Journeyman

NASFIC -- also known this year as RECONSTRUCTION  -- will be in Raleigh, NC in August. I'll be there.

http://www.reconstructionsf.org/

I mention this especially for those of you who may be in reasonable travel distance -- and have never been to an SF convention. This con bodes to be considerably smaller than your average Worldcon, and hence more accessible size-wise to first timers, while at the same time having a really good program participant list -- far larger and more diverse than an average regional convention --  http://www.reconstructionsf.org/?page_id=254 ...

and, we're going to do what we can about having a Friends of Liad breakfast, to boot. One of the reasons I mention this now is that the Marriott's room block for the con is closed, and the Sheraton is filling rapidly. Also -- convention pre-registration closes July 15, after which you'll need to do the buy-at-the-door thing, which is doable but not nearly as much fun as being preregistered.  You can take care of the business of joining the convention http://www.reconstructionsf.org/?page_id=6 if you want -- and if you just want to help out and can't make the convention, there's a supporting member option as well so you can help US fandom have it's American field day while the Worldcon is off visiting Australia.

While I'm at this let me mention that fellow Baen author Eric Flint is Guest of Honor, Brad Foster is Artists Guest of Honor, Juanita Coulson is Fan GoH ... and our editor and publisher at Baen, Toni Weisskopf, is the Toastmaster. You'll definitely be able to see some of today's best if you come on out to this! Party, listen and study, buy books and t-shirts, see and buy art -- this is a festival, and you get to take part.

I haven't mentioned this recently, but in this well-connected (or perhaps over connected!) world it bears repeating: I'm probably not ignoring you on purpose --or at all-- if I fail to reply to something you've posted online, or mailed to me. In part it's that I'm stretched thin, and in part it is that, given the number of places people can send me notes, letters, emails, and comments, I may simply not have had time to read what you wrote -- or time to understand that this wasn't simply a *comment* you had for me, but something you expected an answer to, right now or RSN.

The thing is, over time, I've met a lot of people online and offline, as a fan and as a writer and sometimes as reviewer . Alas, people tend to think that since we've met once, or corresponded once, I have as clear a memory of them as they do of me. I wish this could be  true -- and in many cases it is. But in lots of cases (say you asked me a question from the audience while I was on a panel at ArtKane or TorCon or one of the several hundred other conventions I've been to) it isn't true.  Yes, we've interacted, and possibly I'll recall your face, but forgive me, my mind is far from infinite.  Harder, just because you've read my words or story it doesn't mean you've met me -- you've experienced the voice of the story and not necessarily my own voice or ideas. Miri pulls the trigger easier than I do.

Also, there are some kinds of things I tend not to reply to, out of policy.  If you *tell me* what story or novel I must write next, or what detail I must fit in, forgive me, but I won't likely reply.  There's a chance that scene, idea, or what have you is already incorporated into what we're working on, just as there's a chance we've already rejected it. if you insist on telling me these things I *must do* multiple times -- or if you already have -- chances are I won't see your note. Yes, I have filtering software and I'm not afraid to use it!

Now, you can tell me you'd like to see a story about such-and-so, or including more of whoever.  That's cool, and we take that into consideration when time permits.  But to say you need us to produce a particular story at a particular time? No. Only editors and agents (and co-authors, of course!) get to do this.  Additionally, over the years I and we  --the Lee and Miller we -- have been constrained at time by contracts and by copyright. So, no, we cannot just zip off the second book in the Beneath Strange Skies series as much as Jerel may deserve it, just as we may have an editorial direction to let Jethri sit on his pile of old-tech awhile longer, or prior contracts that mean something else gets written first.

Please note: really, this is serious special stuff, pay attention here! If you write to to tell me you know, in detail, what the plot of our next book should be, I'll urge you to please hold that letter and take your keyboard in hand and write your own story, create your own universe, answer that need yourself -- and not in a hazy fanfic, but in the full-fledged realization of your inner plotmonster. Now, I've been living with my plotmonster since 1962 or so (that'd be about when I *finished* my first self-generated, non-school driven story on paper) and it must play. If you have a plotmonster, let it play in a fresh space, and not where some line in a story you've never read (I've had a few million words published  for pay since 1968 -- have you read them all?) means it can't be done without trashing something.

