Eagles Over the Kennebec

So, of course Monday was Belle's birthday.  Her eighth birthday, so you see that she is, indeed, a Cat of Substance.  Festivities were scheduled, and everyone made merry, but not too merry, as it would have been a terrible thing indeed to wake the Birthday Girl.

The new remote starter has been installed in the car, and has already been useful, so that.

And!  Steve and I have discovered that Fifth of Five is rather more broken than we had thought, which would be why it just lies there, like a unrisen lump of dough, no matter how much we poke at it.  And this means that -- we need to start over.  This is not a step that we take lightly, and it's certainly not the news I wanted to take to Madame, but sometimes, there are no fixes.  So, we're taking a small breather, and wading in again.

In other news, Maine is melting.  It was 60 degrees today, on February 21, and the streets ran with mud.  Tomorrow, it will be cooler, and again on Friday, with the difference being that Friday, it will rain.

I think winter may be over.

Here's a photo from Belle's Birthday Festivities:

Today's blog post title brought to you by Cheap Trick, "Surrender."  Here's your link.

Couple of events of note, for those who like to listen to content:

On Friday, Part One of a far-ranging interview with Steve Miller was featured on the Baen Free Radio Hour.  Here's your link.

Over the weekend, Steve posted a new podcast on Patreon, for patrons only, in which he reads "Cutting Corners."  Here's your link.

Also!  "Block Party," a Liaden Universe® story by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller, is still available to be read -- for free! -- at Baen.com.  Here's that link.

"Degrees of Separation," the prequel to "Block Party," will be published as Degrees  of Separation:  Adventures in the Liaden Universe® Number 27.  You may preoder the ebook now from Amazon , BN, iBooks, Kobo, and Tolino.

On January 15, you may also purchase the ebook edition from Baen.

Sometime RSN, you will either be able to pre-order or outright purchase the paper edition, from Amazon only.

Neogenesis, the 21st novel of the Liaden Universe® was published on January 2, and is available in hardcover, ebook, and audio editions.

If you read the novel and want to talk about it, there is a spoiler thread here.

Also! If you've read Neogenesis, please consider leaving a review at Amazon, Goodreads, or another site where readers read.  Thanks!

For those local(ish) to Waterville, Maine, Steve Miller and Sharon Lee will be signing books and talking trash at the Children's Book Cellar, 52 Main Street, in Waterville, on Saturday, January 13, from 1-3:30 pm.  If you missed your shot at getting a personalized copy from Uncle Hugo, this is your Second Chance.  Call the store ((207) 872-4543) before our signing, or during it, and we will personalize a book for you.

Peripheral to this, Uncle Hugo does still have some signed copies of Neogenesis in stock.  Here's the link.

In convention news:  Sadly, we will not be attending Boskone this year.  We will, however, be Author Guests of Honor at MidSouthCon, in March.

In writing news:  Yep, still working on Fifth of Five, which refuses all titles suggested to it, and shrugs off any attempt to title-shame it.  I told you it was being a tough book.

I think that catches us all up on the business side of things.

Everybody stay healthy.

I have one more section of Fifth of Five to read, but, having read two-thirds of what's there to read, I can say with confidence that it is Not Awful, it's merely Not Done.

So, working on that.

It snowed Friday night, and Saturday it rained.  The plowguy called early to say that, unless we needed to go out, he was going to defer plowing until the rain stopped, so that he could remove crusty snow, leaving a walkable surface on the drive (as opposed to remove the snow, and letting the rain create a driveway skating rink).  I retired to my office to work, and went out this morning to remove crusty snow from the steps.

The only flaw in this plan was that the car was frozen shut, and no suasions of mine would budge any of the doors.  Steve mixed up an alcohol and warm water brew that did get past the ice seal, but it was a frustrating several minutes.  My last car had a remote starter.  May see if we can get an aftermarket remote installed in this car.

Going forward, the weatherbeans are calling for a snowstorm starting 2:00 am-ish, and continuing until early evening, leaving from 6-9 inches (locally up to 11 inches) of snow behind it.  The plowguy, when he came by this morning, wanted to know if we had to "get out" tomorrow.

No, I said; we're working tomorrow.  He sighed and produced a sort-of grin.  Yeah, he said; me too.

