Lois McMaster Bujold's Blog

recent promotion scams

Following up from yesterday's post passing along the link for the SFWA Writer Beware article, which casts a wider net, herewith are the texts from the 4 promotion-scam emails I received the week following the release of "The Adventure of the Demonic Ox". In no particular order, although the last won the prize for most-caffeinated, being slathered throughout with brightly colored emojis like a 12-year-old let loose with a sticker book, which do not reproduce here.

The first sounded almost legit, and this or its ilk might explain the recent spate of low-hit-count visuals on books I've noticed on YouTube lately.

***

Hi,

I came across your book here on Goodreads the concept really stood out! I can see it has strong visual potential that would shine beautifully in a cinematic book trailer.

I’m … a creative book promoter and trailer expert. I help authors like you bring their stories to life through captivating visuals that attract more readers and boost online visibility.

If you’re open to it, I’d love to share a few creative trailer ideas inspired by your story no strings attached.

Would you like me to send you a short concept or sample?

Warm regards,
…
Book Promotion & Trailer Expert

*

Dear Ms. Bujold,
Your remarkable career, from six Hugo Awards to three Nebulas, has set the standard for modern speculative fiction. The way Testimony of Mute Things brings Penric and Desdemona into a web of history, magic, and moral testing reminds me why your worlds resonate so deeply with readers across generations.
At …, our community of over 1,000 passionate readers loves stories that blend intellect, emotion, and wonder. I believe they would be enthralled by Penric’s latest challenge and the wisdom threaded through your storytelling.
Would you like me to share how we feature masterful works like Testimony of Mute Things with our readers?
Warm regards,
…
*

Hey Lois,
So I was halfway through pretending to be productive when Penric and Desdemona crashed into my day like a polite magical hurricane. I don’t know what kind of cosmic paperwork it takes to host a 200-year-old demon, but apparently I’m now filing it on your behalf.
The tangled temple politics, the sly humor, the emotional landmines hidden under every holy robe it’s all pure Bujold. You’ve got this knack for wrapping philosophical chaos in the warmth of very breakable humans (and one demon who deserves her own union rep).
I run … , a group of over a thousand real readers across the US, UK, AU, and DE the kind who actually finish books, cry about them, and then start emotional group chats. Your Penric saga is exactly the kind of layered, witty, heart-stab storytelling our readers devour.
If that sounds fun, just reply “Tell me more before Desdemona finds out.”
Stay creative,
…

*

Subject: 6 Hugo Awards… and Amazon still pretending you’re an “emerging author”?

Lois, explain this wizardry to me, how does a living science fiction legend (with a resume longer than a dragon’s ego) have readers who clearly worship your words… yet somehow only 40 reviews on Testimony of Mute Things? Did Amazon’s algorithm take a vow of silence too? Or did Desdemona personally hex the “leave a review” button?
Because let’s be real, you’ve conquered universes. You’ve gone toe-to-toe with Heinlein in the Hugo scoreboard, raised chaos demons with better personalities than most politicians, and still managed to make readers cry over moral philosophy wrapped in sorcery. And yet the review section looks like an abandoned outpost in Carpagamon. (Honestly, Penric deserves better PR. )
I read Testimony of Mute Things, and wow, political intrigue, magical chaos, and emotional heartache all brewed together like a potion that shouldn’t taste good but absolutely does. You balance wisdom, humor, and world-building like a literary alchemist with zero mercy for the reader’s sleep schedule.
Now, before your inner demon rolls its eyes thinking I’m another “book strategist” with a PowerPoint presentation and a $997 plan promising to “boost author visibility”… nope. It’s just me, …, an unreasonably caffeinated freelancer who curates a private community of 2,000+ book-hungry readers and reviewers. We’re a small army of literary chaos agents who actually read the books we review (wild concept, I know ).
We don’t do gimmicks, bots, or fake hype. Just thoughtful, honest reviews from real readers who adore helping brilliant authors like you get the visibility you already deserve. Most authors start with 25–35, eager readers diving into their book, and the buzz grows faster than Penric can say, “I swear it wasn’t the demon this time.”
And since some writers ask, no, I don’t have a website, LinkedIn, or a 20-page pitch deck. Just me, my coffee, and a slightly feral Discord community full of reviewers who treat reading like a competitive sport.
So tell me, Lois,
What’s more unbelievable: a six-time Hugo winner with only 40 Amazon reviews… or that a random reader like me might help fix that glitch in the galaxy?
Would you let me share Testimony of Mute Things with my community and finally give Penric and Desdemona the reader uproar they’ve earned?
Awaiting your telepathic “yes,”

