Eagles Over the Kennebec

Lots of excitement here at the Cat Farm and Confusion Factory today.

First, two boxes of this arrived:

My photography skills being what they are, you can't really see it well -- but! the view screen is actually silvered, and Theo's hand stands out almost in 3D.  Very cool cover!

In other news, Truth triumphed in a small but important way today.  Not, unfortunately, before I had given myself a headache over the whole thing, but triumph is good.  And the filing got done, too.

I don't think I mentioned that, yesterday, Steve interviewed Kevin Collins, the narrator of the Books of Before (Crystal Soldier, Crystal Dragon, Balance of Trade) as part of a special giveaway Audible has up its sleeve.  Tomorrow, I'll be interviewing Andy Caploe, the narrator of the Agent of Change Sequence, and Steve will be interviewing Eileen Stevens, who narrates the Theo Waitley books.

Carousel Sun proceeds at a stately pace.  One of Kate's immediate problems, of course, is to find a replacement for the carousel horse that's gone missing.  Which means she's going to have to come up with something that's different, in style and in age, from the rest of the animals on the carousel.  It struck me that this is a dilemma that many of the restored carousels must have -- if all the animals from the old, say, PTC* machine haven't been recovered, or cannot be restored, they may have to fill in with Dentzel animals, or even new-made animals.  So, what you'll have is mixed carousels -- all vintage, but not necessarily original to that particular machine.  That's an odd thing to think about, that. . .mixing of styles and kinds.  It had used to be, of course, that each company's machines were recognizable.  That's not necessarily so, anymore.

Well.  I suppose we're lucky that there are any old wooden carousels at all, not to mention people who are willing to keep them.

And on that note, I believe I'll go find some aspirin and a coon cat.

Everybody have a good night.

Progress on Carousel Sun
17,275/100,000  OR 17.27% complete

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*PTC = Philadelphia Toboggan Company

Download it here.

Dragon Ship art by David Mattingly

When last we saw our plucky heroine, she had sworn a return to the discussion of compiling a Weird Word List, RSN.

Since swearing that awful vow, she has, with her husband-coauthor gone to the Rockland Public Library, where they talked about subjects Divers and Various to a small, but appreciative audience.

She then returned home and commenced in with her bit of Dragon Ship revisions.  This entailed a good deal of picking out of stitches, setting new stitches, bringing Stuff up, deleting other stuff, rewriting a couple scenes from a different POV  — in general, all possible, needful work, but fiddly and time-consuming.

The revisions were emailed back to Madame the Editor early this afternoon, just in time for the galleys for a short story which is part of an upcoming anthology to arrive, the editor citing a short turnaround.  Steve’s reading those now; I’ll make my pass tomorrow morning, over — all together now! — coffee!  Sadly, but in all likelihood, my third or fourth cup of coffee.

Steve and I are determined to watch a movie tonight; we have Hugo in from Netflix.  Tomorrow, after my pass over the story, I must and shall begin the end of year/end of game bookkeeping for SRM Publisher.

I will also, honest, contrive to get back to the word list, ’cause that deadline’s not getting any longer.  Funny how they never do.

Also on the table for blog discussion is a request to describe how I learned to write in a particular voice, and! another post about Voice, and how Science Fiction isn’t only Stories of the Far Future, and why extrapolating from our own world into the future is a mug’s game, anyway.

So!  Lots to look forward to, but right now?

I am going to watch that movie.

Well, now, where was I?

Right. Seem to have run right out of “rest,” with the result that my ankle has started to swell up again. Spent yesterday on the couch, redlining Necessity’s Child. Today will be more of the same, and that should see the end of that part of the project. Then, I really do need to get with the desk-top, do the changes, and the text-block moves. And, yanno, write the final third of the book.

Happily, my backbrain has forked over with An Idea regarding the future of one of the characters. Sadly, it would involve a sequel that would entangle with the sequel to Dragon Ship.

Perhaps the backbrain will kindly produce some more information on this subject some time soon. After all, it has all the time in the world, here.

* * *

We have thus far collected $89.24 for the Planned Parenthood breast cancer screening program. Our thanks to everyone who has purchased a copy of The Cat’s Job in February. For those who came in late, we are contributing the February proceeds (that means, the money that we get, after the bookstores get their piece of the action)of the eChapbook edition of The Cat’s Job to Planned Parenthood. Complete explanation, with links, here

* * *

Speaking of Amazon (note that smooth transition, baby) — If you are an author who sells Kindle editions of your work, it is worth your while to check the catalog pages of your books to ascertain whether Amazon has arbitrarily marked your book down to $0.99US

Pinbeam Books has five titles that have been marked down. On the publisher page, the list price still shows at $2.99US. It is on the catalog page (i.e. the page that people Actually Buy The Book From) that the discounted price is displayed (You! Save! $2.00!)

At least one other author has noticed this, regarding his own books, that I know of. I suspect that there are more, because the answer to my inquiry to KDP support is: We wanted to write you to confirm that we received your recent email to KDP Support and will be responding to you as soon as possible. Unfortunately, our response time is taking a bit longer than the usual 24 hours we normally reply within.

