Tag: the fey duology

Delisting and strikes to the heart

I seem to have slipped up on the posting schedule.  Not much of any importance has happened, really.  I’m trying to catch up with real life tasks, so I can get back to writing, which is going about as well as you might think.

Today’s events of note where, in order of occurrence:

1  The proof for the paper edition of The Fey Duology arrived in the mail.  Gosh, what a pretty book. Seven hundred and thirty pages, $35US.  I inspect it, find it Good, and go over to D2D to push the button to publish.

2  Pushed the button to publish, and immediately got an email from D2D stating that because The Fey Duology contains “Dubious Consent (dubcon): Dubcon explores the gray area between consent and non-consent. Not clear if the receiver of the sexual act was fully on board or not at the time of the act,” and will not enter the network for print distribution.  Went back to D2D, and the book is already being delisted.

2a  Preorders for the ebook edition are still being accepted at all vendors.

3  The landline rang, and I foolishly answered it.  A woman said, brightly, “Hi!  I just received a phone call from a Steve Miller and –” I told her that Steve Miller was dead and that she was a liar.  She laughed at me and hung up.

So, that was, as they say, a strike to the heart. Tomorrow, I will be calling Fidium and if they can’t make the landline forward to the cell, I’m pulling the plug on the damned thing. We’ve had this number since we moved to Maine, so that’ll be interesting when people get “this number has been disconnected.” Like I need more Interesting in my life.

My chest hurts.

I actually had another point to make. Ah.

Update on ebook preorders for the Fey Duology: Amazon, 120; Apply, 21; BN, 7; Kobo 16.

Everybody have a good evening. Stay safe. Hug the people you love.

I’ll check in tomorrow.

A Saturday in May

Saturday. Sunny, breezy, still a little cool, maybe, but I have windows open.

Laundry is laundrifying.

Preorder numbers for The Fey Duology: Apple — 19. Amazon — 97. Yes, Amazon is 80% of all sales. This is the game, and if you don’t play, you starve.

So! The UFO files have been released, hey? And the Virginia courts have just proved that voting is a waste of everyone’s time? And Mr. Trump is awarding no-bid contracts to a friend?

Have I mentioned before that I hate this timeline? That one man’s stupidity, o’erweaning ego, and fear of being held accountable for his actions can do so much damage. And that’s not even the Really Terrifying Thing. The Really Terrifying Thing is that, if the god in charge of this narrative should wake from their doze, stretch out a hand and edit out every egotistical, self-serving monster in the story, leaving only persons of honor, who are working for the common good?

They might not be able to fix the mess that’s been made.

Well.

It was a pretty planet.

In other news, the to-do list tells me that today I will be writing, finishing the laundry, filing, baking, and trying my hand at fixing a mechanical clock.

What’re you doing today?

Friday on the edge

Friday. Sunny and cool.

First cup of tea sipped in the comfort of the comfy chair in the nice sunny office window.

Breakfast will be, um. Toast and hummus! There. I’ll dig around in the freezer for something that can be beat into a shape resembling lunch.

Speaking up freezers — the ice-bucket is full! of! ice! and I? am chuffed.

I woke up feeling unsettled — and the cats think so, too. They’ve been babying me, which I appreciate. I think the first estimate for various work, which I did go over yesterday, is gnawing on my never robust nervous system. These are Big Numbers — of which the screen “house” is the least. The deck itself needs some help with the supports (some of which don’t even touch the ground) and there was some wet wood identified. So between the Big Numbers, and the feeling that whatever I do, I will be making a mistake, yeah. Nervous System Yellow Alert.

I probably need to write an extra book to pay for at least the necessary work, but I’m not sure how I could pull that off.

Moving along to The Fey Duology . . .

This morning that D2D reports 16 preorders — all from Apple. I have, yes, seen people reporting that they’ve preordered from Kobo, BN, and other vendors. Thank you! Keep it up; it all counts, even if they’re slow getting their numbers in.  D2D “universal” link

Amazon reports 34 preorders since last night. Fingers still crossed. Amazon link

And, on that note, I’d better get my breakfast. The plan is to write for a couple hours this morning, and give the afternoon to housekeeping.

What are your plans for the day?

Publication news and Dragon’s luck

Business First: Amazon customers, I have submitted The Fey Duology to Amazon for preorder.

This does not mean that it will be accepted by Amazon, but, I am trying on your behalf. Right now it is in review.

If y’all could cross your fingers, that might help the process.
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Harvest Moon deli to the rescue! One cup of tomato-veggie soup with and half-sandwich of Appetite for Destruction. I also ordered in potato-salad-for-later, and a chocolate chip cookie bigger than my head, which I will probably consume the entire thing before Happy Hour, because I Have No Shame. Continuing to put the house back into order — I just heard an ice cube get ejected into the cube-catch in the freezer.