So, that.

Partly as by-product of the on-going effort to write sell-copy for "Degrees of Separation," I've been thinking about what "makes" a story.

Certainly, a story has a beginning, middle, and an end.

A story shows growth, or change.

A story illuminates action.

. . .all the stuff you learn in Writer School, sure.  But -- what "makes" a story?  Certainly, I -- and I am not alone in this -- have received reader reviews, and reader letters, indicating that in Story A "nothing happens."  What they mean by that varies widely, from "there were no gun fights in this story," to "I had to read description and dialog," to "we already KNEW how this was going to end, so writing down the middle was pointless," to "I didn't like this."

So, what "makes" a story?

The answer, for me, is that the characters make the story -- long story, short story, middling story.  People, what they do, why they do it, how they feel about it, are intensely interesting to me.  So, those are the kinds of stories that I tend to write.  This does not, note, preclude gun fights, or space battles, or car chases, but I maintain that a story without a car chase...can still be a story.

Well.

Peripherally on topic:  In case you missed it, "Block Party," by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller is available, free to read! starting on the Baen.com front page (you need to scroll down past the new books section).  Share it with a friend.

Here's a picture of the author, working at home, something I am now going to go do more of.

 photo by Steve Miller

Before we get started today, Management has asked me to make four announcements. Here they are:

One!  If you have been planning on ordering a personalized copy of Liaden Universe® novel Neogenesis, by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller, you have until tomorrow, Sunday, December 10 to make your order.  Here's your link.

Two! "Block Party," by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller will go live on Baen.com on Friday, December 15.  Mark your calendars.

Three!  You may now pre-order the ebook edition of Neogenesis from the Nook Store and the Kindle Store. 

Four!  You may now acquire from Baen ebooks the eARC of Star Destroyers, edited by Tony Daniel and Christopher Ruocchio, including all! new! stories by: David Drake, Michael Z. Williamson, Mark L. Van Name, Steve White, Jody Lynn Nye, Brendan DuBois, Sharon Lee & Steve Miller, Susan R. Matthews, Mike Kupari, J.R. Dunn, Robert Buettner, Christopher Ruocchio, Dave Bara, Joelle Presby, Gray Rinehart.  Here's your link.

Adventures in Chemistry
We ran out of bread here at the Cat Farm and Confusion Factory, so this morning's first priority was baking.  Sadly, it seems this batch ain't gonna rise.  Not enough moisture, I think; I added more than called for in order to get the ingredients to the "sticky ball" stage of the thing, but it might not have been enough.

We shall see.

Snow Party
In other news, the roofers have finished doing their thing.  The house now has an awesome metal roof, and, in celebration, Central Maine is throwing a snowstorm this afternoon through tomorrow morning.

Do we know how to party or what?

Work Going Forward
Steve and I have three projects underway at the moment.

One is, of course, Fifth of Five aka Monkey Business.

The second is a short story destined for Insurgency, an anthology coming from ZNB in 2018.

The third project is editing Degrees of Separation: Adventures in the Liaden Universe® Number 27, an all-new, all-original novella (unless it hits the lower eaves of novel by the time the edits are done).  Degrees, it says here, is a story about Paris, about love, and about bread.  Our intention is to have it available as a widely-distributed echapbook,  and as a paper chapbook (though Amazon only) in mid to late January.

Now that the roofers are gone. . .
I can hang up my framed Letter of Nobility, certifying that Baroness Sharon Lee is a noble citizen of the sovereign micro-nation of Ladonia.  I had achieved my noble citizenship a few months back, to honor the memory of the late Dave Romm, himself a Baron of Ladonia, but had been behind in acquiring a proper frame.  Steve did this for me (you see how things work around here) and now the Letter may be put on display.

I think that catches us all up.

Speaking of catching up, here's Scrabble, catching up on her comfy.

For those of you who are not regular readers at Tor.com, there is a very good article about the Liaden Universe® (we're classics!)  by the estimable Alan Brown. Read it, have fun with it, share it around in case some of your friends, like some of the folks in the comment thread, have not yet found our work.

Here's the link.

So, mail call. My new pen and convertor did not arrive in today's mail, which is something of a disappointment, as I could use something mindless to do. OTOH, it is scheduled to be delivered on Monday, which is a relief, because it will dodge the bullet of the Saturday Mailperson.