So, yep, I get busy with life, and with stories, and with having a dozen or more venues where my attention is demanded. If I don't reply today, it most likely isn't on purpose. The world is too much with us.

Forthcoming Sharon Lee and Steve Miller books, today's placements

Saltation: due April, 2010
Amazon.com Sales Rank: #17,625 in Book

Mouse and dragon: due June, 2010
Amazon.com Sales Rank: #17,598 in Books

Fledgling softcover due RSN, 2010
Amazon.com Sales Rank: #43,423 in Book

Dragon Variation Due June 15, 2010
Amazon.com Sales Rank: #42,971 in Books

Carousel Tides (by Sharon Lee) Due November 2010
no amazon listing yet ---

Ghost Ship due TBD
no amazon listing yet

For those just now asking me to come to your favorite Memorial Day convention this year, if that con isn't
Oasis, I won't be there. We have an invite as literary GoH at Oasis. And then a couple weeks later, we'll be at Duckon, also as literary GoH. Otherwise, I have no conventions scheduled after Duckon until NASFIC ... and after that, nothing "solid" besides our intent to hit Boskone if writing scheduled permit next year, and then Renovation. Note to con committees -- we need to plan pretty far out these days due to Sharon's schedule at the college if you'd like us both to be there. My schedule is somewhat more flexible, FWIW.

Section One --

Among the questions we are most frequently asked at conventions and in email is -- "Where is the best place for me to buy your book -- for you as an author?"

The answer is: yes. Buy my book.

Now, it is true that we do not get a cut of used book sales, so we'd prefer new sales to used -- but if you can't afford to buy a new book we'd rather you read our books than not.  Historically we've had a lot of support from genre shops -- you'll see us name quite a few over time, especially appended to our Liaden Universe(R) Infodumps -- so go to your local independent store or genre shop and ask for our books there. You can even tell them all about our books if they don't already know.  This week coming, if you're close enough to do it comfortably -- you can buy our books at Children's Book Cellar in Waterville, ME -- where we will be reading and signing on Friday afternoon into the evening.  But really, in general, the answer is yes. Convention dealers may cost you more than Barnes and Noble or Amazon.com .. but in theory we should be getting the same royalty for a sale, either way. it may take us longer to get the royalty for some places than others -- but please, that's not really your concern as a supportive reader. The other hand is that as writers we've also had far more success with amazon than a lot of folks, in part because when we'd been out of print for so long many of the "regular" bookstores forgot about us while Amazon.com had a clear record -- people were buying our books new and used when they could find them ... and when Plan B came out and ran to #42 on the Amazon list one Sunday a few years back, they took note -- in fact I think nearly half the first year's sales of Plan B were through Amazon.

For the moment -- you  can help by requesting Fledgling and by telling your friends about Fledgling -- this is effectively the start of the new story arc, and it would be good to get as many people onboard now as we can. Tell your library, tell your friends and local SF club, and do mention us to the folks standing beside you in the bookstore, yessir. Word of mouth can be the key. heck -- you can even mention Fledgling in your own blog, or on your facebook wall ... and if you are on facebook, look for the liaden interest groups!

Section Two --

I should point out that we do have some of our books for sale at srmpublisher.com -- but not Fledgling or Saltation. In a few weeks we may find we have some "extra" copies of Fledgling leftover form our pre-order mailings, but watch for that news here or in Sharon's blog...but if you want other Lee & Miller stuff, be sure to visit http://www.srmpublisher.com, where sometime this week Misfits should be in stock.  Our printer is struggling with equipment and the chapbooks did NOT arrive last week as we expected.

Section Three --

Sometimes you have to read *something* that doesn't come from Lee & Miller. No, srsly!

