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Oh, Patreon.

So, Apple is bullying Patreon into changing how it does things again, this time insisting that everyone, everywhere, and solely for its own convenience adopt what Patreon is calling "subscription billing." Creators must insure that they are on "subscription billing" by November 1 or Patreon will do it for them, and nobody wants that.

I am somewhat at fault, because I usually ignore Helpful Advice from Patreon, because I don't partake of any of the fancy things that others of my colleagues delight in using.

However, I figured I could at least check what sort of billing I favor by following the directions given, to wit: "You can confirm your billing model at the top of your BILLING AND PAYOUT SETTINGS" under the heading 'Billing Schedule.'"

You're ahead of me, I know. Yep. No Billing Schedule. No Billing and Payout Settings. I have Payouts, certainly, which tells me how much money has been collected, deducted, and forwarded.

I further read that all creator pages launched on, or after September 27, 2022, are automatically on "subscription billing," which is, yanno, good to know. However, our page went live sometime in 2015, so I guess I'm really going to have to talk to Patreon Support.

Argh.

* * *
In other news, it's Friday, and going to be warmer rather than cooler. I've picked up the house so Sarah has a clear field in which to perform her miracles. I've shared a cup of tea and sunlight with Firefly, gotten Perry Wink on the road, looked at my mail queue, and at Patreon, and I'm thinking I'll be having a scone for breakfast and another cup of tea before I write to Support.

There were deer in the Long Back Yard again this morning. They're getting quite bold. Right up to the deck they were. I went out to introduce myself, and they ran off. Honestly.

So! How's Friday looking from your window?

Thursday. Kinda glary and warmish, with an intermittent breeze.

No word from the lab, which I didn't really expect, so I wasn't disappointed.

Spent most of the day reading/editing the WIP. Still have about 60 pages to go, which I'll likely finish up tomorrow.

Did some laundry, performed my duty the cats. For lunch I made macaroni and cheese custard from an old, old recipe -- we used to eat this at least once a week. Still tastes good, and? I have leftovers. Breakfast was scones and the last orange. The scones still taste good -- and the orange, too.

Sarah comes by tomorrow morning to make everything clean again. Tomorrow afternoon, I'm expecting to be called to pick up Tali's ashes. I should also go to the grocery store. I had, until two minutes ago, thought I'd also stop by city hall to pay the excise tax on the car, which, actually, I can't do, because city hall is closed on Fridays. So! Next week -- possibly Monday, on my way home from the car's annual inspection, and everything will be tidied away for another year.

Rookie wishes me to know that it's time for Happy Hour. Rookie is regrettably in error.

Everybody have a good evening. I'll check in tomorrow.

#

I knew there was something else.

I will not (that's NOT) be taking part in The Game this year.

Coon cats first

Firefly:

Rook:

#
Wednesday. Cloudy and cool.

Hard to get out of bed this morning. Rook finally had to resort to sitting on my head and chewing my hair.

Read about a quarter of the WIP, breaking to make macaroni, some of which will become part of lunch; the rest of which will become part of lunches going forward. Also have to do some banking.

Came across a recipe for scallion-and-cheddar scones, which I do believe I'll be making this afternoon; they actually look like Real Food, in addition to being tasty.

The Lawn Guy has been by and done his thing, being as it's not Actually Raining at the moment.

The question How Are We/I Doing? has been asked. The answer "I've been better," may be seen as flippant, and "Working," may be seen as not being kind to myself.

A story. Steve and I many years ago attended the Universalist/Unitarian Church, where I was also a volunteer with the Evening Sandwich Program.

Now, Unitarians are kind of the Virgos of organized religions. There are many variations on the joke that starts out with a question like What Do The Religions Do When Their Church Catches on Fire, and it's inevitably the punchline that the Unitarians call the fire department.

At our particular church, there was a tradition when those in the congregation who had experienced a Good Thing in their lives during the previous week, were asked to stand up and share this with those gathered. One Sunday, Steve stood up and talked about some writing triumph that I no longer recall, and got A Look from the pulpit.

At coffee, after, the minister came up to him and said, "The Good Thing is supposed to be personal, you know. About your life. Not business."

To which Steve famously said, "But writing is my life."

All this to say that when I say I'm going to work, it doesn't mean that I'm being mean to myself or exceptional in my dedication to my job. I'm writing. It's what I do. Worry when I don't do what I do.

. . . and that's the bell for the pasta.

How's everybody getting by today?
#
There was a call for the scone recipe, which is rendered below:

Scallion Cheddar Scones
This is supposed to make 12 scones. I made 16, because I have a scone pan and it has 16 spaces.

From the King Arthur All-Purpose Baking Companion

2 cups (240g) unbleached all-purpose flour OR (224g) unbleached pastry flour (I used white whole wheat, because that's what I had)

1/2 tsp salt

1 Tbs sugar

1 Tbs baking powder

6 TBS unsalted butter, cold, cut into pieces

2 large eggs, beaten

1/3 cup (77g) cream or sour cream (I used sour cream)

1 TBS Dijon mustard

1 cup (112g) grated sharp cheddar cheese

3-5 (56g) scallions, chopped (I used shallots because no scallions)

Preheat oven to 375F. Sift together flour, salt, sugar, baking powder. Rub in butter with fingers.

