Trade Secret reminder

Signed copies of Trade Secret, by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller, the sequel to 2004's smash Liaden hit, Balance of Trade are now available for pre-order from Uncle Hugo's.

Here's the synopsis:

Jethri Gobelyn is unique; he's a Terran adopted into a Liaden trading clan. Under the tutelage of Master Trader ven'Deelin, he has achieved his license to trade in Liaden space. Not all Liadens are thrilled by this, or convinced by Master ven'Deelin's insistence that Liadens and Terrans must learn to trade together.

But, Jethri isn't only unique because of his adoption and penchant for trade; he's also the son of a far-seeing Terran trader, now deceased, the author of a secret Envidaria -- a plan that could change the face of galactic trade, forever. Ruthless people are willing to kill to obtain the Envidaria, in order to suppress it, or to use it for their own profit.

And it's up to Jethri Gobelyn, a man who is both Liaden and Terran, to protect the Envidaria, and to decide how -- or if -- to use the information it contains.

Trade Secret cover.
Art by Sam Kennedy

#SFWAPro

Poor men wanna be rich; rich men wanna be kings

So, about a month ago, Eric Williams was kind enough to send me a print of the cover art for Carousel Sun.  I took it to Framemakers to be framed -- and it came back into my possession on Friday.

It looks nice. Really nice.

But here's the thing -- I long ago ran out of space to hang paintings.  In fact, the cover art for Carousel Tides (also created by Eric) is kinda of hanging -- well, see for yourselves:

The wall of All The Things
in my office

...yeah, it's a little crowded.  Clearly, no room to hang the sister painting there, right?  Also?  Not only is there going to be a third Carousel cover, which I also hope to acquire, frame and hang, the cover art for Necessity's Child, which was removed from the living room wall by order of the cats so there was room for their new, primo, cat tree?  Has never been re-hung, so I  -- you see where this is going, right?

Because, so I said to Steve, there's plenty of room to hang pictures over my desk.  All I have to do is shift some things around.

For your information, this is what the wall over my desk looks like:

The uncluttered wall over my desk

Because, I said to Steve, there's room over the Narbonic strip for all those little things.

Here's the Narbonic strip.  Imagine about 18 inches between the top of the frame and the ceiling:

The wall to the right of my desk

So, here's what I want to hang on the wall over my desk:

Three for a-hangin'

. . .plus, I want to keep the Red Birds, and Kevin Dyer's tree, and I have to leave room for the third Carousel picture.

No problem, right?

No, really -- you can laugh; it's fine.  If this show wasn't low-budget, I'd cue the laugh-track myself.

And the bitter irony is?  That Steve, who has very fine spatial understanding, and who very well knows that this whole project can only end in tears, will get pulled into it against his better judgement and wind up making it work.

As he has done, many, many times before.

. . .I'm thinking I'd better make a pre-emptive Devil's food cake.  What d'y'all think?