Eagles Over the Kennebec

What went before:  Yesterday was a sandwich:  Early good news, extremely frustrating events until Trooper's vet appointment, which was neutral (awaiting blood work), then finishing on a high note, when I received notice that Talizea was on the move and I was on for an interception in Portsmouth.

Onward!

Saturday. Snowed overnight; looks to be 2-ish inches on the front steps.

Breakfast was peanut butter and raspberry jelly on a whole wheat English Muffin. Lunch will be -- I think there's still some bean loaf left.

Those of you who've been around awhile know that writers are told to Write What You Know. So, when when Steve and I tell you about Korval's Luck, which every clan member rightly looks upon with wariness and trepidation, believe that we were are speaking from experience*.

Witness this morning, when I opened the cabinet under the bathroom sink to get zippered bag to hold things like my toothbrush and toothpaste into for my upcoming overnight -- and discovered that the pipe under the sink was leaking, and had apparently been doing so for some time. But! There was an open-mouthed plastic bag positioned by chance directly under the leak and it was full of water. It would have surely overflowed today, if I hadn't looked in.

So, now the contents of the undersink are strewn about the bathroom floor. There are some casualties, but nothing irrecoverable. The plumber of course is closed today. OTOH, I have a second bathroom, which I suppose I'll be sharing with Tali until we can get somebody on the case, after we get home.

This situation is so on-brand that I started to laugh when I found that plastic bag full of water.

So, today's to-do! Change out the cat fountain, do one's duty the cats, deal with the stuff that's strewn, convert the second bathroom to Talizea's Parlor, pack for a very peculiar overnight away, correspondence. I hope for time to write even 500 words, which looked possible before the under-sink surprise. Now -- we'll see.

I'm told that Tali is bringing All Her Stuff. I'm guessing that means her posters, too, which -- there's not very much room in the second bath to hang stuff. Maybe we can stick them to the mirrors.

Still reading Code Yellow in Gretna Green. Oh. Note to self: Make sure you have the next one on the Kindle before you leave.

That's it.

So, tell me -- what kind of luck do you have?

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*Chinese zodiac-wise, Steve was a metal tiger and I am a water dragon, both considered "lucky" signs.

As mentioned Elsewhere, Steve and I will be Writer Guests of Honor at MarsCon in Minneapolis next weekend.  I know some folks will be coming in from Far Places (Alaska!), and some will be attending their first con, or their first con in years.  Below, is a quick idea of what we'll be doing when at the con.   Because this is not the final schedule, not all of the panelists are sorted, yet, so I've just noted which of us will be on each.

REMEMBER: This is not the final schedule.  You will get a final schedule in your registration packet at the convention.

This is Very Important: Steve and I will be hosting a Stuffed Animal Tea (aka a Teddy Bear Tea) on Saturday at, err, tea time -- 5:00-5:50.  Do plan on escorting your stuffed animal to tea.

Also! We will be hosting the Friends of Liad breakfast at 9:00 Saturday morning in the hotel restaurant.  For those for whom this is a new thing:  The Friends of Liad Breakfast is, basically, just a bunch of the family getting together for breakfast, to share gossip and clan news and basically catch up with each other.  Each person must come prepared to pay for their own breakfast, just like Steve and I will be paying for our breakfasts.  Looking forward to seeing all you early risers there!

Friday

4:00-4:50pm, Krushenko's. Panel: Psi Powers. Sharon Lee, Steve Miller
7:00 p.m.-, Mainstage. Opening  Ceremonies.  Sharon and Steve, and a Cast of Thousands
8:00-8:50pm, Re(a)d Mars. Panel: Clans and Families in Space.  Sharon Lee

Saturday

11:00-11:50am, Re(a)d Mars. Massive Literary Autographing I. With: Sharon Lee, Steve Miller, Michael Merriam, Kathryn Sullivan
2:00-2:50pm, Krushenko's. Fiction Reading: Sharon Lee
3:00-3:50pm, Krushenko's. Fiction Reading: Steve Miller
5:00-5:50pm, Krushenko's. Teddy Bear Tea. Sharon Lee and Steve Miller, hosts
8:00-8:50 p.m, Re(a)d Mars. Panel: Relativistic Space Travel Fiction.  Steve Miller

Sunday

11:00-11:50am, Krushenko's. Panel: Sharon Lee's "Carousel Tides" Urban Fantasy Series. Sharon Lee
1:00-1:50 p.m, Krushenko's. Literary Guests of Honor Interview. Polly Jo Peterson and ____, interviewers; Sharon Lee, Steve Miller
2:00-2:50 p.m., Krushenko's. Talk: Living a Science Fictional Life. Steve Miller
4:00pm, Mainstage. Closing Ceremonies, Steve and Sharon, and, yes, a Cast of Thousands.