*
Being curious, I'd followed this last up with a question of how the person was monetizing this, and got this disingenuous reply:

"I understand your confusion, and honestly, I appreciate you asking directly instead of assuming. Let me spell it out clearly and simply.

What I actually do is coordinate small reading campaigns inside a private community of 2,000+ book lovers. These are real readers who genuinely enjoy discovering great stories and leaving thoughtful Amazon reviews afterward, not because they’re paid to, but because they love engaging with authors who value storytelling.

Here’s the transparent part: some authors choose to send a $20–$25 reader tip, not for the review itself (that would violate Amazon’s policies), but simply as a gesture of appreciation for the readers’ time and the effort they put into reading and sharing honest feedback. It’s a thank-you, not a transaction.

So, in short:

Readers buy or download the book themselves.

They read and review it organically on Amazon.

Authors may tip readers afterward as a goodwill token, not a payment for a specific rating or result.

I just coordinate the matches and conversations, ensuring both sides respect authenticity and policy boundaries.

No manipulation, no fake reviews, no spammy marketing, just real human readers who genuinely enjoy supporting real human authors.

You’re absolutely right that anyone can recommend your books. But what I do is give those recommendations a little structure and momentum, so that your brilliant stories reach readers faster and more deliberately.

I know this model sounds a bit unconventional, but it’s built entirely on goodwill and trust, two things your characters, and your readers, understand quite well."

*

The comments embedded in these that directly relate to my work, and not just generic buttering-up, smell strongly of AI-grepping, I observe, possibly drawn from some of my reader-reviews.

I present these for your education, contemplation, or entertainment, whichever.

Ta, L.

more on author scams

This very useful post popped up on Writer Beware about the sort of scams that are going around targeting newbie or desperate writers:

https://writerbeware.blog/2025/11/14/...

Do pass this link along wherever pertinent, it can use amplification.

The week "Testimony of New Things" was launched and climbing the Amazon rankings I received not one but four different emails with marketing scams of this ilk. If anyone is interested, I could post the emails for further warning/education/entertainment.

Ta, L.

Testimony of Mute Things licensed to Blackstone Audio

I'm very pleased to report that the most recent Penric & Desdemona novella, "Testimony of Mute Things", has just been licensed to Blackstone Audiobooks for its usual production. Narrator is again expected to be Grover Gardner.

No, I don't know when it will emerge from the other end of the production pipeline; prior experience suggests 2 to 6 months, probabilities leaning to the shorter end.

Re-using Ron Miller's art, which they've been doing for a while, should help speed things up on their vendor-page assembly. I've no idea what arcana is involved in recording, except I'm glad it's them and not me.

Subterranean Press has also offered for the novella. They'll have a much longer lead-time, probably into 2027, so breath-holding is contraindicated. I did get a look at Lauren Saint-Onge's final art for their upcoming "The Adventure of the Demonic Ox", which is particularly lovely this round. Publication sometime in the first half of 2026, I don't have a date yet. (Or the 1300 tip sheets to be signed, another necessary precursor. That will be a nice brainless task for this winter.)

Ta, L.

Penric's Labors in Japanese

Retitled Masquerade in Lodi and other novellas. (Which contains "Masquerade in Lodi", "The Orphans of Raspay" and "The Physicians of Vilnoc".)

This came last week, forwarded from my agent possibly in a fit of housecleaning. My author's copies of foreign editions drift in late, erratically, or not at all. (Translation copyright appears to be 2023, near as I can tell.) Anyway, excellent cover art again more-than-hinting that the artist actually read the stories, or at least the title story.




