Lois McMaster Bujold's Blog, page 6
June 7, 2024
Penric 13 impending
I am pleased to report that I just today finished the first draft of the 13th Penric & Desdemona tale, to be titled "Penric and the Bandit". Ron Miller is already working on a cover. It looks, at present, as if it's going to top out at about ~33k words.
As the title perhaps suggests, this one is in more of an adventure mode. I'll have more to say about content later on. For now, after a breather, it's the eye-crossing stage of final tinkering and edits, the never-finished typo hunt, putting things in, taking things out, putting things in and then taking them right back out, etc. Also waiting for test-reader reports, for some fresh eyes to see what mine can't. This will take some unknown amount of time, because other people have schedules. Then will be the wait for my new e-wrangler at Spectrum to get the finished files assembled and up, also an unknown amount of time because they'll be clambering up a new learning curve.
But I'm thinking e-publication maybe July? Will have more to say when things become more definite. At some point there will also be a cover sneak-peek, when it has become something more photogenic than a scrawled (but evocative) concept sketch.
Ta, L.
As the title perhaps suggests, this one is in more of an adventure mode. I'll have more to say about content later on. For now, after a breather, it's the eye-crossing stage of final tinkering and edits, the never-finished typo hunt, putting things in, taking things out, putting things in and then taking them right back out, etc. Also waiting for test-reader reports, for some fresh eyes to see what mine can't. This will take some unknown amount of time, because other people have schedules. Then will be the wait for my new e-wrangler at Spectrum to get the finished files assembled and up, also an unknown amount of time because they'll be clambering up a new learning curve.
But I'm thinking e-publication maybe July? Will have more to say when things become more definite. At some point there will also be a cover sneak-peek, when it has become something more photogenic than a scrawled (but evocative) concept sketch.
Ta, L.
June 6, 2024
A Reader's Companion to A Civil Campaign
I was lately reminded of this delightful piece of high-level fan geekery:
http://dendarii.com/accc.html
which newer readers may not have seen. Much fun had with a close reading of the book.
Ta, L.
http://dendarii.com/accc.html
which newer readers may not have seen. Much fun had with a close reading of the book.
Ta, L.
May 5, 2024
The Curse of Chalion on e-sale for $1.99
The Curse of Chalion ebook is currently on sale for $1.99, wherever HarperCollins distributes: Kobo, Nook, Apple Books, Google Play Books, and Kindle, to name five.
I'd say stock up, but I expect a lot of the readers of this blog already have a copy, so let's go with Tell Your Friends. It's good as either a starter-Bujold or a start-Bujold's-fantasy choice, so they can dive right in without detouring through the reading-order debate.
https://books.apple.com/us/book/the-c...
https://www.amazon.com/Curse-Chalion-...
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-...
https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/the-...
https://play.google.com/store/books/d...
No, I don't know how long the sale will last. (Nor who at HC decides such things, nor why.) But by all means, take advantage.
Enjoy -- L.
(Reading-order guide for those who want it remains at
https://vorkosigan.fandom.com/wiki/Th... )
I'd say stock up, but I expect a lot of the readers of this blog already have a copy, so let's go with Tell Your Friends. It's good as either a starter-Bujold or a start-Bujold's-fantasy choice, so they can dive right in without detouring through the reading-order debate.
https://books.apple.com/us/book/the-c...
https://www.amazon.com/Curse-Chalion-...
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-...
https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/the-...
https://play.google.com/store/books/d...
No, I don't know how long the sale will last. (Nor who at HC decides such things, nor why.) But by all means, take advantage.
Enjoy -- L.
(Reading-order guide for those who want it remains at
https://vorkosigan.fandom.com/wiki/Th... )
April 9, 2024
Plot Trysts podcast: My Word As Vorkosigan
Running in 2024: a podcast discussion series devoted to an in-depth look at the books of the Vorkosigan Saga. Each episode, the co-hosts invite a different guest author to discuss a particular book.
https://plottrysts.wordpress.com/meg-...
I was startled, looking at the remarkable guest lineup, how many other writers I know or have read name my work as a reading pleasure or an influence. Having spent the first third of my career in the feedback vacuum of the pre-internet world, I somehow still feel that lingering sense of invisibility. (I was "new writer Bujold" for so long.) Early conditioning, I guess.
The co-hosts have also set up a Discord group for post-podcast discussions. On topic! The link may be found on the podcast page.
We just this past week recorded an interview with me to cap the series, come September.
Ta, L.
A commenter below suggested this might be a good place to re-link my own reading-order guide:
https://vorkosigan.fandom.com/wiki/Th...
