Martha Wells's Blog, page 197
December 7, 2010
For Eureka fans, there's a new Christmas episode on tonig...
For Eureka fans, there's a new Christmas episode on tonight, plus a Warehouse 13 episode, I think.
I loved the Psych tribute to Twin Peaks. I wish I'd DVRed it though, because the original went to about 1 hour ten minutes, and the repeat seems to have cut out that ten minutes. (All cable repeats cut at least a minute or two or more from the original airing, which is why I love DVDs.)
There are some great recommendations for books to give as gifts in my Gift Book Posts on LJ here and Dreamwidth here. Feel free to add more!
I still feel like I'm scrambling frantically but not getting much of anything done. I did spackle a giant crack in the corner of the dining room yesterday, that looked like it was getting big enough for something horrible to crawl out of. There's a lot of clay in the ground under our house, which causes dramatic shifting, especially in years like this where there's been a bad drought. (Either we're flooding due to hurricanes or in a drought, there's no middle ground any more.) (I guess it's better than building on top of limestone and listening to it crack dramatically as it absorbs water or dries out, which is what happens in the Hill Country.) We can't afford to do anything about the shifting, if there's anything you can do, so I spackle. Yeah, it's not the best solution.
I loved the Psych tribute to Twin Peaks. I wish I'd DVRed it though, because the original went to about 1 hour ten minutes, and the repeat seems to have cut out that ten minutes. (All cable repeats cut at least a minute or two or more from the original airing, which is why I love DVDs.)
There are some great recommendations for books to give as gifts in my Gift Book Posts on LJ here and Dreamwidth here. Feel free to add more!
I still feel like I'm scrambling frantically but not getting much of anything done. I did spackle a giant crack in the corner of the dining room yesterday, that looked like it was getting big enough for something horrible to crawl out of. There's a lot of clay in the ground under our house, which causes dramatic shifting, especially in years like this where there's been a bad drought. (Either we're flooding due to hurricanes or in a drought, there's no middle ground any more.) (I guess it's better than building on top of limestone and listening to it crack dramatically as it absorbs water or dries out, which is what happens in the Hill Country.) We can't afford to do anything about the shifting, if there's anything you can do, so I spackle. Yeah, it's not the best solution.
December 5, 2010
Topless Robot: The 13 Best Mystery Science Theater 3000 S...
Topless Robot: The 13 Best Mystery Science Theater 3000 Songs
There are awesome TV shows. And then there was Mystery Science Theater 3000, a show so awesome that it can't even be mentioned in the same breath as other shows. And while it re-emerges in the form of Rifftrax and Cinematic Titanic, the original series will always have a legion of loyal fans, ready to defend this little Minnesota puppet show with their lives.
I miss MST3K a lot, especially the Turkey Day marathons. I met TV's Frank at a convention one time and got to hang out with him during the autograph sessions, and we talked about our cats, and yes, it was awesome.
Watching those marathons used to be a highlight of the holidays, to the point where I sort of mentally associate MST3K with Christmas. I think the only thing that ever matched it was when The Lord of the Rings movies were coming out, and the highlight of the holiday became the group outing to the new movie, the celebratory lunch afterward, and then the later viewing of the extended DVD release of the previous movie, plus the extras.
Writer Tamago: Expertise and Habit: Outliers Analysis by Catherine Schaff-Stump
The idea that "How to you get to Carnegie Hall? Practice, practice, practice" works for writers, too; the more time you spend doing it, the better you get.
The books I wrote in my childhood? They count, even though they are hardly expert. Let's give that time of writing about 500 hours (three books of terribly stinky quality from the ages of 12-18).
No writing time as an undergraduate. As an MA candidate, a lot for one year. I'd say we came close to 1000 during that experience.
After I started my teaching job, I wrote two books. I'm going to give myself another 500 hours for those books.
And then, after the PhD, there was the fan fiction period from 2002-2004. I'll easily give myself 1000 for that, as well as the ideas for the Klarion series.
In 2007, I began to pursue writing more seriously. For these 3 years, I'll keep the estimate to another 1000.
ETA: meant to link to this, too: World's 10 Weirdest Hotels I think I like the cave one best.
There are awesome TV shows. And then there was Mystery Science Theater 3000, a show so awesome that it can't even be mentioned in the same breath as other shows. And while it re-emerges in the form of Rifftrax and Cinematic Titanic, the original series will always have a legion of loyal fans, ready to defend this little Minnesota puppet show with their lives.
I miss MST3K a lot, especially the Turkey Day marathons. I met TV's Frank at a convention one time and got to hang out with him during the autograph sessions, and we talked about our cats, and yes, it was awesome.
Watching those marathons used to be a highlight of the holidays, to the point where I sort of mentally associate MST3K with Christmas. I think the only thing that ever matched it was when The Lord of the Rings movies were coming out, and the highlight of the holiday became the group outing to the new movie, the celebratory lunch afterward, and then the later viewing of the extended DVD release of the previous movie, plus the extras.
