Deadline Tomorrow: Personalized Copies of Dragon in Exile

[rolanni]

Procrastinators Take Note: You are at deadline.  This is not a test; this is an actual, real-world deadline.  Tomorrow, Friday, May 1, 2015.

Those of you who have been meaning to pre-order a signed and personalized copy of Dragon in Exile, the eighteenth novel in the Liaden Universe® by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller, the hour is upon you. Now is the time to go to Uncle Hugo's ordering page and order your book.  Use the blank box on your order form to type the personalized message you would like us to write in your book.  Be careful!  Proofread!  Because we will write exactly what you put in that box, unless:  (1) It is, in the sole judgment of the authors, too long, or (2) It offendeth us.

For those who do not desire a personalized book, but would like to have a signed edition -- carry on.  Uncle Hugo's will continue to take orders for signed copies until the signed copies are gone.  I believe that Mr. Blyly ordered in 200 copies, total.  They may go fast, or they may go slow, but when they're gone, there aren't any more.

For those who doubt that this fabled volume exists, here is proof:

Steve opens a box o'dragons

All righty, then.

In other news, Argent the Wondercar, Steve's 2002 silver Subaru Forester was retired yesterday.  We'll be a one-car family for a bit, which has certainly been done before, while Other Things sort themselves out.  And the repercussions of Uncle Sam taking more than half of our last check of last year just keep on repercussing.  Gah.

Let's see, what else is doing?

Oh!

As illustrated above, our authors' copies of Dragon in Exile arrived yesterday, and a handsome book it is.

Several people have asked, and -- yes.  I will be doing an accountability post about Patreon just as soon as the first check comes down, for the illumination of donors, and also to assist anyone who may be thinking of setting up a Patreon account, but would like to see how things play out in Real Numbers.

Speaking of Patreon -- it's not very easy to find other Patreon accounts, unless I'm doing something really wrong.  I'd've thought there'd be a cross-referencing system of some kind, so that people who like to support bands, or writers, or artists could find more of the Sort of Stuff They Like, but it does not seem to be so.

I seem to have lost my pedometer, which. . .sort of sucks.  I hope Princess Sprite didn't knock it under the stove.  OTOH, I have a whole bunch of stuff to do while sitting down, so I guess it's not that much of a loss at the moment.

And!  The Question of the Hour:  Steve and I are starting to think about how we ought to structure our "book signings," which are actually events where we do a little performance, and then sign books.  Last time, we gave a history of the universe's publishing history, took questions and signed books.  I don't think we even read from the book -- which would have been Trade Secret.

So, the Question:  What should we talk about this time?  Or -- if you were coming to one of the stops on our book tour, what would you want or expect to hear?  Do you like author readings?  Is there something regarding the Liaden Universe® or the writing life that you'd particularly like to hear about?  Now is the time to put your question(s) forward.  We want your input.

. . .and now?  Time to turn off the internets and go to work.

Here -- have some cat pictures:

Sprite holding the dragons down

Scrabble did not want to have her picture taken

Trooper, on the other paw, was ready for his glam shot

Comments

[rolanni.livejournal.com]

Now, see, in my world-view, there is a very great difference between art that has been inspired by other art -- such as songs, or paintings, or poems, or even other novels -- and . . .fanfic. In my worldview, fanfic is stealing -- or at the very least copying -- where inspiration is a priceless and necessary commodity for anyone who does art. Who hasn't been inspired by a lyric, a poem, a painting, a book?

I take here as my text Anne McCaffrey, to whom the Liaden Universe(R) clearly owes a debt, for inspiration. Anne once wrote to thank us for creating the Liaden Universe(R) because, while she admired the novels to the point that they became her "comfort books," she could never, she said, have created the Liadens herself.

I don't have any objection at all if our work inspires you to create something new and unique and distinctly your own.

There are, just by the way, some Liaden filk songs out there, and we've been lucky enough to hear. . .all but one, I think, performed live.

[sibylle]

Thank you very much for your reply and for explicating! I have not written a filk song in over four years (all my creativity seems to be going into academia and photography these days), but I came away from the last filk convention determined to start writing songs again, and so am actively looking at my favorite books and universes for inspiration... but did not want to do anything against your wishes/preferences, so... I haven't heard any of the Liaden filk songs yet, but now that I know they exist, I will keep an ear out (and as I am in the US for seven months and going to all the filk conventions in that time frame I might even luck out and get to hear one or two)!

Thank you again!!!