rolanni: (baby dragon from rainbowgraphics)
[personal profile] rolanni
So, let's see...

Early today, we discovered that Agent of Change was now available, DRM-free, from the Baen Free Library, which means it's also available for free download from Amazon, because that's how the Big River rolls. Since the purpose of giving the first one away for free is to addict acquaint new readers with the Liaden Universe®, we ask that you please point out Agent's availability to your friends, coworkers, family members, strangers chance-met on the street. . . and, if you're able, to boost the signal, by mentioning Agent's free-to-download goodness in your blog, on Twitter, or Facebook, or wherever readers congregate online. Also? The Kindle edition needs reader reviews, to help curious newbies decide whether or not they want to read this book.

As of this writing, the free edition of Agent of Change has a bestseller rank of 632, which puts it at #1 in Kindle Space Opera, and #62 in Kindle Science Fiction and Fantasy. For whatever that's worth -- of which more in a moment.

OK, so that was the morning shift.

This afternoon, we learned that Dragon Ship by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller was the Number One Best Read of 2012, according to those who voted in SFSite's Best SF and Fantasy Books of 2012: Reader's Choice, where it is one of an amazing six Baen titles on the list.

Speaking of Amazon bestsellers (see how I did that? Smooth, right?), I came across this article, in which a new author is stunned by the financial rewards of his chosen profession.

Then there's this article, which talks about the challenges of lipreading -- if you read nothing else tonight, read this article; it's fascinating.

And, apropos of nothing much, except that I was inside Steve's camera earlier and found this -- for your viewing pleasure, here is a picture of part of our living room. The part with the Yule tree (which is still up), the Skylark Award sporting it's classy! cover! that was kindly created for it by Kat Ayers Mannix.

In-between the Skylark and the tree is the Prism Award, recklessly unshrouded. Directly before the Skylark are the extra Skylark Shrouds Kat also made. And, yes, that is a red metallic cloth covering the top of the old radio on which all of this is arranged.






Yule Tree, Skylark, Prism, Cover Art by David Mattingly




Yule Tree, Skylark, Prism,
Cover Art by David Mattingly



That picture reminds me of something.

Date: 2013-03-17 02:10 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] bookmobiler.livejournal.com
It's clear the two pictures on the right are for Ghostship and Dragonship. Even under extreme magnification the angle is such that I can't identify the two on the left.
At Boskone you said you found a place where you could display the Skylark award in all its naked glory. Do you have a picture of that?

Re: That picture reminds me of something.

Date: 2013-03-17 02:18 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] rolanni.livejournal.com
Saltation, and the one on the far left is Mouse and Dragon.

At Boskone you said you found a place where you could display the Skylark award in all its naked glory.

Did we say that? Must've had too much chocolate. We found a way to leave the Skylark out in the open, rather than shoving it in a closet -- that being the very beautiful cover(s) on display.

Date: 2013-03-17 02:34 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] drammar.livejournal.com
Love the art -- the Ghost Ship print that hangs above the desk where I sit right now is one of my prized possessions. The power of Mr. Mattingly's work truly comes through when you see all the covers side by side.

I admit to total ignorance in the area of awards. Why are they covered? The current theory being espoused here is that the cats object to them if they are naked.

And your Yule Tree brings back many memories. My grandmother -- the one of the african, and the zink, and the my-naze -- had one. It had made its way to me and then was lost in an accident involving grandchildren.

Date: 2013-03-17 03:21 am (UTC)
pedanther: (Default)
From: [personal profile] pedanther
The Skylark Award is very pretty, but, as Jane Yolen discovered, can't be trusted to behave itself when left unsupervised.

Cat Farm Report

Date: 2013-03-17 08:13 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] catherine ives (from livejournal.com)
It's obvious that Scrabble is the smartest one. Maybe you should make her an assistant editor.

Also: can't believe that old library where everyone stands ready to remove the books if the water rises.

Date: 2013-03-17 02:07 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] rolanni.livejournal.com
NESFA took "Doc" Smith as their patron saint and named their convention "Boskone" after (I think, but I am not an expert) one set of Bad Guys in the Lensmen series (written by "Doc" Smith). In the Lensman Universe, psychic powers are enhanced by using a Lens, and only Very Special People have access to Lenses.

Therefore! When NESFA decided on a form for the The Edward E. ("Doc") Smith Memorial Award for Imaginative Fiction, they of course chose a lens.

A very large lens made out of the finest optical glass.

The first impulse, of course, because Plains Apes do love us some shiny! is to put the thing in a sunny spot. This impulse is to be avoided, as pedanther reports below.

Our living room is, as you can see from the picture very sunny, and we didn't want to put the award in the back of a kitchen closet. Thus the Skylark Shroud.

What compounds our problem is that we also have in our possession the Prism Award, which was given to Scout's Progress, as Best SF Romance of 2002. This award is a large and beautiful functioning prism, made out out of the finest glass available.

Before the living room was repainted, I could have shown you the singe mark on the wall, made by the sun passing through the Prism.

Re: Cat Farm Report

Date: 2013-03-17 02:08 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] rolanni.livejournal.com
To be fair, the new town library is 'way up on the hill.

The old library building now houses all the records of the town's genelogical society, though.

Re: Cat Farm Report

Date: 2013-03-18 12:39 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] mbarker.livejournal.com
Which might be improved by a little rinsing?

Re: Cat Farm Report

Date: 2013-03-18 02:03 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] attilathepbnun.livejournal.com
Oh dear ......

Date: 2013-03-18 02:58 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] the wol (from livejournal.com)
Perhaps you could display the optically pure lens and the prism where the sun can't get at them?

Bits and bops

Date: 2013-03-18 08:26 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] livejournal.livejournal.com
User [livejournal.com profile] kay_gmd referenced to your post from Bits and bops (http://kay-gmd.livejournal.com/188128.html) saying: [...] In New stuff to read and share: ***GREAT FREE BOOK*** http://rolanni.livejournal.com/830074.html [...]
From: [identity profile] livejournal.livejournal.com
User [livejournal.com profile] grassrose referenced to your post from Sufficient unto the day is the excitement thereof (http://grassrose.livejournal.com/4896.html) saying: [...] that started it all. Originally posted by at Sufficient unto the day is the excitement thereof [...]

Date: 2013-03-21 02:04 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] magda-vogelsang.livejournal.com
Nice Art!

FWIW, my (space themed) Yule tree is still up at the moment as well.

http://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn1/29636_10151189045908233_145885029_n.jpg

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