And, yes, before someone says it — Amazon does indeed have the power to do whateverthehell they want to do with any book they list. Says so in their manifesto contract. However, Amazon is trying very hard to position itself as The Author’s Friend; the guy who’ll cut authors a fair deal and give them 70% royalties.

Only?

Books that are sold at $0.99US earn 35% royalties.

* * *

We watched Source Code Friday night — it was, I thought, very well done, even riveting. Even Mozart was riveted, and his taste in film runs almost exclusively to vintage musicals.

Recommended.

* * *

And for those who have been jonseing for an eArc of Dragon Ship, we have word from a proactive reader who enquired of Baenebooks that “Assuming the book stays on schedule, we should be publishing the eARC sometime between May and June…”

. . .and that’s all the news.

How’s your weekend coming along?

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

1. It’s snowing. I’ve just done the first round of shoveling, and regretting the lack of the deck roof. Though it is very nice to be able to shovel the snow off the deck without feeling the need to mutter, “Goddess, please let it not fall down…”

2. My cookbooks are…in a pile somewhere. So! Who has a good recipe for mincemeat tarts (I like mincemeat, even the weird mutant mincemeat that they offer up in jars nowadays. Steve won’t touch the stuff, so mincemeat pie is right out.)

3. Yesterday was mostly consumed with paying bills and recoding Master Walk for Smashthing, where it is now! available! for! sale! Go me. Today? Is all about Dragon Ship. In between shoveling, of course.

4. Lulu is having a sale! Yes! This means you can go here and purchase the new paper editions of Barnburner and Gunshy, the Jen Pierce Wimsy, Maine mysteries, for 25% off! Just use this coupon code: BUYMYBOOK305
Small print: Coupon expires December 14, 2011/$50 Max Savings

5. Speaking of books, and sales, and the upcoming gift-giving season, remember that Steve and I will be at the Portland Library on Friday, November 25, from noon to three with a lot of other super Maine writers. So, come on by! Here’s the official poster:

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

It wasn’t…quite…snowing yesterday. On the other hand, that sure was some thick rain. And then last night’s wind kicked the bird feeder off the corner of the deck where it had been sitting, while we await the roof and a More Permanent Dining Solution for the winged dinosaurs. Kicked it quite a way, actually. I’m impressed.

Yesterday being Friday and Veterans Day, Steve and I went to the gym together, then headed over to Home Despot (Yes. Yes, we are living in Home Despot lately. Your point?), then to the light house in Waterville, which is not called The Light House, but Ghod, She knows what it is called. We determined there that we have different requirements for a floor lamp and went off to eat lunch and discuss the philosophy of illumination.

After lunch, and deferring the purchase of a lamp for another day, we headed to the shopping center on the other side of town, to pick up a couple things at the grocery store before going home. There, we found that Cacciatore’s Italian Steakhouse (which we knew was moving into what we had hoped was a second location in Fairfield) had Quit its prime shopping center location. And when I say Quit, I mean, they’ve completely pulled out — sign, bar, and mirrors. There’s not even a note on the door directing folks to look for an opening in a new location. I find this. . .troubling, and hope that the new location can be opened quickly, and that they can sustain the loss of business while they get everything set up.

In the meantime, the new-kid-in-town Italian restaurant, down on Waterville Main Street — which I haven’t eaten in yet, because they don’t care to serve when I care to eat — has apparently woken up enough to start offering Monday-Saturday lunch from 11-2.

So, anyhow, groceries on board, we got on the way to the Cat Farm, and suddenly realized that we might look at floor lamps at Fortin’s Furniture, which was right on the road home.

We did this thing, finding that, despite our luncheon discussion, we were still divided by a fundamental belief of what a floor lamp is, and were on the edge of leaving the place, when I saw — a floor lamp.

THE floor lamp.

A tall, curved shine of bright nickle with a single brilliant bowl dangling from it, like a hake from a hook. I went over to look, enchanted, Steve, following, and I daresay not nearly so enchanted.

My goodness, what a wonderful lamp.

But, wait; there’s more!

The little sample room in which this perfect paragon of a lamp was a player, consisted of a sable brown loveseat with an attached chaise, and oodles of brown, orange and yellow pillows. Of course I fell in love immediately, and wished to tell the hovering salesperson to pack the entire room up so we could take it home, but cooler heads prevailed.

*sigh*

I suppose it’s for the best. It would only come down to my having to arm-wrestle the cats daily for the use of the chaise…

On the writing front — I have, as advertised, received the first half of Dragon Ship from the lovely and talented Mr. Miller and have commenced in with Doing My Thing. I may be scarce in these parts for the next while, because of this circumstance. Do make yourselves at home, and remember that the cats outvote you.

For those who missed the news, “The Space at Tinsori Light” is now online. If you like the story — or any of the other several stories on-site — please consider donating. If you are one of the many folk who have already donated to our efforts at Splinter Universe, we thank you very much.

…and now?

Time to get to work.

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