Category: Blog

Well. . .nuts

So I caught Steve’s cold, and it’s a doozy.  The Original Plan had been for me to go into town this morning to do grocery and banking things, then come home and write.

Clearly, I’m not going to town in this condition, but I’m still going to have to figure out how to write with a splitting headache, hacking cough, and muscle aches, because that can’t not happen.  I’m thinking the schedule for the day will be:  nap for an hour, work for twenty minutes, lather-rinse-repeat.  All the while staying hydrated.  Easy-peasy.

This is what comes of hanging out in cancer centers and doctor’s offices, I suppose.  And, as a Special Bonus, it probably also means that!

Sprite’s vet visit, twice re-scheduled, will be re-scheduled again.  I think this time I’ll just throw in the towel and Call Back When Things Are More Settled.

Real Life is so inconsiderate…

Everybody stay healthy.

 

So my fantasy becomes reality

Well, this is how it is.  I have a blog post I want to write about the error of confusing the artist with the work.  I’ve been putting it off for a few days now, and thought I’d do it today, but — press of work.  Which is to say, pay copy.  The blog post will have to wait a few more days.  Or weeks.

I also have about a dozen emails in the inbox that I ought to answer, but that’s not going to happen, either.  Or only in fits and starts.  (I’ve got something like 450 emails in my box; never did really recover on that front from being away at the end of September.  Possibly, I’ll just kill them all and start over.  It’s an attractive option, anyway.)

I do have a couple favors to ask of you before I slip back behind the curtain for a while.

  1.  If you’ve read Neogenesis, the twenty-first novel of the Liaden Universe® created by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller, please consider leaving a reader review at Amazon, BN, Goodreads, or other places where readers hang out.
  2. If you want to talk about Neogenesis, there’s a spoiler thread — here.
  3. Degrees of Separation: Adventures in the Liaden Universe® Number 27 is now available as an ebook from Amazon, BN, Kobo, iBooks, &c.  It is also available as a paper book from Amazon only.  Some folks are just settling back into Real Life and have missed hearing this.
  4. If you’ve read Degrees, please consider leaving a reader review at Amazon, BN, Goodreads, or other places where readers hang out.
  5. If you’re a Patreon subscriber, there’s a new podcast posted:  Steve reading “Cutting Corners.”  Have a listen.
  6. Also, if you are not a Patreon subscriber, but would like to hear Steve read “A Day at the Races,” here’s your link.

And that is all I have for the moment.

Everybody be good.  Call your mom, walk your dog, tell your bestie you love them.

Today’s blog post is brought to you by Simon and Garfunkel, “Flowers Never Bend With the Rain Fall.”  Here’s your link.  Enjoy.

I’ll be over here in the corner with my assistants, working.

If it’s snowing, it must be Wednesday

So, a couple weeks ago, Sprite and I were scheduled each for our own medical appointment, both of which were rescheduled because Central Maine decided to throw a blizzard.

Both appointments were rescheduled for today.

When Central Maine decided to throw a garden variety winter storm.

My appointment was before 8 a.m. — physical therapy at the hospital across the river.  It had snowed only a inch or so on the overnight, and while the roads were covered, the Town Plow had been through and had liberally spread ashes and sand on the roads, so the trip looked Perfectly Doable.  Which it was, for values of “doable” which meant Steve drove while I fretted in the passenger seat.

Driving was. . .a little trickier than it had seemed it would be.  Still, we got to the hospital in plenty of time, I did my appointment with the therapist, and we came home, in far, far trickier conditions than earlier.

Now, the Traditional Reward for going to an appointment before 8 a.m. is that one has breakfast out, after.  Not today.  Today, we went home, stopping only to put gas in the car in preparation for tomorrow’s trip to Brewer, and a second time to buy a dozen eggs.

We then came home, and the roads are significantly worse now, where Steve made us egg and sausage and cheese sandwiches for breakfast and I called the vet to reschedule Sprite’s appointment again.

No, I don’t know how much she’s paying the weatherbeans. The more interesting question actually is what is is she paying them, and if she has enough to last ’til August.

In the meantime, we have the rest of today to Get Stuff Done — and that’s what’s happening.

