on the border between Maine and Canada.  It’s our closest crossing to Montreal, and, having not had any real reason to visit Montreal or Quebec in the last few years, has remained Unsurveyed by Authors Goofing Off for Quite Some Time.

It . . . is not much changed.  The northern reaches of the state are much harsher in terms of landscape and standard of living than the sought-after southern points.  Several of the smaller towns have aged badly.  Kingfield looked . . . OK, but we’re in the skiing off-season and Kingfield really doesn’t come into its own until the first snow.

The country — harsh, yes, but grand for all of that — mountains in the distance, and then right up in your face, chains of deep green lakes,  ledges of living rock two feet from the passenger side, and on the driver’s side — why no, who on earth has that much safety rail?  And honestly, at the speed you’re likely going, coming down the mountain and playing with gravity, that itty-bitty safety rail isn’t gonna make one damned bit of difference.

We drove up Routes 6 and 8 — hit some road work (welcome to Maine in the summer) but not much traffic, and most of that the big rigs, going up to cross the border.

For the purposes of this discussion, Coburn Gore is a convenience store and two border stations — Canadian, and USian.  For those traveling in this direction, be aware that Peppin’s convenience store has no public bathrooms — those are said to be available at the border stations.  I did not check this information, so cannot tell you how many questions you might have to answer the border guard before you’re let to use a bathroom.

What Coburn Gore really needs is a Visitor Information Center, with maps, and tourist booklets; coffee and soda machines, and public bathrooms,  Mind you, this isn’t going to happen, but it would make the place seem less . . . prisoned.

So, anyhow, beautiful drive on the “new” road. The first time we drove to Coburn Gore, it was a lane-and-a-half of washboard; the second time, MaineDOT was tearing down a mountain and putting in a road that the big rigs could make some time on.  That road is now complete and has been for maybe 12 years.  So you see we really were overdue for an Inspection.

It was 77F/25C at the border on the top of the mountain.  Steve took us back down, picking up degrees as we went.  When finally we raised Bingham and pulled into the rest area on Route 201 to eat our picnic, it was 88F/31C and I was thinking it might make sense to turn around and retrace our drive.

However!  There were cats at home, and home we came.

Steve beat me at Scrabble, just by a squeak.  We had grilled cheese sandwiches for dinner, and retired to the living room with our wine, and said cats, to read until bed time.

Today, it’s back to the routine.  I have bills to pay, paragraphs to write, and laundry to do.  I’m also on-deck for supper, which will be!  The Rest of the Quiche, and roasted asparagus.  Shaw’s keeps throwing asparagus in my way, and I keep buying it, so . . .

At the moment, I believe I am unsupervised.  Firefly was in for a few minutes, but then Steve went downstairs, and she rushed off to supervise his Important Work for Cat Kind in the basement.

The Big Plan for the rest of the week is to stay inside on Station Air, as we’re looking for 90F/32C, and In My Not So Humble Opinion, that is too damned hot.

. . . and I think that catches us all up.

Everybody keep warm or cool, depending on your preferences.

Today’s blog post brought to you by The Beatles, “The Magical Mystery Tour.”  Here’s your link.

