Lois McMaster Bujold's Blog, page 27
June 7, 2019
Flowers of Vashnoi reviewed in PW
Publishers Weekly is an important review mag not least because librarians use it as a guide to order books for their collections.
https://www.publishersweekly.com/978-...
Very nice!
I will be doing a book signing in honor of its hardcover publication at Uncle Hugo's Science Fiction Bookstore here in Minneapolis, on Saturday, Aug. 10th, at 1 PM. Hugo's will have signed copies in-store and for mail order as soon as they get copies after the July 31st publication date.
http://www.unclehugo.com/prod/index.s...
Ta, Lois
(A reminder or note for anyone just catching up, "The Flowers of Vashnoi" is a novella (i.e., not novel-length), first published last May as an indie e-book.)
https://www.publishersweekly.com/978-...
Very nice!
I will be doing a book signing in honor of its hardcover publication at Uncle Hugo's Science Fiction Bookstore here in Minneapolis, on Saturday, Aug. 10th, at 1 PM. Hugo's will have signed copies in-store and for mail order as soon as they get copies after the July 31st publication date.
http://www.unclehugo.com/prod/index.s...
Ta, Lois
(A reminder or note for anyone just catching up, "The Flowers of Vashnoi" is a novella (i.e., not novel-length), first published last May as an indie e-book.)
May 23, 2019
Knife Children in audio June 25
I see "Knife Children" has been scheduled by Blackstone-Downpour-Audible for release on June 25. The cover art doesn't show yet, but should pop up in due course.
https://www.downpour.com/knife-childr...
I actually was able to more-or-less audition the narrator this time around, a new experience for me suggested by my agent who had arranged similar things for a couple of other Spectrum authors. I'd wanted a male narrator for Barr -- in contrast to the original tetralogy which split male and female viewpoints half-and-half, and which had a female narrator. Blackstone sent us short audio samples of three potential readers, something only possible with new technologies; Tim Campbell, who turns out to be a Bujold fan, seemed to have the best grasp on the emotional tone of the story. We spoke on the phone later, and I was able to offer some pronunciations as requested. Should be good!
Ta, L.
Later: Aha! They seem to be using Ron Miller's cover. Good.
L.
https://www.downpour.com/knife-childr...
I actually was able to more-or-less audition the narrator this time around, a new experience for me suggested by my agent who had arranged similar things for a couple of other Spectrum authors. I'd wanted a male narrator for Barr -- in contrast to the original tetralogy which split male and female viewpoints half-and-half, and which had a female narrator. Blackstone sent us short audio samples of three potential readers, something only possible with new technologies; Tim Campbell, who turns out to be a Bujold fan, seemed to have the best grasp on the emotional tone of the story. We spoke on the phone later, and I was able to offer some pronunciations as requested. Should be good!
Ta, L.
Later: Aha! They seem to be using Ron Miller's cover. Good.
L.
May 7, 2019
interesting essay
Nice (in both senses) essay here by Aliette de Bodard on one of my long-time themes and meditations...
https://intellectusspeculativus.wordp...
Ta, L.
(The first third of Barrayar was written in 1983, the rest about 1990, so I've been thinking about this stuff for a while.)
https://intellectusspeculativus.wordp...
Ta, L.
(The first third of Barrayar was written in 1983, the rest about 1990, so I've been thinking about this stuff for a while.)
April 27, 2019
fresh VK reprints in Spanish
The Vorkosigan books are getting a new lease on life in Spanish. Spain was one of the first foreign countries to translate my work, back as far, iirc, as the late 80s.
Only a couple of my author's copies have drifted through so far, but you can see a whole array of the new covers on Amazon Spain, well worth a click-through --
https://www.amazon.es/s?k=lois+mcmast...
I like the uniform, slightly abstract style.
Cetaganda front:
and back...
Ta, L.
Only a couple of my author's copies have drifted through so far, but you can see a whole array of the new covers on Amazon Spain, well worth a click-through --
https://www.amazon.es/s?k=lois+mcmast...
I like the uniform, slightly abstract style.
Cetaganda front:
and back...
Ta, L.
April 9, 2019
Bujold reading-order guide link
I think it may be time again to post the link to the official, or at least my, Bujold reading-order guide, updated.
https://www.goodreads.com/story/show/...
Please share this link as needed.
I actually place a copy of this at the back of every one of my indie-published e-stories, which seems like it would be a lot of spread. But, of course, no one would see it there unless they'd already bought one, which does not help the new reader contemplating a first purchase.
Ta, L.
https://www.goodreads.com/story/show/...
Please share this link as needed.
I actually place a copy of this at the back of every one of my indie-published e-stories, which seems like it would be a lot of spread. But, of course, no one would see it there unless they'd already bought one, which does not help the new reader contemplating a first purchase.
Ta, L.
March 30, 2019
more metals art
Recently, the work of my daughter Anne Bujold, presently an artist-in-residence at the Appalachian Center for Craft, was showcased by the local TV folks. They did an excellent job, I thought. The segment is now up on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pYdT_...
