Books read in 2020

34 Blood and Circuses, Kerry Greenwood
33 The Cat Who Came to Breakfast, Lilian Jackson Braun (Steve read to me)
32 One Fell Sweep, Ilona Andrews (e)
31 Sweep in Peace, Ilona Andrews (e)
30 Clean Sweep, Ilona Andrews (e)
29 Getting Rid of Bradley, Jennifer Crusie (e)
28 Raven Heart, Murphy Lawless (e)
27 Iron Kissed, Patricia Briggs (re-read)
26 The Cat Who Said Cheese, Lilian Jackson Braun (Steve read to me)
25 Blood Bound, Patricia Briggs (re-read)
24 Moon Called, Patricia Briggs (re-re-read)
23 War for the Oaks, Emma Bull (re-re-re-re-&c read)
22 The Widow of Rose House, Diana Bill (e)
21 False Value, Ben Aaronovitch
20 Charity Girl, Georgette Heyer (read aloud w/Steve re-read for both)
19 Minor Mage, T. Kingfisher (e)
18 The Green Mill Murder, Kerry Greenwood
17 Tell Me Lies, Jennifer Crusie (read aloud with Steve)
16 Murder at the Brightwell, Ashley Weaver
15 Crazy for You, Jennifer Crusie (read aloud with Steve)
14 A Conspiracy of Kings, Megan Whalen Turner
13 The Thief, Megan Whalen Turner (re-read)
12 Ocean Light, Nalini Singh (read aloud with Steve)
11 Nerdy, Shy, and Socially Inappropriate, Cynthia Kim
10 Witches Abroad, Terry Pratchett (read aloud with Steve)
9  The Kiss Quotient, Helen Hoang (e)
8  Fall into Spring, Amy Lane (e)
7  Resurgence, C.J. Cherryh (read aloud with Steve)
6  2K to 10K: Writing Faster, Writing Better..., Rachel Aaron (e)
5  Unmasked by the Marquess, Cat Sebastian (e)
4  Jimmy the Kid, Donald E. Westlake (e)
3  Wanted, A Gentleman, KJ Charles (e) (read aloud with Steve)
2  The Book of Atrix Wolfe, Patricia McKillip (e) (re-read)
1  Proper English, KJ Charles (e)

Splinter Universe Presents Publishing Thursday!

Here's what you need to know.

Splinter Universe Presents! a collection of outtakes, thought experiments, and partial (some very partial) stories and novels, will be published as an ebook from Baen.com, Amazon, BN, Kobo, Apple, and all the rest of the Usual Suspects on Thursday, April 16.  A paper edition of this book will be available through Amazon only.

Please note that, while the ebook price of $4.25 has not changed, the price of the paper edition is $10 -- $2 over our usual paper edition price of $8.  This is because Splinter Universe Presents! is a big book, by Pinbeam Books standards -- 230+/- pages, and because paper costs more than electrons.

Here is the sell copy:

Splinter Universe Presents!
Something a little bit different
What this collection is--it's Something A Little Bit Different. We will explain. We'll try to be brief.  And we'll start with what it isn't.
It isn't a Liaden Universe® novel
It isn't a collection of Liaden short stories
It isn't an Adventure in the Liaden Universe®

So what is it, you ask.

Well, it's this:  bits of novels or stories that stalled; outtakes from published novels; character sketches; and discovery drafts. All of these bits and bobs are Liaden in nature, but they are not–not one of them is–complete. They are of possible interest to devoted fans of the Liaden Universe®; they are not guaranteed to be everyone's cuppa.

Also? Every single one of the said bits and bobs included in this collection has been previously published on Splinter Universe, for the amusement of the authors and the interest of those same devoted fans. There is nothing new here, save the Authors' Introduction.

All of the material in this book has been removed from Splinter Universe; the only place you will find them is in this collection.  Why?  Because we promised those devoted readers that the material would not be Lost Forever.

Having read this, If you've decided to continue–we welcome you, along with those devoted fans who traveled with us down the years.

Have fun.

Clearly, we are doing our damnedest to not sell this book.  We don't want to mislead anyone, we don't want angry reviews -- or emails -- about how The Authors Lied. We want everyone to be very clear about what this is.

This publication is kind of a test for whether we will be putting up the Big New Splinter, or if we Had Better Not. We're kind of divided here, among ourselves -- well, among Steve and me; the cats don't care, frankly. We do know that writers see fiction differently than readers, and we don't want to set up a False Canon, so to speak. But there's some Good Stuff in this Splinter -- Splinter though it is -- and we're all bored, and it could be amusing.

So, there's that.

Splinter Universe Presents! Amazon editions may be delayed

An addendum to this post regarding the publication of Splinter Universe Presents!

Amazon has written to say the content of Splinter Universe Presents! is freely available on the web (which it is not), and that I must Prove I haven't stolen it. I have replied. However, this may put Amazon publication back. We will publish on schedule with the other ebook vendors, including Baen, BN, Kobo, Apple &c.

Paper edition fanciers -- I cannot tell you when -- or if -- a paper edition will become available.  Watch this space.

The authors and Pinbeam Books are very sorry for this snafu.