Laura Anne Gilman's Blog, page 26
September 27, 2015
Considering Doing A Thing....
If I can get X number of people to show off their copies of SILVER ON THE ROAD (or receipt of ordering), I'll make a certain sized donation to a relevant organization (one that helps protect native wilderness/animals, etc).
If I can get Y number of people, I will double that donation.
Does this sound like something people would play along with?
If I can get Y number of people, I will double that donation.
Does this sound like something people would play along with?
September 24, 2015
RECAP: The Road to SILVER ON THE ROAD
For those coming in late, or who want a refresher on how the hell we got here...
I Am Terrified, But Not Afraid.
Some of the Backstory (and short stories)
September 22, 2015
Catching the UPDRAFT
So last night we went to Fran Wilde's reading at University Bookstore here in Seattle, to celebrate her first novel, UPDRAFT.
I always support friends with their first book. It's just what you do. But I don't always walk away from hearing them read thinking "I need to move that sucker up in the TBR pile." I did last night.
You might, too. Just sayin'.
I always support friends with their first book. It's just what you do. But I don't always walk away from hearing them read thinking "I need to move that sucker up in the TBR pile." I did last night.
You might, too. Just sayin'.
Bea's Book Nook weighs in on the SILVER standard...!
"[A] fresh take on the hero's journey....The world felt very much like ours but was different enough that I could see the similarities while keeping it separate it from our world. It's layered and textured and feels real...I liked Izzy and loved seeing her growth. At only sixteen she's already quite strong and courageous; I can't wait to see what else she has in store.
SILVER ON THE ROAD is a coming of age story filled with poetic language, adventure, a different take on the devil, and a new perspective on North American history. It was entertaining, fascinating, and a wonderful story. I'll be looking for the next book."
(there is also an interview with moi, and a giveaway for one of my last Advance Reading Copies, if that's your thing.... *g*)
September 20, 2015
Feline Update
Cat of Size has gone from hoovering ALL THE FOOD to having to be reminded that there is food in his dish, so I can give him his insulin shot.
(once I hand-feed him a bit, he will go back and eat more, like "oh yeah, I like this!" but more days than not there is food left in his dish when he wanders away. And sometimes he will come back and eat more, but more often he won't - and the Kitten descends upon it like the still-growing teenaged panther he is).
I don't know if I should be concerned about this (he needs to eat, to get his shot) or relieved (hoovering all the food is what got him into trouble in the first place) or just assume that this too is part of having an elder boycat, and we can adjust his insulin down if needed...
I suspect what it means is another vet trip in the near future. Oh joy.
(Cat of Size does NOT like car rides)
(once I hand-feed him a bit, he will go back and eat more, like "oh yeah, I like this!" but more days than not there is food left in his dish when he wanders away. And sometimes he will come back and eat more, but more often he won't - and the Kitten descends upon it like the still-growing teenaged panther he is).
I don't know if I should be concerned about this (he needs to eat, to get his shot) or relieved (hoovering all the food is what got him into trouble in the first place) or just assume that this too is part of having an elder boycat, and we can adjust his insulin down if needed...
I suspect what it means is another vet trip in the near future. Oh joy.
(Cat of Size does NOT like car rides)
September 19, 2015
In Which We Are Awesome, a Photo Essay
Photos from today’s randomactsorg #ActLocal, cleaning up Seattle’s Katie Black’s Garden. 5 hours of hard work, but as we went along, a dozen or more people walked their dogs through the park, stopped, looked around, and said “thank you, you guys are amazing.”
And you know what? We are. :-)
Most of the crew (minus those who were camera-shy). We had 17 volunteers, total.
1/2 acre Japanse-style garden, three years' worth of debris build-up. Oy.
.
To the Volunteers Go the Spoils, er, Pizza.
Rake-and-dig, rake-and-dig....
"And they say women are the weaker gender?"(only 1 of these photos is mine, others snurched from teammates on social media. Thanks, guys!)
and then I came home, took a hot shower, vegged on the sofa for two hours, ate 10 oz of rare steak, and now am going to do a few hours of paying work. Because that's how freelancers roll....
September 18, 2015
well, that's an odd end to an odd week...
I seem to have done myself a very odd injury. Or ailment, I'm not sure which. All at once, without warning or actual impact.