So I see that Jim Hines has a new fantasy just out --   The Mermaid's Madness
http://www.amazon.com/Mermaids-Madness-PRINCESS-NOVELS/dp/0756405831/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1254831251&sr=1-3

... and I'm not sure that you'll think of the Little Mermaid quite the same after you read it....


And so does the inimitable Laura Anne Gilman have a new fantasy --

http://www.amazon.com/Flesh-Fire-Book-One-Vineart/dp/1439101418/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1254832441&sr=1-5

I have a special taste for Laura Anne's Flesh and Fire ... which deals with the magic of wine. Yessir!

Section Four --

About coming travels: no, we must skip Albacon this year -- we've got a reading and signing in Waterville on Friday evening and getting to
and from Albany takes 6 hours, so we'd have about 12 hours at the con on the weekend, plus gas bills... sorry folks.

After that, we're still not sure if Sharon will make Boskone in February, though I expect to ... again, the matter is travel time. If Sharon can finagle an extra Friday off... maybe. If not, the next time we'll travel together to a con may well be Oasis, where we'll be Guests of Honor in May in Orlando, and then to Duckon, where we'll be in June in Naperville. I note that Scott Raun, long tiome Friend of Liad, is Fan Guest of Honor at Duckon, so we're hoping for a good turnout of the mid-country Friends of Liad ... For that matter, we'll see if the Deep South Friends of Liad who've been after us for years to come their way think Florida is *too south* for them ... please understand that Sharon uses up her vacation time from the college to travel to these cons so that her "vacation" next year will consist of two Guest of Honor gigs and a visit to Raleigh for NASFIC -- so having our long time readers and supporters show up in force to join us at breakfast and help us party at night is really useful in terms of our relaxing.

Section Five --

See above re travel. Since we have to work out Sharon's absence from the college, if you know a convention thinking about us for a GoH slot for 2011, now is not too soon to discuss it seriously.  We expect to get to Renovation, (Worldcon 2011 http://www.renovationsf.org/) so... think around that. Places we haven't been GoH include the pacific Northwest, Canada (yes, we did attend InConsequential, Anticipation, Torcon 3 and other nearby events), the lower Midwest ... and we haven't been GoH in California since the late 1980s. Yep, got to keep time in mind since we'll travel there by train for most places over a 10 or 15 hour drive, and to some closer.

Section Six ---
whoa, do something fun, right now -- this is far too long a post for a pretty morning like today!

So ... did very little on the web yesterday since we were doing official things and partying and etc ...

We lucked into a great group for lunch, starting with the premise that we (me and Sharon) were going to find something outside within walking distance and ending up eating in the hotel's "bistro" with a blend of traveling and local fans. A break then to change into more official duds and then, set for the day, Barbara Karpel helped me get the table in the dealer's room set up next to The Missing Volume... we saw the folks from Buzzy Multimedia so it started to feel a lot like home with all the familiar faces, a feeling that only increased when a subdued but smiling John Ringo showed up in the neighborhood.

Mt first panel became another instance of "Steve Miller, Panel" when Hank Davis turned out to have been double-scheduled and stuck with the Space Opera and Mike Pedersen's back prevented his afternoon presence while I carried small press forward. A stint in the dealers room was followed by Opening ceremonies which were nicely done with a theme of Whatever Happened to The World of Tomorrow...and then we went on a whirlwind tour of parties with stops at the con suite, the Barflies, 1984 part hosted by Capclave (where we both, oddly enough, rolled the dice individually, got different numbers and ended up as Delta's with our (oooh, shiny!) gold beads--, and then more walks and talks about the con. Alas, the dance was too loud for our old ears, so after a quick peek we returned to talking and smoffing in parties a little quieter, with the con suite's chicken and rice being a lifesaver when we realized we'd forgotten dinner amid the hubbub.

I note that it started raining shortly after the con committee met us at the train station at 1 AM Friday morning and it hasn't stopped since. Oh, and did I tell you that we share the hotel with most of the teams of a woman's college basketball tournament?