Writer Tamago: Expertise and Habit: Outliers Analysis by Catherine Schaff-Stump
The idea that "How to you get to Carnegie Hall? Practice, practice, practice" works for writers, too; the more time you spend doing it, the better you get.
The books I wrote in my childhood? They count, even though they are hardly expert. Let's give that time of writing about 500 hours (three books of terribly stinky quality from the ages of 12-18).
No writing time as an undergraduate. As an MA candidate, a lot for one year. I'd say we came close to 1000 during that experience.
After I started my teaching job, I wrote two books. I'm going to give myself another 500 hours for those books.
And then, after the PhD, there was the fan fiction period from 2002-2004. I'll easily give myself 1000 for that, as well as the ideas for the Klarion series.
In 2007, I began to pursue writing more seriously. For these 3 years, I'll keep the estimate to another 1000.
ETA: meant to link to this, too: World's 10 Weirdest Hotels I think I like the cave one best.
December 3, 2010
Gift Book Recommendations
It's December 3 and I feel like I'm already behind on Christmas. I need to get Christmas cards and get them in the mail. (And I like the kind that are a) pretty b) cheap c) use recycled paper plus bonus d) benefiting a hospital or charity or something. It's amazingly hard to find ones that combine all those elements.) I need to disassemble the house, clean it, and reassemble it. I need to do something about the great wasp invasion of 2010. (Fortunately the great sugar ant invasion of 2010 seems to be petering out.) I need to figure out good presents that are a) pretty and b) cheap.
In light of that, let's do a book recommendation post for the present-giving winter holiday you celebrate. Post about a book or books in the comments that you would a) like to get for a present b) planning to get for someone else c) think other people should get for you or someone else. Bonus points for SF, fantasy, mystery, or romance, but any kind of fiction or non-fiction will do.
Bonus links that are pretty but not cheap:
The WorldBuilders Fundraiser has already raised over $60,000 for Heifer International. Contribute and enter to win fabulous signed books as prizes.
The Warrior's Way is finally out this weekend and I am so there.
The Nervous Breakdown: 12 Common Misperceptions About Publishing especially number 10:
10. Authors are rich.
The most visible authors are often pretty well off, it's true. But most authors who rely on writing as their primary means of support are poor indeed. Authorship, like it or not, is a form of celebrity, and we live in a winner-take-all society with very few winners. That said, even the top one percent of richest authors doesn't hold a candle to the top one percent of creative people in, say, Hollywood. Becoming an author in order to get rich is like going to the desert in order to become wet.
In light of that, let's do a book recommendation post for the present-giving winter holiday you celebrate. Post about a book or books in the comments that you would a) like to get for a present b) planning to get for someone else c) think other people should get for you or someone else. Bonus points for SF, fantasy, mystery, or romance, but any kind of fiction or non-fiction will do.
Bonus links that are pretty but not cheap:
The WorldBuilders Fundraiser has already raised over $60,000 for Heifer International. Contribute and enter to win fabulous signed books as prizes.
The Warrior's Way is finally out this weekend and I am so there.
The Nervous Breakdown: 12 Common Misperceptions About Publishing especially number 10:
10. Authors are rich.
The most visible authors are often pretty well off, it's true. But most authors who rely on writing as their primary means of support are poor indeed. Authorship, like it or not, is a form of celebrity, and we live in a winner-take-all society with very few winners. That said, even the top one percent of richest authors doesn't hold a candle to the top one percent of creative people in, say, Hollywood. Becoming an author in order to get rich is like going to the desert in order to become wet.
December 2, 2010
It's been cold enough that Tasha has actually been sleepi...
It's been cold enough that Tasha has actually been sleeping on me again, instead of living wild and free as a feral cat in the dining room, see photo:
It's been nice, since I haven't had an animal sleep on me since Harry died.
links:
Natalie Whipple: What Happens When It Is You. That thing writers aren't supposed to talk about.
This is the silent torture of those who've been out on sub for a long time. You're not supposed to talk about it. You're not supposed to admit to people how much it hurts. You can't complain, because you have an agent and you should be grateful and so many authors would kill to be where you are.
So you end up feeling guilty on top of sad, because as those passes pile up it does hurt. It shouldn't, but it does.
The online magazine with the most awesome name ever Three Lobed Burning Eye has released its fiction anthology. Stories by Jessica Reisman, J M McDermott, Shweta Narayan and many others.
Lightspeed Magazine: Artist Spotlight: John Picacio with a gallery.
It's been nice, since I haven't had an animal sleep on me since Harry died.
links:
Natalie Whipple: What Happens When It Is You. That thing writers aren't supposed to talk about.
This is the silent torture of those who've been out on sub for a long time. You're not supposed to talk about it. You're not supposed to admit to people how much it hurts. You can't complain, because you have an agent and you should be grateful and so many authors would kill to be where you are.
So you end up feeling guilty on top of sad, because as those passes pile up it does hurt. It shouldn't, but it does.
The online magazine with the most awesome name ever Three Lobed Burning Eye has released its fiction anthology. Stories by Jessica Reisman, J M McDermott, Shweta Narayan and many others.
Lightspeed Magazine: Artist Spotlight: John Picacio with a gallery.