Mix together eggs, mustard, cream. Add to dry ingredients. Stir in grated cheese and scallions. Mix until just combined.

Liberally flour the counter and your hands. Pat the dough into a 6x9 in rectangle about 1 inch thick. Cut the rectangle into 6 smaller rectangles, and cut each smaller rectangle into two triangles to form 12 triangular scones. Place on well-greased baking sheet.

OR 1: Squish even amounts of dough into each space in a dedicated scone pan

OR 2: Make 12 even amounts of dough into balls, put on well-greased baking sheet.

BAKE for 20 minutes, or until nicely browned.

Mine just came out of the oven:

. . .I have conducted a Quality Control Taste Analysis. These? are good.

Tuesday. Gloomy, rainy, and cool.

Dithered around this morning with an outtake from Kin Right, which I'm expecting will become a chapbook along the lines of The Wrong Lance, while I printed out the current WIP which I will be reading (yes, again) since it appears that the sudden shock knocked the damn' thing right out of my head.

I'm on my way to PT. I'll hit the grocery after, come home, put groceries away, then head out for needlework.

The cats are sticking with me, with Rookie taking the lead in Administration -- explaining to me when the cat bowls need refilling, demanding that I be to work on time, and guiding me back to Steve's office, in case I've forgotten where it is, and accompanying me downstairs to perform my duties there. He's also being sure to sleep with me, at least for a few hours, though not in Tali's spot under my arm -- he prefers to have a space next to my pillow.

Firefly has taken over lap duty. Historically, Firefly has been a Sit-With Cat, as opposed to a Lap Sitting Cat. Tali was *definitely* a Lap Sitting Cat, so it seems that duty has passed, at least for a while, until the human gets her act back together.

Someone had asked if "cat CPR" might've saved Tali's life, and the answer to that is multifaceted. One -- I don't know. Two -- I don't know how to do "cat CPR;" in fact didn't know it existed until the question came up, and? I would be terrified that I would have done more and more grievous damage, considering how much force has to be put into human CPR.

I do appreciate the people who have contributed to the cost of the lab work, and, yes, the cattery is helping.

Oh! A package arrived today via FedEx in an Unmarked Van, and the nice young man walked down the drive and handed it to me, since I had seen the truck and opened the door.

And now? I'd better get outta here.

Everybody stay safe.

The vet called with his report: A perfectly healthy cat, he said. Except for the being dead part -- he did not say. Heart perfectly fine. Can't look at the brain, because cats have hard heads, surprise me.

Tissue going to the lab. Another little cedar box will be ready for me to pick up on Friday.

Monday. Rainy and cool.

Just back from the vet. They will do a regular postmortem and call me when they have those results. If they aren't able to nail down what happened, then they will need to send tissue samples to a full-service lab, wherein we start to talk about $erious Money.

Firefly, and especially Rook, have been keeping very close -- Firefly sitting on my lap, and Rook following me from room to room. So far, he's brought me his lizard, his pink ball, and a piece of hardware he stole off the dining room table, which is -- cough -- off-limits to cats.

I should find something to eat.

This is going to be ... difficult.

Rookie did come to bed with me when I finally decided that I had to at least lie down, despite the fact that Tali most consistently slept with me.

Unfortunately, he got up in a couple hours and stamped around the house, calling, and going downstairs to bang on the two closed doors, which ... was actually pretty smart. I got up, picked him up, opened the doors, and showed him that Tali wasn't locked in anywhere.

He was present when Tali died, and I made a point of allowing him and Firefly to pay their respects before I put her in the fridge. I think Firefly Gets It, but Rook hasn't seemed to put the poor dead kitty and Tali in the same sentence yet.

She was only here for 19 months, but she leaves a big hole.

I? have a raging headache, no surprise, and can't see too well. Probably the smart thing to do, after I've managed to talk to a human at the emergency vet, is sit down, close my eyes and listen to music, or a book, or ... something.

While I do realize that Tali -- and I -- were "lucky" that this happened so quickly, and apparently painlessly, just like Steve -- and I -- were "lucky" for the same reasons -- it's ... a lot.

A lot.

I may be off-line for a few days.

Thanks to everyone for your care. The cats and I appreciate it.

Tali died about an hour ago.

She was chasing the red dot with Rook, an evening routine, when she staggered, fell over, coughed a couple times and --

She's gone.

So, yesterday went a little pear-shaped. I had planned on an all-writing day, but Real Life intervened, which meant I got a couple hours of writing done, plus my duty to the cats, plus some little bit of embroidery while listening to Chanur's Venture. I did chat a bit on Facebook, mostly about cats. To wit:

Answering the question that went past and now I can't find it again: Is Tali the biggest Maine coon currently in house?

The contestants are:
Firefly, calico -- 6 years, 11 lbs
Tali, orange tabby -- 4 years, 13 lbs
Rook, black-- 2 years, 13 lbs

Ladies and gentlebeings, we have a tie!

