Tag: the writing life

Radio Rolanni Off-Line for Scheduled Maintenance

Saturday — sunny and cool.

I have finally found the Sekrit to making an enjoyable (as opposed to merely an OK) cup of Harney’s Chocolate Chai Supreme, which is! (1) Realize that there is more than one cup, but less than two cups of leaves left, and just brew it all, leaving the cup 1/3(ish) empty. (2) After tea is brewed, fill the rest of the cup with milk, and dump in the last spoonful of Ghirardelli’s Cocoa Powder. The result is something like spicy hot chocolate, and really quite tasty. That said, I will not be re-upping my supply of chocolate chai.

Today, as previously reported, I’ll be finishing my packing, making sure the laptop is functional, and flipping a coin to see if I’ll be taking one of my crazy keyboards. Speaking of over-packing. I’m really bad on a flat keyboard anymore, but! I don’t intend this to be a Writing Retreat. On the Gripping Hand, if I’m suddenly Struck by Inspiration (which is almost guaranteed to happen exactly when one is intending Not To Write), I want to be able to type, not flail. I think I have Steve’s Special Flipping Coin around here somewhere…

Also today, I need to swap out the cat fountains (not the cat boxes; I did that earlier in the week), and decide how to adjust station air for the cats. It’s going to be in the mid-50s a couple days, but what worries me more is the warmer days in the middle of the week. I believe I’ll be setting station air at 72 COOL, which should keep things comfortable for them. They really don’t get the Go Downstairs strategy when the upper house gets too warm, and they have plenty of blankets, not to mention each other, to snuggle with if it’s cool.

I think it fair to say that from this point on, Radio Rolanni in all of its iterations will be transmitting intermittently, and possibly not at all. The conference areas will be open, and the kitchens stocked with snacks. Feel free to meet and talk among yourselves, or bring games and crafts.  We’ll be back on the air next weekend.

I append a picture of The Long Back Yard, with lilacs and those low-growing purple weeds that the bees like so much. I’m pleased to see such a lush patch of those.

Writer’s day on…

Business first: Preorders for the The Fey Duology stand at! Amazon 204; Apple 30; Kobo 16 (BN, from which the title has been delisted, 8).

I have today read Steve’s narrative and notes for Trade Lanes, and started making notes of my own. Which I guess means that, indeed, Trade Lanes will be the next Liaden book.

It was a very calm and fulfilling day, just sitting with my art and letting the ideas bubble and flow. This is how writers are seduced into writing the next book, even writers who have written many books and really ought to know better.

I am more or less packed for my vacation. Overpacked, of course. I always overpack, and I’m just going to have to live with that reality. People who arrive for a week — 10 days! — away with a single duffle bag — amaze me.

Tomorrow, I have a few last-minute things to do — change out the cat fountains, make sure I’m current with passwords and such on the laptop, and have another Talk With the Cats about how Deb will be taking care of them and the house. I’ve told them this three times already, but they don’t believe me; you can just tell they don’t.

Everybody have a good evening. Stay safe. I’ll check in tomorrow.
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Well, look. I am behind in announcing that! My pleasant chat with Sean Hazlett was broken into two parts for the Baen Free Radio Hour. I had no idea I’d talked so much.

Part One aired last week, and Part Two has just appeared.

Wednesday evening

Business first: The Fey Duology, Dark Fantasy by Sharon Lee & Steve Miller, stands at 196 pre-orders at Amazon.  In addition to Amazon, Apple and Smashwords are accepting preorders.  It will be available from Baen on June 1.

Long short day. The laundry’s done. I need to change the bed, but not today. I also need to mop, ditto.

I have read some, but by no means all, of Steve’s last draft of Trade Lanes. It’s being tough going. I’ll take another swing at it tomorrow.

In the meantime, Rook has made a motion, seconded by Tali, that it is Happy Hour. The chairwoman has tabled the motion. Rook has now moved that the chairwoman be removed. Tali declines to second, because, as I understand her to say, the Junior Member is Stoopid.

Everybody have a good evening. I ‘ll check in tomorrow.

Sunny Wednesday

Well. Wednesday. Sunny and already warm.

We here at the Cat Farm and Confusion Factory have gone from oil heat to heat pump cooling. Yesterday, we broke every single record for high temps on May 19 — 92F/33C in Portland. We here in Central Maine only hit 90F/32C.

