In which Rolanni has the headache

[rolanni]

It snowed yesterday. Then, it sleeted (slet?). Finally, it rained. And the wires froze, and we lost power for a couple hours during late night/early morning hours. This morning — bright, blue, and crispy — we have power, but everything is coated in ice.

*crosses fingers for the continued flow of electricity into the Cat Farm*

News around the house has been light. Work on the taxes goes forth, slowly, as work on the taxes tends to go when performed by someone who can’t actually add.

We had some excitement issuing DMCA notices for forty-one separate titles to a new pirate site which has set itself up as a kind of subscription book club. All you have to do is give them your credit card number, they’ll charge you $15/month to download all the “free” books you can eat. Such a deal, right?

Except none of the books on offer are legitimate copies, which means the authors get no royalties.

So, anyway — this is amusing, in a black sort of way — I got a note back from these nice folks, assuring me that my titles have been removed, despite the fact that my take-down notices were “incorrectly formatted” and stating that eBookr takes the DMCA “very seriously.”

Which they obviously do.

What they clearly don’t care very much about are the rights of legitimate copyright holders. Which makes them no better nor worse than a coalition of universities, I guess, and rather more polite when found out, too.

In other news, Steve has unfortunately come down with Teh Crud. I’m hoping to dodge it, myself. I’m also hoping not to have to wear the walking boot to Boskone.

Today, I really must read Dragon Ship, which I haven’t done yet, because — see taxes, above.

Fans of Mozart and Scrabble will naturally wish to know how they weathered the long separation.

Scrabble had a rough time of it, what with supervising the cat sitter, and Mozart, too. She was very happy to see us, and immediately fell in to an exhausted stupor from which she occasionally rouses herself to take a few crunchies and a sip of water, and to assure herself that Steve and I are towing the line.

Mozart is being very clingy. Apparently a week’s separation is Too Long anymore. He began to complain to poor Mary sometime on Monday evening and continued, more or less non-stop, even after we got home on Wednesday (apparently the auto-bitch app takes a while to cycle into shutdown. I’ve actually found this myself, regarding auto-bitch — a note to developers.)

I am, alas, still behind on email. Patience, grasshopper.

And that? Is the news that’s fit to print.

How’s by you?

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

Comments

[lagilman]

I have, alas, decided that there will be no Boskone Barcon for me - the surprise addition of Springsteen tickets ate the money set aside for a hotel room, and this is not the year to play games with the budget, especially not this early.

I sulk. Or I would, if it were not for the promise of Bruce! in the near future.

[rolanni.livejournal.com]

I'd be tempted to forgo Boskone for Bruce, myself.

Have fun!

[jhetley.livejournal.com]

Car cleared off and available for duty. Cannot say the same about the driveway . . .

[rolanni.livejournal.com]

Cars still encased in ice, here. Driveway, too.

The deck, however, is ice-and-snow-free.

*sighs happily*

[jhetley.livejournal.com]

Well, you've seen our driveway. Deicing it is not as dire a need as some. We do like for the brakes to have effect, out towards the end. I think I may have arranged for that.

[otterb.livejournal.com]

I do like the concept of a design flaw in the auto-bitch routine. Have had some problems with that myself.

I have to ask, on reading Dragon Ship, what does reading it again at this stage give you that, y'know, recently finishing writing it doesn't? Is it possible to read it this soon wearing reader-hat and not author-hat?

[rolanni.livejournal.com]

what does reading it again at this stage give you that, y'know, recently finishing writing it doesn't?

Short answer: I have no idea what the book is about, so I need to read it to find out.

Longer answer: What I was doing at the last was writing connecting scenes, laying in subplots and asking Steve to write specific scenes. I was, in a word, down in the Details, and have no idea if the over-story works as a story, or even how all the pieces eventually fit together.

It's an odd mind-space, and not easy to explain. I frequently finish a day's writing without any very clear knowledge of what I've written. Which is why every day's writing session starts off with me reading what I did yesterday.

[lagilman]

oh god yes, this. This should come on a laminated card, for explaining why we do what we do because it all makes perfect sense to US, but not always so much to the end-reader who sees the finished product....


[I'm in Stage 2 with the similarly named Dragon Justice. Hrm. If these books come out at the same time, methinks we need to Do Something With That...dragon cake for everyone!]

[missingvolume.livejournal.com]

That cat complaint app is a bit broken. I hear from it hours after I have returned home from a trip as well. Even after a serving of soft food.

[attilathepbnun.livejournal.com]

Cats are like that, yes. Hope Steve feels better soon, and that you escape teh Crud *crosses fingers for Cat Farm's continued electricity*

[mbarker.livejournal.com]

Do try Dragon Ship. I'm looking forward to reading it myself, and can assure you that the authors do very nice work. Although you may want to check out the prequel, Ghost Ship, before jumping into Dragon Ship, as there are some expectations set there which hopefully find expression in Dragon Ship. But I think you'll find it delightful. Watch out for the ending, though... it's kind of complicated.

[star-horse3.livejournal.com]

What he said.

[darke-conteur.livejournal.com]

We're slowly getting back to normal. Husband and I have been sick for nearly four weeks straight; first a gastroenteritis that knocked us both on our backs, the, because our immune was low, we ended up with head/chest colds.

I'd love to open the windows and let some fresh air in, but I'd freeze...

[kalilama.livejournal.com]

I've started graduate work toward an MFA in Poetry, which has taken over my mornings, and I start work at 1:00 at my regular old job. This change in schedule is working well except for the mild hysteria: human mind + big hairy change in schedule/salary = massive disorientation. I actually love the writing/reading, and once the terror stops I think all will be well. In the meantime, I have discovered Downton Abbey on Netflix -- my friends were all raving about it last year but I never saw any of it. It is completely addictive...luckily time-limited.

[attilathepbnun.livejournal.com]

Pssst .... I hear there's a Series Two ...

auto-bitch ap

[barbinbandon.livejournal.com]

Ya, sometimes it's not so easy to remember that it's a result of being loved, a lot, by a cat.

But it is.

Cats/their people away

[claire774.livejournal.com]

Sorry about the cats being so upset by your absence. I have heard of cats who.... when you finally get home... sulk and ignore you for an indeterminate period. At least Scrabble and Mozart didn't do that. I'd imagine that Scrabble will soon regain her strength.

The dogs I know don't care that one is away as long as someone comes in to feed them. However I've never been the parent of a serious one person dog.

I hope that Steve is feeling better soon.
I hope also that your wonderful tech experts can tell you about that new tablet. Sounds interesting.
C.

Writing

[claire774.livejournal.com]

It seems to me that you are writing in the grip of some kind of trance state. Like a type of trance medium. After you have written you have no memory of what you have written. When Edgar Cayce gave his readings he had no memory of what he had said afterwards. Amazing. I have always wondered where your writings come from. Sorry. Saying this may be too far out for most people.