Barbara Hambly's Blog, page 17
July 7, 2013
Back to Real Life and quiet work. Mr. ATT has come and go...
Back to Real Life and quiet work. Mr. ATT has come and gone, and I've got the fiber-optic U-Verse system now... despite the fact that the salesman completely misrepresented to me what I was getting (several features which he assured me were part of it are in fact... not). (Now I'm waiting to see if the "free gift" for signing up is bullshit, too.)
In any case, it does the thing for which I switched over to the system: nice lightning-fast download speed, which the old DSL line, after 13 or 14 years, simply wasn't giving me.
So I get to very slowly and carefully replace the furniture I moved to clear a path for the install - slowly and carefully because I pulled a muscle in my back while setting up the tent for the July 4 cook-out. (I sat back and let my guests provide their own party, which they did quite well - they know the drill. And fortunately, my nephew's sweetheart is a trained chef who has managed restaurant kitchens, so she was fine to take over organizing things.)
The cats of course were in a tizzy when they came out of lock-down and found the furniture all disarrayed and the bookshelf in the hall down: "What the frak is this? It's all different!" First the new Memory-Foam mattress and now this!
So it's a day of laundry, putting books back on shelves, and Actual Work: Ben January #13, a book I got the idea for 2 years ago at a conference in New Orleans and have been itching to start on ever since. (And it better go quick, because once school starts again things are going to be pretty intense).
In any case, it does the thing for which I switched over to the system: nice lightning-fast download speed, which the old DSL line, after 13 or 14 years, simply wasn't giving me.
So I get to very slowly and carefully replace the furniture I moved to clear a path for the install - slowly and carefully because I pulled a muscle in my back while setting up the tent for the July 4 cook-out. (I sat back and let my guests provide their own party, which they did quite well - they know the drill. And fortunately, my nephew's sweetheart is a trained chef who has managed restaurant kitchens, so she was fine to take over organizing things.)
The cats of course were in a tizzy when they came out of lock-down and found the furniture all disarrayed and the bookshelf in the hall down: "What the frak is this? It's all different!" First the new Memory-Foam mattress and now this!
So it's a day of laundry, putting books back on shelves, and Actual Work: Ben January #13, a book I got the idea for 2 years ago at a conference in New Orleans and have been itching to start on ever since. (And it better go quick, because once school starts again things are going to be pretty intense).
July 3, 2013
Yipe, my apologies! I didn't realize it had been so l...
Yipe, my apologies! I didn't realize it had been so long since I'd posted.
The last part of the semester was wrapped up in trying to finish "Kindred of Darkness," Asher/Ysidro #5, and to get started on the next Ben January book (and to do two stories for the website...). With family coming into town for our annual reunion things sort of got away from me.
Other than having way too much work to do, I also started taking drawing classes. It's wonderful to be working from a model again: I haven't done this kind of drawing for many years. I'm a fairly good amateur, but I remember making the conscious decision, Did I want to devote my time and energy to writing, or to art? I chose writing, but the art has always been in the background. Now that I have the opportunity to study with a phenomenal teacher, I'm doing so... not the way I'd do if I planned to make this my profession, or even my first priority. But, I'd like to be a really good artist, and I know I have it in me.
I'll try to be better about posting here as well as the little update squibs I've done on Facebook. It's so wonderful simply to be getting enough sleep, which makes me feel much more like myself.
The last part of the semester was wrapped up in trying to finish "Kindred of Darkness," Asher/Ysidro #5, and to get started on the next Ben January book (and to do two stories for the website...). With family coming into town for our annual reunion things sort of got away from me.
Other than having way too much work to do, I also started taking drawing classes. It's wonderful to be working from a model again: I haven't done this kind of drawing for many years. I'm a fairly good amateur, but I remember making the conscious decision, Did I want to devote my time and energy to writing, or to art? I chose writing, but the art has always been in the background. Now that I have the opportunity to study with a phenomenal teacher, I'm doing so... not the way I'd do if I planned to make this my profession, or even my first priority. But, I'd like to be a really good artist, and I know I have it in me.
I'll try to be better about posting here as well as the little update squibs I've done on Facebook. It's so wonderful simply to be getting enough sleep, which makes me feel much more like myself.
June 3, 2013
And the votes are in!Every time I teach either Western Ci...
