“Eight Mile and the City,” by Steven Harper, published in When Worlds Collide, Zombies Need Brains LLC (2021), won the 2022 WSFA Small Press Award, presented last evening at CapClave.
Congratulations to Steven and to ZNB’s publisher Joshua Palmatier. You may read the rest of the complete awards story at File770
Here at the Cat Farm and Confusion Factory, we continue to live the halcyon lives of working writers. Steve continues to spar with Jethri, while I run interference between the Master Trader’s trade team and The Redlands. Also on-going is packing up some of our so-called “papers” for shipment to the Lee-and-Miller archive at Northern Illinois University.
We also need to start thinking about our story for Solar Flare, due to editor Joshua Palmatier in December.
Last week was slightly interrupted by medical concerns, involving blood panels, xrays, and various whatnot in order to give the doctors their Data. Data now mostly in, it seems that things are in basically good shape, but a visit with the cardiologist is upcoming in order to file off the rough edges.
What with One Thing and Something Else, we realized that Pinbeam Books (the Lee-Miller indie publishing arm) hasn’t put out even one chapbook in 2022 (the energy that would have gone into a chapbook or even two went instead into surprise book, Salvage Right, coming to a bookstore near you in 2023).
However! We do intend to publish a Yule Chapbook this year — Adventures in the Liaden Universe® Number 35: TITLE TBA. This chapbook will contain two reprints: WSFA Small Press Award Finalist “Standing Orders,” and “From Every Storm a Rainbow,” which appeared on Baen.com December 2021 – January 2022; and! one never-published work concerning the life and times of Lomar Fasholt, who has been missing for some time, to the great concern of her friends.
More news on that project as we move forward.
Those who indulge may purchase the eARC of Chicks in Tank Tops from Baen Books. Or! You may preorder it from the bookstore of your choice for a January delivery.
. . . and I think that’s all the news for right now.
Everybody stay safe.
For those who indulge, the eARC of Chicks in Tank Tops, edited by Jason Cordova, cover by Dave Seeley, published by Baen Books, is now available, here.
Sharon Lee and Steve Miller have a story in this anthology, joining a list of awesome writers — Jody Lynn Nye, Esther Friesner, Joelle Presby, to name but a few.
For those new to the game — eARCs are electronic Advanced Readers Copies. The eARCs usually come out at the same time the authors get their galley copy for review, so you know that there are errors present.
On the other hand, you get the story/ies sooner.
Pilot’s choice.
Since our last chat, Steve and I attended WorldCon virtually; went on vacation; saw Richard Thompson at the Waterville Opera House; and did readings at Albacon, virtually.
We vacationed at Old Orchard Beach, our go-to getaway location, and had a pleasant four days in what were probably the last Warm days of the season. Old Orchard Beach closes down hard following Labor Day, so we more or less had the place to ourselves, which was fine. The change of scene did us both good, I think, and now we’re back home and back to work.
As far as work goes, we’re awaiting the edits on “The Last Train to Clarkesville,” a Liaden Universe® Western, which has been accepted by editor David Boop for the anthology Last Train Outta Kepler-283-C, coming from Baen late next year.
We have just reviewed the proofs for “Gadreel’s Folly,” the lead story in Chicks in Tank Tops, edited by Jason Cordova, coming from Baen in January 2023.
And we have a story to write for Solar Flare, from Zombies Need Brains, edited by Patricia Bray and Joshua Palmatier.
In addition, we are each working on Liaden Universe® novels — Steve on Trade Lanes, due in November; myself on an as-yet-untitled novel set in the Redlands, due in June 2023.
Coming up in the near future is CapClave, which sponsors the WSFA Small Press and Short Story Award. This year, there’s a Liaden story on the short list — “Standing Orders,” which appeared in Derelict, edited by David B. Coe and Joshua Palmatier, from Zombies Need Brains. Steve and I aren’t able to get to CapClave this year, but we await results with interest. A complete listing of the finalists can be found here.
