rjlona | Reading

The Long Back Yard:

Where are we? Tuesday! Trash and recycling are at the curb. The weather ghods spent all last night loading the outgoing clouds with snow, and are now sweeping the spilled flakes out of the warehouse and into the downward breezes.

Breakfast was a cheese muffin and an orange. I'm on, like, my third mug of tea.

The lads have not yet arrived. The cats are letting me know that they much prefer this, and did I know that the door to Steve's wing is closed? (Actually, they've opened it twice now, but they can't quite manage the door to Steve's actual office. Thank goodness for double-sealing.)

Questions from yesterday, which I saw, didn't answer immediately, and now can't find.

QUESTION ONE: Would I consider coming back to COsine?
Honestly, I loved Colorado, and had a good time at the con, but I've put a moratorium on both conventions and long train trips for right now.

QUESTION TWO: "What's a Black Knight?"
Many years ago, the internet put forth a medieval village populated by people according to their Myers-Briggs type. According to the conceit of the webpage/game, Steve was the Benevolent Despot; I was the Black Knight. Which at the time generated quite a discussion on the Friends of Liad list about how this was a perfect pairing. If the smile didn't convince; the sword surely would. A quick look-around doesn't locate that particular website. FWIW, I'm INTJ.

Funny story: Way Way back in time (pre-Steve, which in truth is Way Back), I applied to be a college student. Because I was coming from a non-standard direction, and seeking a non-standard curriculum, I had to talk with a Guidance Counselor and Take Tests. The Guidance Counselor was cute. as. a. button. He had a nice voice and a British accent. And he was friendly. Remember these plot points.

So the tests -- an IQ test and a Myers-Briggs; take them home and bring them back before our next meeting, so they can be scored, and we'll talk about your aptitudes at our next meeting.

Next meeting arrives. My tests had been scored and the results placed in my file, which my poor Guidance Counselor had obviously failed to look at before our meeting, and so my heart was broken.

He visibly paled. Looked at me. Looked at the folder. Flicked a couple pages. Looked back at me. Cleared his throat. Folded his hands on the desk, and said, "Well! These are Quite Interesting."

Turns out the tests had revealed me for Very Smart and also?

An axe murderer. Or, as I prefer, a Black Knight.

. . . I think that's it. If you asked a question and I haven't answered you, please ask it again in comments and I'll try to be more mindful this time.

On today's to-do, I need to call the vet and schedule Tali in for her three-year distemper shot and her physical. I'm also hoping to sit with the WIP. I don't think I'll be going out this evening. I'm sorry to miss needlework, but I'm already tired and the exciting part of the day hasn't started yet.

So! How're y'all doing today?

rolanni

So! It's being an exciting old day here at the cat farm. Not only do we have monsters in Steve's Safe Office, but the pest control guy came to check his traps. After he left, I went downstairs to make sure he'd shut all the doors, and realized that I had not seen either Rook or Tali, both of whom I'd assumed were in the basement (Firefly is in my office, in Trooper's box, napping, and occasionally raising her head to make sure I'm still here.)

Anyhoots, I went on a Kitten Hunt. I found Tali at the bottom of the bed under the spread. Rook. . .

Rook was squinched up into the TINIEST LITTLE BLACK FURBALL IT WAS EVER POSSIBLE TO BE, between the dresser and the wall, with his head shoved *behind* the dresser.

Reader, I thought he was dead. That he had, I dunno, gotten his head stuck and couldn't breathe, and, and, and . . .

I knelt down, kicking Tali in the process and now I don't know where she is again, and I whispered, "Rookie?"

He pulled his head out and looked at me. You've never seen such big eyes. Never.

I talked to him and he came to me, and I snuggled him and now he's in my bathroom with some water and a plate of crunchies.

And I? Ought to have some lunch, I guess...
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Tali joined me for lunch and is reposing beneath the dining room table.

I went back to visit Rookie in his safe place, and at his insistence, I let him out. He made a belly-to-the-floor dash into the living room and is now under the sofa.

Frankly, I'm amazed he can still fit under the sofa.

Firefly is sleeping in the box on my desk.

I had foolishly thought I was going to be able to get some work done
today, but that's clearly not happening.
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OK. The lads are leaving, and will be back tomorrow to do the inside trim.

The other thing I thought I do today was run out to the store for, oh, yeast, and milk, and parmesean cheese, but, yanno? I really don't want to go from "There are MONSTERS in our safe room!" to: "AND THEY ATE OUR MOM!"

So. . . maybe tomorrow? I'd really admire having yeast and milk in the house before everything stops for The Big Day.
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Crew is gone. I have Doordashed my needs (including Tylenol. This is no time to be out of Tylenol.) And again, my thanks to everyone who thought/thinks of me with Doordash gift cards, because My Ghod they are a lifesaver.

I'm exhausted and I didn't do any work.

Well. The new windows will be great. I think even the cats will appreciate them.