Biographical notations:
Firefly is petite, for a Maine Coon. She's also an adult, by Maine Coon reckoning, and the most retiring of the present lot of supervisors. She's affectionate, but easily overwhelmed, and can frequently be seen thinking. It is well to recall that Firefly has taken . . . many losses: Belle, Steve, Sprite, and Trooper.

Tali is the most compact of the three; when she lands on your lap, you know you've been landed on. She is the supervisor who demands the most lap-time. Very bossy, our Tali.

Rook is a growing boy; easily distracted, very affectionate, and scary smart. He and Tali have formed a partnership -- he keeps time and she registers the complaint.

More about Maine Coon growth stages here.

The above led to the question of which was the largest Maine coon we had owned, to which I answered: You know? I'm not sure. Hex(apuma) was pretty big, but lanky. I thought Mozart--our first Maine Coon--was Ginormous when I first saw him. I think he might've clocked in at 14 or 15 pounds. Trooper was 17 pounds FORever, and in her heyday Belle had a pound on two on him. Sprite was right around 15 pounds. To put all of this into perspective, a Bichon Frise (aka "the little white dog everybody has"--I finally asked someone what breed her dog was) will weigh between 12 and 15 pounds.

This answer led to the evergreen But I thought Maine Coon cats were HUGE! To which I answered: Breed standard for Maine Coons is females 12-15 pounds, males 18-22. So, yeah, I guess I've had small Maine Coons. Given that domestic cats average from 8-12 pounds, that's big enough.

Maine Coon breed standards here.
#
All of which leads us handily into today, which I believe to be Friday--sunny and going to be warm-but-not-hot. Tomorrow, we're looking for the rainy rags of the nor'easter that's been plaguing downcoast to arrive.

I had flat egg and Swiss cheese on homemade bread for breakfast, I am updating my blogs while I drink my third cup of tea, and will shortly be moving back to Steve's office to accomplish some work on the WIP. For lunch, I have my choice of warming up a pre-cooked pork chop with ... I think there's carrots left over, or warming up leftover chicken pot pie.

Not a particularly ambitious day, but mine own.

And hoping yours is enjoyable.

59 Pride of Chanur, C.J. Cherryh, narrated by Dina Pearlman
58 The Glass-Cursed, (Whispers & Wayfarers #1) P.H. Blackwood (e)
57 The Paladin, C.J. Cherryh, narrated by Stephen Bowlby
56 An Heir of Possibilities (Bad Heir Days #6), Grace Burrowes (e)
55 Bone and Blood, (Border Kingdom #2) C.E. Murphy (e)
54 Liberty's Prison, Randall Liberty, Christine Graf (e)(bkclb)
53 Daggerbound, (Swordheart #2), T. Kingfisher (e)
52 A Gentleman of Modest Ambitions (Lord Julian #12), Grace Burrowes (e)
51 Swordheart, T. Kingfisher (re-read) (e)
50 Carousel Seas (Archers Beach #3), Sharon Lee, narrated by Elizabeth Rogers
49 Carousel Sun (Archers Beach #2), Sharon Lee, narrated by Elizabeth Rogers
48 Carousel Tides (Archers Beach #1), Sharon Lee, narrated by Elizabeth Rogers
47 Diviner's Bow (The Redlands #3), Sharon Lee and Steve Miller, narrated by Eileen Stevens
46 Ribbon Dance (The Redlands #2), Sharon Lee and Steve Miller, narrated by Alex Picard
45 Kin Right (Korval in Exile #7 AND Tinsori Light #3), Sharon Lee and Steve Miller (unedited manuscript)
44 Salvage Right (Korval in Exile #6 AND Tinsori Light #2), Sharon Lee & Steve Miller, narrated by Eileen Stevens
43 Trader's Leap (Korval in Exile #5 AND The Redlands #1), Sharon Lee & Steve Miller, narrated by Eileen Stevens
42 Accepting the Lance (Theo Waitley #7 AND Korval in Exile #4), Sharon Lee & Steve Miller, narrated by Eileen Stevens
41 Neogenesis (Theo Waitley #6 AND Korval in Exile #3), Sharon Lee & Steve Miller, narrated by Eileen Stevens
40 The Gathering Edge (Theo Waitley #5), Sharon Lee & Steve Miller, narrated by Eileen Stevens
39 Alliance of Equals (Korval in Exile #2), Sharon Lee & Steve Miller
38 Dragon in Exile, (Liaden Universe® beginning the Korval In Exile arc), Sharon Lee & Steve Miller
37 Sourdough, Robin Sloan (e) (bookclub)
36 Necessity's Child (standalone in the Liaden Universe®), Sharon Lee & Steve Miller, narrated by Eileen Stevens.
35 Dragon Ship (Theo Waitley #4), Sharon Lee & Steve Miller, narrated by Eileen Stevens
34 Ghost Ship (Theo Waitley #3), Sharon Lee & Steve Miller, narrated by Eileen Stevens
33 Saltation (Theo Waitley #2), Sharon Lee & Steve Miller, narrated by Eileen Stevens
32 Fledgling (Theo Waitley #1), Sharon Lee & Steve Miller, narrated by Eileen Stevens
31 The Talisman Ring, Georgette Heyer, narrated by Joe Jameson
30 A Gentleman Far from Home (Lord Julian 11) Grace Burrowes (e)
29 Black Sheep, Georgette Heyer, narrated by Natalie Simpson
28 Cotillion, Georgette Heyer, narrated by Raj Ghatak
27 Platform Decay, (Murderbot) Martha Wells (e)
26 A Gentleman in Moscow, Amor Towles (e) (bookclub)
25 Fair Trade (Jethri Gobelyn #3), Sharon Lee & Steve Miller, narrated by Eileen Stevens
24 Ribbon Dance (Liaden Universe #26), Sharon Lee & Steve Miller, narrated by Alex Picard
23 Trade Secret (Liaden Universe #17), Sharon Lee & Steve Miller (e)
22 Sea Wrack and Changewind, Sharon Lee, narrated by Alex Picard
21 When the Wolves are Silent (Sebastian St. Cyr #21), C.S. Harris (e)
20 An Heir of Distinction (Bad Heir Days #5), Grace Burrowes (e)
19 Longeye (Fey Duology #2), Sharon Lee & Steve Miller***
18 Duainfey (Fey Duology #1), Sharon Lee & Steve Miller***
17 *Crystal Dragon (Liaden Universe® #10), Sharon Lee & Steve Miller
16 *Crystal Soldier (Liaden Universe® #9), Sharon Lee & Steve Miller
15 Seeking Persephone (Lancaster Family #1), Sarah M. Eden (e)
14 Theo of Golden, Allen Levi (e) book club
13 *Balance of Trade (Liaden Universe® #8), Sharon Lee & Steve Miller
12 *Mouse and Dragon (Liaden Universe® #7), Sharon Lee & Steve Miller
11 *Scout's Progress (Liaden Universe® #6), Sharon Lee & Steve Miller**
10 *Local Custom, (Liaden Universe® #5), Sharon Lee & Steve Miller**
9 *I Dare (Liaden Universe® #7), Sharon Lee & Steve Miller**
8 Cuckoo's Egg, C J Cherryh, (audio first time)
7 *Plan B, (Liaden Universe® #4), Sharon Lee & Steve Miller
6 Getting Rid of Bradley, Jennifer Crusie (audio first time)
5 *Carpe Diem (Liaden Universe® #3), Sharon Lee & Steve Miller
4 *Conflict of Honors (Liaden Universe® #2), Sharon Lee & Steve Miller
3 *Agent of Change (Liaden Universe® #1), Sharon Lee & Steve Miller
2 A Gentleman in Possession of Secrets (Lord Julian #10), Grace Burrowes (e)
1 Spilling the Tea in Gretna Green, Linzi Day (e)