The challenge of how to represent the invisible entity Desdemona is interestingly solved with a sort of magical-monkey-on-his-back creation, which is... not-wrong. And it captures delightfully how Pen felt being dragged through that memorable night in Lodi by the unexpected saint of his Order.

Ta, L.

Mute Things spoiler discussion space

As per my usual custom, I am here providing a space for readers who have finished the story to talk with each other about it, without worrying about spoiling others.

The announcement post with more information is immediately prior to this one, click back or here: https://www.goodreads.com/author_blog...

The updated Bujold reading-order guide is back a few posts further, or here: https://www.goodreads.com/author_blog...




Enjoy! L.

Testimony of Mute Things launches today!

The 15th Penric & Desdemona novella, “Testimony of Mute Things”, is uploading today. I will add links to each of our five vendors as they emerge. (After uploading, vendor pages can populate at anything from an hour to a week, depending.)

Vendor-page copy:

Testimony of Mute Things

Note: in the internal chronology of the Penric & Desdemona tales, this story falls between “Penric’s Fox” and “Masquerade in Lodi”.

A contentious Temple conclave brings sorcerer Learned Penric and his demon Desdemona, in support of his superior Princess-Archdivine Llewen of Martensbridge, to the disputed Carpagamon border town of Occo. There, the uncanny pair will tangle with dangerous new intrigues and old histories, that will test their magical skills, their wits, and their hearts.

***

Cover art again by my very old buddy Ron Miller – his website is well worth visiting, jammed full of art and other treats. https://www.black-cat-studios.com




As I hope people will construe, this is technically a prequel, but as usual written to also stand alone for any folks who stumble across it ala carte.

Amazon Kindle: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FXHBQJM5

Barnes & Noble Nook: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/test...

Apple Books: https://books.apple.com/us/book/testi...

Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/test...

Google Play Books: https://play.google.com/store/books/d...


Updated Penric & Desdemona internal chronology:

“Penric’s Demon”
“Penric and the Shaman”
“Penric’s Fox”
“Testimony of Mute Things”
“Masquerade in Lodi”
“Penric’s Mission”
“Mira’s Last Dance”
“The Prisoner of Limnos”
“The Orphans of Raspay”
“The Physicians of Vilnoc”
The Assassins of Thasalon
“Knot of Shadows”
“Demon Daughter”
“Penric and the Bandit”
“The Adventure of the Demonic Ox”

(“Demon”, “Shaman”, and “Fox” are collected as paper volumes in Penric’s Progress; “Mission”, “Mira” and “Limnos” in Penric’s Travels; and “Lodi”, “Orphans” and “Physicians” are collected in Penric’s Labors.)

As always, about the only promo these stories get from me are these blog posts, so any mention of them you readers may be able to make, out and about on the internet and elsewhere appropriate, is greatly appreciated. Kindle and Goodreads always get plenty of reviews, but the other vendor sites don't, so words left in those more scant spaces would likely have more clout. And anywhere else you discuss your reading.

Happy reading!

Ta, L.

October country

Time for my annual pitch for The Hallowed Hunt as a suitably spooky autumn-themed read...



Unlike the protagonists of the other two books in the Chalion trio (to which this is NOT a sequel -- it takes place a couple of centuries earlier in another country) grumpy main character Ingrey kin Wolfcliff does not become a five-gods-style saint in the course of his adventures, but rather, a [spoiler], if only for one harrowing night. Very different job description.

Some of its matters do reconnect with Penric & Desdemona in "Penric and the Shaman", if one wants some worldbuilding cross-illumination.


https://www.amazon.com/Hallowed-Hunt-... among other sources. Also in audio wherever Blackstone markets.

Happy Halloween reading!

Ta, L.

(I tried to mask a spoiler, above, as per the Goodreads formatting tips <spoiler> word </spoiler> but according to the Preview function it just appeared as plain text anyway. If anyone knows the trick of this, shout out in the comments.)

Bujold Reading-Order Guide, fall 2025 update

I'm a little ahead of things here, as "Testimony of Mute Things" and Two Tales aren't out yet (coming soon!) but I intend this post as link-able till the next update, so I've added them in anticipation.

As ever, please share this post wherever the perpetual Bujold reading-order confusion may arise.