Eventually.

. . . I guess I ought to go see if Rookie is still under the sofa.
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Yeah. I'm just going to have to come to terms that I'm not getting anything useful done today (well. I made hummus. And tuna fish, because tonight I will be having tuna melt for dinner.), and will try for tomorrow.

Speaking of tomorrow, it's supposed to start snowing a little after noon, accumulating about an inch, and keep on snowing through the night, accumulating another 3 to 5 inches,

So, I'm in for the foreseeable. Which is fine.

Oh. Doordash. Happened in record time. Mary was awesome, and I have all the Necessaries.

Cats all accounted for, and mad that I will let them into the back hall but not into Their Room.

I do believe I'll have a glass of wine.

This was not supposed to be quite so stressful an undertaking.

Everybody stay safe; I'll check in tomorrow.

All present and accounted for

rolanni

What went before: CONTEXT: Last night after I said good-night, I made the mistake of checking my mail in which there were not one, not two, but no less than four . . . ill-worded "requests" that I do Just This One Thing that would make the asker's life "easier." And I snapped. Because it's not like I don't have Stuff to Do.

Response follows posted to FB follows.

Sigh.

Apparently, it is again time to remind (some) people that, just because it would make life easier for you if I did X, does not mean that I will do X. In fact, it pretty much guarantees that I won't do X, because I'm Just. That. Contrary.

Also? I am not the Nice One. I have never been the Nice One. That would have been Steve. Who you pushed at your peril, I might add. Black Knight in this corner, and the only things that keep me from knifing you rather than look at you are Good Manners and a disinclination to clean up the blood.

Thank you for coming to my TED talk. My apologies to all the perfectly reasonable, kind, and polite people out there who did not need this reminder.
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Monday

Oh. A question regarding last night's TED Talk: "Did Steve know you are mean?"

Good question.

ANSWER: No, he did not know that. Because? I'm not mean. As a measuring stick we can use the fact that Steve did not, in fact, care for mean people. I believe this was because he thought meanness was banal. I also think that Steve -- who believed that we only get to do this life once -- thought that meanness was a waste of time and resource.

Now, while that was a good question, a better question would be: Did Steve know I am a Black Knight?

And the answer to that is: Yes. Yes, he did. And he celebrated that. I am for instance today wearing a pair of tights he gave me -- stick with me, now -- which have a graphic on the right thigh. Of a dagger thrust through a garter.

So, yeah, Steve knew who I am. Thank you for asking.

Relative to the notion of nice.

Some time ago, I was part of a panel -- I think it might have been at COsine -- dedicated to remembering the late Anne McCaffrey, as a person, and a force of nature, a mentor and friend to younger writers, and so on. The idea that came around more than once was how generous Anne was with her time, and how kind and accessible she was to those writers who were younger than she in our craft.

And as I was leaving the panel, a man deliberately stepped out into the aisle, blocking me on my way out (Why me? is the question I always ask at times like this), and said, rather belligerently: "You were all up there talking about how nice Anne McCaffrey was (NOTE: We were not. Anne was not nice. I say this with love.) and not one of you mentioned that she took a guy's house away from him! That's not what I'd call nice!"

ASIDE for those who may not know the story: This is true, as far as it goes. Which wasn't quite the whole distance. The guy in question was infringing on Anne's work, and she was legally bound to stop him.

CONTINUING: "That's right, she did," I said to Belligerent Guy. "She told him to stop or she'd take his house. He didn't stop, she took him to court, and he lost his house. Being 'nice' doesn't mean you let people steal from you."

. . . which was about the time that Steve arrived at my side and the guy withdrew, apparently not willing to continue this discussion with another guy present.

Circling back a moment to Steve . . .

One of Steve's Gifts was that he took people as he found them. If he liked you -- or if he was interested in you -- he tried to help you . . . strengthen your reality; to be the best You you could be. It was my great good fortune that he liked and was interested in me. He stood between me and YOU SHOULD. He gave me room and time to learn and to grow into myself . . .

. . . while also making sure I knew exactly how hard it is to get blood out of a carpet.

Here endeth today's discursion.

rolanni

Well. I wrote 1,475 words today, but I only got to keep 900 of them, bringing the WIP to 106,725. More or less.

The curtains are down in Steve's office and have taken up their temporary role as dustcovers. Firefly emphatically does not approve of this development.

Boy, am I glad I cleared this with the committeecat first.

In other news, my yeast is dead and I'm unhappy. I took it into my head to bake a cheese loaf, only it didn't rise. My yeast, living in the freezer, is God She knows how old. However! the back-up yeast has a sell-by in 2021. I feel in my heart that I should just buy a new bag of yeast and not even try the back-up bag.

I still wanted cheese bread, though, so I made cheese muffins, which are cooling as I type.

I have some notes to write re the WIP, and then it will be Coon Cat Happy Hour.

