We here at the Cat Farm and Confusion Factory have received several boxes of books over the last few days. Here our models show a few:
First, Steve, with the ever-popular Ghost Ship arc and brand-new! Saltation mass market:
Next up is Sharon, boldly attempting the same ensemble. Not as fetching as Steve, alas, but points for sheer nerve:
And, finally, effortlessly outshining the rest of the company, Mozart, who reads in bed:
I hear from Mr. Blyly that he has today received 34 cases, 852 pounds, 680 individual autographed copies of Ghost Ship. In hardcover.
Yes, the street date for Ghost Ship, unsigned, is August 2. Yes, that means Mr. Blyly has received the signed books that required special handling more than a month ahead of that date. No, no one involved in this transaction knows why, but I think we can safely say that this is not Mr. Blyly’s fault. Nor ours.
I trust that this is clear.
Thirty-four cases of hardcover book makes, as I know from long experience of receiving cases of books to sign from Meisha Merlin back in the day, Quite A Large Pile there in the middle of the living-room-or-store. Mr. Blyly would, quite naturally, like to remove this impediment to commerce from the doorway and aisles of his store in as timely a fashion as possible.
So! If you want your book RIGHT NOW, and don’t care to have it personalized (there is a July 15 deadline for requesting personalization; those that request personalizations will have to wait for us — that’s Steve and Sharon — to get our sorry tails to Minneapolis sometime in the middle of August, find a pen and get to work), write to Mr. Blyly at unclehugoATaolDOTcom and tell him that you want your book mailed immediately.
If Mr. Blyly does not receive your direction to mail your book(s) immediately, he will be in honor forced to hold it/them until after the July 15 deadline for personalization requests.
I trust that this is also clear.
Excellent.
I confidently leave the matter in your capable hands.
Well…I went to a convention. PortConMaine — you’ve heard me talk about it here before. As expected, I had a very good time, and welcomed the chance to stretch my con-going muscles a bit before WorldCon.
Steve and I had been guests at PortCon, back in…’04?, I think, when it was held in the Best Western Merrye Manor. This year’s venue — the Wyndham in South Portland (aka, the Round Towers) — was significantly larger, but still not quite large enough to hold the whole convention, necessitating the addition of A Big Tent — which really is a Big Tent, set up in the side parking lot — where the biggish items of programming — the techno dance, and the masquerade, to mention two that leap to mind — were scheduled.
Steve and I were writer guests of honor this year. We presented a couple of craft-related panels to a polite, cheerful, and welcoming audience — really, if I had to pick one thing that stands out for me from both of the PortCons we’ve managed to attend it would be the general attitude of cheerful politeness.
Since all of our events were on Saturday, and the con hotel was sold out, we opted to stay in Old Orchard Beach, and add a little bit of sea air into an already rarefied atmosphere. This worked out well, too. On Friday evening, after we left the con, we attended the Grand Opening of Jumpin Jake’s Seafood Restaurant, where we were pleased to listen to the Jerks of Grass while enjoying a really excellent dinner.
Saturday morning, we arrived at The Round Towers early (so as to secure a parking spot; no easy feat), and ate breakfast on-site before immersing ourselves.
Sunday morning, we had a leisurely breakfast at Michelle’s Garden Cafe before heading back to the con.
We had an interview arranged for 1:00 with Emmanuel and Maura from Nerd Caliber. At about 11, I left Steve to roam the dealer’s room and settled into a ‘way too comfy chair in the lobby of the bar to read. I hadn’t turned too many pages on the Nook when I heard a very soft, “Ms. Lee?” and looked up to find that the NerdCaliber squad had arrived early. Maura confessed that she had recognized, not me, grey head bent over Nook, but The Starry Jacket of Many Titles.
We extracted Steve from the vendor area, appealed to Chairman Patrick for a quiet spot — which was cheerfully and politely provided, with an absolute minimum of fuss (and thank you! to the nice man who was building a deck in the game room and gave up his corner table to us) — and had us a delightful interview. At the end, Maura asked if she could take some stills of TSJoMT. I took it off, and we arranged it on the table so that it could be shot — and so its fame continues to precede it — and me.
Sunday evening, we wound down with dinner at JJ’s, did a short walk around town, and headed back to our room, there to sleep the sleep of the justly exhausted.
Monday, we came home via the Maine Mall and Hunt’s Photography, arriving somewhat later in the day than we had planned, to discover a sadly depleted Hexapuma, who had apparently taken exception to the back-up auxiliary cat-sitter and failed to eat or drink until she produced Steve, or, in a pinch, Sharon. Needless to say, the results of this autocratic and dictatorial behavior won Hex a visit to his friend Dr. Slack this morning, where he was rehydrated and allowed to return home, with a recheck-up scheduled for tomorrow morning.