Steve is in the living room, reading Fifth of Five, ably assisted by three coon cats, and I am in my office writing this blog post as a way to put off starting the income tax prep for another couple minutes.  Scrabble has appointed herself my Tax Assistant, and in that role is sleeping on the box full of records I’ll be needing to consult.

Y’all have a good day, now. . .

 

Book Day!

Degrees of Separation: Adventures in the Liaden Universe® Number 27! is officially released today.

You may purchase it at all of the usual ebook outlets.  Those who fancy paper, may purchase a paperback copy at Amazon.

A special thank you to the 730-ish folks who preordered, thereby assisting with our experiment.  For Science!

I spent the weekend going through Fifth of Five, moving scenes, removing scenes, rewriting scenes — which is not as easy as it sounds.  Still got a bit of that to finish up, and then we can see where we are.

Everybody stay warm.

 

Degrees of Separation paperback now available!

As the title of the post strongly implies, you may now order the paper edition of Degrees of Separation: Adventures in the Liaden Universe® Number 27, from Amazon only.

Here’s the link.

The ebook edition of Degrees. . . continues to be available for pre-order from these vendors:  Amazon , BN, iBooks, Kobo, and Tolino.

On January 15 (that’s Monday!) the ebook will go “on sale” at the above stores, and also at Baen ebooks.

Here’s a picture of the paperback edition:

 

In Which Royalty Statements Have Landed

So, we got the January-June 2017 royalty statements yesterday.

Royalty statements always make for fascinating study — for values of “fascinating” that will make the eyes of any non-writer quickly glaze over.

The take-away from this batch of statements is that Dragon in Exile (June 2015) really did sell  (relatively) poorly.  No clue why, of course — bad title, unconvincing art, civil war, poor reviews, people were off dragons that year. . .could be anything.  For comparison, Alliance of Equals (July 2016) — the numbers for which we see for the first time in this batch of statements — sold more copies in its initial period than DiE has sold in its entire life.  Hmm.

We also see that DiE sold a total of 447 eArcs, while Alliance sold 1,678.  I do wonder if there’s a correlation between eArcs sold and first period sales, and how you’d go about measuring that. . .

The other really fascinating thing we learn from these royalty statements is that we’re selling the heck out of ebooks.  I think I first noticed in Mouse and Dragon’s initial period that the ebook sales had pushed it over the top — from break-even to royalty-earning — and that pattern seems to be holding for all subsequent titles.

For Sharon Lee titles — Carousel Tides, Carousel Sun, Carousel Seas — the pattern holds, but at a much more modest growth rate than the Liaden books.  Tides and Sun have earned out; Seas still owes the house money, though I expect it will earn out in another year or two.

So, anyway — now you know what I spent a chunk of my day on yesterday.

This morning, we took Steve to the dental surgeon for the last bit of that business.  We now move back to the reconstructive folks and hopefully this whole adventure will be behind him-and-us this year!  Maybe even before WorldCon.

Wow, wouldn’t that be something?

After the dentist, we stopped at the Barnes and Noble, since we were in Augusta, anyway, and signed stock, including eight! copies of Neogenesis, and after that?

We went for a ride — just a short ride, down to Lewiston and back up through Farmington.  Which reminds me that I have to look up where Wales, Maine, happens to lie.

This afternoon, I have a nap penciled in, then it’s back to Fifth of Five, until — Saturday, actually.  Some series of errors has conspired for an appointment-free day tomorrow.  Which is good, because next week is solid appointments.

And that?  Is all I’ve got.

Well, no.  I also have a picture of Belle, resting with her buddy, the rag tiger.

Shameless Self-Promotion

Couple of events of note, for those who like to listen to content:

On Friday, Part One of a far-ranging interview with Steve Miller was featured on the Baen Free Radio Hour.  Here’s your link.

Over the weekend, Steve posted a new podcast on Patreon, for patrons only, in which he reads “Cutting Corners.”  Here’s your link.

Also!  “Block Party,” a Liaden Universe® story by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller, is still available to be read — for free! — at Baen.com.  Here’s that link.

“Degrees of Separation,” the prequel to “Block Party,” will be published as Degrees  of Separation:  Adventures in the Liaden Universe® Number 27.  You may preoder the ebook now from Amazon , BN, iBooks, Kobo, and Tolino.