I will therefore take this opportunity to bid everyone a good night. Stay safe. I'll look in tomorrow.

rolanni

Sunday. Sunny and warmish, for values of +/-38F/3C.

Breakfast was peanut butter and semi-sweet chocolate bits in oatmeal and that? Was good. At this rate, I'm going to have to buy another bag of chocolate chips. Dinner will be leftover potatoes, some way or another.

Towels are in the dryer; half-hour with the Happy Lite has been had.

Today is a writing day, so I guess I'd better get to it.

Whatcha doin' today?

rolanni

62 The Besotted Baron (Bad Heir Days #4), Grace Burrows (e)
61 Storm Called, (Royal States #1) Susan Copperfield (e)
60 That the Dead May Rest, Karen A. Wylie (e)
59 Emilie and the Sky World,(Emilie Adventures#2) Martha Wells (e)
58 The Thursday Murder Club, Richard Osman (e) (bkclb)
57 The Bookshop of Dust and Dreams, Mindy Thompson (e)
56 Remarkably Bright Creatures, Shelby Van Pelt (e) (bkclb)
55 Hunting Ground, Patricia Briggs (Alpha&Omega 2)(re-read) (e)
54 Cry Wolf, Patricia Briggs (Alpha & Omega 1) (re-read) (e)
53 Alpha and Omega, Patricia Briggs (Alpha&Omega.5(re-read) (e)
52 Blind Date with a Werewolf, Patricia Briggs (e)
51 The Women, Kristin Hannah (e) (bkclb)
50 Emilie and the Hollow World, (Emilie Adventures #1) Martha Wells (e)
49 Black Tie & Tails (Black Wolves of Boston #2), Wen Spencer (e)
48 Shards of Earth, Adrian Tchaikovsky(The Final Architecture #1)e)
47 Hemlock and Silver, T. Kingfisher (e)
46 Outcrossing, Celia Lake (Mysterious Charm #1) (e)
45 Outfoxing Fate, Zoe Chant/Murphy Lawless (Virtue Shifters)(e)
44 Atonement Sky, Nalini Singh (Psy-Changeling Trinity #9) (e)
43 Stone and Sky, Ben Aaronovitch (Rivers of London #10) (e)
42 Regency Buck, Georgette Heyer (re-re-re-&c-read)
41 I Dare, Sharon Lee and Steve Miller (Liaden Universe #7) (page proofs)
40 To Hive and to Hold, Amy Crook (The Future of Magic #1) (e)
39 These Old Shades, Georgette Heyer, narrated by Sarah Nichols (re-re-re-&c-read, 1st time audio)
38 Faking it (Dempsey Family #2), Jennifer Crusie, narrated by Aasne Vigesaa (re-re-re-&c-read, 1st time audio)
37 Copper Script, K.J. Charles (e)
36 The Masqueraders, Georgette Heyer, narrated by Eleanor Yates (re-re-re-&c-read; 1st time audio)
35 Everyone Here Spoke Sign Language: Hereditary Deafness on Martha's Vineyard, Nora Ellen Groce (e)
34 Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day, Winifred Watson, narrated by Frances McDormand (re-re-re-&c-read; 1st time audio)
33 The Wings upon Her Back, Samantha Mills (e)
32 Death on the Green (Dublin Driver #2), Catie Murphy (e)
31 The Elusive Earl (Bad Heir Days #3), Grace Burrowes (e)
30 The Mysterious Marquess (Bad Heir Days #2), Grace Burrowes (e)
29 Who Will Remember (Sebastian St. Cyr #20), C.S. Harris (e)
28 The Teller of Small Fortunes, Julie Leong (e)
27 Check and Mate, Ali Hazelwood (e)
26 The Dangerous Duke (Bad Heir Days #1), Grace Burrowes (e)
25 Night's Master (Flat Earth #1) (re-read), Tanith Lee (e)
24 The Honey Pot Plot (Rocky Start #3), Jennifer Crusie and Bob Mayer (e)
23 Very Nice Funerals (Rocky Start #2), Jennifer Crusie and Bob Mayer (e)
22 The Orb of Cairado, Katherine Addison (e)
21 The Tomb of Dragons, (The Cemeteries of Amalo Trilogy, Book 3), Katherine Addison (e)
20 A Gentleman of Sinister Schemes (Lord Julian #8), Grace Burrowes (e)
19 The Thirteen Clocks (re-re-re-&c read), James Thurber (e)
18 A Gentleman Under the Mistletoe (Lord Julian #7), Grace Burrowes (e)
17 All Conditions Red (Murderbot Diaries #1) (re-re-re-&c read) (audio 1st time)
16 Destiny's Way (Doomed Earth #2), Jack Campbell (e)
15 The Sign of the Dragon, Mary Soon Lee
14 A Gentleman of Unreliable Honor (Lord Julian #6), Grace Burrowes (e)
13 Market Forces in Gretna Green (#7 Midlife Recorder), Linzi Day (e)
12 Shakespeare: The Man Who Pays the Rent, Judi Dench with Brendan O'Hea (e)
11 Code Yellow in Gretna Green (#6 Midlife Recorder), Linzi Day (e)
10 Seeing Red in Gretna Green (#5 Midlife Recorder), Linzi Day (e)
9 House Party in Gretna Green (#4 Midlife Recorder), Linzi Day (e)*
8    Ties that Bond in Gretna Green (#3 Midlife Recorder), Linzi Day (e)
7    Painting the Blues in Gretna Green (#2 Midlife Recorder), Linzi Day (e)
6 Midlife in Gretna Green (#1 Midlife Recorder), Linzi Day (e)
5    The Goblin Emperor, Katherine Addison (Author), Kyle McCarley (Narrator) re-re-re&c-read (audio)
4    The House in the Cerulean Sea, TJ Klune (e)
3    A Gentleman in Search of a Wife (Lord Julian #5) Grace Burrowes (e)
2    A Gentleman in Pursuit of the Truth (Lord Julian #4) Grace Burrowes (e)
1    A Gentleman in Challenging Circumstances (Lord Julian #3) Grace Burrowes (e)