________
*I'm doing a straight-through series read in publication order

**I screwed up and moved right on to I Dare from Plan B, therefore deviating from publication order. I will now amend myself and go back to pick up Local Custom.

***I'll be re-issuing Duainfey and Longeye as an e-omnibus later this year, and so I need to read them!

The coon cats were keeping a Very Close Eye this morning. Photographic proof here

Wednesday. Sunny, clear, and cool.

The misdelivered box came home this morning. The heat pump situation has been rectified and a tutorial received. I've read 150 pages/24,000ish words of an incomplete Jethri novel which I think was being set up to explain why Jethri's genes were all over Spadoni Station in "Revolutionists," with a side of Shakespeare. Written in 2020.

The bit I remembered is part of the Spadoni Station/Shakespeare fragment (if you can call a quarter-book a "fragment"), and while it could be hammered into what I'm working on, I think it will better serve as what's nowadays called a "short novel" (Remember when ALL novels were 50,000 words? Yeah, yeah, and cost 25 cents.). It won't be canon, but we've done this before. So! This bit gets put aside for later finishing and publication through Pinbeam Books.

I still have 37,000ish words to read of yet another "failed" piece -- this one recognizably coming off of Fair Trade, written in September 2022. Fair Trade was published in May 2022.

Just for fun, I also have 3700ish words of a short story, that I wrote in November 2001, passed to Steve, and it got set aside in the Press of Other Business. What in Ghu's name were we even doing in November 2001? We were still with Meisha Merlin, and Balance of Trade wasn't published until 2004. Why was Jethri even -- oh, wait. "Balance of Trade," the novella, would have already been published in Absolute Magnitude. That's why Jethri was even, and makes more sense of the story, too. We were thinking ahead, as we tended to do. Anyhow, I've only glanced at it, not really read it. Might be able to be finished without too much trauma, if I get enough flex in the rest of life.

Pay copy comes first.

The rest of today is, alas, chores.

I finished reading The Glass-Cursed last night -- it's a cozy, I guess, because the decision was made to let the Group Handle It, rather than allow one of their number to take the whole cost of the thing onto herself, despite her part in having created the problem in the first place. "Many hands make the work light," and also "Grace to those who fought." I did finish it, but it was starting to wear on me after a bit, which I means that, for me, it could've been shorter. Also, there are serious timing problems at the end when the characters don't seem to know if something took two days or seven months, and the Really Important Question of How a certain thing got produced, given that there's no X, and also Y is completely ignored.