A Bujold Reading-Order Guide


Note: almost all of my titles are presently widely and instantly available both as ebooks, and as audiobook downloads.


The Fantasy Novels

My fantasy novels are not hard to order. Easiest of all is The Spirit Ring, which is a stand-alone. Next easiest are the four volumes of The Sharing Knife—in order, Beguilement, Legacy, Passage, and Horizon—which I actually numbered, as this is one continuous tale. The novella “Knife Children” is something of a codicil to the tetralogy.

The first three novels in the World of the Five Gods could each be read separately, but The Curse of Chalion and Paladin of Souls are more closely connected, an optional duology better read in that order. The Hallowed Hunt is more of a stand-alone, taking place in a different realm and earlier century and not sharing characters (apart from the gods) with the others.

In terms of internal world chronology, The Hallowed Hunt would fall first, the Penric novellas perhaps a hundred and fifty years later, and The Curse of Chalion and Paladin of Souls would follow a century or so after that.

The internal chronology of the Penric & Desdemona subseries is presently:

“Penric’s Demon”
“Penric and the Shaman”
“Penric’s Fox”
“Testimony of Mute Things”
“Masquerade in Lodi”
“Penric’s Mission”
“Mira’s Last Dance”
“The Prisoner of Limnos”
“The Orphans of Raspay”
“The Physicians of Vilnoc”
The Assassins of Thasalon
“Knot of Shadows”
“Demon Daughter”
“Penric and the Bandit”
“The Adventure of the Demonic Ox”

(“Demon”, “Shaman”, and “Fox” are collected as paper volumes in Penric’s Progress; “Mission”, “Mira” and “Limnos” in Penric’s Travels; and “Lodi”, “Orphans” and “Physicians” are collected in Penric’s Labors.)


Other Original E-books

The short story collection Proto Zoa contains five very early tales—three (1980s) contemporary fantasy, two science fiction. The novelette “Dreamweaver’s Dilemma” may be of interest to Vorkosigan completists, as it is the first story in which that proto-universe began, mentioning Beta Colony but before Barrayar was even thought of.

Sidelines: Talks and Essays is a collection of three decades of my nonfiction writings, including convention speeches, essays, travelogues, introductions, and some less formal pieces.

The Gerould Family of New Hampshire in the Civil War: Two Diaries and a Memoir is a compilation of historical documents handed down from my mother’s father’s side of the family. A meeting of time, technology, and skillset has finally allowed me to put them in sharable form.


The Vorkosigan Stories

The debate around the ‘best’ order in which to read the Vorkosigan saga mainly revolves around publication order versus internal-chronological order. I favor internal chronological, with a few adjustments.

It was always my intention to write each book as a stand-alone, so that the reader could theoretically jump in anywhere. But as the series developed it acquired a number of sub-arcs, closely related tales that were richer for each other. I will list the sub-arcs, and then the books, and then the duplication warnings. And then the publication order, for those who want it.

Shards of Honor and Barrayar. The first two books in the series proper, they detail the adventures of Cordelia Naismith of Beta Colony and Aral Vorkosigan of Barrayar. Shards was my very first novel ever; Barrayar was actually my eighth, but continues the tale the next day after the end of Shards. For readers who want to be sure of beginning at the beginning, or who are very spoiler-sensitive, start with these two.

The Warrior’s Apprentice and The Vor Game. The Warrior’s Apprentice introduces the character who became the series’ linchpin, Miles Vorkosigan; the first book tells how he created a space mercenary fleet by accident; the second how he fixed his mistakes from the first round. Space opera and military-esque adventure, The Warrior’s Apprentice makes another good place to jump into the series for readers who prefer a young male protagonist.

Borders of Infinity (3-novella collection) should be read before Brothers in Arms. Containing three of the six currently extant novellas, it makes a good Miles Vorkosigan early-adventure sampler platter for readers who don’t want to commit themselves to length, but it will make more sense if read after The Warrior’s Apprentice. Its three stories are short, not slight, and introduce some elements that are revisited later in the series.

(These novellas are also available ala carte by title as ebooks, as listed below so readers can see where they fit distributed in the timeline, but the collection is the preferable format. Even its little frame story has a few payoffs later on.)