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*Note: The list has been corrected. I did not realize that the Gretna Green novella was part of the main path, rather than a pleasant discursion, and my numbering was off. All fixed now.

rolanni

You may wish to refer to the photo page for today

OK, so kind of a loss of a day, viewed through the writing lens, but I had expected that.

Seen through the RL lens, I got myself back and forth to the hospital in Brunswick without mishap, saving the wear and tear on my nerves (ref the wear and tear on my nerves, the rock sculpture in the Imaging Lobby probably brought my blood pressure down 50 points. Well played MaineHealth. Well played.), did the hour in the tube without having a panic attack, waited until I was in the car to scream (yes, that's a real thing; I have claustrophobia; remind me to tell you some other time about the first time Steve and I went cross country by train), was reasonable and let my friends do all the heavy work that was only going to hurt my back (which already hurt; they need nicer mattresses on MRI machines), ate my lunch, which was terrific, took time off to read and relax, took down the pictures over the doors to be replaced.

Tomorrow, all I need to do in Steve's office is take down the drapes and use them to cover the Stuff against the Dust of Construction.

Tomorrow will be a writing day. Monday, sometime between 8 and 10am will see the arrival of the Andersen crew to start with the replacing of doors. I have some business stuff to do on Monday, but if I have my way, writing will happen then, too. Tuesday is supposedly the finish of the installation. Not sure if I'll be going to needlework that evening. We Shall See.

In the meantime, the cats keep checking in with me -- is this OK? -- and I really can't blame them. I keep telling them I'll put it back the way it was real quick, but I can tell they don't believe me.

Google wishes me to understand that we will be having rain and snow tonight, but I don't find any evidence that this opinion is based on reality. It will be cold, though. That, we're all agreed upon.

All that said! Everybody have a good evening. Stay safe. I'll check in tomorrow.

rolanni

For those who consume podcasts, The Baen Free Radio Hour today features, among other things, Sean Hazlett and me chatting about I Dare and a buncha other stuff, too. Link

rolanni

The Long Back Yard, with sublimating snow:

Friday. Raining like heck, heading for the mid-50s. All the dampness will freeze overnight of course. I am so not looking forward to driving to Brunswick tomorrow in the early AM. Yeah, chicken, here.

Dishwasher doing its thing.

Half hour with the Happy Lite has been had while I made notes for the Unending WIP. Breakfast was oatmeal with walnuts and a handful of semi-sweet chips, because I had them. Lunch will probably be soup, to celebrate the rain. That may not be the right word. Oh, and I bought a bag of those lovely little oranges, so I can have an orange for dessert.

Today's to-do list includes Glaring at the WIP; stripping the bed, washing the sheets, and putting the bed back together; changing out the cat boxes; getting the WIP and all its attendants onto a portable hard drive so it can be attached to my laptop and work can continue in the face of progress. Also, the usual fidgets of hanging stuff away and poking at piles.

I am remiss in reporting that I really like my new glasses, and am wearing them. The old glasses -- and I should've minded this better -- had gotten to the point that I preferred not to wear them; they just made everything worse.

Someone asked where I got my glasses -- apparently places like Lenscrafters no longer carry titanium frames, which -- What? I get my glasses at the retail side of my optometrist's office -- Eye Care of Maine. SPOILER: They cost the earth, and I'm not really sure how much of that is the blue light coating and the no-line progressive lenses, and how much is the frame.

All that said, and the to-do list, I better get myself busy.

What's happening with you today?

rolanni

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*Note: The list has been corrected. I did not realize that the Gretna Green novella was part of the main path, rather than a pleasant discursion, and my numbering was off. All fixed now.

rolanni

Supervisors be supervisin'

Not a very satisfactory afternoon, alas.

