Barbara Hambly's Blog, page 6
July 12, 2020
Yet another nice downprice deal from Open Road Media. Mon...
Yet another nice downprice deal from Open Road Media. Monday, July 15 (the day all your taxes are due!), the Rainbow Abyss - Book one of Sun-Cross, my Magic Nazis duology - downpriced in US and Canada (digitally) to $1.99. (I'm guessing they'll have Book Two, The Magicians of Night, on a similar deal in the near future).
An odd and difficult book to write at the time, due to editorial issues, but one of which I'm now fond.(Sun-Cross was originally going to be one huge cinderblock of an epic, but, as I said, editorial issues...)
In other news, it's still frying hot here, and I'm staying sheltered and doing well. When I take walks early in the morning, I see LOTS of my neighbors out - and WAY more birds and squirrels than were around a year ago. I'm pushing hard to have my Fall Semester class materials switched over to an online format - it's the main reason I haven't done any Further Adventures tales for awhile. I will return to those when things get a bit more squared away. Right now, all I want to do is sleep.
An odd and difficult book to write at the time, due to editorial issues, but one of which I'm now fond.(Sun-Cross was originally going to be one huge cinderblock of an epic, but, as I said, editorial issues...)
In other news, it's still frying hot here, and I'm staying sheltered and doing well. When I take walks early in the morning, I see LOTS of my neighbors out - and WAY more birds and squirrels than were around a year ago. I'm pushing hard to have my Fall Semester class materials switched over to an online format - it's the main reason I haven't done any Further Adventures tales for awhile. I will return to those when things get a bit more squared away. Right now, all I want to do is sleep.
July 10, 2020
Still fumfering around with FB. Still getting re-directed...
Still fumfering around with FB. Still getting re-directed to the page advertising FB Marketing, and being told that I'm not authorized to post on my page, even though I've been invited REPEATEDLY to be a partner on the page.
Open Road Digital Media is having a special on the third of George's Budayeen trilogy, The Exile Kiss, Monday, July 13 - downpriced to $1.99, US and Canada, one day only. I met him just after this was published. He always said there would be a fourth, and he and I worked out an outline for it, but by that time his illness had advanced to the point that he wasn't able to write consistently.
In other news, it's frying hot here and I've done my allotted school-prep for the day, and can now go back to work on Real Work. The cats are doing their imitation of Dali's Persistence of Memory.
Open Road Digital Media is having a special on the third of George's Budayeen trilogy, The Exile Kiss, Monday, July 13 - downpriced to $1.99, US and Canada, one day only. I met him just after this was published. He always said there would be a fourth, and he and I worked out an outline for it, but by that time his illness had advanced to the point that he wasn't able to write consistently.
In other news, it's frying hot here and I've done my allotted school-prep for the day, and can now go back to work on Real Work. The cats are doing their imitation of Dali's Persistence of Memory.
July 4, 2020
On the 7th of July - Tuesday - (as another way of celebra...
On the 7th of July - Tuesday - (as another way of celebrating Ringo Starr's 80th birthday, I guess...)
Open Road Media will have a promotional deal for two of George Alec Effinger's best short stories: Target, Berlin (the silliest and most absurd of his silly and absurd period in the '70s) and The Aliens Who Knew, I Mean, Everything. These will be available in the US and Canada, Tuesday July 7 only, FOR FREE!
In other news, I hope everyone is staying safe out there. It's hot here, so this evening I get to sit with all the doors and windows open, listening to my neighbors fire off fireworks in the streets - which beats hell out of my former neighborhood, in which you could hear the sustained rolling artillery-fire from across the 405 Freeway in Inglewood until far, far into the night.
Open Road Media will have a promotional deal for two of George Alec Effinger's best short stories: Target, Berlin (the silliest and most absurd of his silly and absurd period in the '70s) and The Aliens Who Knew, I Mean, Everything. These will be available in the US and Canada, Tuesday July 7 only, FOR FREE!
In other news, I hope everyone is staying safe out there. It's hot here, so this evening I get to sit with all the doors and windows open, listening to my neighbors fire off fireworks in the streets - which beats hell out of my former neighborhood, in which you could hear the sustained rolling artillery-fire from across the 405 Freeway in Inglewood until far, far into the night.
July 1, 2020
Well, some nice news! What will probably be the last nove...
Well, some nice news! What will probably be the last novel of the Asher & Ysidro Vampire series, "Prisoner of Midnight," (though I will continue the series in the form of novelettes on Amazon) is one of the finalists for the Locus Horror Awards. Fingers crossed... though I never do seem to win awards.
Still thrashing around with FaceBook, and having computer experts muttering, "Gosh, that shouldn't be happening..."
Still thrashing around with FaceBook, and having computer experts muttering, "Gosh, that shouldn't be happening..."
June 25, 2020
George's book, "When Gravity Fails" (one of his absolute ...
