Management quickly summoned a War Engineer, who, upon studying the problem, suggested that the best approach was to cede the area to the goblins, building a strong wall with a goblin-proof door between the water heater, the furnace, the chimney and the rest of the basement.

This was done yesterday, and we are now the first on our block to have a Goblin Room in the basement.

Today, the War Engineer returns to rehang the crooked french doors in Steve's office, and also to help us figure out how many screens we need to replace -- and how.  In addition to six children, the previous owners had (according to the neighbors on the left) two Very Large and Somewhat Alarming Dogs (left-hand neighbors own a Shepard-mix, themselves, so clearly not simply anti-dog) and the dogs had a taste for window- and door-screens.  With summer, as we call it here in Maine, fast approaching, fixing screens is at the top of the list.

On Monday, we had word from Carpet Guy Two:  The Installer, who called at 7:45 am (!) to say that he would come by on Tuesday (yesterday) to install the carpets in the bedroom and my office.  As the last word had been May 17, we leaped at the opportunity of an early install, even though it meant moving a bunch of boxes (again).  Monday, I transferred all the files from the banker's boxes back into the file cabinets, which cleared a lot of floor space, and also shelved books in the living room, clearing even more floor space.

Yesterday, Steve and I cleared the bedroom against the promised arrival of CG2 at 3 pm, and were just sitting down to lunch when the phone rang and it was?  Yes, CG2, reporting that he couldn't make it today, but would definitely do the install on Wednesday (today).

We were disappointed, naturally, but we really can't finish unpacking and getting back to work until those carpets are down -- and, honestly, what choice did we have -- so we said OK, and resigned ourselves to carpets on Wednesday.

Two hours later, the phone rang again. So very sorry, said CG2, but I won't be able to make it to you until Thursday, but you will be my Very First Install, I Swear!

So, anyway.

Today, I await both the War Engineer and the guy from PoolTech, who I hope will take away the pool).  At the moment, I'm sitting in the Sole Comfy Chair free of Stuff (which happens to be in my office, where the windows are open to the morning breeze and the sunshine is pouring through the windows as thick and as sweet as honey), typing this blog post on Seventh Son the Chromebook.  As soon as I'm done here, I will continue reading the page proofs for the mass market edition of The Gathering Edge. . .

. . .which will be a pleasant return to the ordinary.

I have to keep reminding myself that we only just moved last Friday; haven't even been a week in this new place.  There's still a lot to learn, and to discover.  so far, I've had tutorials with the microwave, the refrigerator, the washer and the dryer.  Still need to do the basic coursework for the stove and the dishwasher.  I suppose this is what comes of living in a Time Bubble for the last 30 years. . .

Everybody stay safe.

So, yesterday, we goofed off, and went to see Guardians of the Galaxy 2 (2D).  I had a great time with it, though I didn't come away with ribs sore from laughing, as reported by some.  Excellent gosh-wow space opera -- Rocket, of course.  Recommended.

I believe this completes my list of must-see movies for this year.

Local folks!  Steve and I will be signing books and talking (try to stop us!) at Barnes and Noble, 9 Marketplace Drive, Augusta, Maine, on SATURDAY, May 13, from 1-3 pm (that's, like, the day after tomorrow!).  More information here.  (Yes, we know there's an error in the names, but the rest of the info's good.)

The B&N gig is our last pro appearance until we hit Pittsburgh for Confluence in August, which we're really looking forward to.  Here's your link to the Confluence website.

Those who have read The Gathering Edge -- please consider leaving a review on Amazon, BN, Goodreads, &c.  We are once again trying to get one hundred! reviews on Amazon.com, and we're already more than halfway there.  The more reviews a book has, the more attention Amazon pays to it in promotions and whatnot, so your help is really appreciated.

For those who have not heard the news, we have a new goal at Patreon, and! every other week (more or less), we're posting a patron-exclusive audio file of Steve or me reading a story.  Steve kicked it off with "A Night at the Opera," I read "Gift of Music," and upcoming -- this weekend! -- will be Steve again, reading "Charioteer."  Check it out, here.