Back and knees hurt from PT, which meant that it was hard to concentrate, and though I did write a scene, I fear it is the wrong scene, but I'll look at it tomorrow.

I clipped Tali's front claws, but when I tried to do the same for Rook, he hissed at me, which was very lowering. For both of us, apparently. He's now trying to pretend that it never happened, but his claws still need to be clipped. Tomorrow, I'm thinking.

Speaking of tomorrow -- the 'beans are calling for mid-50sF and rain, with an overnight low of 23F, so that's going to be a fun 6am drive on Saturday morning.

I believe I will be having an Early Night and a sleep-til-I-wake morning.

Everybody have a good evening. Stay safe.

I'll see you tomorrow.

Today's blog post title brought to you by! "Alexander and the terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day," written by Judith Viorst, illustrated by Ray Cruz.

rolanni

. . . this keeps happening. Must investigate.

So. Thursday. Sunny 40!F!/4C.

Breakfast was the last of my homemade hummus and naan. Am munching on cheddar cheese pretzel pieces as I type this, because (1) they're addictive and (2) I'm snackish. Lunch will be the other piece of lasagna.

PT has been accomplished, as well as a PO run, and a stop at the grocery store. I filled the car up with gas, so I'm ready to go flying outta here on Saturday morning on a heading for Brunswick.

I have not been able to get excited about Doing Something for Christmas. I did pick up a ham slice, and I have yams on hand, so, yanno, ham and and a yam for dinner on the day could be a thing. I also picked up a frozen so-called single pizza (Screamin' Sicilian, for those who keep track of such things), in case that's something I'll be wanting. Oh, and canned chick peas, on account of I am making hummus again.

Mostly, though, it's looking like next Thursday will be nothing any more or less special than all the days have been lately.

The plan going forward is to heat the oven so I can have warm lasagna for lunch, then hit the WIP.

Tomorrow, I need to do a cat box changeout, and also get all my working files off of Steve's computer, where I've been diligently writing, so I can continue to write while his office is upside down and the French doors are being replaced.

I need to decide if I'm just going to set up my laptop in the living room, and write there, or bring it totally back into my office. I'm leaning toward the living room, which will keep the task-spaces separate, and which I've been finding really useful.

Saturday, of course is the pre-dawn trip to Brunswick, two MRIs and home again, where kind neighbors have volunteered to come over and help push furniture around, because the window people require a six-foot clearance. For which I can't blame them and there's no denying that's a full office experience.

. . . I think that's all the news at the moment.

How's Thursday treating you?

rolanni

Liaden Read-Along Folk!

Here's the link for the Agent of Change Read-Along (which will start in January), so you can bookmark it

If you get lost, all you have to do is look on the menu on the left side, and you'll see, right at the top "Liaden Read-Along" with a down-arrow. Click the down-arrow and you'll see "Agent of Change Intro." Click that and you'll be at the top of the discussion.

Reading does not start here at the Confusion Factory until January. What's up there right now is an intro, with information from the story card, the novel's tag line, About The Author blurb, and a short history of how the novel got published.

Feel free to share the news of the Read-Along with friends, but be sure to let them know that there will be spoilers.

rolanni

Tali wants everybody to know that I was properly supervised this morning as I wrote:

Tuesday. I have new glasses. Except for a change in color -- the old glasses were blue, these are a silvery pink -- they look pretty much the same. Titanium frames. The prescription pulls the right eye into line, as it continues its descent back into nearsightedness.

Regarding the read-along -- thanks to everyone who chimed in to say that their idea of reading along matched mine, and we will hope that those who were afraid they'd miss something unless recorded due to their work schedules and whatnot are now relieved to know that we're text-based, and they can check in whenever they have time.

So! People of the Read-Along, I ask your input. Do you prefer order or chaos? Which is to say, shall we commit to reading, eh, 50 pages a week, and look for an update on Monday afternoon? Or do you prefer that I just comment as I go along, and you'll catch up with me?

Please state your preference in comments.

rolanni

Monday evening. Book club was fun, though we were down a member, due to Life, and we did not chose another book.

Came home and had about an hour to spend with the WIP, but! Absent taking out the trash first thing, I don't have to be anywhere or do anything until 5 pm, so tomorrow morning is Bidness as Usual.

I? Think I've figured out why so many people are wanting in on my Liaden Universe® read-along, and I am going to nip this in the bud right now.

Ready?

BUD-NIPPING ANNOUNCEMENT: No, I am not reading 27 Liaden novels outloud. If this is what "read-along" means to the Greater Internet, I apologize, and will now explain what I mean when I say "read-along." I take as my model in this, Humpty Dumpty from Alice.

What I am going to do is read -- read -- the existing Liaden Universe® novels, starting with Agent of Change and going through to Diviner's Bow, in Publication Order. I will post my thoughts as I go along, and those who had decided to read along with me may comment on my comments.

