Eagles Over the Kennebec

As previously discussed in these pages, Thursday was a Day of Travel for the Cat Farm Thumbs.

Since we didn't know how long the Maine Literary Award Ceremony might go, we used Star Points to book a room at the Westin Portland Harborview Hotel (formerly the Eastland Hotel).  Since we had used Points to get the room, the hotel warned us that we would not have a room with a view.

Here's a picture of the no-view:

We arrived in mid-afternoon, checked in and went for a walk around the Old Port, visiting a purveyor of Asian artifacts (including old kimonos, antique marriage rooms, and mother-of-pearl inlaid cabinets), an art store (one of about ten zillion, since the Maine College of Art is in the neighborhood), where Steve had a hard time separating me  from all the Beautiful! handmade! paper!; a rock-and-tarot store; a pipe store; a deli; and a couple of antique stores.

When we were done exploring, we returned to the room to dress for the Event.

Here's a picture of Steve, dressed up and practicing Tai Chi:

After all that excitement, it was time to go to the Awards Ceremony, so we did.  Here's a picture of the pre-ceremony reception:

The ceremony was good-natured, and at times light-hearted.  I tried for a while to tweet out the winners as they were announced, but my Twitter skills are nowhere near that good, and I had to stop after only a half-dozen categories were announced.  The award recipients were uniformly pleased, and generous in their thanks.  Here's a list of the winners. For those keeping score at home, Necessity's Child did not receive the Speculative Fiction award.

The ceremony was over earlier than we had expected; we could have driven home, but we had the nice room with no view waiting for us, so we went back up the hill, fed the chupacabra, had a glass of wine, and went to bed.

Friday morning, since we were so close and all, we motored down Route One to Old Orchard Beach, breaking our journey in Scarborough, to enjoy breakfast at The Egg and I.  We had a half-hour walk on the beach, Elevensies at Pine Point, and so to home, where the cats were embarrassingly pleased to see us.

A word about Kineo, the new car.  It turns out that Kineo is equipped with a six-speed continuously variable transmission.  I had been. . .somewhat concerned that there was something dicey with the transmission, because I am used to driving three-speed automatics.  Old three-speed automatics, at that.  This trip let me get a feel for how Kineo approaches the challenges of the road.  Overall, I remain pleased.

And, now?  I have stories to edit, edits to input, and new words to write.

Hope you are having a fine weekend, wherever you are.

Am I a bad person because, when I realized that we were out of clean table knives, my first thought wasn't, "Gee, I'd better wash the dishes," but "My god! We need to buy more knives!"

As advertised elsewhere, I had plenty of help in my office today.  Not only did Socks edit my notes and make some very valuable suggestions, albeit for some other novel in progress in another part of the globe, he encouraged exercise! by jumping up onto the printer, where he could reach the red origami crane that (used to) hang from the neck of my desk lamp.

The crane was moved, amid hilarity.  Socks jumped down from the printer and re-occupied the yellow pad, well-pleased with himself.

A note of caution to those who may go looking on Amazon for the free electronic copy of Agent of Change.  The free copy is still free.  However, another copy with the same cover is also now available for the price of $5.10.  To the best of my knowledge, this is not (that's NOT) a legitimate copy of the novel (yes, the publisher has been informed) -- do not be fooled, and do not give whoever has perpetuated this...unsavory event any of your money; do not buy this book -- you don't know where it's been.

If you'd like to make sure you're getting a correct copy of Agent of Change, you may still download it directly from the Baen Free Library, in all ebook formats known to man or Turtle.  Here's the link.

Also?  Necessity's Child still isn't the sequel to Dragon Ship.  Thank you.

Progress on Carousel Seas

13,903/100,000 OR 13.9% complete

"The Gulf o'Maine, now," Borgan said, still talking as low as if we were hunting tigers. The Gulf o'Maine's one of the richest and peacefullest pieces of water in all this world. There's a lot of angry ocean out there. A lot of angry ocean."

Submitted last evening, "Eleutherios," a short story by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller commissioned for the Baen front page, January 2013 publication date.

While I was finishing the story up, the authors' proofs for Necessity's Child arrived, with a deadline for return of next Tuesday.

I'll be on the couch with a pot of coffee, two Maine Coon cats, three red pens, and a clutch of colored stick-it tabs.

Y'all be good.

1.  "Landed Alien," a short story about Kara ven'Arith is this month's Free Story on the Baen website (you need to scroll down).  It will be available there until September 15, and then be retired to the Free Library.

2.  Dragon Ship, the fourth book of Theo Waitley, is now available from Baen in the ebook format of your choice.

3.  Geek Girl Project continues their Books for Writers series with a review of Carpe Diem, by Lee and Miller.

4.  Necessity's Child is not (that is NOT​) the sequel to Dragon Ship.  Since it is already written, turned in, and scheduled for publication -- three conditions that the sequel(s) to Dragon Ship do not at this time meet -- it is Extremely Doubtful that we will "tell our publisher" to release the sequel next.  Sorry 'bout that.

4a.  Necessity's Child is actually a darn good book; I like it, and a handful of other folks who read SF, including James Burton, Jaine Fenn, Dave Freer, Todd McCaffrey, Steve Miller, Elizabeth Moon, and Toni Weisskopf like it, too.  I don't think you'll be disappointed. 

4b.  The proposals for the books following Dragon Ship are on Madame the Agent's desk.  We'll tell you if/when they've been accepted by Baen.  Until then, you now know as much about this as we do.  Feel better?

5.  AsyouknowBob, the Cat Farm and Confusion Factory experienced an Epic Flood a couple weeks ago.  We, by which I mean Steve and I, have been Coping With The Mess Left Behind (the cats providing encouragement, in between naps), which means that, yes, I'm behind on my email.  And just about everything else.  Thank you for your understanding.

