Okay. I've figured out how I'm going to handle the book sale*. Which will commence after Readercon, I think, because the next two weeks are just too damned busy.

Basically, what I will do is put up a post for each book or set of books announcing how many copies of each I have to get rid of send off to good homes. And they'll go to those who comment-and-paypal, first-come first-served. Cost will be cover price plus $5.00 shipping and handling anywhere in the world.

I think the only payment option I'm offering is paypal, right now, because really it's all I can swing without fussing, and the goal is not to fuss.

NB: I do not yet have any copies of Ink & Steel or Hell & Earth to unload, because large boxes of same have not yet turned up on my doorstep, but it's only a matter of time. I have at least a couple of copies of everything else, and even some leftover ARCs, for people who like those.

And then I will have an entire four foot bookcase back!

*(which may also be the buy-Bear-a-new-laptop sale, as the 5-year-old HP refurb I have been happily using since 2003 is reaching the end of its lifespan, and also is awfully heavy).

I’m heading over to Grandma’s house later tonight where I will have no internet. Gasp! How will I survive?

Well, I’m taking the laptop so I can get some work done and also my handy cellphone so I can twitter away if anything interesting happens.

Good news all around!

(1) Since it's in the newspaper, I guess I am allowed to talk about this now. David Moles and I will be sharing the Theodore Sturgeon Memorial Award for best short science fiction work in 2007. I'm deeply honored by this, and very sad that I couldn't be there. (I wanted to, very much, but the travel and work schedule... was already topped out.)

(2) Blood & Iron ebook. Yay!

Finally checked out the citadel today:





In other news, I wish would-be tenants would stop asking me what the price of home heating oil will be in December of this year. If I knew that, I wouldn't be living in Slummerville, I'd be spending all my days flying around in my helicopter shooting at poor people with my gold-plated minigun.

Hi,

Get 'em while u can...there's a few of each of these left!

Dark Devious Smiles
:)Mazy



Mechanical Bunny Boutique

John Klima over at Electric Velocipede has decided to release issues 14 and 15 15 and 16 (sorry...) as a double, super-sized one--available near the time of WFC. This will contain my Chinese fairytale "The Dragon's Tears".

I'm sharing a TOC with alankria. Coolness.

EDIT: In other news, I've got myself some nifty Vietnamese dresses, courtesy of my grandmother.
*wonders if she can attend the banquet at WFC in traditional garb*

Yesterday I wrote 2935 words.

Sunday I wrote 4250.

Saturday, 768.

Friday, 4700.

Thursday, 1500.

Tuesday, 1621.

Today, I wrote 829. Why so few? Because I finished!!!!

49,575 / 49,575 (100.0%)

What did I do on the 4th of July?  Saw a banner plane crash into the surf running distance from my parent's house.  Luckily, no one was injured -- not the pilot, and no one in the water (which is amazingly fortunate, considering I've never seen that beach so crowded).  I can't upload pictures from work, but Cordell's got some on his site.  Also, reporters interviewed my dad about it (he saw and took the pictures KNBC aired).  We saw him on the 11 o'clock news, which was fun.  

After dinner, we went to my in-laws house and saw the fireworks from the hill.  Looking down toward the city we could see fireworks exploding all over it, which was kind of like watching the opening sequence of Blade Runner, where all of LA looks like it's erupting. 

Less unique, but no less exciting was taking Claire to see Wall-E, which was the first movie she'd ever seen in the theaters.  I was...a little bit nervous, because she had seen Ratatouille, and although she liked it, now she's scared of the woman with the coke-bottle glasses wielding the shotgun at the rats in the French countryside.  But Wall-E didn't seem to have any upsetting parts for her, and she quite liked the babies in the space ship.  There was an upsetting part for me, though.  When the preview for Beverly Hills Chihuahua came on and she laughed.  And laughed.  And laughed.  I'm doomed.

Finally, Cordell, Emma, and I experienced our first "House Concert" Sunday for one of Cordell's favorite musicians, Bill Mallonee.  I hadn't heard much of his stuff before (compared to the 20-odd times Cordell's seen him), but I was curious about house concerts -- basically, where people pay a small admission price to sit around someone's living room, see a performance, and talk to the artists afterward.  The musicians get kind of an "unplugged" tour, get to stay in the house of the person hosting them, get paid a little bit, and then get back on the road the next day for the next venue.  This seems pretty idea for a guy like Mallonee, who seems to draw as much inspiration for his music from Jack Kerouac as Jesus Christ.  I am not big on Kerouac, made it through On the Road 10 years ago with teeth grit, but I thought it was an interesting combination, and I'm tempted to give him another shot now.  So Mallonee was a really nice guy and a very cool way to see him play music, which both Emma and I very much enjoyed.

Some stories I recently read by Portland friends -

K Bird Lincoln's Her Own Skin at Electric Spec tells the eerie inside story of a faceless Noppera-bo.

Mischa DeNola's This Good Wife, Unlocked at Susurrus has striking imagery and use of time.

Camille Alexa's Flaming Marshmallow and Other Deaths at Escape Pod takes if-you-could-predict-your-death to its natural conclusion - cliques.


Okay, not a Portland person at all, but I've really been digging Ann Leckie's stories of interesting religions and gods. Marsh Gods at Strange Horizons.

Inspired by arcadia's recent post about literary executors, prompted by the problems that Andre Norton's estate is having, I point American writers to Neil Gaiman's blog.

Really. It should be easy, even if you're a wannabe writer.

YAY! I have use of my left hand back!

But I guess I'll give you guys a quote, too :P

"I like to write when I feel spiteful; it's like having a good sneeze."
~ D. H. Lawrence

Do you ever write about people who annoyed the #$%& out of you in your work? I know I do! I can't wait to write a book with a woman working in the wedding business (bridezillas suck!).

And, you know, did you hit your 750? (Or more--I'm talking to YOU: people who missed the weekend!)

genx_xslacker
For everyone born between 1965 and 1976, your commnunity is here.

localgrr
The home of Local Girl's Day in Pictures.

oh_my_tatt
A place for showing off and discussing tattoos.

Much rejoicing abounds. They sent Grandma home at 6:00 tonight. I just talked to her on the phone and she sounds great. She said that it’s so much more comfortable being there than in the hospital.

Mom said that Grandma walked into the house under her own power with just a little bit of steadying help. This includes going up three steps, so that’s a great thing. I’m spending the night there tomorrow and Wednesday nights.

• 22:19 I’m sitting in the hospital with Grandma. The room is dark. I am sleepy. #

In a moment of personal triumph, I’ve just managed to get my 14 year old nephew to give me a story critique ala OSC’s wise reader model.

He went through my revision of “American Changeling” and let me know what he found dull, unbelievable, or didn’t get. And which bits he thought were cool.

Score!

Granted, it was not a particularly detailed response, but it was his first critique and I’m pleased as Punch that he did it. Even better, he liked the ending and told me why. I am a very happy aunt right now.

Firefly is awesome (yeah, I'm late to the party :=) )

I'm sitting on two pieces of friends-related good news that I just want to share with people--unfortunately, one of them is still super-sekrit at this point :)

The other isn't, so go congratulate tlmorganfield on selling her alt-history piece to her favourite mag (Paradox).

Thank you for all the kind and inspiring and thrilling and occasionally defensive -- and in one case oddly belligerent -- email.

I thought this went without saying but here it is: it may not be necessarily a good idea to become a great writer.

If you don't think it is a good idea for you, don't try it.