. . .I think that catches us up. Thank you for all you do -- and hope to see those who can make the journey at Barnes and Noble, on Saturday.

To get you warmed up, here's a picture of Steve, assembling Photographic Evidence.

For those who ordered signed books from Uncle Hugo -- we have a correspondence from the Uncle indicating that, save for a very few "problem" orders, all of the pre-ordered copies of The Gathering Edge have been mailed.

Today's big news is!

A.  Steve made blueberry pancakes for breakfast this morning!
B.  I won at Scrabble last night!
C.  The Twitter-Facebook on-off love affair is ON again!
D.  The Gathering Edge is Officially Published, in hardcover! in ebook! in audio!

Things have been happening here at the Confusion Factory.  Also, things are about to happen.  Here's your handy guide to our Official Goin's-ons.

1.  "Cutting Corners," a Liaden Universe® short story including but not limited to: norbears, pirates, and piloting re-certs is now live and ready for you -- yes, you! -- to read it.  Here's the link.
2. The first Patreon goody has been posted -- Steve reading "A Night at the Opera," by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller.  This may be accessed by Patreon folks only.  After May 15, it will migrate to Splinter Universe for everyone's listening pleasure.  Here's your link.
3. The second Patreon goody will be posted on or about Saturday April 29, and it will be my turn.  There's a poll open right now, to help me figure out which story I ought to read.  Here's a link to the poll.
4. On May 1 at 12 noon Eastern Daylight Time, Steve and I will be hosting a pre-release A(sk) M(e) A(nything) at Reddit.  We hope you'll be able to join us.  You do need to register with Reddit in order to take part in the AMA.  You can register here.
5. On Tuesday, May 2, The Gathering Edge, by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller, the twentieth novel-length adventure in the Liaden Universe®, will be published, in hardcover, ebook, and audiobook.
6. On Saturday, May 13, from 1-3, Steve and I will be at the Barnes and Noble in the Augusta Marketplace in Augusta, Maine, hosting a meet and greet and a book signing, and we hope to see you there!

And now? You're all caught up.

Uncle Hugo is taking pre-orders for signed and/or personalized* copies of the hard-bound edition of The Gathering Edge, by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller.

The deadline for ordering personalized copies is April 1.

Repeat:  The deadline for ordering personalized copies is April 1.

Here's your link to instructions and order form: Pre-order The Gathering Edge from Uncle Hugo.

__________

*"Personalized" means that the authors will write, in addition to their names, a salutation requested by the reader.  The authors retain the right to refuse to inscribe any salutation for Reasons.

ONE

For those who missed the earlier announcement:  The eArc of The Gathering Edge, the twentieth novel set in the Liaden Universe® created by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller, is now available from Baen.

EArcs are only available from Baen; they are a specialty item that arose from the Baen Barfly community many years ago. EArcs contain errors in sentence structure, spelling, grammar. However, in our case at least, The Story is the exact same story that will be finally published in hardcover and in ebook.  EArcs cost more than the regular ebook edition because you are getting The Story approximately three months' ahead of final publication.

Belle and Sprite have entered the Betting Pool again for this release.  Details of the wager are included in this blog post.

TWO

For those who have downloaded the eArc of The Gathering Edge, read it, and now want to Talk About It, there is a spoiler discussion here.

THREE

Yes, the Uncle, aka Mr. Blyly at Uncle Hugo's Science Fiction and Fantasy Bookstore, will once again be offering signed and/or personalized copies of the new hardcover.  We'll let you know when the pre-order page for The Gathering Edge goes live.  In the meantime, there are still some signed copies of previously-published Lee and Miller titles here.

FOUR

Neogenesis, formerly Fourth of Five, has been turned in to Baen. Yes, Theo does make an appearance in this book.  It is not, however, a "Theo book."  Neogenesis is currently scheduled for hardcover/ebook publication in January 2018.

