See chameleon lying there in the sun

I have today done my duty to the gym, picked up the SRM tax paperwork from the accountant, and the curtains from Penney’s. I washed the dishes, hung the curtains, moved the couch, and the television set, wrote an InfoDump, made four phone calls in order of annoyance from futile to infuriating, answered several bidness emails, but I have of course done no actual work as yet.

Argh.

Time for a cup of strong black coffee, some dark chocolate, and a pile of manuscript pages to revise.

Look! There at the desk! With the red pen! It’s. . . Superwriter!

See y’all on the flipside.

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

InfoDump and Holiday Message

Dear Friends and Readers,

Thank you all for receiving this extra long 93rd edition of the Liaden Universe® InfoDump, and special thanks to the hundred or so of you who have been with the InfoDump from Number One. Who knew when we started this little electronic newsletter well over a dozen years ago that it would still be going strong here in the second decade of the 21st century?

We’d like to take a moment more of your time, if we may, to reflect on 2011, which has been a very active year for us (and continues active, as we work to finish Dragon Ship, which is due RSN at Baen Intergalactic Headquarters in North Carolina). It been a very expensive year, and a very rewarding year; a year of decision.

Historically — in fact, since 1995 — we’d be busy at this time of year with SRM Publisher chapbooks, either sorting pre-orders or packing books. This year — this year of decision — there is no Yule chapbook to send out. We’re sorry for that. The Yule chapbook was a connection between us and you, our readers. Like sending cards to family. Yes, the mailing was a big project at a particularly busy time of year, but we miss it, and we hope you’re all well. . .as well as can be, in these uncertain times.

The decision to close down SRM Publisher wasn’t an easy one, but it was necessary. We need to concentrate on writing, and on staying healthy.

Part of the expense of this year, this 2011, was paid from Steve’s health. He was out of circulation for a number of months, with pneumonia, cardiac issues, an ICD implant…followed by rehab, and the fun game of Getting to Know Your Meds. Among it all, we lost Hexapuma, whose exploits many of you followed through Sharon’s blog, to kidney failure — and the year hasn’t exactly been easy on anybody, in terms of friends and colleagues lost.

Despite all that, Skyblaze, the 17th Adventure in the Liaden Universe(R) was written and mailed, we started a new online project in Splinter Universe, put many of our works into ebook format, did a TV interview. . .and traveled to Reno for WorldCon, where we saw so many of you! Dozens of you at once, in fact, at the wonderful Friends of Liad breakfast, which had more attendees then the first WorldCon. On the way home, we swung by Uncle Hugo’s in Minneapolis, where we signed and personalized hundreds of copies of Ghost Ship; met and talked to quite a few more of you. We were also Guests of Honor at a couple of regional conventions, where we talked to even more of you.

By that measure, then — the measure of connecting with our readers, making reasonable decisions for future health, and pursuing our long-term goal of living the writing life — 2011 has been a good year.

Thank you for helping make it so, for us. And we hope that we have, insofar as telling stories can, made your year more worthwhile, too.

A blessed Yule, a Merry Christmas, and a better New Year, to us all!

Steve and Sharon
Waterville Maine
November 30, 2011

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Liaden Universe® InfoDump Number 93: The Gift Giving Edition

( The rest is behind the cut )