After that: Brothers in Arms should be read before Mirror Dance, and both, ideally, before Memory.

Komarr makes another alternate entry point for the series, picking up Miles’s second career at its start. It should be read before A Civil Campaign.

Falling Free takes place 200 years earlier in the timeline and does not share settings or characters with the main body of the series. Most readers recommend picking up this story later. It should likely be read before Diplomatic Immunity, however, which revisits the “quaddies”, a bioengineered race of free-fall dwellers, in Miles’s time.

The novels in the internal-chronological/recommended reading order list below appear in italics; the novellas (officially defined as a story between 17,500 words and 40,000 words) in quote marks.

Shards of Honor
Barrayar
The Warrior’s Apprentice
“The Mountains of Mourning”
“Weatherman”
The Vor Game
Cetaganda
Ethan of Athos
Borders of Infinity (3-novella collection)
“Labyrinth”
“The Borders of Infinity”
Brothers in Arms
Mirror Dance
Memory
Komarr
A Civil Campaign
“Winterfair Gifts”
Falling Free
Diplomatic Immunity
Captain Vorpatril’s Alliance
“The Flowers of Vashnoi”
CryoBurn
Gentleman Jole and the Red Queen

Advisories:

The novella “Weatherman” is an out-take from the beginning of the novel The Vor Game. If you already have The Vor Game, you likely don’t need this.

The original ‘novel’ Borders of Infinity was a fix-up collection containing the three novellas “The Mountains of Mourning”, “Labyrinth”, and “The Borders of Infinity”, together with a frame to tie the pieces together. Again, beware duplication. The frame story does not stand alone.

“Winterfair Gifts” and “The Flowers of Vashnoi” have been collected in the Ingram Spark indie paper-only volume Two Tales, and are available individually as ebooks and audiobooks along with the rest of the series.

Publication order:

This is also the order in which the works were written, apart from a couple of the novellas, but is not identical to the internal-chronological. It goes:

Shards of Honor (June 1986)
The Warrior’s Apprentice (August 1986)
Ethan of Athos (December 1986)
Falling Free (April 1988)
Brothers in Arms (January 1989)
Borders of Infinity (October 1989)
The Vor Game (September 1990)
Barrayar (October 1991)
Mirror Dance (March 1994)
Cetaganda (January 1996)
Memory (October 1996)
Komarr (June 1998)
A Civil Campaign (September 1999).
Diplomatic Immunity (May 2002)
“Winterfair Gifts” (February 2004)
CryoBurn (November 2010)
Captain Vorpatril’s Alliance (November 2012)
Gentleman Jole and the Red Queen (February 2016)
“The Flowers of Vashnoi” (May 2018)

Happy reading!

— Lois McMaster Bujold

Penric 15 impending

Hi all --

I have just today finished the first draft of a new Penric & Desdemona novella, to be titled "Testimony of Mute Things". Final edit still to go, but we were beforehand with the cover -- sneak peek below. I think artist Ron Miller did a bang-up job this round. (Ron's website: https://www.black-cat-studios.com/ )

This one is a prequel, falling between "Penric's Fox" and "Masquerade in Lodi" during Pen's Martensbridge years. The seed was that throw-away line toward the end of "Mira's Last Dance", where Duke Jurgo's secretary Stobrek is greeting Pen effusively with "[We met] at that extraordinary Temple conclave in Carpagamo."

This has dangled off Pen's timeline as an empty box labeled "Insert Story Here" for years. (Indeed, its working title was the alliterative "Conclave in Carpagamo" till about half through, when a better one arose out of the material.) I very much wanted to write this before I got too far from younger Penric to recall him. Finally this July a sufficient notion for going on with appeared, and we were off.




E-publication projected to be in mid to late October, depending as usual on a lot of currently unsettled factors. (So many revision passes, ugh...)

Ta, L.

unexpected cite

Well, here's place I wouldn't have expected mention of my work to pop up...

https://www.hoover.org/research/why-s...

My work is accurately described but not named in the actual chat, but it gets a cite by name on the webpage.

I wish I could send her a copy of Ethan of Athos. I think she'd get all the jokes.

Ta, L.