Books read in 2022

43   The Missing Page, Kat Sebastian (Page and Sommers #2) (e)
42   Stormy Petrel, Mary Stewart (e)
41   Hither, Page, Kat Sebastian (Page and Sommers #1) (e)
40   A Delicate Deception, Kat Sebastian (The Regency Imposters #3*) (e)
39   A Duke in Disguise, Kat Sebastian (The Regency Imposters #2*) (e)
38   The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea, Axie Oh (e)
37   The Grief of Stones, Katherine Addison (The Cemeteries of Amalo #2)
36   Sweep of the Blade, Ilona Andrews (Inkeeper #4) (e)
35   The Rat-catcher’s Daughter, KJ Charles (Lilywhite Boys 0.5) (e)
34   Gilded Cage, KJ Charles (Lilywhite Boys #2) (e)
33  When the King Comes Home, Caroline Stevermer (e)
32  Touch Not the Cat, Mary Stewart (re-read) (e)
31  Miss Moriarty, I Presume ( Lady Sherlock Book 6) Sherry Thomas (e)
30  New Tales of Space and Time, ed. Raymond J. Healy (re-read)
29  Trust Me on This, Jennifer Crusie (re-read)
28  Daughter of the Moon Goddess, Sue Lynn Tan (Celestial Kingdom #1) (e)
27  Summer in Orcus, T. Kingfisher (e)
26  A Gentleman Undone, Cecelia Grant (Blackshear Family #2) (e)
25  A Lady Awakened, Cecelia Grant (Blackshear Family #1) (e)
24  Nettle and Bone, T. Kingfisher (e)
23  Shadow of the Swan, Nicola M. Cameron (Hidden Empire #1) (e)
22  Amongst Our Weapons, Ben Aaronovitch (Rivers of London #9) (e)
21  To My Muse, Nicola M. Cameron (e)
20  Unfit to Print, KJ Charles (e)
19  When Blood Lies, C.S. Harris (Sebastian St. Cyr #17)
18  The Last Revival of Opal and Nev, Dawnie Walton (e)
17  Bruno, Chief of Police: A Mystery of the French Countryside, Martin Walker (Bruno, Chief of Police #1) (e)
16  Spellswept, Stephanie Burgis (The Harwood Spellbook #2) (e)
15  Last Guard, Nalini Singh (Psy-Changeling Trinity #5) (re-read aloud w/Steve)
14  Dragonsbane, Barbara Hambly (Winterlands #1) (e)
13  Naked Once More, Elizabeth Peters (Jacqueline Kirby #4) (e)
12  The Pride of Chanur, CJ Cherryh (Chanur #1) (e) (re-read)
11  Written in Red, Anne Bishop (The Others #1)(re-read)
10  Shadow Scale, Rachel Hartman (Seraphina #2) (e)
9   Seraphina, Rachel Hartman (Seraphina #1) (e)
8   Grave Reservations, Cherie Priest (Booking Agents Series #1) (e)
7   Gothel and the Maiden Prince, W.R. Gingell (e)
6   A Gathering of Gargoyles, Meredith Ann Pierce (Darkangel #2)
5   Crystal Lattice, Paul Aurelius (The Crystal Cities #1) (pre-pub provided by the author) (e)
4   The 5th Gender, G.L. Carriger (A Tinkered Stars Mystery) (e)
3   Magic Lessons, Alice Hoffman (Practical Magic #1 or #3, depending) (e)
2   Snowspelled, Stephanie Burgis (The Harwood Spellbook #1) (e)
1   Widdershins, Jordan L. Hawk (Whyborn and Griffin #1) (e)

__________
* The Regency Imposters #1 is Unmasked by the Marquis, which I read backaways

The Excitement Never Stops

Yesterday afternoon, Steve gave me his go-through of my draft of “The Last Train to Clarkesville.”  I read it, made some minor corrections, gave it back to him to read, and he pronounced it Good.

We submitted the story last night around 8 pm.  This morning, we have an ack from the editor — story received.

GHOD, I love electronic submissions.

No word limits were broken in the submission of this story, which came in at right around 7,955 words.

“Last Train to Clarkesville” is the 101st Lee-and-Miller collaboration; it is a Liaden Universe® western.

As soon as we have an acceptance, we will talk about this story again, Reveal the name of the anthology, and when it will be available.

Next up — a Liaden story to partner with “From Every Storm a Rainbow,” in the next Pinbeam Books chapbook.  I’ve put out a casting call, so we’ll see who shows up with a problem.

Of course, the last time I did that, I got Jen Sin yos’Phelium.

For now, I have a slew of paper on my desk, only some of which is Story Detritus, so I guess I’d better dig in and see what all’s here.