More on the Center here: https://www.tntech.edu/fine-arts/craf...
Ta, L.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pYdT_...
More on the Center here: https://www.tntech.edu/fine-arts/craf...
Ta, L.
March 29, 2019
more on One Drop of Rain
Following up from my post of Feb. 19 about One Drop of Rain, here's some more useful buzz on my niece Molly's colon cancer awareness work...
https://www.news10.com/news/special-r...
Ta, L.
https://www.news10.com/news/special-r...
Ta, L.
March 26, 2019
Proto Zoa gets a facelift
My collection of very early short stories was among our first indie e-publications, back when we were feeling our way into the new world. That would have been around the end of 2011 - beginning of 2012. The promotional experts say one should put new covers on old work from time to time, every five or ten years. Five years seems a bit short to me, but then I'm frugal. Eight years splits a difference.
Available, as usual, on Kindle, Nook, and iBooks.
The five stories are three little Twilight-Zone-ish fantasies, from back when I was hearing that one should write short stories to practice for novels (which turns out to be not quite true), the original "Aftermaths" also placed as a coda at the end of Shards of Honor, and, for Vorkosigan completists, the very first story I wrote that began the evolution of what was not yet "the Vorkosiverse", mentioning Beta Colony but before Barrayar was invented (or rediscovered, for that matter.)
Ta, L.
(On that "write short stories first" dictum, Pat Wrede has these useful words: https://www.pcwrede.com/worst-and-bes... )
Later: Poking around, I find that some early Barnes & Noble Nook reviews from several years ago reporting formatting problems, which as far as I know have been long resolved, are still up and making people veer away from purchasing the ebook. If anyone has bought and read it in the Nook format recently, and could report there that all is well now (assuming it is, or someone ought to have said something to me), to reassure prospective new purchasers, it would be a big help. L.
Available, as usual, on Kindle, Nook, and iBooks.
The five stories are three little Twilight-Zone-ish fantasies, from back when I was hearing that one should write short stories to practice for novels (which turns out to be not quite true), the original "Aftermaths" also placed as a coda at the end of Shards of Honor, and, for Vorkosigan completists, the very first story I wrote that began the evolution of what was not yet "the Vorkosiverse", mentioning Beta Colony but before Barrayar was invented (or rediscovered, for that matter.)
Ta, L.
(On that "write short stories first" dictum, Pat Wrede has these useful words: https://www.pcwrede.com/worst-and-bes... )
Later: Poking around, I find that some early Barnes & Noble Nook reviews from several years ago reporting formatting problems, which as far as I know have been long resolved, are still up and making people veer away from purchasing the ebook. If anyone has bought and read it in the Nook format recently, and could report there that all is well now (assuming it is, or someone ought to have said something to me), to reassure prospective new purchasers, it would be a big help. L.
March 20, 2019
Flowers of Vashnoi up for preorder at SubPress
Aha --
I see "The Flowers of Vashnoi" is now up for preorder at Subterranean Press:
https://subterraneanpress.com/flowers...
This is, again, their collectable hardcover, same format as the Penric novellas. Also the same price, since the economics of hardcover production do not change much with the word count.
Scheduled for the end of July.
Ta, L.
I see "The Flowers of Vashnoi" is now up for preorder at Subterranean Press:
https://subterraneanpress.com/flowers...
This is, again, their collectable hardcover, same format as the Penric novellas. Also the same price, since the economics of hardcover production do not change much with the word count.
Scheduled for the end of July.
Ta, L.
February 22, 2019
art in Tennessee
..may be seem here.
(Technically, being displayed this month in North Carolina, see their website.)
https://www.southernhighlandguild.org...
The press release reads in part:
Deliberate Works
One could say that our latest exhibition quite literally jumps into the contemporary craft movement. Our first Main Gallery show at the Folk Art Center, Deliberate Works, features objects made by faculty, students, resident artists and alumni of the Appalachian Center for Craft.
We actually got to watch artist in residence Anne Bujold https://annebujold.com/ install her "Doe" for two days on one the of the side walls that pours into the gallery. Combining both metalsmithing and blacksmithing techniques, Bujold uses alternative materials in conjunction with metals. In her sculptures, animals are agents examining the spaces between definitions, that fertile ground where new forms emerge. ...
Ta, L.
(Technically, being displayed this month in North Carolina, see their website.)
https://www.southernhighlandguild.org...
The press release reads in part:
Deliberate Works
One could say that our latest exhibition quite literally jumps into the contemporary craft movement. Our first Main Gallery show at the Folk Art Center, Deliberate Works, features objects made by faculty, students, resident artists and alumni of the Appalachian Center for Craft.
We actually got to watch artist in residence Anne Bujold https://annebujold.com/ install her "Doe" for two days on one the of the side walls that pours into the gallery. Combining both metalsmithing and blacksmithing techniques, Bujold uses alternative materials in conjunction with metals. In her sculptures, animals are agents examining the spaces between definitions, that fertile ground where new forms emerge. ...
Ta, L.