I started the book club book at lunch, The Burgess Boys, by Elizabeth Strout, partially set in Shirley Falls, Maine, which is big enough to have a hotel, so it can't actually be set in Skowhegan, which was where my mind went.

And that? Is all my news.

What's yours?

58 The Glass-Cursed, (Whispers & Wayfarers #1) P.H. Blackwood (e)
57 The Paladin, C.J. Cherryh, narrated by Stephen Bowlby
56 An Heir of Possibilities (Bad Heir Days #6), Grace Burrowes (e)
55 Bone and Blood, (Border Kingdom #2) C.E. Murphy (e)
54 Liberty's Prison, Randall Liberty, Christine Graf (e)(bkclb)
53 Daggerbound, (Swordheart #2), T. Kingfisher (e)
52 A Gentleman of Modest Ambitions (Lord Julian #12), Grace Burrowes (e)
51 Swordheart, T. Kingfisher (re-read) (e)
50 Carousel Seas (Archers Beach #3), Sharon Lee, narrated by Elizabeth Rogers
49 Carousel Sun (Archers Beach #2), Sharon Lee, narrated by Elizabeth Rogers
48 Carousel Tides (Archers Beach #1), Sharon Lee, narrated by Elizabeth Rogers
47 Diviner's Bow (The Redlands #3), Sharon Lee and Steve Miller, narrated by Eileen Stevens
46 Ribbon Dance (The Redlands #2), Sharon Lee and Steve Miller, narrated by Alex Picard
45 Kin Right (Korval in Exile #7 AND Tinsori Light #3), Sharon Lee and Steve Miller (unedited manuscript)
44 Salvage Right (Korval in Exile #6 AND Tinsori Light #2), Sharon Lee & Steve Miller, narrated by Eileen Stevens
43 Trader's Leap (Korval in Exile #5 AND The Redlands #1), Sharon Lee & Steve Miller, narrated by Eileen Stevens
42 Accepting the Lance (Theo Waitley #7 AND Korval in Exile #4), Sharon Lee & Steve Miller, narrated by Eileen Stevens
41 Neogenesis (Theo Waitley #6 AND Korval in Exile #3), Sharon Lee & Steve Miller, narrated by Eileen Stevens
40 The Gathering Edge (Theo Waitley #5), Sharon Lee & Steve Miller, narrated by Eileen Stevens
39 Alliance of Equals (Korval in Exile #2), Sharon Lee & Steve Miller
38 Dragon in Exile, (Liaden Universe® beginning the Korval In Exile arc), Sharon Lee & Steve Miller
37 Sourdough, Robin Sloan (e) (bookclub)
36 Necessity's Child (standalone in the Liaden Universe®), Sharon Lee & Steve Miller, narrated by Eileen Stevens.
35 Dragon Ship (Theo Waitley #4), Sharon Lee & Steve Miller, narrated by Eileen Stevens
34 Ghost Ship (Theo Waitley #3), Sharon Lee & Steve Miller, narrated by Eileen Stevens
33 Saltation (Theo Waitley #2), Sharon Lee & Steve Miller, narrated by Eileen Stevens
32 Fledgling (Theo Waitley #1), Sharon Lee & Steve Miller, narrated by Eileen Stevens
31 The Talisman Ring, Georgette Heyer, narrated by Joe Jameson
30 A Gentleman Far from Home (Lord Julian 11) Grace Burrowes (e)
29 Black Sheep, Georgette Heyer, narrated by Natalie Simpson
28 Cotillion, Georgette Heyer, narrated by Raj Ghatak
27 Platform Decay, (Murderbot) Martha Wells (e)
26 A Gentleman in Moscow, Amor Towles (e) (bookclub)
25 Fair Trade (Jethri Gobelyn #3), Sharon Lee & Steve Miller, narrated by Eileen Stevens
24 Ribbon Dance (Liaden Universe #26), Sharon Lee & Steve Miller, narrated by Alex Picard
23 Trade Secret (Liaden Universe #17), Sharon Lee & Steve Miller (e)
22 Sea Wrack and Changewind, Sharon Lee, narrated by Alex Picard
21 When the Wolves are Silent (Sebastian St. Cyr #21), C.S. Harris (e)
20 An Heir of Distinction (Bad Heir Days #5), Grace Burrowes (e)
19 Longeye (Fey Duology #2), Sharon Lee & Steve Miller***
18 Duainfey (Fey Duology #1), Sharon Lee & Steve Miller***
17 *Crystal Dragon (Liaden Universe® #10), Sharon Lee & Steve Miller
16 *Crystal Soldier (Liaden Universe® #9), Sharon Lee & Steve Miller
15 Seeking Persephone (Lancaster Family #1), Sarah M. Eden (e)
14 Theo of Golden, Allen Levi (e) book club
13 *Balance of Trade (Liaden Universe® #8), Sharon Lee & Steve Miller
12 *Mouse and Dragon (Liaden Universe® #7), Sharon Lee & Steve Miller
11 *Scout's Progress (Liaden Universe® #6), Sharon Lee & Steve Miller**
10 *Local Custom, (Liaden Universe® #5), Sharon Lee & Steve Miller**
9 *I Dare (Liaden Universe® #7), Sharon Lee & Steve Miller**
8 Cuckoo's Egg, C J Cherryh, (audio first time)
7 *Plan B, (Liaden Universe® #4), Sharon Lee & Steve Miller
6 Getting Rid of Bradley, Jennifer Crusie (audio first time)
5 *Carpe Diem (Liaden Universe® #3), Sharon Lee & Steve Miller
4 *Conflict of Honors (Liaden Universe® #2), Sharon Lee & Steve Miller
3 *Agent of Change (Liaden Universe® #1), Sharon Lee & Steve Miller
2 A Gentleman in Possession of Secrets (Lord Julian #10), Grace Burrowes (e)
1 Spilling the Tea in Gretna Green, Linzi Day (e)