And the votes are in!
Every time I teach either Western Civ or WOrld History, I conclude the Final with an extra-credit question (and they pretty much ALL need extra credit): Who were the five most influential people in history (stone age to Protestant Reformation, essentially), and WHY.
This semester was World History, so the field of nominees was much broader.
The winner was Christopher Columbus, with fourteen votes.
Alexander the Great got 13 (I guess my lecture about him and his multicultural empire really impresses people).
Muhammad came in third, with 11, a nose ahead of Julius Caesar's 10.
Martin Luther and Jesus Christ tied with 6 apiece (there was a strong Muslim contingent in the class this semester).
Buddha racked up 4 votes: Genjis Khan, Socrates, Amerigo Vespucci (of all people!) and Hammurabi all got 3.
Other nominees included Cyrus the Great (from the Iranian contingent mentioned above), Homer, Charlemagne and his grandpa Charles Martel, Joan of Arc, Confucius, Cleopatra, Shi Huang Ti (first emperor of China), Abu Bakr (Muhammad's successor who began the expansion of Islam), emperors Chandragupta and Ashoka of India, Cleopatra, Elizabeth the I of England, Catherine of Aragon (yes, Henry VIII's 1st wife!), Akhenaten, and Augustus Caesar (whom it sounds like someone mixed up with Constantine).
Gang votes went to the Phoenicians, the Mayans, the emperors of the Ming Dynasty (?!?), the "politique" rulers of the 16th century who put religious compromise over religious warfare (and frequently got assassinated by the pious for their pains), and "all the popes." (For being corrupt and sinful and thus spurring changes in Christianity).
Sort of tells me what people are actually getting out of the class.
Exams were last Wednesday; commencement is this Wednesday. I nailed two plagiarists on the research papers. I am ASTOUNDED at how much better I already feel, having had five days of (more or less) rest. I look forward to a peaceful summer.
Every time I teach either Western Civ or WOrld History, I conclude the Final with an extra-credit question (and they pretty much ALL need extra credit): Who were the five most influential people in history (stone age to Protestant Reformation, essentially), and WHY.
This semester was World History, so the field of nominees was much broader.
The winner was Christopher Columbus, with fourteen votes.
Alexander the Great got 13 (I guess my lecture about him and his multicultural empire really impresses people).
Muhammad came in third, with 11, a nose ahead of Julius Caesar's 10.
Martin Luther and Jesus Christ tied with 6 apiece (there was a strong Muslim contingent in the class this semester).
Buddha racked up 4 votes: Genjis Khan, Socrates, Amerigo Vespucci (of all people!) and Hammurabi all got 3.
Other nominees included Cyrus the Great (from the Iranian contingent mentioned above), Homer, Charlemagne and his grandpa Charles Martel, Joan of Arc, Confucius, Cleopatra, Shi Huang Ti (first emperor of China), Abu Bakr (Muhammad's successor who began the expansion of Islam), emperors Chandragupta and Ashoka of India, Cleopatra, Elizabeth the I of England, Catherine of Aragon (yes, Henry VIII's 1st wife!), Akhenaten, and Augustus Caesar (whom it sounds like someone mixed up with Constantine).
Gang votes went to the Phoenicians, the Mayans, the emperors of the Ming Dynasty (?!?), the "politique" rulers of the 16th century who put religious compromise over religious warfare (and frequently got assassinated by the pious for their pains), and "all the popes." (For being corrupt and sinful and thus spurring changes in Christianity).
Sort of tells me what people are actually getting out of the class.
Exams were last Wednesday; commencement is this Wednesday. I nailed two plagiarists on the research papers. I am ASTOUNDED at how much better I already feel, having had five days of (more or less) rest. I look forward to a peaceful summer.
May 19, 2013
New Further Adventures!
And they're up!
Sitemistress Deb informs me that "Shadowbaby" and "Nanya of the Butterflies" are now available on www.barbarahambly.com in the "Further Adventures Of..." section of the website.
"Shadowbaby" is John Aversin attempting to defend a changeling child accused of murder, before the fae-folk slaughter everyone in the Winterlands in vengeance.
"Nanya of the Butterflies" is Sun Wolf and Starhawk dealing with the handsome dragonslayer who wants to throw his very unsatisfactory rescued princess back to the dragon.
