Administrivia

[rolanni]

. . .some administrivia, anyway. After I unburden myself by saying that I saw a motorcycle accident on the way home — the bike went down essentially at my feet. All parties seemed to be all right, though I think that that the girl driver who cut them off, and kept saying to the cop, “But he hit me!” may be in for a rude sort of surprise somewhere down the line.

And the sad, scary part was — he damn’ near missed her, through no fault of her own, just clipped the very, very backest bit of her rear quarter-panel, but it was enough. The passenger jumped clear, but the bike took the driver down under it.

Ambulances arrived, also police officers, and several helpful strangers, at least two on motorcycles. I pulled off to call the cops and to wait, since I’d practically been in the guy’s pocket when he fell, but turned out nobody wanted to talk to me.

Just as well.

In any case, I’m still a little rattled.

So! Administrivia:

1. As previously announced in this blog and elsewhere, Uncle Hugo’s has received the signed* copies of Ghost Ship very early. If you pre-ordered a signed copy of Ghost Ship from Uncle Hugo’s and you want your book mailed to you RIGHT NOW, write to Don Blyly at unclehugoATaolDOTcom and tell him so. If you want your book personalized**, you must tell Don that, too, by July 15. Books that are to be personalized will be held until Sharon and Steve are in Minneapolis in late August. Signed books will either be released RIGHT NOW, if you write, as above, and say so, or after July 15, if no order has come through for personalization.
—
*Signed means that Sharon and Steve signed their names on (in this case) a page that was then bound into Ghost Ship. The signatures are authentic; the paper matches that used to print the rest of the book. The books are SIGNED with the authors’ names only.

**Personalized means that you want Sharon and Steve to write something more than their names in your book, to make it, yanno, personal.

I had no idea when the original call regarding the early arrival of Ghost Ship was posted that there was, or could be, any confusion at all between “signed” and “personalized”. Live and learn.
—
2. Splinter Universe is slowly coming together.  Right now, there’s a “splinter” up as a dry run to test website functionality.  A “splinter,” as is explained on the site, is a piece of novel or story that was for whatever reason never completed.  The current splinter is the first two chapters of a novel that died just short of 20,000 words in 2003.  I’m perfectly happy to post the rest, in chunks, but it must be understood that when those 20,000-ish words are done, that’s it.  There’s no resolution to the story, nor will there be.

…and now I need to sign some books and maybe get a glass of wine.

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

Comments

[reedrover]

My Ghost Ship books arrived in a very nice, signature-required box from USPS yesterday. I picked it up today.

Accident

[(Anonymous)]

Virtual hug - at least you did all the right things.

Joan C

[prismakaos.livejournal.com]

Are you going to make the stories up at Splinter Universe available as ebook downloads? (Maybe for a small donation?) I know that I would love to be able to take it on my nook wherever I go...

[rolanni.livejournal.com]

Whist, whist.

First, let's see how the posting the stories part works.

Likely, they'll end up as downloads, somewhere. But we're making it up as we go along.

[attilathepbnun.livejournal.com]

Ooo, poor Rolanni! By all means, relax with a glass ... a cat or two might help calm you, too

My copy of Ghost Ship arrived yesterday, by the way!

[cailleuch.livejournal.com]

My copy of Ghost Ship arrived two days ago. I spent arrival night reading it again. I read the eARC on my iPhone but I so much prefer paper.

[gjuerne (from livejournal.com)]

i'm in mpls, and wonderful Uncle Hugo assured me i could pick up my copy on my way home from work tomorrow.

I can always haul it back at the end of august (sharon & steve will be at uncle hugo's on my birthday, squee!) if i want it personalized ...

[(Anonymous)]

I drove down to Uncle Hugo's today and picked up my copy of Ghost Ship - and a spare for a Christmas/birthday present. And while I was there I spotted a few other new arrivals I couldn't live without..... Uncle Hugo's/Uncle Edgar's is a dangerous place as far as my credit card is concerned! But at least I have Ghost Ship to enjoy this weekend!!!!!
Mary in MN

[trolleypup.livejournal.com]

Received!

I have to note that the packaging was remarkable! Totally secure and neat, but still easily and appropriately opened! Just right!

Motorcycles

[claire774.livejournal.com]

I am somewhat familiar with motorcycles. The trouble with them is that car drivers often can't or don't see them. They are much smaller than other vehicles. Cars therefore often move into their lane without seeing them which is very bad as you can imagine. Motorcylces are likely to get squished by the big semi trucks. So it's safest for the motorcyle enthusiasts to steer well clear of other vehicles and try to move in such a way that other drivers can actually see them. Being run over is no fun. As to who the police will decide is at fault in this particular case....who knows. And imo it's always best to wear helmits. A friend of mine just had her brother in law killed in a bike accident. Her sister sustained an extremely nasty injury to her leg. In my younger days I was a passenger on a bike where we hit a 2 x 4 going 70 mph. We flew through the air and landed nicely and went on. It all happened so fast that only afterwards did I realize that if said piece of wood hadn't been exactly at right angles to the bike I wouldn't be sitting here typing to you nice people today.

There was a nasty bike accident near the entrance of Best Friends recently on the highway where the driver was killed. A vehicle didn't see him I guess and ran him down as he was turning off the highway. After that the highway people but in a turn lane there. Imo bikes are not at all safe. Says I in my old age. I wouldn't drive or be a passenger on one any more.

As for Splinters. the Cards story beginning does remind me a bit of the beginning of Carousel Tides. I'm sorry that we won't get to read the conclusion of the story. Perhaps with one or more of them you will change your mind if there's enough public outcry.

Hope tomorrow your nerves will recover. I also hope the driver of the motorcycle isn't too badly hurt.

C.

Re: Motorcycles

[samrobinson.livejournal.com]

I'm pretty familiar with motorcycles also. I don't really feel that there's any good excuse for not seeing a bike unless it's hanging in someone's blind spot. I don't know the specifics of this incident other than what Sharon has shared, but the admittedly aged guy who hit my vehicle at about 70mph on a clear road said the same thing. I don't think he belonged in a car anymore.

There are some crazy riders out there, but for the most part we get damaged because people in cars are not paying adequate attention to the complex task of driving.

On a more positive note. I must commend Uncle Hugo's. I just received my copy of Ghost Ship, and it was obviously packed by a bibliophile. I have never seen a more thorough and careful packing job. The book is nice too...

Re: Motorcycles

[elektra.livejournal.com]

I are a biker too. And I will be until they pry the handlebars from my cold, dead hands. I've been to safety school, and I ride with helmet, gloves, boots, etc.
That said, unfortunately, the law (and insurance) often will side with "who hit who." It is damn hard to prove someone cut you off . . . .
Sucks.