Eagles Over the Kennebec

Monday. Dim and cool. Temps said to be heading for 38F/3C.

Breakfast was a blueberry muffin and brie. Cup of tea to hand. Lunch will likely be some of the store-bought quiche.

We here at the Cat Farm and Confusion Factory are in a state of emergency -- Rolanni Code Red. There are no cookies in the house.

No, I don't know how this was allowed to happen, either. I suppose I'll just have to do what Steve did when there weren't any cookies in the house and! bake some.

Today I have phone calls to make and errands to run. Also, perhaps, some writing to get done. When last seen, Jen Sin had just arrived in his office and does not yet know that there's a delightful letter from Shan awaiting him, and I really don't want to keep him too long from his treat.

Yesterday's conversation with Eileen Stevens was delightful, as always. We have another chat scheduled for Tuesday evening.

For those coming in late -- Eileen is narrating Diviner's Bow, which will be coming from Audible. We don't have a date yet, but given the drop-deadline for the first cut, the best guess is close to the release of the hardcover.

Meanwhile, in another part of the jungle, Alex Picard will be narrating Ribbon Dance, which, it says here, is to be published by Tantor on August 12.

I do see Ribbon Dance in Audible's catalog of Liaden books (link scroll to the bottom, just under Diviner's Bow), so it looks like folks who buy their books from Audible will be able to download it from their Usual Supplier.

Note: The above constitutes the Entire Contents of My Head regarding upcoming audiobooks. If you have Questions beyond what I've told you, I can't answer them. No, really; I can't.

In so-called Real Life, Informed Delivery, FedEx and UPS all say that I'll be getting deliveries today -- no, wait! tomorrow! Er? Maybe? Sometime?

Of course, the thing I most care about -- my keyboard -- seems to have gone missing entirely, after apparently sampling the night life in Tacoma WA for a week. And I'm apparently taking delivery of another package from Petco, which -- I think Petco has lost count, somewhere. Not that I'm about to turn back cat litter; it's not going to go bad, after all.

So, the adventurous and slightly confused life of a writer.

How's your life this morning?

Today's title brought to you by Jude Cole, "Start the Car"

How many cats are in this picture?

Friends of Liad and fans of science fiction, listen up! Here's a chance for you to brighten your holiday season with a gift for yourself or a gift to give.

We – that's Sharon Lee and Steve Miller – have seven (7) copies of the Brilliance edition of Sharon Lee and Steve Miller's Liaden Universe^® novel Dragon in Exile narrated by Kevin T. Collins – that's an audio book on 2 disks, in MP3 format. If you'd like a chance to win one of these all you have to do do is … hold on. Getting ahead of ourselves.

So then, wait, first, the rules.

We're giving away seven of these audiobooks – one a day this week, starting Monday, December 5 and ending with the drawing on Sunday, December 11 . If you win one book, we'll ask you not to try for another.

So, we hear you ask, what does it take to win, anyway?

The rules are you need to do something to let us know you're interested in receiving on of these rare items.

Do something? Yeah, well, we're writers, we're not mind readers, Jim. No secret words, no essays, not even a picture of you reading another Liaden book.

All you have to do is! Drop us an email saying "I want to hear Dragon in Exile" at the email address below and if your email is selected out of that day's entries (we'll be using a random number generator, so each day will probably have a different chance to win).  We will write to the lucky winner at the email address from which they sent their entry, so make sure it's an address you check regularly.

No purchase necessary. We ask that no relatives of Lee & Miller, AND no employees of Baen, Brilliance, Audible, or Amazon take part. We'll accept entries 23 hours each day for 7 days – from midnight our time (that's US Eastern Standard Time) until 11 PM the following evening.  At midnight, it's lather, rinse, repeat.

We will let the lucky winner know, via email, and a post on korval.com, after we've had coffee the next morning.

Oh, we need you to send your note to:  liadenuniverse@gmail.com

Let the games begin!

So!  Audible lets us know in this morning's mail that it's conducting a Black Friday sale, which is starts right now and ends Wednesday, December 2, at 11:59 PM ET.  Many, many, many audiobooks in Every Genre On Earth will be on sale for $4.95 -- among them, lest we forget FLEDGLING by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller -- and?

You do not have to be an Audible customer to take advantage of this sale.

Check the list below to find out if you're a winner, and then come on back to the top for the methodology and instructions for collecting your code.

The Methodology:  The names of all contestants were written on slips of paper, which were folded and placed into a Duro 6 brown paper bag, manufactured on Jul 26 14, serial number EL 26 B.  The open top edge of the paper bag was folded over, twice, and vigorously shaken.  Trooper then rubbed his cheek over the bag's exterior, for luck.

Famous SciFi Author Steve Miller, dressed in a glittery red sequined dress, with matching red high heels then tantalizingly withdrew ten slips of paper from the bag, reading each name in a sultry, yet innocent, voice, much to the approval of Sprite, who was watching from her perch on the file cabinet.

I took those ten slips of paper and compiled the list below.

How to collect your prize: If you are, indeed, one of the lucky winners listed below, this is what you need to do to receive your coupon code.

1.  Write to me at sharonleeATkorvalDOTcom from an email address where you regularly receive mail.  Tell me which name on the list below is yours.

2.  Do #1 above BEFORE noon EDT on Friday, September 19 -- that's this Friday!

3.  If I still have coupon codes in hand at Noon-O-One on Friday, September 19, I will post another list here, of second-tier winners, with instructions for claiming the prizes.