I am not (that's NOT) reading them aloud, live or to a recording. Why not? Because reading aloud is a performance, and I don't want to perform, I want to read for understanding, and hopefully, pleasure.

I haven't set it up yet, but my reading notes will most likely appear on Splinter Universe. I haven't gotten much further in my considerations than the vague idea that I'll post a link whenever I've made a new post.

I'm looking at a start date of January 1 2026, and I will, as above, be starting with Agent of Change, first published as a Del Rey Books Mass Market Original, with a cover by Stephen Hickman, in February 1988. I was 35; Steve was 37. It was our first novel, but not our first collaboration, and it hit the bookstores in December 1987, where it could be purchased for a whopping! three dollars and fifty cents, US.

Here endeth the Bud-Nipping Segment of Tonight's Entertainment.

Everybody have a good evening; stay safe. I'll look in tomorrow.

Here, have a picture from my annual review:

rolanni

Monday. Sunny and cold. Tea and sunlight have happened.

Scrambled eggs with spinach and onions with whole grain toast for breakfast.

Today will be Upside Down Day: Chores/RL in the morning, writing when I come home from the bookclub. Already done the banking, where I was pleased to see the on-signing for Liaden Universe® Constellation Volume 6 sitting demurely in the account. Ms dea'Gauss will likewise be pleased.

Next up is proofing the reprint story and bio for Adversity and Audacity. Then, one's duty to the cats, and staging the trash, by which time it'll probably be time to go to the library.

Someone asked Why I was going to read the Liaden Universe® novels in publication order.

Setting aside that, "Because I want to and it's mine to decide" is a completely legitimate reason, I am reading them in publication order because!

Agent of Change was published in February 1988 (written in 1984). Diviner's Bow was published in April 2025 (written in 2023/2024). I want to see both the progression of the authors' skills, and their perceptions of their life and world as reflected in their work. This is, I note, a chancy game when played by critics, biographers, and reviewers, but I know these authors as no others can, so I feel fairly confident in my ability to read their work correctly.

And on that note! Imma proof a short story.

How's everybody doing today?

rolanni

All righty, then! Sunday. Cold and grey with snow showers.

Breakfast was -- all together now! -- hummus, naan, and grapes. Lunch will be a box of something, on account I'm lazy, and also because I've got a buncha RL stuff to cope with on my desk.

I also feel kinda pillow fort-ish. No particular reason, except that Steve has now been dead longer than he's ever been dead before and I am Not Preferring this narrative.

Writing is over for the day -- 1,377 new words, bringing the entire WIP to something around 104,110. Caught myself being unkind to same, which is too easy to do when it's Just You. It is of course, NOT just me, and I would like to recognize Tali's support -- she came over and cleaned my eyebrows for me, which was ... strange, but well-intentioned, and I *did* feel better for it.

Tried to watch Miss Scarlet last night, and didn't quite make it through the first episode. Maybe I'll try Bridgerton.

What else? Oh, the plaque sellers are out in force. Honestly, I've never understood why I need a plaque to commemorate the publication of a book when, yanno, I have the book?

There are an Incredible Number of People who are counting themselves IN on the Liaden Readalong. We probably need a theme song. I'll try to draft some Rules of the Read today, or tomorrow, so people can take a look and offer fine-tuning, if any.

And that's all I've got at -- well, lunchtime.

Speaking of which -- oughta go do that.

How's YOUR Sunday going?
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OK, so that's it for the day. I didn't get everything done, but really, when does that happen?

Everybody have a good evening. Stay safe. I'll see you tomorrow.

rolanni

Saturday. Cloudy, not as cold, but it ain't summer.

Breakfast was hummus, naan, and grapes. Yes, I'm eating a lot of hummus, but it's So. Good.

Lunch will be fish on an onion roll with cheese.

Wrote a little this morning, did my duty the cats, PT homework Session I, took a walk. After lunch? More writing!

Oh, you know the thing, that gay people were invented by the libs sometime during the past 20 years, and the other one, that songs and stories never had a "liberal agenda" until, I dunno, last Wednesday?

Well. Here I was, minding my own business, listening to 60s Gold, and on comes that fun-time dance song, "Twistin' the Night Away," by Sam Cooke, in which we celebrate the peaceful coming together of All Peoples at the Sugar Shack before the B52s got their residency -- in order to do the twist, and I'm singing along, as one does, and grinning at the man in the evening clothes, and how he got here, I don't know, and then I hear this come out of my mouth:

Here's a fella in blue jeans
Dancin' with an older queen

1962. Here's a link

#
About 1800 words written today, bringing the WIP to +/-102,700. Tomorrow, I write again.

So, on the idea of The Author Reads Her Own Works in 2026 -- a Question for the Group Mind: How many of you would like to do a Read Along? I can dust off Splinter Universe and we can carry on as a group over there if there's enough interest.