Each story is about 14,000 words (about 24 pages single-spaced), available in all digital formats and pdf; $5 a download.
Thank you for your hard work, Deb!
Sitemistress Deb informs me that "Shadowbaby" and "Nanya of the Butterflies" are now available on www.barbarahambly.com in the "Further Adventures Of..." section of the website.
"Shadowbaby" is John Aversin attempting to defend a changeling child accused of murder, before the fae-folk slaughter everyone in the Winterlands in vengeance.
"Nanya of the Butterflies" is Sun Wolf and Starhawk dealing with the handsome dragonslayer who wants to throw his very unsatisfactory rescued princess back to the dragon.
Each story is about 14,000 words (about 24 pages single-spaced), available in all digital formats and pdf; $5 a download.
Thank you for your hard work, Deb!
May 16, 2013
Whoo! Just sent off the two short stories to Sitemistress...
Whoo! Just sent off the two short stories to Sitemistress Deb, and they should be on the website by the first of next week. (Believe me, I'll make big announcements when they appear!)
They're both puzzle-stories, novella-length.
"Shadowbaby" is John Aversin trying to unravel a murder of which a changeling is accused, before the fae-folk take vengeance on everyone in the Winterlands.
"Nanya of the Butterflies" is Sun Wolf and Starhawk dealing with a handsome dragon-slayer who is so totally dissatisfied with the princess whose hand he has won that he's trying to throw her back to the dragon.
Like the others, $5 apiece in all formats.
My apologies for the sporadic appearances here lately. It's been a hell of a difficult semester, and I figured most people would rather I was working on stories (and on the latest Asher/Ysidro novel) in my spare time, rather than trolling around the Net. I've been keeping up with Facebook, and that's about it.
In summer I'll have a bit more time.
They're both puzzle-stories, novella-length.
"Shadowbaby" is John Aversin trying to unravel a murder of which a changeling is accused, before the fae-folk take vengeance on everyone in the Winterlands.
"Nanya of the Butterflies" is Sun Wolf and Starhawk dealing with a handsome dragon-slayer who is so totally dissatisfied with the princess whose hand he has won that he's trying to throw her back to the dragon.
Like the others, $5 apiece in all formats.
My apologies for the sporadic appearances here lately. It's been a hell of a difficult semester, and I figured most people would rather I was working on stories (and on the latest Asher/Ysidro novel) in my spare time, rather than trolling around the Net. I've been keeping up with Facebook, and that's about it.
In summer I'll have a bit more time.
March 24, 2013
Just got back from seeing "Oz the Great and Powerful...
Just got back from seeing "Oz the Great and Powerful." As an Oz fan, I was disappointed. As a moviegoer, I was vexed and annoyed. Annoyed by the way the director kept shoving "This is a 3-D movie!" shots up the viewer's nose - I'm sure there are ways to set up those deep-field shots without REALLY clumsy on-screen composition, but the director (or is it the cinematographer?) didn't use them. I avoid 3-D films because I'm easily prone to motion sickness, and the "throw-things-at-the-screen" approach makes for some truly awkward shots. (And I feel that the art director was WAY too impressed with the art direction, lingering for AGES on the over-saturated colorful scenery - a plus, I suppose, if one has only twenty minutes or so of story to tell).
Vexed (other than the young lady next to me who texted through the entire film) by the fact that of the six trailers, three were of "All humankind has been wiped off the Earth except for the hero who's come back to do whatever." I alternated between thinking "Didn't we just see this trailer?" and "Wasn't that the plot of a Dr. Who episode?"
I did, however, have a lovely afternoon having lunch with my friend. And if I hadn't seen Oz, I'd still be wanting to see it.
Exams to grade tonight.
Vexed (other than the young lady next to me who texted through the entire film) by the fact that of the six trailers, three were of "All humankind has been wiped off the Earth except for the hero who's come back to do whatever." I alternated between thinking "Didn't we just see this trailer?" and "Wasn't that the plot of a Dr. Who episode?"
I did, however, have a lovely afternoon having lunch with my friend. And if I hadn't seen Oz, I'd still be wanting to see it.
Exams to grade tonight.
March 23, 2013
One of my earliest memories is from when I was a very sma...
