Category: Blog

It rained last night, several times; there was a fire next door, too.  My daily miles totaled 4.5 and my daily words 1,975.

I slept in this morning, by reason of having stayed up late for a number of reasons, including the above, work, and the upstairs neighbors rearranging their furniture for what I’m guessing must’ve been a square dance.

On this morning’s walk, I met Bo*, owner of a lady and five cats, who graciously bestowed upon me some Vitamin Dog, so I’m all set there for a day or two.

I will note that this apartment houses the Scariest Washing Machine in Southern Maine.  In case anybody was looking for it.

I’ve posted some more pictures to the Archers Beach Diary.  The batteries in the little camera have died, so I’ll be switching over to the big camera until I have new batteries.

The rest of today will be involved with that writing thing, and, yanno, another walk.

Tomorrow, I need to walk up to the top of the hill and get Rite Aide to give me a flu shot.  Also, I need to make dinner reservations for Tuesday.

And write.  This being a working vacation.

______

*This is not a picture of Bo, because by the time I met him and his lady, the camera had died, but it is a picture of what Bo looks like.

As reported elsewhere, the amusement park is closed for the season.

Ah, well.

Yesterday, around 11 a.m., Every Motorcycle in Nearest New England hit town with a roar and a snarl, and behold! the town began to act as if it was summer.  Bars and restaurants that had been sealed up tight all week, were open, lights on, music pouring out of open windows, bikes and cars were doing the vanity cruise up and down the hill, and around the Fountain Circle.  Bathers appeared on the beach above the Pier, though not so much below.  The Pier threw the switch, and really bad, live, rock music wafted over the beach.

In other news, I clocked 3.5 miles yesterday, and 2,550 words, so that.

I see in the latest issue of the Courier, by the way, that the local animal rights folks are still trying to keep the Wormwood Cats in place.  The town appears to be allowing itself to be bullied by the man from Away, however, so still not sure how all that’s going to play out.  The rights folks do mention that:  working harbor + no cats = rats.  Perhaps the gentleman from Away has never seen a harbor rat.

I note that Moonrise Kingdom is not showing in any theater within the sound of my voice, which is kind of a shame.  I had wanted to see that. *makes note in Netflix*.  Sigh.  At this rate, I’m gonna have to take off two weeks to catch up all the movies in my queue.

Today’s activities include grocery shopping, minor housekeeping chores, a walk on the beach to see how that Surge Warning looks up close and personal (yes, I’ll be careful; I won’t go in the water; and I will be very, very respectful of waves), and more with the writing.

Hope everybody’s having a fun and/or relaxing weekend.

 

So, the first thing I need to report is that I am much more dependent on bandwidth than I had supposed, living retired in the country, as I do.  An internet connection that isn’t quite fast enough for a Pandora feed was…something of a startlement.

The second thing I can report is that I like living in town, with various things in walking distance.  I also like living less than a block from the sea, but you probably figured out that part on your own.

I don’t like being catless, nor being Steveless, but those were also sorta givens.

I also wish that, along with the fine and very sharp paring knife that I brought with me, I’d brought one of the larger knives of the same ilk.  This blade in the kitchen drawer is an active menace to a woman trying to cut a bagel.  Honestly, it flexes.  *shakes head*

The writing part of the writing vacation has mostly been confined to a series of Realizations — one of them being that I started the story a week too early, so I had to go back and update the chapter headings and the places within the chapters where Kate talks about what the tide is doing.

Speaking of living where I can walk — over the last two days, I’ve walked 12 miles.  I expect a little less mileage today, since it is a Writing Day, but I’ll be down at Fun Country when it opens at 5 p.m. tonight, camera in hand.  I think it’s only open another weekend or three before it declares the Late Season finished. so sooner rather than later seems my best course.

So, the Friday report.  And how’s by you?

Them what’s innerested can read all about it here.

Today is the Official Release Day for Dragon Ship, the fourth book of Theo Waitley and the Fifteenth Liaden Universe® novel!

And!

Today is the Official Audiobook Release Day of All Fifteen Liaden Universe® novels!

We have a Big Bunch of Celebrating planned for y’all, so I  hope you’re well rested.

One!

Dragon Ship free sample chapters, right here (helpful hint:  hit the link that says View Sample Chapters)

Two!

Free one-hour audio sample chapters!  Links below:

Crystal Soldier
Local Custom
Agent of Change
Fledgling

Three!

A handy break-down of which audiobooks are in which Sequence:

The Books of Before Sequence:  Crystal Soldier, Crystal Dragon, Balance of Trade

The Space Regencies Sequence:  Local Custom, Scout’s Progress, Mouse and Dragon

The Agent of Change Sequence:  Agent of Change, Conflict of Honors, Carpe Diem, Plan B, I Dare

The Theo Wailtley Sequence: Fledgling, Saltation, Ghost Ship, Dragon Ship

Four!

The Liaden Universe® Landing Page is live at Audible, right here.

edited to add:

Five!
Meet the Narrators!  Audio interviews with Kevin Collins, Bernadette Dunne, Andy Caploe, and Eileen Stevens

Is that a celebration or what?

*happy sigh*

Cake and ice cream for everybody!

Eileen Stevens narrated the four novels that comprise the Theo Waitley Sequence — Fledgling, Saltation, Ghost Ship, and Dragon Ship — contending with a point-of-view character who was growing up through the books, and! narrating the brand-new Liaden novel.

Here’s the link to Steve’s interview with Eileen.

Meet Andy Caploe, who had the non-trivial task of narrating the five books that comprise the Agent of Change Sequence:  Agent of Change, Conflict of Honors, Carpe Diem, Plan B, and I Dare.

Here’s the link

Keep a eye on the sky; we’ll be uploading Steve’s interview with Eileen Stevens, narrator of the Theo Waitley Sequence, a little later today!

 

Number Two in the Meet the Narrators sequence — Bernadette Dunne, the voice of Local Custom, Scout’s Progress, and Mouse and Dragon. Here’s your link.

Y’all know what Tuesday is, right?

…I can’t hear you…

Y’all know what Tuesday is, right?

Tuesday is Dragon Ship’s Book Day!

Yes.  Yes it is.

But do you know what else happens on Tuesday?

Besides, yanno, having to go back to work/school full-time forever and ever?

Lean close.

Tuesday is the day that every single Liaden Universe® novel ever committed — from Agent of Change to Dragon Ship! — will be released by Audible.com.

One of the more fun things we got to do lately was interview each of the four sequence narrators — Steve interviewed Kevin Collins and Eileen Stevens, and I interviewed Bernadette Dunne and Andy Caploe.

We’ll be posting those interviews — I’m talking high-class, audio interviews, now, done by people who know what they’re doing — on Korval.com between now and Monday night, as a sort of warm-up for the main celebrations, on Tuesday.

The first interview — Steve and Kevin — is up now, right here.

 

Slept late.

Two cups of excellent coffee with a breakfast of cottage cheese over fresh tomato with toast on the side.

Loooooong shower. Found my hairbrush in the second drawer of the vanity, right where I put it! And? The new vanity is tall enough.  For eighteen! years! I had to bend double to wash my face over the sink.  No longer, thank ghod.

The bathroom is pretty.  The only things left to solve are the mirror, which hadn’t even been on my radar as “could be a problem;” the so-called baseboards; and a couple spots that have to be painted.

Going to go chop up broccoli for cream of, which will be lunch.

Life is good.