I FIXED A FREEZER!

Ahem.

So, anyway, putting house back into order. Then read contract — another ice cube hits the catch! This is so cool. — then maybe cut out some stars.

Oh, the dishwasher is running. I decided it would be a Good Thing to wash it first.

Your regular episode of The Writing Life According to Rolanni will air tomorrow.
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There are, so the internet tells me, Four Kinds of Luck.

There is Blind Luck
There is Motion
There is Being Aware of your Surroundings
And there is Unique Luck, or Directed Motion

And this explains why the luck swirls roughly around those of Korval, because they are, all of them, in motion (they’re not just sitting there, waiting for Something to Happen), they are intensely aware of their surroundings, and they all subscribe to the notion that, should they be Called, they will Do Something.

And on that note — goodnight, everybody. Stay safe. I’ll check in tomorrow.

Celebration Tuesday!

Tuesday. Cinco de Mayo. We have a lot going on today, people, even before the mariachi guys get started.

First! Today is Book Day! for A Liaden Universe® Constellation Volume Six! You may find it at your favorite bookstore in trade paperback and ebook editions.  Here’s the Amazon link.

Second! The Fey Duology ebook is propogating through the D2D network and is now available for preorder from several vendors including Apple, Barnes&Noble, Bookshop, Kobo, Smashwords, and others. Here’s the Universal Link

Third! Platform Decay (Murderbot 8) landed in my TBR pile right around midnight. I won’t be able to get to it for a while, so no spoilers, please.

. . . I think that’s enough to get us started. Don’t want to get Celebration Fatigue when the day’s not even fairly started.

What’re you doing on Cinco de Mayo?

We were never gonna get old

Fey Duology publication update!

The ebook is percolating through the system and should seen be available for preorder at all the usual vendors except Amazon. Don’t yell at me; there are Reasons, which mostly have to do with Amazon’s complete non-understanding of the concept of “rights reverted to the author.” The price for the ebook, including two dark fantasy novels under one cover will be $12. It will publish on June 1.

I will be talking to Baen next, to see if they’ll list the electronic omnibus in Pinbeam Book catalog on their site. Watch the skies.

There will be a trade paper edition…eventually. It will cost a whopping $35. Thirty-two-fifty goes to paper, distribution, and the bookstores’ piece of the action. I’m sorry it costs so much. I brought in a Well-regarded Consultant, but he couldn’t figure out how to bring the price down, either, though he did point out that the cover price on the two Baen hardcovers was $24.99 each.

The reason we have an “eventually” in the trade paper equation is that I’ve ordered a physical proof copy, because I’m Just That Picky, and the book will not go on sale until I’ve OK’d the proof.

. . . and that’s the news at 3:25.

Oh. Here’s a picture of the Well-regarded Consultant, consulting:

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The dishes are done, the contractor has been and gone, promising a quote rsn, I updated the Adventures in the Liaden Universe catalog page on pinbeambooks.com, and there was something else I was supposed to be doing, but I’m damned if I can remember what it was, which is MY message from the Universe to knock off for the day.

So! Knocking off for the day. *waves*

Everybody stay safe. I’ll check in tomorrow.

This evening’s post brought to you by Southside Johnny, who I had never heard of until Steve introduced me to his music.  “It’s Been A Long Time” is a fair enough description of our life together… Money got made, baby; money got spent.  We were never gonna get old.

Quittin’ time

Well, look. Quittin’ time already.

I have not completed the layout of The Fey Duology. Most of this is because I’m picky, and D2D has A System.

Now, I know that D2D has A System, and I know that I can’t bend it to my will, and I also know that my skillset is limited. None of this stops me from fussing and getting frustrated and trying to bend the system to my will, anyway.

So, where we are right now is that I think I’ve worked my way into the proper pitch of frustration, and the next time I look at this project, which may be tomorrow or may be Tuesday, I’ll say, “Oh, D2D, you heartbreaker, you.” and hit the publish button.

For those who are interested in such things, it does look as if there will be a trade paperback edition. It will be ugly (ref “frustration” above), but it will exist.

Speaking of frustration, Tali is in the middle of her fifteenth tantrum in the last fifteen minutes. She demands to see the committeecat right! now!, and by Bast, I am going to be written up like nobody’s ever been written up in the history of ever for wrongly withholding Happy Hour.

Really, she’s in quite a state. Rookie actually left the room, rather than try to compete. Thank ghod they didn’t think of joining forces, or I’d be writing this from the deck.

Tomorrow, first thing, I need to take the car in for service, and do another couple errands while I’m in Augusta, so I may not be visible until after noon.

Everybody have a good evening. Stay safe.

I have a dream…

OK, then! Friday evening. I’m sure I must’ve done something today, but I’m not bringing it to mind at the moment.