One of my earliest memories is from when I was a very small child, when my parents lived in a 30-foot house-trailer at the China Lake Naval Station out in the Mojave Desert. I'd always remembered being taken to someplace we called "The Bubbling Mud" - evidently some sort of geothermic activity: I recall picnic-tables and inadequate shade canopies, and the fascination of these big caldera (I didn't know the word 'caldera' at the time, of course - I was about 4) of, quite literally, bubbling mud.
It occurred to me to look this up on Google, and yes, there are mud volcanoes on the China Lake Naval Station, part of what's called the Coso Geothermic Field. It's a well-known area of geothermic activity. So now I have a mental slot to put this memory in: the Bubbling Mud was actually the mud volcanoes. Before the Internet - or TV documentaries, at that point, TV barely existed - I can imagine how fascinating this would have been to my parents, who were in their early to mid-twenties and had just come out from the East Coast.
It occurred to me to look this up on Google, and yes, there are mud volcanoes on the China Lake Naval Station, part of what's called the Coso Geothermic Field. It's a well-known area of geothermic activity. So now I have a mental slot to put this memory in: the Bubbling Mud was actually the mud volcanoes. Before the Internet - or TV documentaries, at that point, TV barely existed - I can imagine how fascinating this would have been to my parents, who were in their early to mid-twenties and had just come out from the East Coast.
March 15, 2013
A question for the group mind.A friend of mine in San Jos...
A question for the group mind.
A friend of mine in San Jose has a beautiful imitation Louis XV desk that I've coveted for years. It's large.
She's getting rid of it, and has offered it to me.
I live in Los Angeles, and don't have a lot of money.
Option 1 is to borrow my father's truck, drive up there, get it, and drive back here - all of which would have to be done at the beginning of summer vacation. (We would deal with the loading-unloading, and haulage into my study, as separate issues. A neighbor of mine is a contractor so I can get local assistance here).
What are other options? It's been a long time since I've driven a truck.
Any advice would be appreciated.
Thanks.
A friend of mine in San Jose has a beautiful imitation Louis XV desk that I've coveted for years. It's large.
She's getting rid of it, and has offered it to me.
I live in Los Angeles, and don't have a lot of money.
Option 1 is to borrow my father's truck, drive up there, get it, and drive back here - all of which would have to be done at the beginning of summer vacation. (We would deal with the loading-unloading, and haulage into my study, as separate issues. A neighbor of mine is a contractor so I can get local assistance here).
What are other options? It's been a long time since I've driven a truck.
Any advice would be appreciated.
Thanks.
March 13, 2013
Amazon Daily Deal Today, Wednesday, March 13 - Dragonsban...
Amazon Daily Deal Today, Wednesday, March 13 - Dragonsbane for $1.99 in e-book!
I'm delighted - I hope you will be, too. (Open Road Publishing takes VERY good care of me!)
http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html/ref=amb_link_356936422_1?ie=UTF8&docId=1000677541&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=left-1&pf_rd_r=0TNE4H3BZJHHAYWMKGT4&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=1449674382&pf_rd_i=3059207011
And because it's Wednesday March 13 today that also means that it's only 6 days til The Hobbit finally comes out on DVD and I can finally get to see it!
I'm delighted - I hope you will be, too. (Open Road Publishing takes VERY good care of me!)
http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html/ref=amb_link_356936422_1?ie=UTF8&docId=1000677541&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=left-1&pf_rd_r=0TNE4H3BZJHHAYWMKGT4&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=1449674382&pf_rd_i=3059207011
And because it's Wednesday March 13 today that also means that it's only 6 days til The Hobbit finally comes out on DVD and I can finally get to see it!
February 26, 2013
Yay for Book of the Day! Open Road Media (my digital publ...
Yay for Book of the Day! Open Road Media (my digital publishers) has just informed me that Ladies of Mandrigyn is Amazon's e-book of the day. $1.99 all day.
e:http://www.amazon.com/Ladies-Mandrigyn-Wolf-Starhawk-ebook/dp/B004TC14C8/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1361885320&sr=8-2&keywords=ladies+of+mandrigyn
e:http://www.amazon.com/Ladies-Mandrigyn-Wolf-Starhawk-ebook/dp/B004TC14C8/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1361885320&sr=8-2&keywords=ladies+of+mandrigyn