George's book, "When Gravity Fails" (one of his absolute best) will be on-sale through Open Road Media (digital) tomorrow, Friday, June 27, US and Canada, $1.99. VERY film noir - and of course the nameless Islamic City where it takes place is clearly New Orleans with the serial-numbers filed off; so much of the fun of that series lies in the weird little side-characters, the evocation of place and atmosphere.
My agent alerted me to a VERY nice review of "Fever Season," the second of my Benjamin January series (which I hope can be reached through this link... https://www.google.com/url?rct=j&sa=t&url=https://www.patheos.com/blogs/evetushnet/2020/06/the-empty-tomb-of-the-past-three-short-book-reviews.html&ct=ga&cd=CAEYACoUMTU4NjQ1NDQ4NTY0OTUxNTQ1OTUyGjEzMDc5MDc4MWNiNmE0ZWQ6Y29tOmVuOlVT&usg=AFQjCNEkQW2RZYGUX7iq3T2Kh_RJvCx1Kw
Ouch! The review is of three books, "Fever Season" is the middle one.
All is well here, though the Facebook issue remains frustrating: it continues to re-direct me to the Facebook for Business Advertising site (with no link for log-in to my page), even after I got a new e-mail address FROM A NEW BROWSER. And in fact, it does so when I try to sign in from a different computer. And, from the new e-mail address, the link continues to think that I'm trying to sign in from my OLD e-mail address. I've reached a point of bursting into tears at the thought of dealing with FB, though that may be a blood sugar issue. Other than that, all is well.
My agent alerted me to a VERY nice review of "Fever Season," the second of my Benjamin January series (which I hope can be reached through this link... https://www.google.com/url?rct=j&sa=t&url=https://www.patheos.com/blogs/evetushnet/2020/06/the-empty-tomb-of-the-past-three-short-book-reviews.html&ct=ga&cd=CAEYACoUMTU4NjQ1NDQ4NTY0OTUxNTQ1OTUyGjEzMDc5MDc4MWNiNmE0ZWQ6Y29tOmVuOlVT&usg=AFQjCNEkQW2RZYGUX7iq3T2Kh_RJvCx1Kw
Ouch! The review is of three books, "Fever Season" is the middle one.
All is well here, though the Facebook issue remains frustrating: it continues to re-direct me to the Facebook for Business Advertising site (with no link for log-in to my page), even after I got a new e-mail address FROM A NEW BROWSER. And in fact, it does so when I try to sign in from a different computer. And, from the new e-mail address, the link continues to think that I'm trying to sign in from my OLD e-mail address. I've reached a point of bursting into tears at the thought of dealing with FB, though that may be a blood sugar issue. Other than that, all is well.
June 21, 2020
Wednesday, June 24, Open Road Media will offer "Traveling...
Wednesday, June 24, Open Road Media will offer "Traveling With the Dead" (the second of the Asher/Ysidro vampire series - and my favorite of the series), US and Canada, $1.99 (digital).
And, I can now be found on Dreamwidth (copying my entries here), at 88barbara_hambly88 (except that I haven't figured out the "insert picture" function). Still fumfering around with FaceBook, which has reached a point where even the mention of yet another round of trying to deal with them brings on bouts of uncontrollable tears (though that could be a blood sugar issue).
Otherwise, all is well.
Stay safe!
And, I can now be found on Dreamwidth (copying my entries here), at 88barbara_hambly88 (except that I haven't figured out the "insert picture" function). Still fumfering around with FaceBook, which has reached a point where even the mention of yet another round of trying to deal with them brings on bouts of uncontrollable tears (though that could be a blood sugar issue).
Otherwise, all is well.
Stay safe!
June 20, 2020
Heard yesterday of the passing of one of the great charac...
Heard yesterday of the passing of one of the great character-actors of all time, Ian Holm. It's a distinction - in my mind at least - that he played the same character in four different films, and then another, same character, in three. We all know he made a wonderful Bilbo Baggins - the only person to give up the One Ring of his own accord; he also made a dandy Napoleon on several different occasions.
I'm not sure if this string of characters is going to result in a pic from the first time I saw him on film, or not.
I'm not sure if this string of characters is going to result in a pic from the first time I saw him on film, or not.
June 16, 2020
Thursday, June 18, George's book "The Nick of Time" will ...
Thursday, June 18, George's book "The Nick of Time" will be downpriced from Open Road Media: $1.99, US and Canada. One of George's funniest, and cleverest, time-travel books - George at his best.
George seemed to have two "periods" in his writing. This is from the earlier phase: light, clever, playing with ideas (I can't remember whether or not this is the one where they wrapped the Moon in duct-tape in order to crash it into the Earth...). The later phase - When Gravity Fails and its sequels - is darker and richer, with deeper characterization. When he was good, he was brilliant.
Still struggling with Facebook here, and trying to carve out time to start up a Dreamwidth account. Anyone who has insight about Instagram, please share.