Please let me know in comments if this is something you'd like to be part of.

Deets: I'm planning to start in January, and I'm planning to read the novels only, and in Publication Order*. I have my reasons for doing it this way, and if you don't agree, that's fine; don't take part.

All that said, everybody have a good evening. Stay safe. I'll look in tomorrow.

___________
*Publication Order = Agent of Change, Conflict of Honors, Carpe Diem, Plan B, Local Custom, Scout’s Progress, I Dare, Balance of Trade, Crystal Soldier, Crystal Dragon, Fledgling, Saltation, Mouse and Dragon, Ghost Ship, Dragon Ship, Necessity’s Child, Trade Secret, Dragon in Exile, Alliance of Equals, The Gathering Edge, Neogenesis, Accepting the Lance, Trader’s Leap, Fair Trade, Salvage Right, Ribbon Dance, Diviner’s Bow

rolanni

View the pre-Sarah cat census here

Now, where were we?

Ah.

Friday.

Sarah has departed and the house is much cleaner. She reported that Firefly flirted with her to the point of offering chin to be rubbed, which is really new. Usually, Firefly booked to Steve's office the minute the door opened for the cleaning person. Of course, that was when we had Trooper to stand between us and all invaders. Firefly had apparently settled on a soft approach to invaders (Trooper satisfied himself with Keeping A Close Eye). I did think I saw a memo come in regarding adopting Sarah, but any such Resolution needs to be unanimous, and I, at least, cannot sanction making Sarah's cats into orphans.

Wrote a little, my intention is to write some more, but also to quit early and watch the first episode of Miss Scarlet.

After Sarah left us, I made hummus, and then I made some toast to so that I could properly sample what I had wrought -- and yes I will be making that again. And when I do, I'll be using the blender, because my food processor is just a little midgy thing, and not up to an entire can of chickpeas. Though it worked fine doing it in sections. Messy, but fine.

While I was in the kitchen, I made some cookies to address the catastrophe reported the other day.

Remaining on the to-do list, one's duty to the cats, a brief walk, Part 2 of PT homework, eating lunch, and hitting the WIP again.

So! That's the news from here.

What's the news from there?
#
Well. Knocking off for the day. Didn't get much writing done -- only about 700 new words, but I did a lot of plotting and staring into space.

On the RL front, I had apparently hit the Land's End sale hard last year. I had no idea that I had this many mock-necks. OTOH, it's winter, so -- yay! mock t-necks FTW.

I forgot to mention that I did go out to meet 'n greet the new town manager last night, but it turns out that many people wanted to do the same thing, the new guy having grown up in Waterville and graduated from the high school and all. Long story short, his fandom turned out in such numbers that there was no place for me to park, even if I'd been willing to walk from the other side of the Concourse, which -- SPOILER -- I was not. So I came home. Mayhap I will write a letter after he's officially in his office.

I see in my email queue a short story galley to proof, news of a check having landed, which should be in my account on Monday, and -- oh. The library wonders if I'd like to do an Author Event in February. That might be fun.

The post office mail hasn't been delivered yet, which is making me slightly cranky, since there's a parcel due in that really can't just sit out in the mailbox and freeze overnight.

My Plan for Saturday and Sunday -- tomorrow and the next day -- is to write, as next week is Quite Complicated, and that's before we get to the crack o'dawn double MRI next Saturday. If I don't check in over the next couple of days, it's because I'm working.

And on that note -- everybody have a good evening. Stay safe.

Today's blog post title brought to you by Patty Smyth and Scandal, because I heard it yesterday as I was out and about, and it's a decent song and Patty Smyth can really sing. And I remember -- yes, I do remember, the first time I saw the music video, and then trying to explain -- er, no -- describe it to Steve. WARNING: If continuity errors bother you, don't watch this video. The Warrior