________
*I'm doing a straight-through series read in publication order

**I screwed up and moved right on to I Dare from Plan B, therefore deviating from publication order. I will now amend myself and go back to pick up Local Custom.

***I'll be re-issuing Duainfey and Longeye as an e-omnibus later this year, and so I need to read them!

Tuesday. Sunny and cool.

Today's writing was chasing down partials and half-remembered notes from Steve's side of his computer. I had a couple of bad minutes when I thought I was going to have to drag out his old Windows machine and do a forced march through that hard-drive, but just when the night seemed darkest, I found the piece I was looking for.

Which, as it happens, is not, as Steve had insisted at the time, wrong; it was just in the wrong place. This happens a lot, especially in the writing of novels. Which is why you might take That Piece There out of the active file, but you never throw it away.

Having found the files, I have some reading to do, but that's for tomorrow. For today, I've spent every available spoon going through Steve's indexes, which was a reminder--yet again--that, no, we didn't think alike--and that's why we worked.

Ah--there will be some, I suppose, who will wonder why I'm ferreting out these bits and pieces--surely, it would be easier to "just" write on in a forwarder direction? And, yanno? Maybe it would be. But this was Steve's book, and God She knows he broke not a few brain cells on the thing, and it's my intention to tell the story he intended--he wanted--to tell. Insofar as I can, being as we didn't think alike, but I'm the one left standing.

In so-called Real Life, the heat pump in my bedroom seems to be On Da Fritz, so I'll be calling the heat pump company in a few to see what they can do for me.

This evening is needlework, which I really want to go to. I skipped last week because my back wasn't up for the chairs.

And that would be the contents of my brain on this fine morning.

What's filling up your brain today?

Monday. Cool and cloudy. Mixed night and slow morning. The cats piled in and did what they could, last night, and finally set their purrboxes on auto so at least they could get some sleep.

I perhaps forgot to mention that one of Hannah Pingree's workers stopped by yesterday afternoon -- Hannah Pingree being the Democrat running for Maine governor. Said worker asked what my outlook was, and kind of sighed and nodded when I said "pessimistic." We talked very briefly about was I going to vote, and did I want any literature, or perhaps a lawn sign. I mentioned that my house is made of windows, and she nodded, and went on her way.

In-house news includes the fact that the light bulb went out in the refrigerator, and the one-size-fits-all-GE-fridges manual is not being very helpful. I think I've found the latch for the light cover, but I haven't quite worked out how to get it off--it's either lack of hand strength or lack of the correct latch, and it would be nice to know which. In the meantime, Steve did lay in quite a number of flashlights, so it's not like I can't function. On the freezer side, the light still comes on, but the ice maker has truly died the death, so I've been making ice by hand and using the handy bin to stockpile it. The cold-making equipment is still doing its thing, so that's good.

Book club in a couple hours and! I need to make some phone calls, so I'd best do that.

How's the week starting out at your place?

So, that was a little more harrowing than I thought it would be. I've deleted thousands of emails--which would feel like more of an accomplishment if there weren't thousands more to sift through. I finally managed to stop automatic payments on the last two of Steve's accounts that had automatic payments, and got caught up with various bits of bookkeeping that I had let slide because -- I don't know? Because everything's pointless? Something like that. Though bookkeeping, of course, is never pointless.

I finished listening to The Paladin and have Pride of Chanur lined up in the audiobook library. Still reading The Glass Cursed, and starting to get a little grumpy with it, but the voice is still interesting enough to keep me reading.

The "spaghetti" was good for lunch. Rook is insisting that it IS TOO Coon Cat Happy Hour RIGHT NOW. Alas that Rook is incorrect.

Tomorrow is book club. I guess I should stop at the grocery while I'm out, since the milk went over today, and I seem to be out of fruit, not to mention running low on wine. Also, I need to check the state of the ice cream supply. Won't do to run out of the essentials.

So! Everybody have a good evening. Stay safe. I'll check in tomorrow.