Am hopeful of receiving test results today, because I'm so done with being sick.  The coon cats continue to Keep Watch; this morning, I've had Sprite and Trooper in the office, in shifts.  Belle took the night shift, laying on my stomach and purring until I nodded off, then stretching herself along my side.

Sat with the novel yesterday and -- I want to say brainstormed, but I don't have anything like the level of energy needed for a storm.  Say brain-drizzled What Happens Next.  Rereading those notes this morning, I seem to have come up with more questions than answers, which is just about right.  Frustrating, mind you, but normal.

I see from my phone that Amazon has done what appears to be a major Look-and-Feel revamp of the Kindle app, with the apparent result that all my books are scrambled to heck and gone.  I suppose this is a Sign to get my tablet up, and download the upgrade while I can do damage control -- and there's my mindless thing to do, ta-da!

Steve did inspect the Last Possible House yesterday, and pronounces it Perfect for us! 20 years ago.  So the Hunt continues.

To sum up: Big plans for today include downloading the new Kindle app and sorting out my books; and looking up the answers to some the questions generated by yesterday's brain-drizzle (others we have to solve by writing).  I'm thinking I can work in a nap, too, if I put some effort into it.

Nor'easter still on for the weekend, say the weatherbeans, and Steve is planning an expedition to town for supplies.

Everybody stay mellow.

I seem to have mislain my (old and falling apart) copy of The Prince and the Pauper.  Fortunately, I downloaded a copy from Project Gutenberg some time back.

Let's see. . .yesterday was Friday -- errand day in town.  We had an early appointment with a loan officer, who thinks far more of our finances than we do; which is fine, as she herself said.  No need to spend up to the limit, after all.

After the bank, we went next door to AAA, and had the nice lady make our train reservations To Memphis And Back Again.  We have tickets and receipt in hand.  Note to self: remember to forward receipt to the con for reimbursement.

After that, we went to the vet to pick up some cat food, to Tractor Supply for ditto, and to Hannaford, to pick up prescriptions and foodly things.  Came home, and had crab cakes and fresh steamed green beans for supper.  Mmmmm.

We hired a buyer's agent, who has taken our modest list and will begin lining up showings, and I actually got some work done, too.

This morning, I read a short piece that will soon be posted for subscribers on our Patreon page (Belle participating by sitting on my lap, and purring.  Loudly.  Listeners will probably be able to hear her.  I hope they'll be able to hear me.)  When I finish this blog post, I'll do the dishes, and then! -- I'll sort laundry.

No, I don't know how I stand the pace, either.

Fifth of Five now at 37,000ish words out of a probable, oh, let's see. . .100,000?

Captain Waitley wasn't quite what Portmaster Liu had been expecting.

No, scratch that, in a lot of ways, Captain Waitley was exactly what Portmaster Liu had been expecting: short for a Terran, tall for a Liaden, lean for the height she did have; shoulders showing attitude under a Jump jacket older and bigger than she was. Whatever else she was – and recklessly negligent wasn't off the table, in Portmaster Liu's not-exactly-objective opinion – Theo Waitley was definitely a member of Boss Conrad's extended family, Clan Korval. Portmaster Liu had been spending a lot of time lately with the Boss and the Boss's little brother, the Road Boss; she knew the family look when she saw it.

Excellent day; sunny and crisp.

I seem to have caught a cold; or a cold has caught me, so, in celebration, I've ordered in a pair of Mr. Bean's Wicked Good Slippers and a flannel jacket-shirt lined with fleece, in orange plaid.  Because orange plaid was on sale, and brought the price down from Ruinous to Merely Outrageous.

What else?  I've meditated for two days in a row, been to the gym, and managed to get to bed at a reasonable hour.  I did sleep in this morning, but it wasn't my fault!  Three coon cats ganged up on me and held me under the covers.

I have been remiss in mentioning here that Pinbeam Books has committed The Tomorrow Log to paper.  Here's your link.  I note that it is also and has since 2011 been constantly available as an ebook from all the Usual Suspects, though Amazon seems unwilling to associate the two editions in its catalog.