Breakfast was the last of the yogurt with strawberry jam and wheat germ. Oatmeal cookie already lined up for Second Breakfast. First load of laundry is drying. Need to get the second load in the washer.

I realized this morning that, in my considerations of what to take to the ocean, I had forgotten to choose a traveling companion. I therefore put the matter to Sunny, who is an Old Orchard Beach native, adopted into the Lee-and-Miller household years ago, and he has agreed to ride shotgun. Sunny’s paw pads used to change color under the influence of Solar Rays, but I don’t think they do that anymore. So does age toy with us all.

Last night, I found the last draft of Trade Lanes, which Steve had set aside in frustration. I say “the last draft,” but what I have is about 35,000 words, and a bunch of it is notes, rather than narrative. My job today, while all of the previous Jethri books are fresh in my mind, is to read this document.

With the help of System76, I have resolved the problem of the two computers that would not update. Honestly, System76 has the best help-desk people in the known universe. And now Fezzik the laptop and Steve’s Short Meerkat/Sharon’s Writing Computer have up-to-date POP!_OSes.

In addition to reading the incomplete draft of Trade Lanes, I have some correspondence to catch up on, and the laundry of course, so I can commence in to packing the purple duffle bag.

What’re you doing today?

Here, have a picture of Sunny:

Monday with car chase and cookies

Business first! KDP has helpfully removed The Fey Duology from “SF-First Contact,” lest readers be “confused.” Gee, thanks, KDP.

Also, as of two seconds ago, the Amazon pre-orders for The Fey Duology stands at 173, which means I need to start shouting.

Obligatory Shouting Starts Here: The Fey Duology, Dark Fantasy by Sharon Lee & Steve Miller is available for preorder now from Amazon, Apple, and Smashwords!

Parenthetical:  If you preordered from Kobo, best look to see if your order’s been canceled.

Baen will be releasing the ebook edition on June 1, which is the day that Amazon promises to release the paper edition.

Shouting ends here.

Thanks to everyone for your patience. I really did not expect this to be so hard.
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So, having decided to do all my morning business across town, since I had to go to the Post Office, thereby avoiding the stolen car, the high speed chase down KMD, and all the rest of that, I wound up in Wal*mart. Second time this year. My excuse was that I wanted cheap flipflops/beach sandals/watershoes. Which I found. I also found a new sloped scratcher for the spot in my office dedicated to such things, because the triangular scratcher that Steve had bought for that space has had an enormous hole excavated in it, which Firefly has been protesting by using my rug as a scratcher.

While I was there, I bought cookies and cheese and bread, which takes care of the foodstuffs I absolutely need to get me through this week.

If I get really ambitious, I can fill out my ballot and drop it off at City Hall when I go out for the book club.

Well. Let’s see what happens.

How’s everybody doing this morning?
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Note:  I filled out my ballot and dropped it off at City Hall.
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Let’s finish up the day with!   A test!

What is your favorite story* collected in Liaden Universe® Constellation, Volume 6, and!

Why?

Yes, an Essay Test.

Go!
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*The stories included in Volume 6 are: “Standing Orders,” “Gadreel’s Folly,” “The Last Train to Clarkesville,” “Wise Child,” “Songs of the Fathers,” “From Every Storm a Rainbow,” “Our Lady of Benevolence,” “Chimera,” “Neutral Ground,” “Mother’s Love,” “Core Values.”

Onward in a fo’warder direction

Business First:  In re The Fey Duology, all of the ebook suppliers to libraries, and most of the online bookstores have refused to carry the ebook edition.  If you pre-ordered from BN, please check that.  As of this morning, the vendors who will be carrying the ebook edition are:  Amazon, Apple, Kobo, Thalia, Smashwords.

As of this morning, Amazon still lists the paper edition of The Fey Duology as ready to go on sale June 1.

Regarding my upcoming teaching event — no, it will not be available on-line, only locally, and on then if enough people sign on to make it worth Adult Ed’s time and space.

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First thing this morning, Firefly demanded a selfie.

I, of course, life to serve.


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Saturday, sunny and warm.

Breakfast was a blueberry muffin and what was left of the cottage cheese. I’m getting into that Interesting Time when I probably shouldn’t do a Full Shop, but I’m running out of things.