On January 15, you may also purchase the ebook edition from Baen.

Sometime RSN, you will either be able to pre-order or outright purchase the paper edition, from Amazon only.

Neogenesis, the 21st novel of the Liaden Universe® was published on January 2, and is available in hardcover, ebook, and audio editions.

If you read the novel and want to talk about it, there is a spoiler thread here.

Also! If you’ve read Neogenesis, please consider leaving a review at Amazon, Goodreads, or another site where readers read.  Thanks!

For those local(ish) to Waterville, Maine, Steve Miller and Sharon Lee will be signing books and talking trash at the Children’s Book Cellar, 52 Main Street, in Waterville, on Saturday, January 13, from 1-3:30 pm.  If you missed your shot at getting a personalized copy from Uncle Hugo, this is your Second Chance.  Call the store ((207) 872-4543) before our signing, or during it, and we will personalize a book for you.

Peripheral to this, Uncle Hugo does still have some signed copies of Neogenesis in stock.  Here’s the link.

In convention news:  Sadly, we will not be attending Boskone this year.  We will, however, be Author Guests of Honor at MidSouthCon, in March.

In writing news:  Yep, still working on Fifth of Five, which refuses all titles suggested to it, and shrugs off any attempt to title-shame it.  I told you it was being a tough book.

I think that catches us all up on the business side of things.

Everybody stay healthy.

Back to work

So, three days of work essentially lost, which means I’ve gotta Write Like a Sonofagun.  Which I’ve been doing.  I’m just back from lunch, and thought I’d catch y’all back up before I got to work again.

Degrees of Separation: Adventures in the Liaden Universe® Number 27 ebook edition is available for preorder at the following online vendors:  Amazon, B&N, iBooks, Kobo, Tolino.

Degrees will publish on January 15.  On that date (on the US timeline), you will be able to buy an ebook edition from all of the vendors listed above, and from Baen eBooks.  The paper edition ought to be available on January 15, as well, but if not then, very soon after.

Degrees is the prequel to “Block Party,” which you may read, for free, on Baen.com.  Here’s your link.

Neogenesis, the 21st novel set in the Liaden Universe® created by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller, was officially released as hardcover, ebook, and audiobook on January 2.  If you read the book, please consider putting a reader review up on Amazon, BN, or another review venue.

No, I do not have a publication date for Fifth of Five, but a good guess would be: between six and 14 months after Steve and I turn it in to Madame the Publisher, which!  We haven’t done yet.

A couple months ago, I had to stop drinking coffee.  This is of course a tragedy, but with the help of kind friends, I have been able to locate several teas which will deliver the miracle of caffeine into my system.  My morning drug of choice is Irish Breakfast Tea.  In the afternoon, I sometimes have a cup of vanilla chai, which is pleasant, but I also like green tea in the afternoon.

Early in the week, Steve brought me news of Zhena’s Teas — a must-see, as I’m sure you’ll agree.  I went online to look at them, and found the! perfect! green tea for my needs, which arrived today — and here’s a picture:

For those who follow the Cat Farm’s Snow Removal Protocols:  We had a “snow hurricane” on Thursday, which deposited about 17 inches of snow that I could not shovel (see back spasms), and which Steve could not shovel (see cardiomyopathy), and which the plowguy could not shovel (see three dozen customers needing to be plowed out and the limited number of hours in the day).

The plowguy, however, had a solution.  “I know a guy,” he said.  “I’ll get him down here.”

And so it is that, in addition to a lawnguy, and a plowguy, we now have a shovelguy.  Which is actually something of a relief.

It’s also good to know that the I-Know-A-Guy Network is still operational, at least in our part of Central Maine.

And that?  Catches us up for the day.  Back to work I go.

_________
*Yes, I know I have not provided links for Apple and Tolino; that’s because I have heard news of availability from third parties, but have not been able to locate the books on those two services myself.  If someone will supply me with links, I’ll be happy to amend the post.

Thanks to Susan for providing the iBooks link!

Thanks, also, to Estara Swanberg for the Tolino link!

And to Marion, for the explanatory Tolino links.  Who knew?