57 The Paladin, C.J. Cherryh, narrated by Stephen Bowlby
56 An Heir of Possibilities (Bad Heir Days #6), Grace Burrowes (e)
55 Bone and Blood, (Border Kingdom #2) C.E. Murphy (e)
54 Liberty's Prison, Randall Liberty, Christine Graf (e)(bkclb)
53 Daggerbound, (Swordheart #2), T. Kingfisher (e)
52 A Gentleman of Modest Ambitions (Lord Julian #12), Grace Burrowes (e)
51 Swordheart, T. Kingfisher (re-read) (e)
50 Carousel Seas (Archers Beach #3), Sharon Lee, narrated by Elizabeth Rogers
49 Carousel Sun (Archers Beach #2), Sharon Lee, narrated by Elizabeth Rogers
48 Carousel Tides (Archers Beach #1), Sharon Lee, narrated by Elizabeth Rogers
47 Diviner's Bow (The Redlands #3), Sharon Lee and Steve Miller, narrated by Eileen Stevens
46 Ribbon Dance (The Redlands #2), Sharon Lee and Steve Miller, narrated by Alex Picard
45 Kin Right (Korval in Exile #7 AND Tinsori Light #3), Sharon Lee and Steve Miller (unedited manuscript)
44 Salvage Right (Korval in Exile #6 AND Tinsori Light #2), Sharon Lee & Steve Miller, narrated by Eileen Stevens
43 Trader's Leap (Korval in Exile #5 AND The Redlands #1), Sharon Lee & Steve Miller, narrated by Eileen Stevens
42 Accepting the Lance (Theo Waitley #7 AND Korval in Exile #4), Sharon Lee & Steve Miller, narrated by Eileen Stevens
41 Neogenesis (Theo Waitley #6 AND Korval in Exile #3), Sharon Lee & Steve Miller, narrated by Eileen Stevens
40 The Gathering Edge (Theo Waitley #5), Sharon Lee & Steve Miller, narrated by Eileen Stevens
39 Alliance of Equals (Korval in Exile #2), Sharon Lee & Steve Miller
38 Dragon in Exile, (Liaden Universe® beginning the Korval In Exile arc), Sharon Lee & Steve Miller
37 Sourdough, Robin Sloan (e) (bookclub)
36 Necessity's Child (standalone in the Liaden Universe®), Sharon Lee & Steve Miller, narrated by Eileen Stevens.
35 Dragon Ship (Theo Waitley #4), Sharon Lee & Steve Miller, narrated by Eileen Stevens
34 Ghost Ship (Theo Waitley #3), Sharon Lee & Steve Miller, narrated by Eileen Stevens
33 Saltation (Theo Waitley #2), Sharon Lee & Steve Miller, narrated by Eileen Stevens
32 Fledgling (Theo Waitley #1), Sharon Lee & Steve Miller, narrated by Eileen Stevens
31 The Talisman Ring, Georgette Heyer, narrated by Joe Jameson
30 A Gentleman Far from Home (Lord Julian 11) Grace Burrowes (e)
29 Black Sheep, Georgette Heyer, narrated by Natalie Simpson
28 Cotillion, Georgette Heyer, narrated by Raj Ghatak
27 Platform Decay, (Murderbot) Martha Wells (e)
26 A Gentleman in Moscow, Amor Towles (e) (bookclub)
25 Fair Trade (Jethri Gobelyn #3), Sharon Lee & Steve Miller, narrated by Eileen Stevens
24 Ribbon Dance (Liaden Universe #26), Sharon Lee & Steve Miller, narrated by Alex Picard
23 Trade Secret (Liaden Universe #17), Sharon Lee & Steve Miller (e)
22 Sea Wrack and Changewind, Sharon Lee, narrated by Alex Picard
21 When the Wolves are Silent (Sebastian St. Cyr #21), C.S. Harris (e)
20 An Heir of Distinction (Bad Heir Days #5), Grace Burrowes (e)
19 Longeye (Fey Duology #2), Sharon Lee & Steve Miller***
18 Duainfey (Fey Duology #1), Sharon Lee & Steve Miller***
17 *Crystal Dragon (Liaden Universe® #10), Sharon Lee & Steve Miller
16 *Crystal Soldier (Liaden Universe® #9), Sharon Lee & Steve Miller
15 Seeking Persephone (Lancaster Family #1), Sarah M. Eden (e)
14 Theo of Golden, Allen Levi (e) book club
13 *Balance of Trade (Liaden Universe® #8), Sharon Lee & Steve Miller
12 *Mouse and Dragon (Liaden Universe® #7), Sharon Lee & Steve Miller
11 *Scout's Progress (Liaden Universe® #6), Sharon Lee & Steve Miller**
10 *Local Custom, (Liaden Universe® #5), Sharon Lee & Steve Miller**
9 *I Dare (Liaden Universe® #7), Sharon Lee & Steve Miller**
8 Cuckoo's Egg, C J Cherryh, (audio first time)
7 *Plan B, (Liaden Universe® #4), Sharon Lee & Steve Miller
6 Getting Rid of Bradley, Jennifer Crusie (audio first time)
5 *Carpe Diem (Liaden Universe® #3), Sharon Lee & Steve Miller
4 *Conflict of Honors (Liaden Universe® #2), Sharon Lee & Steve Miller
3 *Agent of Change (Liaden Universe® #1), Sharon Lee & Steve Miller
2 A Gentleman in Possession of Secrets (Lord Julian #10), Grace Burrowes (e)
1 Spilling the Tea in Gretna Green, Linzi Day (e)

________
*I'm doing a straight-through series read in publication order

**I screwed up and moved right on to I Dare from Plan B, therefore deviating from publication order. I will now amend myself and go back to pick up Local Custom.