Fans of the coon cats will be pleased to know that Firefly is integrating beautifully into the pride. She is very busy with herding the toys, and thus far has had limited success in getting any of the elder cats to play tag with her, but she’s pretty sure they’ll come over to the Play Side real soon.
And I think that’s — oh, no, wait. How about a snippet from the Redlands novel?
Yesterday on Facebook, fearless editor Jason Cordova revealed the not-quite-final cover of the upcoming Chicks in Tank Tops (Baen, January 2023), and the Table of Contents.
Lee and Miller have a story in this anthology, and so do a bunch of other talented writers, which adds up to quite a TOC.
Don’t take my word for it, though, have a look for yourself.
Chicks in Tank Tops Table of Contents:
“Gadreel’s Folly” by Sharon Lee & Steve Miller
“Hold the Line” by Kevin Ikenberry
“A Girl and Her K’t’ank” by Jody Lynn Nye
“Airborne All the Way” by David Drake
“Airborne: The Next Mission” by David Drake
“Goddess of War” by A. C. Haskins
“Barbie and Gator Ken versus the Hurricane” by Joelle Presby
“Jeanne d’Architonnere” by G. Scott Huggins
“Operation Dad Liberation” by Lydia Sherrer & David Sherrer
“Between a Knight and a Hard Place” by Philip Wohlrab
“Next Question” by Marisa Wolf
“Belle’s Fantastical Mechanical Beast” by Jason Cordova & Ashley Prior
“Mother” by Robert E. Hampson
“Tread Softly” by Esther Friesner
Below, the not-quite-final cover, art by Dave Seeley, inspired by the story “Goddess of War” by A. C. Haskins.
The next Jethri novel will not — that is NOT — be published “this fall.” The next Jethri novel — Trade Lanes — is due on Madame’s desk this fall. This is a very different thing.
This is what the Lee and Miller Writing Schedule looks like:
Salvage Right: due on Madame’s desk June 2022
Trade Lanes: due on Madame’s desk September 2022
Untitled Liaden/Redlands book: due on Madame’s desk June 2023
This is what the Lee and Miller Publication Schedule looks like:
Scout’s Progress anniversary reprint: March 2023
Salvage Right: Summer 2023
Trade Lanes: Fall 2023
Note the progression: First, we turn the book in. Then, Madame and her team work their magic. Then, the book is published.
Thank you for your attention to this process.
In six days (US), it will be May 3.
Why do you care?
Because on that day, Fair Trade by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller, the 24th novel set in their Liaden Universe®, will be published!
You are encouraged to take any — or all! — of the following actions before May 3.
1 Preorder the ebook from the vendor of your choice, and start May 3 with that little happy thrill you get when you see a new book has downloaded to your ereader.
2 Preorder a signed hardcover from Uncle Hugo’s.
3 Preorder a hardcover from the bookstore of your choice.
4 Block out time to read Fair Trade, and make sure there’s plenty of food in the fridge, favorite beverages and snacks on-hand, because once you start reading, you won’t want to stop.
Fair Trade, by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller, the 24th novel set in the Liaden Universe®, a space opera geography of their own devising will be published on May 3.
What, you may ask, does this mean?
I will tell you.
It means that on May 3, the book will be simultaneously published as a hardcover and an ebook, and you — yes, you! — will able to buy it at the vendor of your choice.
Before May 3, you may:
1 Preorder the hardcover from the bookseller of your choice
1a If you want a SIGNED copy of the hardcover, you may preorder it from Uncle Hugo’s only. Here’s your link.
2 You may preorder the ebook edition of Fair Trade from Amazon, BN, and other ebook vendors.
None of the above precludes any of the others. They exist simultaneously in time, space, and probability.
For those who consume audiobooks: No audiobook edition of Fair Trade has been scheduled. The person responsible for these negotiations tells us he’s working on it.
And that’s the entire contents of my head regarding Fair Trade, except, yanno — buy it, enjoy it, tell your friends!