Wednesday Morning Advert & Intelligencer

[rolanni]

. . .because I'll be on the road on Thursday.

1.  Tom Piccirilli, prolific author in just about every genre you can think of, and that other one, too. . .Tom was last weekend diagnosed with brain cancer, and on Monday underwent extensive surgery to remove a golf-ball sized tumor.  Despite initial optimism, last night, Tom's wife, Michelle, reported that the battle has only just been joined.  Tom will be receiving chemotherapy and radiation treatments over the next couple weeks, and then. . .

I gather that the insurance situation is about what you'd expect -- we've talked about creative folks and health insurance before, here -- and another colleague provides the information that Michelle is going to have to quit her job in order to take care of Tom.

Tom's sister-in-law has set up a fundraiser, hopefully to help Michelle and Tom cope with the oncoming tsunami of medical bills.  Here's your link.  

Please help if you can; and please spread the word.  Thanks.

. . .

2.  Uncle Hugo's is taking pre-orders for signed copies of the next Liaden book, Necessity's Child.  Here's your link.

2a.  Necessity's Child is a Liaden Universe® novel taking place on the planet Surebleak.  It is NOT the sequel to Dragon Ship.   For an explanation of Why This Is So, please go here.

2b.  Baen recently purchased five Liaden Universe® books, as yet untitled, delivery dates still somewhat fluid, but beginning in 2013.  Those five books are your sequel to Dragon Ship.

You're welcome.

3.  All fifteen existing Liaden novels are available as audiobooks, right here.    Also downloadable from that page -- hour long free samples of the first book in each of the four sequences.

4.  For those looking to read Liaden short stories electronically, Pinbeam Books is your friend!

4a.  For those wishing to read the Liaden novels on the ereader of your choice, every single one of them -- all 15! -- are available directly from Baen Books, right here

4b.  You'll want to keep a close eye on that link above, because the Necessity's Child eArc ought to be making an appearance there in a matter of a few weeks.

5.  Today is the 24th anniversary of the Lee and Miller (with Archie, Arwen, and Brandee) arrival in Maine.  The state has yet to recover.

Here ends your Wednesday Morning Advert & Intelligencer.  Be well, and remember to hug the people you love.

Comments

[otaku-tetsuko.livejournal.com]

Good lift, pilot! Watch out for the newbies tryin' to fan-dangle their way through traffic, why not?

Be well my friend.

[bridget a wheeler-gehrling (from livejournal.com)]

Safe Lift Pilot! and thank you SOOOO much for coming to Maine! We are certainly glad to have you!

[amm-me.livejournal.com]

You moved from Maryland to Maine in October. That was ... brave ... of you. Congratulations on your long, happy, and productive stay.

Necessity's Child

[melvyn barker (from livejournal.com)]

You do realise that, in spite of all your warnings/explanations, when N C is released you will be inundated with comments from people who thought it would/should be the sequel to Dragon Ship. And why isn't it? and where have you hidden the sequel? etc. etc.

I'm convinced this is because many people only read the message they want to be on the page regardless of what is actually written.

Re: Necessity's Child

[rolanni.livejournal.com]

I fully expect to received dozens, if not hundreds, of such. I also expect outraged Amazon reader reviews, and angry blog postings.

I'm trying to defuse as much of this as possible.

However, I do vividly remember what happened when Meisha Merlin released Pilots Choice after they and we bent over backward to explain that it contained two complete, original novels, never before published, prequels to Agent of Change featuring Val Con and Shan's parents. We said it over and over and OVER again; it was clearly stated on the back cover, and still people were shocked! shocked! to find that they had not bought the sequel to Plan B.

The other spin on that one was the people who, betrayed by the authors re: content, had also been betrayed by the publisher, who had made them pay the price of a full novel when "all they got" were two thin little novellas.

So, you're right; some people don't read what's written down.

And to be fair, all readers of Liaden works don't read here, don't take the InfoDumps, have no idea, and no interest in knowing about the writing process -- they just want their book! I can't blame them for that; in fact, we sorta depend on people wanting their book. :)

Ghosts, Dragons, Ships and Sequels

[edgreenberg.livejournal.com]

Thanks for explaining what's upcoming. It was getting confusing. If I understand correctly, we can expect a Surebleak centered book (Necessity's Child) followed by the sequel to Balance of Trade (cool -- I always liked B of T!)

Now, while I would love to be a fly on the wall when Theo and Company continue their story, I'll have to take a page from Shan, Jethri and Norn Van Deelen, and realize that a trader can only trade what's in stock or on offer, and a reader can only read what the writer produces, so I'll take 'em any way I can get 'em. Just fasten each can onto my hull, and I'm ready to lift.