Making a living as a writer just got harder

So, Apple introduced its new Shiny! Toy! a couple days ago, and revealed that the Apple Ebook Store will be selling ebooks at a more reasonable price point than Amazon.com. One of Apple's partners in this is Macmillan Publishing. Amazon.com is Not Pleased with this defection, so it's reported by several Macmillan authors and in other places that Macmillan books have been yanked from Amazon's US database. Just, so says one wag as a "temporary measure" to bring Macmillan to heel.

Read all about it: here and here

And they wonder why authors drink.

Speaking of which, I think I need more coffee.

What I did on my mini-vacation

A kind friend made it possible for us to see Avatar in 3D last night. I take back my comment that it was no use seeing a story I'd seen and heard so many times before. I was too busy looking at the scenery to care much about the story, except as a vehicle for said scenery.

After the movie, we stopped at Cacciatore's for family Italian, and so to home.

This morning was a State of the Cat Farm meeting, and this afternoon, with Steve's help, I recovered a box of old photographs from the bottom of the office closet. There had been a Bad Moment when I couldn't find it and figured I'd thrown it out in a Fit of Despond, but no, it was only shoved into the backest, darkest corner and then Stuff piled on top of it.

There are a lot of cat pictures in this box, as well as other photos of interest, such as this, from Albacon '98, when Esther was Guest of Honor and the Don't Quit your Day-Job Players provided the musical entertainment:

 

 

...and this one, taken at my sister's wedding, in 1986:

...i don't know who the lady in the purple dots is; possibly my brother-in-law's mother.

Tomorrow, I need to read the 134 existing manuscript pages of Ghost Ship, and Make Notes in order to preserve the story from the day-job.  But for tonight, I'm going to retire to the couch and read someone else's book.

 Edited to add:  suricattus has more info on the Amazon/Macmillan circus.