In between playing cat taxi, I formatted The Tomorrow Log and uploaded it to Smashwords, so there’s an end to that project.
And, after having been warmish and glary all day, it’s now cloudy, accompanied by a small breeze. P’rhaps we’ll have a thunderstorm. That would be pleasant.
Still a little bit of laundry to do, and I have to shift all my Stuff out of my purple bag into the new red bag that arrived while I was away in the South. Tomorrow is, I see by the calendar, Wednesday, which means I’m due at the day-job.
Only ten more days of school.
So! Endeavors of Will and TimeRags II have been uploaded to the Smashfolk. The score at halftime there being: 8 books in the premium catalog; 17 awaiting Judgement. In the meantime, the only — did I say ONLY? — book yet to be uploaded is. . .The Tomorrow Log. Which is going to have to wait a couple days.
The day-job was somewhat horrid today; tomorrow, I have an “exit interview,” whatever that is. One would suppose an exit interview would happen. . .closer to the actual exit, but — apparently not.
In the meantime, and looking ahead, Steve has located my vehicle for me. On sale, too!
And with that, I’m outta here. Remember! This weekend! in Portland, Maine! PortConMaine! Be there, or be Totally UnCool.
So, today, I broke down and got a haircut. I told Ashley, the long-suffering and cheerful stylist who drew the short straw, that I was going to an anime convention. Reasonably enough, she gave me an anime haircut. Steve professes it very classy. I think it needs a couple of purple stripes.
Shorn, I descended upon the Hannaford to take on supplies and came home in an unexpectedly hot and bright solstice afternoon.
Today, I have upload to Smashwords Calamity’s Child, Quiet Magic, and The Naming of Kinzel. Books awaiting transmogrification are: The Tomorrow Log, Endeavors of Will, and TimeRags II.
Once again, these books do take a while to go through the Smashwords’ Premium Catalog process. Eventually — note this very important word — Eventually, I say, all Miller-and-Lee chapbooks, plus The Tomorrow Log will be available in the Apple Store, in the Sony Store, in the Kobo Store, and in places like Scrollmotion and Diesel.
Jeff VanderMeer of Underland Press is building a book to be entitled If You Lived Here and is soliciting nominations of readers’ most beloved Science Fiction and Fantasy universe. (Why, yes, the Liaden Universe® is eligible for nomination.) You may nominate up to three worlds, science fiction and/or fantasy. Be warned! This is an essay test — you have to explain why you love and would want to live in each world that you nominate.
Fans of Mozart take note: He’s a little under the weather today; we administered pain meds and he perked up enough to have something to eat — wet food this time, thank ghod. He’d thank all of you for your concern and good wishes, if he wasn’t, yanno, a cat, so I thank you in his stead.
And now, having done work, and achieved anime hair, I’m outta here, for tomorrow? Is Wednesday and I must go to school.
Up early to take Mozart to the vet’s to have dental work done, then home for a visit from the c-pap nurse, eat lunch, and go back into town to pick Mozart up from the vet’s.
Between all that, Steve and I took a walk; I did. . .all? Really? of the laundry, and converted Eidolon, Misfits, Halfling Moon, Skyblaze, and The Cat’s Job into Smashbooks. This leaves only four chapbooks, a slim volume of poetry and a novel to convert.
I do believe I’ll be pleased to see the back of this particular project.
For those of an opinionated turn of mind, NPR is looking to compile a list of the 100 Best SF and Fantasy books. You can submit your favorites here. Please note that the rules allow the nomination of a series as one work — the Liaden Universe® novels do qualify.
It’s somehow gotten later than I thought it would be by this time, if that makes any sense. The pain meds seem to have worn off poor Mo, who now can’t quite settle down. I offered him some wet food, but, no, he wanted cat crunchies. Made my teeth hurt, just watching him.
Regardless of which, I ought to get something to eat, my own self.
1. As many of you know, Joel Rosenberg died in early June. As most authors, he was living a pay-as-you-go life. Unfortunately, this lifestyle leaves his wife and daughters not only mourning his loss, but somewhat flat of pocket. A benefit to raise money for Joel’s family is underway. Details here
2. As previously advertised, we — Sharon Lee and Steve Miller — will be guests at PortConMaine, which begins Thursday evening. We’ll be on-board Saturday, June 25, and presenting two panels.
At 11 a.m., we’ll be talking about how to make sure your characters can be heard above your plot.