***I'll be re-issuing Duainfey and Longeye as an e-omnibus later this year, and so I need to read them!

Important things first: Proofs of life, with coon cats here

Sunday. Dim and cool enough that I switched station air to "heat."

I also put another blanket on the bed, ably assisted by the girl cats, who are now resting atop their labors.

Breakfast was a couple slices of last night's baking and a cup of cottage cheese. I'm thinking lunch will be left-over macaroni dressed with red sauce, served with meatballs, which I'll be calling "spaghetti," thank you.

Today--or at least this morning--I will be catching up with all the emails and other business I've been ignoring for the last two weeks, and cleaning out my inbox of Stuff, which just keeps accumulating.

I have Notions about my two problems with the current WIP, but they need some time to themselves, hence today's curriculum of tidying up IRL.

Rook is currently on duty in my office, positioned so that the warm air from the heat pump is flowing down on him.

I think that's all the news that's fit to print.

What's for lunch at your house today?

I seem to have confused people. Herewith, an attempt at disambiguation:

The book that was written and turned in to Baen in October 2024 was Diviner's Bow (sequel to Ribbon Dance), which was published in hardcover, audio, and ebook editions on, appropriately enough, April 1 2025. The mass market edition was published in January 2026.

The book that people are wondering where the hell is the damned thing is Kin Right (sequel to Salvage Right), which was turned in to Baen in April 2026, and will, according to Baen, be published in Spring 2027.

The book presently under construction is Trade Lanes (sequel to Fair Trade), which is years overdue. I don't actually seem to have a firm delivery date for this title, but I'm shooting for April 2027, that being a year from my last turn-in date.

After that, I have one more book under contract with Baen, which, I suppose, will be due in April 2028.

In answer to other questions posed here and there: No, I haven't "given up" on writing short stories. I have a couple short stories and maybe two not-Liaden books swirling around in my brain, but! The Lee-and-Miller Writing Empire is short-staffed, and the House Rule has ever been: Pay Copy Comes First.

Here ends the disambiguation.

Saturday. Sunny and cool.

Wrote about 600 words this morning, and discovered that I twitched something that I should've tweaked, so I printed out the offending pages and will sit with them later to try to untangle the he-said/she-said.

Since I'm down to my last two slices of bread, I'm baking a loaf, which is in for its first rise. I've cleaned up the kitchen. Still need to perform my duty to the cats.

Nothing much else doing, except the observation that it's apparently Tali's afternoon to keep me Under Surveillance. Either that, or she just likes to watch bread being put together.

Oh. The question of When Can We Buy Kin Right, which has come up three or four times in the last week.

ANSWER: The last I heard from Baen was that Kin Right would be published in "Spring 2027." So now everybody knows as much as I do.

Also! It's "taking so long" because I needed 18 months, instead of our usual year, to write it, which meant I turned it in to Baen in April 2026, instead of October 2025.

The reason I had to "take so long" to write it is because my co-author died in February 2024, and the September 2024 delivery date for that book (Diviner's Bow) had in actuality not been extended, as I had thought it had been, which meant that I had to scramble hard to turn it in on time, or, rather, only a little late. Which in turn meant that I was exhausted, and that Creative Well we all talk about was dry and I needed some down time before I pulled the next rabbit out of my hat. Files under "Writers are Human."

I think that really is all.

How's Saturday going at your place?

Friday. Sunny and warm enough.

Sarah has been and gone, leaving a clean house in her wake. I've washed and dried the towels, folded and put them away. There's a load of t-shirts washing and supper's in the stove.

One thousand four hundred thirty new words written this morning. Turns out the 300 words I wrote yesterday were good; they were just in the wrong place. WIP now weighs in at 61,310. Ish.

The cats joined me in Steve's office this morning, and there they all still are, melty-sleeping in the sun puddles.

Currently reading The Glass-Cursed by P.H. Blackwood, which has an interesting voice, and seems to want to talk about PTSD and the accommodations demanded by Real Life of those returning from a war. This is, I note, a Cozy Fantasy.

I'm listening to The Paladin by CJ Cherryh.

Which improbably reminds me that, now that I've viewed Murderbot in one mad rush, I need to cancel my subscription to Apple-TV before it flips over from free to pay me.

It looks like my weekend's free, and I'm tempted to drive down to the ocean. Only, my back still hurts, so -- maybe not. Well. There's always a book to write.

Who's got Plans for the weekend?

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rjlona

July 2011

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