In re My Dream*, I have one contractor coming out to look the situation(s) over tomorrow afternoon. There are, in fact, two situations, The Dream and the need for roof extensions over the back wall of this house to fend the rain off.

I have heard back from Draft2Digital, which assures me that, if they believe that a Mistake Has Been Made, they will contact me and offer options for Fixing Said Mistake. I will therefore be going forward with republishing the Fey books.

Rookie stamped his feet and demanded to be let outside, so I told him he had to wear his jacket. To the astonishment of everyone, including Rookie, he let me put his jacket on, attach the leash, and take him out to my chair on the deck. He was content to sit on my lap for a few minutes, then squirmed to Get! Down! and did a sllloooowwww exploratory creep-and-sniff of the corner of the deck off of Steve’s office. I brought him inside when it seemed like he was thinking about squeezing through the rail posts to see what was on the other side.

So! Busy few days upcoming — tomorrow, I believe I will go to TJ Maxx’s little party for its members, then the contractor in the afternoon. Sunday, I’ll try to get the Fey Duology up for preorders. Monday, car to Charlie’s for its annual whatnot; Tuesday Dead River to do another inspection (didn’t we just do that?); Wednesday, the much anticipated delivery of the dishwasher, and Thursday morning crack o’dawn, the installation.

Phew. Oh. I need to line up a haircut. For the week after next, is what I’m thinking…

Everybody have a good evening. Stay safe. I’ll check in tomorrow.
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*Transcription of a post to FB, seeking advice:

Where are my handyfolk?

Handyfolk, I have A Dream.

My Dream is to have a permanently attached screened room with a solid ceiling on my deck, ideally using one of the French doors in Steve’s office as access. This would be both a catio and a place for me to sit out and take the air, while managing to dodge the Evil Solar Rays that radiation therapy has (according the Cancer Ladies, and I’m inclined to believe them on this) Forever Placed Beyond My Reach.

How would I go about achieving this Dream? Which seems fairly modest to me, but what do I know? How much is it likely to cost?

The reason it has to be permanently affixed, is that I have a screen house, but I can’t either put it up or take it down by myself and in high winds it’s a flight risk.

Spanish Aunts.

Saturday at home

Well. Saturday. Damp and cooler.

My dishwasher may either be broken, or it’s current state of semi-functionality is an artifact of the water main work going on down the street. I checked the circuit box this morning, and started another cycle was this morning, but it’s not sounding good. I’m not hearing water moving in that box, which — at least it’s not leaking, amirite? So! I’ll be doing a dishwasher full of dishes by hand some time today. That’ll be fun.

It will also prepare me for doing my dishes by hand going forward, because a new dishwasher is so not in the budget.

What else?

Not much, I’m thinking.

Breakfast, I do believe, will be oatmeal, then I’m hitting the manuscript until lunch time, then dealing the domestic mini-crisis, then The! Studio!

A plan.

What’s your plan for the day?
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Saturday evening.

I am half-way through formatting The Fey Duology — which means I’ve finished with Longeye. Duainfey will go slower, not because it needs more work, but because I have a busy patch coming up.

Tomorrow afternoon, I have an interview scheduled. Sean Hazlett and I will be chatting about A Liaden Universe Constellation Volume 6, soon to be arriving in bookstores everywhere. Monday is a meeting of the book club, after our winter hiatus, Tuesday is of course needlework, and Wednesday is my date with an alpaca. None of these are all-encompassing, but they do mean I can’t just sit down for a bunch of hours at a stretch to do my job.

In preparation for Wednesday, I found my hiking boots. I was . . . somewhat taken aback to find that these are Rather New hiking boots. Hardly used, in fact. When I went into the closet, I had in my mind my old hiking boots, which memory now reminds me had been retired when the soles got too smooth for safety.

I’ve also done some research about how I should comport myself, so as not to offend alpaca-kind, and I now know not to wear strong scent, or noisy things (which means my keys will stay in the car, with the exception of the car fob itself, which will go into my pocket, instead of the three of them riding on a belt loop as per usual), or very bright colors. Wednesday is supposed to be cooler than it has been for the last few days, and I’m eyeing my dull purple hoodie, as most likely not to be missed in case I am spat upon.

I’ve also been informed that alpacas prefer to take the initiative, so I should not rush my walking companion on Wednesday, and that I should in no case try to pat an alpaca on the head.

I finished grinding my glass pieces, and this evening I will consult my book to refresh myself on foiling.

I put out a call on the Waterville Facebook page, seeking someone competent to repair a dishwasher, in case there’s an easy fix.

I did, for the curious, wash the dishes that were in the dishwasher, which was oddly calming.

I think that catches us all up.

Everybody have a good evening. Stay safe. I’ll check in tomorrow.

Ah. The second daffodil of spring.  I note that the Weatherbeans are calling for snow tomorrow.