Commercial break

This is a combination holiday! gift! post and an author! pimping! for! votes! post. Those who are not interested in these activities should certainly feel free to move on.

Books make wonderful presents
…this is true the year round, of course, for all occasions or for no reason at all. Nothing says I Love You More Than a Clean Living Room like the gift of a book.

For those who are giving (or receiving) a Kindle, Nook, Sony, Ipad, Android or any other of a head-swimming number of devices capable of reading ebooks, remember that an ebook reader is only half the present. The other half is: Something Excellent to read — and this is where I am uniquely placed to help you.

All published Lee and Miller, and Lee, novels, as well as some number of the short stories, are available for your ebook-reading device from Baen Webscriptions. Here’s your link. If you’d like a taste, first, sample chapters are posted for each book. While you’re over there at Webscriptions, take a look at the other titles on offer — lots of stuff to read there, and very reasonably priced, too!

Also! Sharon Lee’s first two Jenn Pierce mysteries, set in Wimsy, Maine are available electronically from Fictionwise. You can shop for them here.

But wait, there’s more!
Does someone on your list dote on audiobooks? Carousel Tides and Local Custom are available from Audible.com. You may listen to a sample of each on the page before you commit to a purchase.

Signed paper books
Probably too late to order from these wonderful vendors for a Christmas Day bestowing, but perfect for January birthdays — signed Lee and Miller, and Lee, novels and short story collections.

Ellen Richmond, Children’s Book Cellar, 207.872.4543 kidsbookscellarATmyfairpointDOTnet (where AT and DOT replace The Usual) — Lee and Miller titles, and Carousel Tides.

Jeanne Peterson Kamfonik, Beggar’s Ride Studio and Gallery, 207.937.2673, or request on www.facebook.com/beggarsrideart — Carousel Tides only

Also!
Remember to check out the book lists at “Whatever, and But Enough About Me!

…here ends the gift-giving portion of our Commercial Break.  Everybody take a deep breath.  Ready?  Here we go on to the next bit!

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Awards!
As mentioned earlier in the month, Saltation is a finalist for a 2010 Goodreads Choice Award in the category of Science Fiction. You must be a member of Goodreads to vote (I am assured that this is a relatively painless operation). If you would like to vote for Theo, who is up against some Very Tough Competition, Indeed, here’s your link

There are also a good many other worthy books nominated in other categories, so you might want to take a look around, while you’re over at Goodreads. Voting continues until the end of December; winners in all categories announced on Janaury 5, 2011.

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That’s it; commercial’s over. Thank you for your patience and support.

Originally published at Sharon Lee, Writer. You can comment here or there.

The end-of-the-weekend report

Well! It looks like the Big Storm has veered out to sea, and won't dump lotsa snow on us here in Central Maine, after all. Speaking of your mixed blessings.

Today continued the theme of festive and unexpected.

On the unexpected side, I broke the last of my blue water glasses, damn it. And! We actually own several more tablecloths than I had supposed. I blame this last on the cats, who hide them, and then use them for their own Nefarious Purposes.

On the festive side, the tree is up! This year we have a modified Sun Tree -- orange and yellow, leavened with red. It's quite attractive. Steve and I made sugar cookies, which, let's see, give us three! different! sorts! Chocolate chip, gingerbread, and sugar. Plenty too much, and all of them of delicious.

Also on the festive side of things, Steve made chicken and veggie stir-fry for lunch, which was wonderful. Even more wonderful is that there are leftovers, so I can have a reprise for lunch tomorrow.

I'm pretty pleased with the weekend, actually, though naturally I wish there were more of it.

Only four more working days until Winter Break.

*cracks knuckles*

Hope everyone's weekend was pleasurable and just busy enough.

Progress on The Book Presently Known as George:
8,426 words/100,000 OR 8.43% complete

She had then recommended that he find a book or play a match game, but the books in the nursery library were boring, and the counterchance program had performed a disallowed move that placed him unjustly in peril, and besides that, it was bright and sunny outside.