On the stove for lunch is so-called sweet potato and lentil skillet, which is very tasty and produces lots of leftovers. I had on hand and therefore used a Japanese Garnet Yam, which is taking a little longer to become fork-tender than would your plain vanilla sweet potato.

Did a little work this morning on “When the Delm’s Away.” I have A Decision to make, so, letting that rest while I Don’t Think About It.

This afternoon, I’ve got some Real Life to take care of, here and there, but, yanno? I may knock off early.

How’s everybody doing today?

Oh, here, have a snippet:
There was a time when Kareen yos’Phelium had wanted, beyond any other thing in this life or the next, to stand as Delm Korval.

She had made an enemy of her brother, for he, though he had not wished for it, and had been properly aware of his own inadequacies, held what was her heart’s desire.

She had very nearly made a stranger of her heir, seeing him as the personification of her failures.

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After lunch, and not to be outdone by her elder sister, Tali demanded her own selfie and a chin-rub.

Again, I live to serve.

So far, Rook has withheld any demands for a selfie.  Should that change, I will of course Inform His Fandom.

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I sat out on the deck in my hooded chair for a little while, then I went out front and did some modest weeding.  It’s quite warm, and sunny, of course, and I forgot my hat.  Have to get back into sunny-day habits.

Now that I’m back in and my duty the cats dispatched, the pots ‘n pans washed, and the dishwasher doing its thing — I will be knocking off for the rest of the day.

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

Blue Wednesday

Wednesday. Sunny and cool. Rain called for this afternoon.

So! Yesterday was not the Best Day Ever, and today is sadly looking to be more of the same. I did not go to needlework last night, which may have been the wrong decision, but seemed like a good idea at the time.

In a few minutes, I’ll be going out to get my hairs cut. When I get back, I need to decide if I am indeed going to be offering an adult ed course on writing believable characters this fall. Later on this afternoon, the third contractor will manifest.

The cats have been taking turns on my lap, which is very kind of them. Firefly got right down to the nitty-gritty during this morning’s session in sunlight, and put herself to chew off one of my shirt buttons.

Amazon tells me that the paper edition of The Fey Duology is in queue to be visible for order on June 1, which gives me plenty of time to review the proof copy, which will, it says here, be with me on Friday. In the meanwhile, I’m told that the ebook is listed as “coming” on some venues, the most notable being Smashwords, but it cannot be pre-ordered.

Preorder numbers for the ebook edition of The Fey Duology as of ten minutes ago was! Amazon 141; Apple 23; BN 7; Kobo 16.

And that’s the news from the Cat Farm and Confusion Factory.

What’s the news from your place?

The Rule of Three

Tuesday. Sunny, with a cool breeze. Trash and recycling at the curb.

Breakfast was hummus on rice crackers with a side of cherries.

Woke up this morning reminding myself of the Rule of Three*, which is only a little unsettling. After breakfast, I spent about an hour on the phone with a young person at Fidium whose name I heard as Alistair, but my ears probably dropped syllables. He was very helpful and patient and has, he said, gotten the landline to forward to the cell. Fingers crossed.

Though Alistair was very helpful and kind, I found the whole experience rather stressful, since we had to deal with Fidium’s lack of previous record-keeping, such as not removing Steve as the account manager, but merely adding me to the account, when I called them in 2024, so there was a lot of scraping off of old paint and serial numbers so that new could be applied.

I do need to unload the dishwasher (which is working nicely, and is slightly quieter than the previous dishwasher), and change out the cat fountains, but after that, I may just find a sunny chair and read. I’m thinking a ham and cheese sandwich for lunch. Maybe a grilled ham and cheese sandwich.

The cats have been on the case. Tali, in particular, took up a position under the ledge of the stand-up desk while Alistair and I were doing business, and pressed herself, warm and cat-solid, against my thighs, which was very good of her. Rookie brought me his pink ball, which was of course a comfort. Firefly sat in the window, and occasionally looked over her shoulder and smiled.

For those keeping score at home, preorders for the ebook edition of The Fey Duology as of this morning: Amazon 131; Apple 23; BN 7; Kobo 16.

So! What’s happening in your life this morning?

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*The Rule of Three is the principle that what you do returns to you three times. It’s most usually invoked as an argument against doing harm.

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.