My right hand, at the base of my right ring finger, to about midway straight down into my palm, aches. And when I say aches, I mean as though fire ants had gnawed on the tendons and bone.
But there is no tenderness when the area is pressed (in fact, it feels better), no swelling or redness at the site, and I am able to flex and use my fingers without anything other than that aching in one finger. My wrist is fine, my arm is fine.
Have you ever tried to type without using your ring finger. Weirdly, I don't think it can be done. Not by me, anyway.
Going to wrap it in a heating pad, elevate it, and drink wine. May not sure anything, but it certainly won't harm it...
My right hand, at the base of my right ring finger, to about midway straight down into my palm, aches. And when I say aches, I mean as though fire ants had gnawed on the tendons and bone.
But there is no tenderness when the area is pressed (in fact, it feels better), no swelling or redness at the site, and I am able to flex and use my fingers without anything other than that aching in one finger. My wrist is fine, my arm is fine.
Have you ever tried to type without using your ring finger. Weirdly, I don't think it can be done. Not by me, anyway.
Going to wrap it in a heating pad, elevate it, and drink wine. May not sure anything, but it certainly won't harm it...
Next Verse, as Incomprehensible as the First
And once again, the GOP is wasting time (and our per-hour tax dollars) trying to defund an organization that exists solely to ensure that women are able to afford basic and essential health care.And their stated reasons? To stop abortion and the selling of fetal tissue. Excepta) Federal law already restricts PP from using federal funds to provide abortions (the Hyde Amendment), andb) by offering affordable contraception and reproductive care, PP actually REDUCES the chance of women having an unwanted pregnancy that would lead to an abortion, ANDc) It is illegal to sell fetal tissue, but it IS legal for scientists obtain fetal tissue for research purposes from a variety of sources, including hospitals, nonprofit tissue banks, and, yes, in some cases, abortion clinics. Which means that tissue that would otherwise have been considered medical waste is instead used to save lives via research into currently-deadly diseases costing us millions in dollars and thousands in lives.
(and the video claiming to show that PP is somehow avoiding those laws has been exposed as a heavily-edited sham)
So why are the GOP so determined to shut down PP? You know why.
(and the video claiming to show that PP is somehow avoiding those laws has been exposed as a heavily-edited sham)
So why are the GOP so determined to shut down PP? You know why.
And it's not about saving tax money. Or stopping abortions.
September 17, 2015
Another Nice Thing Said About SILVER ON THE ROAD.....
I did warn y'all about the cheerfully gleeful hard push, right? So here's a new early rave to continue (hopefully) whetting your appetite....
"[SILVER ON THE ROAD is] captivating, vivid, and impossible to stop reading... I could taste the dust, hear the rattle of the snakes, feel the wind, and sense the road. Filled with wonderful mythology and strong, compelling characters, this book is a fantastic start to what promises to be a fantastic new series."
- Sarah Beth Durst - author of VESSEL and CONJURED
"[SILVER ON THE ROAD is] captivating, vivid, and impossible to stop reading... I could taste the dust, hear the rattle of the snakes, feel the wind, and sense the road. Filled with wonderful mythology and strong, compelling characters, this book is a fantastic start to what promises to be a fantastic new series."
- Sarah Beth Durst - author of VESSEL and CONJURED
13 more hours until the world ends.
No, wait, until the STORYBUNDLE offer ends. Right.
13 more hours to pick up ELEVEN stories of world-breaking adventure from authors such as Kevin J Anderson, Dean Wesley Smith, Chris Mandeville, John Joseph Adams, and oh yeah...me, PLUS a bonus issue of LIGHTSPEED - all DRM-free for your reading convenience.
(that comes to less than $2 per read. You couldn't even get the issue of LIGHTSPEED for that!)
Don't say I didn't tell you, after it's over, and everyone's reading except you.....
13 more hours to pick up ELEVEN stories of world-breaking adventure from authors such as Kevin J Anderson, Dean Wesley Smith, Chris Mandeville, John Joseph Adams, and oh yeah...me, PLUS a bonus issue of LIGHTSPEED - all DRM-free for your reading convenience.
(that comes to less than $2 per read. You couldn't even get the issue of LIGHTSPEED for that!)
Don't say I didn't tell you, after it's over, and everyone's reading except you.....