Also known as The Next Stage in the Liaden Universe® World Tour*

AsyouknowBob, the nice folks at Baen are sending us on a small book tour in support of Trade Secret.  The tour is of the Upperish East Coast, starting on October 31 (that's Halloween!) at Pandemonium Books, in Cambridge, MA, and finishing off on November 10 (hey! that's the end of PhilCon!)

We now have the Full and Complete Itinerary of the tour, and have reproduced it below, for your convenience.  Please do plan on coming out to see us, if we happen to land at a bookstore (or a convention!) near you.  We love to meet our readers; heck we'll even sign a book for you!

Thursday, October 31, 7-9 pm
Pandemonium Books and Games, 4 Pleasant Street, Cambridge MA

Friday, November 1, 7-9 pm
The Toadstool Bookstore, 586 Nashua Street (Lorden Plaza), Milford NH

Saturday, November 2, 2-4 pm
Barnes and Noble, 98 Middlesex Turnpike, Burlington MA

Sunday, November 3, 1-4 pm
Annie's Bookstop of Worcester, 65 James Street, Worcester MA

Monday, November 4, 7-9 pm
Barnes and Noble, 7 Holyoke Street, Holyoke MA

Tuesday, November 5, 7-9 pm
Flights of Fantasy, 381 Sand Creek Road, Albany NY

Wednesday, November 6, 7-9 pm
Book Trader of Hamilton, 2421 Nottingham Way, Mercerville NJ

Thursday, November 7 (be careful! there are two events today)

Noon-2 pm :
University of Pennsylvania Bookstore, 3601 Walnut at 36th Street, Philadelphia

7-9 pm:
Chester County Book Company, 967 Paoli Pike, West Chester PA

Friday, November 8 -- Sunday, November 10
PhilCon, Crowne Plaza Hotel, Cherry Hill, NJ  

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*Note:  No, it's not really a world tour; it's just a lame joke that's been amusing us since 1998.  It's perfectly fine if it doesn't amuse you, but please don't feel compelled to tell me about how you're not amused, OK?  It's our not-really-a-world-tour and we can, and will, call it anything we like.  Thank you for your understanding.

#SFWAPro

Quick catch-up post, here.

When last we saw our intrepid protagonists, they had just turned the sixteenth novel in the Liaden Universe®, their nineteenth collaborative novel, and her twenty-second (or her twelfth-and-a-half) to Madame the Editor at Baen.

This would have been 10 p.m.-ish on Friday, March 30.

Saturday morning we slept in, then headed south in a leisurely frame of mind.  We stopped in South Portland for a couple hours so Steve could research guitars at The Guitar Center, then continued on to beautiful Wallingford, Connecticut, where we checked into our reserved room, and went in search of dinner.

Now, a couple of neat things.  First, as we were leaving the hotel, we noticed in the parking lot an SUV with Maine tags MUSIKL.  This?  Is a truck that we often see in and around the big city of Waterville, and it was nice to know that we were in the company of a neighbor, sorta.

Next, we headed to town center, in search of dinner.  Our first choice, from the list provided by the hotel, had a line.  A Really. Long. Line.  We moved on, turning down in quick succession Sonic, Applegeeks, Chilis — and Steve said, “Here.  Neptune Diner. Baking done on premises.”

And I geeked out, because we were in Wallingford to pick up Socks, a Maine Coon Cat, from Blueblaze Cattery.  And the last time we picked up a Maine Coon Cat,  in Oneonta, New York, we met Elektra, from Blueblaze Cattery, at?

The Neptune Diner.

We asked the owner if his establishment was connected to the other one, he said no, but was amused by the story.  As I am, and Steve is, because?  We’re easily amused.

Dinner was, by the way, very good.  I can speak in for the mousaka, and Steve was very favorably impressed by the roast turkey with dressing and gravy.  Neither one of us had room for dessert.

This morning, we met Mike from Blueblaze at the hotel, took on Socks and headed north to the Cat Farm and Confusion Factory.

…and so we’re home, and about to have dinner, and a glass of wine.  Tomorrow, we have errands, and need to catch up on various things we let slide while the book was being finished.

We’ll post pictures of Socks as time permits.  In the meantime, I can assure his fans that he’s been doing a thorough exploration of the house, has located the cat boxes, been bopped on the head by Scrabble and cursed at by Mozart, so things are, yanno, proceeding with all due propriety.

I hope y’all had as pleasant a weekend as we did.