rolanni

60 That the Dead May Rest, Karen A. Wylie (e)
59 Emilie and the Sky World,(Emilie Adventures#2) Martha Wells (e)
58 The Thursday Murder Club, Richard Osman (e) (bkclb)
57 The Bookshop of Dust and Dreams, Mindy Thompson (e)
56 Remarkably Bright Creatures, Shelby Van Pelt (e) (bkclb)
55 Hunting Ground, Patricia Briggs (Alpha&Omega 2)(re-read) (e)
54 Cry Wolf, Patricia Briggs (Alpha & Omega 1) (re-read) (e)
53 Alpha and Omega, Patricia Briggs (Alpha&Omega.5(re-read) (e)
52 Blind Date with a Werewolf, Patricia Briggs (e)
51 The Women, Kristin Hannah (e) (bkclb)
50 Emilie and the Hollow World, (Emilie Adventures #1) Martha Wells (e)
49 Black Tie & Tails (Black Wolves of Boston #2), Wen Spencer (e)
48 Shards of Earth, Adrian Tchaikovsky(The Final Architecture #1)e)
47 Hemlock and Silver, T. Kingfisher (e)
46 Outcrossing, Celia Lake (Mysterious Charm #1) (e)
45 Outfoxing Fate, Zoe Chant/Murphy Lawless (Virtue Shifters)(e)
44 Atonement Sky, Nalini Singh (Psy-Changeling Trinity #9) (e)
43 Stone and Sky, Ben Aaronovitch (Rivers of London #10) (e)
42 Regency Buck, Georgette Heyer (re-re-re-&c-read)
41 I Dare, Sharon Lee and Steve Miller (Liaden Universe #7) (page proofs)
40 To Hive and to Hold, Amy Crook (The Future of Magic #1) (e)
39 These Old Shades, Georgette Heyer, narrated by Sarah Nichols (re-re-re-&c-read, 1st time audio)
38 Faking it (Dempsey Family #2), Jennifer Crusie, narrated by Aasne Vigesaa (re-re-re-&c-read, 1st time audio)
37 Copper Script, K.J. Charles (e)
36 The Masqueraders, Georgette Heyer, narrated by Eleanor Yates (re-re-re-&c-read; 1st time audio)
35 Everyone Here Spoke Sign Language: Hereditary Deafness on Martha's Vineyard, Nora Ellen Groce (e)
34 Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day, Winifred Watson, narrated by Frances McDormand (re-re-re-&c-read; 1st time audio)
33 The Wings upon Her Back, Samantha Mills (e)
32 Death on the Green (Dublin Driver #2), Catie Murphy (e)
31 The Elusive Earl (Bad Heir Days #3), Grace Burrowes (e)
30 The Mysterious Marquess (Bad Heir Days #2), Grace Burrowes (e)
29 Who Will Remember (Sebastian St. Cyr #20), C.S. Harris (e)
28 The Teller of Small Fortunes, Julie Leong (e)
27 Check and Mate, Ali Hazelwood (e)
26 The Dangerous Duke (Bad Heir Days #1), Grace Burrowes (e)
25 Night's Master (Flat Earth #1) (re-read), Tanith Lee (e)
24 The Honey Pot Plot (Rocky Start #3), Jennifer Crusie and Bob Mayer (e)
23 Very Nice Funerals (Rocky Start #2), Jennifer Crusie and Bob Mayer (e)
22 The Orb of Cairado, Katherine Addison (e)
21 The Tomb of Dragons, (The Cemeteries of Amalo Trilogy, Book 3), Katherine Addison (e)
20 A Gentleman of Sinister Schemes (Lord Julian #8), Grace Burrowes (e)
19 The Thirteen Clocks (re-re-re-&c read), James Thurber (e)
18 A Gentleman Under the Mistletoe (Lord Julian #7), Grace Burrowes (e)
17 All Conditions Red (Murderbot Diaries #1) (re-re-re-&c read) (audio 1st time)
16 Destiny's Way (Doomed Earth #2), Jack Campbell (e)
15 The Sign of the Dragon, Mary Soon Lee
14 A Gentleman of Unreliable Honor (Lord Julian #6), Grace Burrowes (e)
13 Market Forces in Gretna Green (#7 Midlife Recorder), Linzi Day (e)
12 Shakespeare: The Man Who Pays the Rent, Judi Dench with Brendan O'Hea (e)
11 Code Yellow in Gretna Green (#6 Midlife Recorder), Linzi Day (e)
10 Seeing Red in Gretna Green (#5 Midlife Recorder), Linzi Day (e)
9 House Party in Gretna Green (#4 Midlife Recorder), Linzi Day (e)*
8    Ties that Bond in Gretna Green (#3 Midlife Recorder), Linzi Day (e)
7    Painting the Blues in Gretna Green (#2 Midlife Recorder), Linzi Day (e)
6 Midlife in Gretna Green (#1 Midlife Recorder), Linzi Day (e)
5    The Goblin Emperor, Katherine Addison (Author), Kyle McCarley (Narrator) re-re-re&c-read (audio)
4    The House in the Cerulean Sea, TJ Klune (e)
3    A Gentleman in Search of a Wife (Lord Julian #5) Grace Burrowes (e)
2    A Gentleman in Pursuit of the Truth (Lord Julian #4) Grace Burrowes (e)
1    A Gentleman in Challenging Circumstances (Lord Julian #3) Grace Burrowes (e)

_____
*Note: The list has been corrected. I did not realize that the Gretna Green novella was part of the main path, rather than a pleasant discursion, and my numbering was off. All fixed now.

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The Un-Tattooed Lady

"She has eyes that folks adore so...."

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Door replacement Day Two

Door replacement Day One

From the mailbag

For want of a yeast, the loaf was lost. . .

Solstice Suncay

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Attention Liaden Read-Alongers!

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In which the author nips the bud

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Twistin' the night away

Who's the hunter, who's the game?

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July 2011

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