George seemed to have two "periods" in his writing. This is from the earlier phase: light, clever, playing with ideas (I can't remember whether or not this is the one where they wrapped the Moon in duct-tape in order to crash it into the Earth...). The later phase - When Gravity Fails and its sequels - is darker and richer, with deeper characterization. When he was good, he was brilliant.
Still struggling with Facebook here, and trying to carve out time to start up a Dreamwidth account. Anyone who has insight about Instagram, please share.
June 11, 2020
At the end of this week, I will have my first anniversary...
At the end of this week, I will have my first anniversary in my new home. It is flaming damn hot and the cats are all doing their imitation of Dali's The Persistence of Memory. I am just taking a break between adding up everybody's grade, and posting them.
Back in March - the day of the first exam in History-1 - I came home to the news that the school was closing and I'd have to finish teaching the class as an online course, news that must have dismayed my students even more than it did me - some of them have VERY sketchy wi-fi at their places of residence (and some, I suspect, had none at all. I know one poor fellow was doing his assignments at his job). What it meant for me was, recording all the rest of my lectures as 20-minute podcasts, and posting amplified versions of all my PowerPoint presentations, and VERY QUICKLY coming up with alternate forms of exams and "online discussions"... all this while working on the rough draft for the first book of what I hope will be the new mystery series. (The setting will be 1920s Hollywood, a time and place I've long wanted to return to, though this is a mystery series, not fantasy. I'm keeping fairly quiet about it until it's more in shape, but that's what I've been working on. The working title of what I hope will be the first book is Scandal in Babylon, though that may change.) (Some of you may have seen that the vampire series has migrated over to Further Adventures novelettes, with "Gravemould and Ectoplasm," and I will continue it in that form.) (Other interesting stuff is stirring around also). (Interesting to me, at any rate).
In any case, I am now in an over-the-top mid-century modern tract-home, with glass walls and a kitchen the size of Nebraska, and get to spend the summer a) scripting the lectures that I will be delivering when I teach live-streaming on-line via Zoom in Fall Semester and b) researching Hollywood in the '20s some more.
And, c), engaged in the long and frustrating fumfering with my Facebook Business Account (i.e. "Barbara Hambly, Writer") which inexplicably decided not to let me onto my page anymore. (And no, the problem isn't cookies. We checked that.)
I have been advised to get an Instagram account - does anyone have experience with that they can share? I gather it's mostly pictures?
I will try to be better about posting.
Back in March - the day of the first exam in History-1 - I came home to the news that the school was closing and I'd have to finish teaching the class as an online course, news that must have dismayed my students even more than it did me - some of them have VERY sketchy wi-fi at their places of residence (and some, I suspect, had none at all. I know one poor fellow was doing his assignments at his job). What it meant for me was, recording all the rest of my lectures as 20-minute podcasts, and posting amplified versions of all my PowerPoint presentations, and VERY QUICKLY coming up with alternate forms of exams and "online discussions"... all this while working on the rough draft for the first book of what I hope will be the new mystery series. (The setting will be 1920s Hollywood, a time and place I've long wanted to return to, though this is a mystery series, not fantasy. I'm keeping fairly quiet about it until it's more in shape, but that's what I've been working on. The working title of what I hope will be the first book is Scandal in Babylon, though that may change.) (Some of you may have seen that the vampire series has migrated over to Further Adventures novelettes, with "Gravemould and Ectoplasm," and I will continue it in that form.) (Other interesting stuff is stirring around also). (Interesting to me, at any rate).
In any case, I am now in an over-the-top mid-century modern tract-home, with glass walls and a kitchen the size of Nebraska, and get to spend the summer a) scripting the lectures that I will be delivering when I teach live-streaming on-line via Zoom in Fall Semester and b) researching Hollywood in the '20s some more.
And, c), engaged in the long and frustrating fumfering with my Facebook Business Account (i.e. "Barbara Hambly, Writer") which inexplicably decided not to let me onto my page anymore. (And no, the problem isn't cookies. We checked that.)
I have been advised to get an Instagram account - does anyone have experience with that they can share? I gather it's mostly pictures?
I will try to be better about posting.
June 6, 2020
Whew!
MAJOR stupidness about social media. For the time being, this will return to being my regular social media site. Facebook, for its own reasons, decided not to let me onto my own FB site, which was opened for me - and is still being managed for me - by the EXCELLENT and helpful folk at Open Road Media, who handle my digital backlist. But, the page has decided not to let me on - and when I try to sign on through Google or a browser, simply redirects me to their advertising page, with no option to log-in.
I will (as I have often promised in the past) try to be better about posting here more regularly. A couple of years ago I was stalked on FB, and became much more reticent about posting there or anywhere else.
So here I am - I have no idea how many of you faithful friends still deal with LJ, but at least it's something.
MANY thanks!
I will (as I have often promised in the past) try to be better about posting here more regularly. A couple of years ago I was stalked on FB, and became much more reticent about posting there or anywhere else.
So here I am - I have no idea how many of you faithful friends still deal with LJ, but at least it's something.
MANY thanks!