A very pretty day today, and so clear I could see the mountains in the next state over when I drove along Quimby Ridge.

Tomorrow is physical therapy, and I guess, since I'll be in the neighborhood, I'll try to renew my driver's license, since the state was kind enough to send me a reminder.

In order to renew my driver's license, it says here, I have to bring two forms of ID.  My driver's license does not count as ID.  One of the forms of ID must be either a certified copy of my birth certificate, or a passport.  Well, OK; I have a passport.

The second form of ID must have my address on it.  Acceptable pieces of ID include:  a utility bill; the registration for my car; a lease; or a deed.  WTF? I'm renewing an existing license, which I have used numerous times as identification over the last six years.  I'm not trying to do anything subversive, like, oh, register to vote.  <fe>There I could understand the need for extreme caution.</fe>

Also in today's mail comes the joyous news from the Social Security Administration that I have accumulated enough "points" to retire at 62/66/70, and! to be eligible for Medicare, and! for my family to receive survivor benefits in case the increasingly insane political discussion does me in.  Huzzah.

I also learn from Social Security that they are figuring my annual income going forward based on 2011's earnings.

Falls over laughing

The other interesting thing -- I tell you what, these forms are fascinating -- is that Social Security started counting my wages in 1968, even though I started working in 1965.  I had to have a Worker's Permit, which held me to a certain number of hours during the school year, and I think kids were paid at a different rate.  Also, I guess, kids had no Social Security withheld from their pay.  All that future earning power -- thrown away.

What else?

Ah!  For those who had asked -- we hear from Madame the Editor that, yes, Necessity's Child will make an appearance as an eArc, but!  It hasn't been scheduled yet, so, yanno -- stay calm.

Everybody stay cool.

Progress on Carousel Sun
5,177/100,000 OR 5.18% complete

My grandmother lives on Heath Hill, among an old stand of mixed wood.

Necessity’s Child
A Liaden Universe® Adventure
Sharon Lee and Steve Miller
Approximately 110,00 words

Submitted: March 30, 2012

Cabana boy!  Bring me my wine!

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

. . .and the dust, and the leaves, and the trash cans, and the twigs, and the blue jays trying to come in for a landing at the bird feeder.  So far, the bird feeder’s hanging on.

Yeah, been a windy couple days here.

Also a cold couple days.  Currently 21F (feels-like-5F)/-6C (feels-like-minus-15C).  Nice to see winter finally arrived.

So, no, the draft didn’t get finished yesterday; I’ve got three more scenes, I figure, and then! The Red Pen.  Fortunately, though I didn’t actually happen to think so at the precise moment the phone call came in, I’ve gained some time on the week because the hospital yesterday rescheduled my appointment for the yearly mammogram, which had been on the books (for six months!) for Thursday.  (Have you made your appointment?  C’mon, let’s see a show of hands).

Yesterday, while I was banging my head against the keyboard peacefully typing away in my cloistered tower, Steve put up the next Klamath Splinter.  This one brings a change of character, place and POV.  It starts here.  Read, enjoy, tell your friends.

I’ve been teasing you for a couple months now with a Watch the Skies, and you deserve a little something for your patience, so here you go — Word from Madame the Agent is that. . .contracts are on the bus to her office in New York and will in the fullness of time arrive at the Confusion Factory.  That’s right — plural contracts, and granted some will arrive sooner than others.  What do you suppose those contracts might be for?  Go on — guess.

And, now?  Time for me to go back to work.

See you on the flip side.

Progress on Necessity’s Child (tbfkaG)
105,284/100,000 words OR 105% complete

“I fear that the woman has stolen my brother’s soul,” he said.

State of the health is improving, slowly.

State of the book is proceeding, slowly.

State of the weather is…summery. 81F/27C on March 22?  The daffodils are pushing their way to the surface already and that’s just…not natural.

In shopping news, Fanboy Glass tells us that they have received such positive response to their Tree-and-Dragon glassware that they’ve added Mugs and Wine Glasses to the ever-popular Pint Glass so go on over and take a look.  (Fanboy does not ship to Australia, or Switzerland, or Spain, or anyplace, really, outside of the US and Canada.  We apologize, but, having once tried shipping highly breakable objects ’round the world ourselves, I can see their point.)

The second splinter dealing with Miri Robertson and Klamath is now up at Splinter Universe, joining the first splinter.  Read one, read ‘em all.

The edit letter for Dragon Ship has landed, and Steve is on point.  This is not your cue to ask when the eArc will be published, thanks.

I can’t get into it now, what with needing to finish up Necessity’s Child and all, but I suppose it’s time to do a blog 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.  Somebody remind me if I haven’t gotten around to that by mid-April, ‘k?

The Exciting Projects happening in the background are taking the long way ’round the barn.  Watch the skies, but take a break now and then so you don’t get a crick in your neck.

Mozart is napping in my his rocking chair.  I have, I hope, done the research necessary to satisfy our accountant regarding last year’s income (we don’t get 1099s for all the money we earn; this is apparently occasionally confusing), so now!

I can get to work.

How’s the weather where you are?  Seasonal?  Or has it gotten ahead of itself?

Progress on Necessity’s Child (tbfkaG)
94,116/100,000 words OR 94%

The gentlest flick of the wrist brought the blade out, locked and ready for business; the barest pressure on a certain spot in the leather-wrapped handle put it safely away again.

In fact, Udari thought, eying the thing with unease, it was a just a bit too apt, this knife, so smooth and so sweet that a man might forget that he held a weapon.

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