That's it.

Go!

EDITED TO ADD:  One lucky winner had forgotten, in her enthusiasm, that she already owned a copy of Carousel Sun.  She has asked that her code be given to someone else.  Sprite was pressed into service and pulled one! more! slip of paper from the paper bag, and the name of the new winner has been added to the list below.

The Lucky Winners

1. Elizabeth Moon
2.  Dawnmoonflower
3.  Alain Roy
4.  Danielle E.
5.  Elaine Walker
6.  Kathy Ferrando
7.  Tina Black
8.  Bobbie Marcus
9.  Susan Kelly
10.  Joyslin

Steve would not let me take a picture of him in his sexy gown, here's a picture of Trooper, instead:

Trooper oversees the selection of winners

There's a new guest story up at Splinter Universe:  "Riverweave," by EC Ambrose.  Here's your link.  Remember that the PayPal link at the bottom of story will send your donation directly to the author, should you wish to demonstrate your appreciation of their work.

Because the medical tests scheduled for today were over and done with much earlier than anyone had a right to expect, Steve and I decided to give the new car (which still lacks a name) its head.  Whereupon, it ran all the way up to Greenville, which kind of hugs the lower end of Moosehead Lake.  We stopped her there, since the roads up around Rockwood are not what a city car might particularly like, ate lunch at Auntie M's, walked the cute little boardwalk at the water's edge, sadly determined that the wind was kicking up 'waaaaay too much dust to make further perambulating about town comfortable, stopped at the Indian Store on the way outta town, and came home via Bingham, which is looking very much the worse for wear.

We arrived home to find that today we lost both Morning Glory Zell, famous for once having worn a snake as a costume at a DisClave, and for having bred a "unicorn;" and Mary Stewart, author of many, many fine romantic suspense novels.  Their absences render the world much less interesting.

There are still two days to purchase Liaden Universe® novel, Fledgling, an Audible Hidden Gem, for a paltry $3.95.  Yes, from now until Saturday, May 17, at 11:59 pm Eastern Daylight Time, you -- Audible Member or Innocent Bystander -- can purchase the complete, unabridged audiobook, narrated by the incomparable Eileen Stevens, for a mere $3.95!

Here's your link.

Today's blog title comes to us from Cage the Elephant.  Here's your link.

* * *

Progress on One of Five
65,783/100,000 OR 66% complete

Young Mr. Smealy gave his word that he would never cause Boss Calhoon an instant's worry."

Miri sighed.

"Which promise it looks like he's forgot."

"He may consider that he did not promise to leave Boss Conrad similarly worry-free."

Edited to add:  I've been on the road most of the day, so am just picking this back up now.  I regret that I did not know this morning that the sale, below, is only for existing Audible customers.

But, wait! That's not all!  Thanks to diligent legwork done by a Friend of Liad while I was off driving up and down Maine, it appears that even if you are an existing Audible customer, the sale website may not be working properly.  Which is to say, you may find that the $4.95 book you placed in your shopping basket is showing up as a $24.95 item.  However, for you, there is a fix.

Contact an Audible Rep via the Chat button, or by calling, and explain the problem, which is known.  You should still be able to get the book at the sale price if you call in the problem before the end of the sale -- February 19.

Sorry for all the confusion and next time I'll try to make sure that the duck under the table Is Too in line before I make an announcement.

Agent of Change only $4.95 at Audible NOW: http://t.co/G0yit2OH09

Pass it on!

This is the Book of the Century (by which I mean the 20th Century); the book of which Goodreads reviewers variously said:

FIVE STARS
This is the best book I've ever read, and my go-to book if life is getting me down.

Lee and Miller have amazing storytelling skills, and the Liaden Universe is wonderfully detailed. Not only does the plot have depth, but the characters and settings do, too. I literally could not put this book down the first time I read it, and I've read it so many times I had to get an electronic version: my book is falling apart!

It's easy to get so involved with the characters that one is eager to follow them from book to book, and Lee and Miller do not disappoint. There are several novels in the Liaden Universe, and I recommend them all.

I read this book as part of "Partners in Necessity", and I think that's a great book to start with.

ONE STAR
This series had hundreds of rave reviews and 5-star ratings and is billed as a science fiction adventure story. It seemed to have such a cult following it had to be worth a try. In fact, it's just a romance and not a very sophisticated one. Even though I'm not a fan of romances, I've read enough decent ones to know this isn't one of them. I just found the whole thing rather silly. Good thing it was free.

If you want a romance, find a better one. And if you want a science fiction adventure there's nothing here for you.

. . .and hundreds of other things.

So, if you haven't tried the Liaden Universe® yet, and you need something new to listen to during that long commute, something  surprising and quirky -- here's your chance to get in on the ground floor at a Very Reasonable Price.

And remember!  Agent of Change and Fledgling are available as free ebooks in Kindle format at Amazon and in every ebook flavor known to man from the Baen Free Library!

Nearly 100 intrepid explorers of time and space have already told us how and when they first contacted the Liaden Universe®.  It makes for fascinating reading, so go over here and read!  And while you're there?  Why not add your own story, for a chance to read one of five! free! audiobook editions of the latest Liaden novel, Trade Secret, courtesy of Audible.

Entries are open until midnight Eastern Time, Friday, December 6, 2013 (that's this Friday!), so put on your raconteur hat and tell us a story!