FIVE

Fifth of Five, which doesn't yet have a Public Title, is due at Baen on January 15, 2018.

SIX

We have five books scheduled for delivery after Fifth, so we continue to run the Red Queen's Race here at the Cat Farm and Confusion Factory.  This is, as you know, All Your Fault -- yes, you over there, it's your fault, too!  -- and we thank you very much for your continued support.

The books come in two contractual packages, to wit: the Masks (2 books); and the Triple Threat (3 books).  They will be set in the Liaden Universe®; beyond that -- no, we don't know, and it's no sense asking.  It really doesn't do much good to  talk about deadline dates this far out, but we're looking at having work into the next decade.

SEVEN

Here, have a picture of Belle on my printer:

The Gathering Edge, the twentieth novel-length Adventure in the Liaden Universe®, and! the direct sequel to Dragon Ship, which makes it the fifth book in the Theo Waitley arc --

Is now available as an eArc, directly from Baen.

Here's your link

We here at the Cat Farm and Confusion Factory celebrate Yule as our Winter Holiday, but, in order to keep peace in the family, most of whom celebrate the Commercial Christmas*, we traditionally raise a glass, and give and open presents, if any, on Christmas Eve.

We are this year, including you -- yes, you! -- in our hybrid holiday, and giving you a Yule present, which you may open on Christmas Eve.

Sometime between 10:30 pm and 11:59 pm on Christmas Eve, Maine time, if you click on the link below, you will be able to read the first few pages of The Gathering Edge, which is, it says here, the twentieth novel-length adventure in the Liaden Universe®, scheduled to be published by Baen in May 2017.  It is the direct sequel to Dragon Ship, and the action happens concurrently with the action in Alliance of Equals.

Everybody confused now?

Good.

Here's your link

Enjoy.

EDITED TO ADD: Once the excerpt goes live, it will remain live, until routine housekeeping takes it down, which means you have months to read it.

____________

*Which is to say, they do not attend services or mass.  The last time anyone in my family went to midnight mass on Christmas Eve was 'way back in 1978, when I drove my grandmother and aunt, as had become my habit, and attended mass, too, since I was there, and midnight mass is kinda pretty, really.

Let's do the bragging first, and get that out of the way.

Last week, Alliance of Equals by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller hit Number 3 in the list of bestselling science fiction hardcovers, and! it was also Number 8 on the All Science Fiction list.

Thank you all very much.  This would not have happened without you!

Steve and I have been working on putting together a new Echapbook.  It is currently title-less, but will contain two novelettes, one old and one new.  The "old" story is "Chimera," which was published to Baen.com in March 2015.  The "new" story is "Friend of a Friend."  Both stories take place on Surebleak.  An author's introduction will also be included.

Speaking of Echapbooks!  Over the next couple weeks, in my Abundant Spare Time(tm), I will be removing our Pinbeam Books chapbooks from the Smashwords store.  There may be a Small Period of Readjustment as I set up distribution through Draft2Digital, but eventually the books will be back in the iStore, Kobo, and everywhere else.  Amazon and BN listings will not be impacted.

Amazon reader reviews for Alliance of Equals as of this writing number 48!  Only 152 more needed to reach our goal of 200 reader reviews!  Go, Team Liad!

Also!  For those who pre-order 'waaaaaaaaaay out from Amazon -- The Gathering Edge, to be published in May 2017, is now available for pre-order.  We hope, but do not yet know (because, c'mon -- eleven months out?) that the Uncle will once again conspire with us to offer signed and/or signed and personalized copies for pre-order sometime much closer to the publication date.

And, remember!  Steve and I will be talking books and signing them, too, at the Children's Book Cellar, 52 Main Street, Waterville, this Saturday, July 16, at 2 pm. Hope to see you all there!

I was editing today, and I want to assure you that I had Expert assistance.

###

An' if he wasn't the sharpest knife in the drawer, he'd do 'til something lethal came along.

Today's blog title brought to you by Pete Seeger by way of Bruce Springsteen, "Erie Canal."  Here's your link.