At 3 p.m., we’ll be talking about how serializing a novel on the web is different from writing a novel in the comfort of your own ivory tower.
At 4 p.m., we’ll be part of a group signing.
Hope to see you there!
3. Reservations have opened for the Writers Workshop at Renovation, the 69th World Science Fiction Convention. Instructors this year are: Maya Bohnhoff, Richard Chwedyk, Susan Forest, Laurel Anne Hill, Walter H. Hunt, Elaine Isaak, Vylar Kaftan, Mary Robinette Kowal, Jay Lake, Jean Lamb, Sharon Lee, David D. Levine, Steve Miller, Matthew Rotundo, Rachel Swirsky, Juliette Wade, and Walter Jon Williams. If you want that manuscript you’ve been working on to get some serious professional eyes on it, this is the WorldCon event for you!
4. This is funny, in a scary, totally wrong kind of way.
5. Time to get off this infernal machine and get some lunch. Also some sleep. For tomorrow morning, I am taking a coon cat to the vet to have his fearsome! predator’s! teeth! worked on. Pray for me.
Progress on the Book Presently known as George
44,510 words/100,000 OR 44.5% complete
“It’s a wise bird that shuns no roosting place.”
Why, yes, I do live in the country. Why do you ask?
A line of thunderstorms came through yesterday late afternoon into evening. Which meant that Steve and I got to finish reading Inheritor and also that today is a Serious Working Day.
Welcome to the new folk! Introduce yourselves if you’re so moved. Otherwise, there’s drinks and munchies in the fridge; help yourself. Pull up a chair or a piece of the floor, but remember! The cats have first dibs on all comfy spots.
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
We’re looking at embracing some near-and-mid-term challenges here at the Cat Farm — have I mentioned this?
No, I think I haven’t.
Well.
First, and most near-term — the day-job and I will be parting company as of close of bidness on Thursday, July 28. This is prompted by a whole buncha things, but most pressing is the fact that both of my jobs have been expanding their demands over these last almost-five years, to the point where I had to Choose One, or resign myself to providing diminished performance at both.
Since I never actually learned how to do a bad job on purpose, the diminished performance option was Right Out, which left Choose One, and, honestly — there was never a contest. I’ll miss my faculty and various colleagues and acquaintances around the campus, but not as much as I would miss being able to do my art on my terms.
So, once again with the following of the bliss. Joseph Campbell’s got to be right one of these days.
Now, one of the reasons that we can undertake this particular challenge at this time is — you guys. That’s right — give yourselves a hand.
Why?
Because you’ve supported our work in the most gratifying and concrete way imaginable — you bought books.
You bought a lot of books.
Last royalty period (that would’ve been the royalties paid in October), Fledgling earned out — that means that we don’t owe the publisher any money to pay back the advance; that we get a piece of the action from every book that’s sold. However, Fledgling didn’t just earn out — it earned out handsomely. Enough so that we could get ahead on mortgage payments and salt away another piece of change, into, like, savings.
This royalty period — the statements arrived yesterday, accompanied by a check. This royalty period, Fledgling continued to earn; Saltation earned out, and! (especially near to my heart — thank you all!) Mouse and Dragon earned out.
We got to — not quite kill, but almost kill — the Monster Bill that accrued while we were waiting for Meisha Merlin to catch us up on what we were owed.
Since the day-job is going away, savings becomes living money.
That’s a little tight, but doable, if we’re careful. The echapbook sales are moving briskly. We of course expect that stream to diminish, but hope that it will continue to flow, Steve and I being subscribers to the Every Little Bit Helps school of economics. We’re still working on those stories for subscription, however the mechanism for that finally shakes out — that’s a line from one of those stories-in-the-making, up there in the title bar.
What else?
Short-mid-term challenge — We still do need to move — to a smaller place, in a more populated area. Country living’s for you hearty young folk. I’m holding out for Old Orchard Beach/Saco/Biddeford. I may have to adjust my sights, but — not yet.
Oh, and of course, we’re back on the Freelancer’s Health Plan — Don’t Get Sick — and what used to be called Major Medical (aka pay all medical expenses unless something Terrible Happens, but have the advantage of paying all medical expenses at the insurer’s negotiated rate. Yes, it’s an idiot system, but we love it. Eh.) But, to be fair, the day-job’s health insurance was headed in that direction, too — to the point where health insurance coverage was a consideration in decision-making, but not a major consideration.
That’s where we are, on this sunny, breezy and green Friday in Maine, and hoping you’re as at peace with your world as I am, with mine.
And?
Only twelve more working days ’til school’s out.