Although beginning with whatever Bujold you have in your hand is never a wrong choice.
L.
https://plottrysts.wordpress.com/meg-...
I was startled, looking at the remarkable guest lineup, how many other writers I know or have read name my work as a reading pleasure or an influence. Having spent the first third of my career in the feedback vacuum of the pre-internet world, I somehow still feel that lingering sense of invisibility. (I was "new writer Bujold" for so long.) Early conditioning, I guess.
The co-hosts have also set up a Discord group for post-podcast discussions. On topic! The link may be found on the podcast page.
We just this past week recorded an interview with me to cap the series, come September.
Ta, L.
A commenter below suggested this might be a good place to re-link my own reading-order guide:
https://vorkosigan.fandom.com/wiki/Th...
Although beginning with whatever Bujold you have in your hand is never a wrong choice.
L.
April 5, 2024
article up: Does Science Fiction Shape the Future?
Journalist Namir Khaliq recently e-mail interviewed me and several other SF writers on the relations of science fiction to real world applications, and appliers; the results are now up here online in Nautilus Magazine:
https://nautil.us/does-science-fictio...
Ta, L.
(I could have given him a more recent photo of me if he'd asked... wish I could as easily shave off 25 years in real life.)
https://nautil.us/does-science-fictio...
Ta, L.
(I could have given him a more recent photo of me if he'd asked... wish I could as easily shave off 25 years in real life.)
March 26, 2024
Lois interviews Miles
The comments on the Pen & Des interview a couple of posts ago reminded me of this older one, done as a promo for Uncle Hugo's SF Bookstore -- by internal evidence, just before Cryoburn came out, and before Captain Vorpatril's Alliance or Gentleman Jole and the Red Queen were thought of. CVA might have been dimly brewing, but the Key Idea -- Tej the Jacksonian-Cetagandan Princess -- had not yet slotted in to start things rolling.
http://www.unclehugo.com/prod/ah-bujo...
Ta, L.
http://www.unclehugo.com/prod/ah-bujo...
Ta, L.
nice VK shout-out
In my idle ego browsing today, I ran across a nice shout-out to the Vorkosigan books in a collection of academic essays; chapter 4 of Exploring Imaginary Worlds: Essays on Media, Structure, and Subcreation is a brief study of my work by the estimable British scholar Edward James, who is also author of one of the few academic studies of my writing.
https://www.amazon.com/Exploring-Imag...
Sadly, it's at the usual heart-stopping price of academic presses, and the free Kindle sample only goes up to Ch. 2. But there ya go.
The Edward James book is:
Edward James, Lois McMaster Bujold (Modern Masters of Science Fiction), Chicago
and Springfield: University of Illinois Press, 2015
https://www.amazon.com/McMaster-Bujol...
which covers a lot of the same ground and is much more reasonably priced.
Ta, L.
https://www.amazon.com/Exploring-Imag...
Sadly, it's at the usual heart-stopping price of academic presses, and the free Kindle sample only goes up to Ch. 2. But there ya go.
The Edward James book is:
Edward James, Lois McMaster Bujold (Modern Masters of Science Fiction), Chicago
and Springfield: University of Illinois Press, 2015
https://www.amazon.com/McMaster-Bujol...
which covers a lot of the same ground and is much more reasonably priced.
Ta, L.
March 12, 2024
Demon Daughter on audio releases today!
Wherever Blackstone Audiobooks are sold.
Includes, to my knowledge, Amazon/Audible, Downpour, Barnes & Noble, StoryFair, Kobo, Apple Books, and Google Play Books.
Happy listening!
Ta, L.
Includes, to my knowledge, Amazon/Audible, Downpour, Barnes & Noble, StoryFair, Kobo, Apple Books, and Google Play Books.
Happy listening!
Ta, L.
March 9, 2024
Blackstone adds new vendor StoryFair
My long-time audiobooks publisher Blackstone has added a new vendor for their offerings: StoryFair. At present it seems to be an audio specialist site.
My audiobooks all here:
https://storyfair.net/search-for-audi...
So folks looking for an alternate to the usual suspects, there you go.
Ta, L.
My audiobooks all here:
https://storyfair.net/search-for-audi...
So folks looking for an alternate to the usual suspects, there you go.
Ta, L.
March 7, 2024
new interview -- with Penric & Desdemona
I was asked recently for an email interview -- delightfully, not yet another one of the writer about writing, but with my characters. The website "The Protagonist Speaks" runs a series of these.
The result may be read here:
https://theprotagonistspeaks.com/2024...
Ta, L.
The result may be read here:
https://theprotagonistspeaks.com/2024...
Ta, L.