I've been slowly slipping back into Fifth of Five, which does indeed seem to be aspiring to the working title Monkey Business.  We shall see.  In the meanwhile, I'm glad Neogenesis gave me all that practice in writing in chunks, 'cause that's how this one wants to be written, too.  Yes, yes, I said never again.  The author is always the last to know.

Today, in honor of the cold, and despite sleeping in, I have placed NAP on the to-do list, along with the other glamorous tasks that fall to a working writer, such as cleaning the cat fountain, straightening away at least some of this stuff, doing the dishes, oh, and actually working on the manuscript.

I'll try to get back to reporting progress, though a total word count isn't really going to be possible -- see writing in chunks, above.

Yesterday, then, I added 850 new words to the WIP and cleaned up some really rugged sentences.  The manuscript, in, I hesitate to say total, weighs in at something more-or-less close to 35,000 words.  This counts. . .cohesive chunks.

Everybody confused now?  Good.  Have a snippet:

The little Healer was not a monster, though he had wielded necessity like a surgeon's knife, terrifying in his virtue.

We've had something of a busy few days here at the Confusion Factory.

Last week, Steve graduated from cardio-gym and is now on the Third Phase, which is going to the cardio-gym early on Monday and Wednesdays and doing what he's been doing, with the same personnel on-staff, but without the various measurements at the beginning, middle, and end of the session.  This means a change of schedule, including rising Much Earlier in the Day than I, personally, care to do, but that's life.  I'll be going to gym around Steve's schedule -- Tuesdays and Thursdays in the early hours, with refinement of the afternoon and evening hours as we go forward.  Since I have for all of my life been an evening/night writer, this may entail afternoon naps, which ought to please the cats.

In writing news, the page proofs for the Alliance of Equals mass market edition landed late last week, and have been added to the mix of Tasks to Be Done.  Also!  The first in a series of Lee-and-Miller Read Lee-and-Miller podcasts has been moved from Patreon to Splinter Universe LIVE.  You can listen to Steve read "A Night at the Opera" at this link.

We'll be posting more of these to SULIVE, as they age off of our Patreon page, so remember to check back.

We are also, in light of the. . .substantial number of emails we've gotten from people who either want paper chapbooks, or the Excitement of the Annual Yule Chapbook, or want a return to Olden Times. . .

We cannot any of us return to Olden Times, so that's right out.

But we can, perhaps, accommodate the wish for paper chapbooks, and even, maybe, for the Annual Yule Chapbook.

So, we're running an experiment.  Amazon has a. . .program where those who have published ebooks with them may convert those ebooks into paper books.  This is an expensive process, as Amazon takes 40% off the top of cover price, and then charges printing costs from the author/publisher's 60% royalty.  It's also somewhat time-consuming, as is working with any template program that is based on Assumptions.  However!  With determination and enough wine, it can be done, as I proved this weekend by converting both Barnburner and Gunshy to paper books and putting them on sale.  The reason we chose these titles to experiment on first is that they convert into 5X8 paperbacks, which is an easy convert (part of the test was to see how "easy" easy was).  Based on my time and effort expended this weekend, we anticipate that converting to chapbook will be somewhat more time-consuming, though still doable.

We will, eventually, convert an actual Liaden chapbook, but that experiment has to wait in line behind work with a deadline attached.

For those interested, here's the link to Barnburner.  (Which Amazon has decided to discount, so it will be interesting to see how that affects our royalty rates from them.)

Here's the link to Gunshy.

The downside to this, besides the expense, is that these books would only be available through Amazon, which is whimsical at the best of times and downright malicious at the worst.

So, there's that.

For those who have been asking anxiously about progress on Fifth of Five. . .progress progresses, more slowly than I had anticipated, but picking steam up as the new meds kick in.

. . .and I think that catches us all up.

Everybody do your best to enjoy Monday, OK?

Let the coon cats lead the way.

31F/0C this morning and raining.  We shall leave early for the cardio gym.

Yesterday, chores were done, and a Beginning was Made, including teasing a name out of a somewhat reluctant character, naming hours, and considering motivations.  Five hundred sixteen words for the win.

Fifth of Five is on the move.

Today, as above, the cardio gym, and perhaps a minor errand, then back home to finish the Fine Laundry, and do a blankie run.  And write.

Everybody stay safe.