December 1, 2010
It's actually getting down to the 30s here, at least at n...
It's actually getting down to the 30s here, at least at night. (Daytime it's still warming up to the 60s and 70s). It may finally be almost cold enough that we can have a fire in our fireplace to drive off the wasps living in the chimney, so we can stop finding them in the living room.
Psych is on tonight! And it's the one with the cast of Twin Peaks.
Links:
Slushpile Hell One grumpy literary agent, a sea of query fails, and other publishing nonsense.
P.N. Elrod: PublishAmerica's Latest Money-maker
The gist is that PA is offering to enter their writers in Amazon Studio's scriptwriting contest to the tune of 99.00 a pop.
Since Amazon has several contests running, it's logical to conclude that PA will offer to enter writers in EACH of them.
At 99.00 a pop.
PA fails to mention that writers submitting entries directly to Amazon themselves can do it for free:
Book View Cafe: Hidden Fires by Katharine Eliska Kimbirel is now available. This is book 2, the sequel to Fires of Nuala
Writer Beware: Fake Writing Jobs on RealWritingJobs.com
Psych is on tonight! And it's the one with the cast of Twin Peaks.
Links:
Slushpile Hell One grumpy literary agent, a sea of query fails, and other publishing nonsense.
P.N. Elrod: PublishAmerica's Latest Money-maker
The gist is that PA is offering to enter their writers in Amazon Studio's scriptwriting contest to the tune of 99.00 a pop.
Since Amazon has several contests running, it's logical to conclude that PA will offer to enter writers in EACH of them.
At 99.00 a pop.
PA fails to mention that writers submitting entries directly to Amazon themselves can do it for free:
Book View Cafe: Hidden Fires by Katharine Eliska Kimbirel is now available. This is book 2, the sequel to Fires of Nuala
Writer Beware: Fake Writing Jobs on RealWritingJobs.com
November 30, 2010
I added an update on my post yesterday about the pirate N...
I added an update on my post yesterday about the pirate NookBook edition of The Element of Fire on BarnesandNoble.com, that after a friend found the right email address to complain to (the corrections and pubit ones listed on the site weren't responding), the NookBooks were changed to "unavailable." After that it looked like the pirate either tried to use one of the NookBook ISBNs (that was still attached to The Element of Fire) for a different book or tried to sell The Element of Fire under a different name, but now the entries have been completely removed from the listing.
That's a relief. I spent a lot of time over the holiday and the weekend trying not to think about it, but it was like trying not to think about an elephant sitting on your head. I know there are a lot of pirate sites out there, but having a pirate ebook edition slapped up there on Barnes and Noble was kind of a shock.
On to the good news: In the mail last night I got three copies of the ARCs for The Cloud Roads! These are the advance reading copies with the uncorrected proof, which goes out to reviewers, magazines, etc. These are especially nice in that they have the real cover in color, which is not something publishers do every time. (Usually you get a plain white cover with the title and author's name.) I haven't had a fancy ARC with the real cover since The Death of the Necromancer, so that's really nice.
Oh, and I'm probably going to have a contest in January to give one of the ARCs away, as soon as I figure out what kind of contest to have.
(And a couple of more places, Books-a-Million and Powell's, have now added listings to preorder The Cloud Roads, plus some of the others are offering better discounts. If you want to check it out the links and first chapter same are on my my site here or on LJ here.)
Links:
A funny video: So You Want to Write a Novel It sounds crazy, but I have heard pretty much all these things said completely seriously. This is what a lot of people really think about writing.
That's a relief. I spent a lot of time over the holiday and the weekend trying not to think about it, but it was like trying not to think about an elephant sitting on your head. I know there are a lot of pirate sites out there, but having a pirate ebook edition slapped up there on Barnes and Noble was kind of a shock.
On to the good news: In the mail last night I got three copies of the ARCs for The Cloud Roads! These are the advance reading copies with the uncorrected proof, which goes out to reviewers, magazines, etc. These are especially nice in that they have the real cover in color, which is not something publishers do every time. (Usually you get a plain white cover with the title and author's name.) I haven't had a fancy ARC with the real cover since The Death of the Necromancer, so that's really nice.
Oh, and I'm probably going to have a contest in January to give one of the ARCs away, as soon as I figure out what kind of contest to have.
(And a couple of more places, Books-a-Million and Powell's, have now added listings to preorder The Cloud Roads, plus some of the others are offering better discounts. If you want to check it out the links and first chapter same are on my my site here or on LJ here.)
Links:
A funny video: So You Want to Write a Novel It sounds crazy, but I have heard pretty much all these things said completely seriously. This is what a lot of people really think about writing.
November 29, 2010
I'm alive, just a bit depressed and haven't felt much lik...
I'm alive, just a bit depressed and haven't felt much like posting. A pirate publisher has created an unauthorized NookBook edition of The Element of Fire for sale on Barnes and Noble.com, and I'm not sure how difficult it's going to be to get them to remove it. Its entry is also attached to the legitimate entries for the print versions, both the reprint paperback I did myself and the old 1993 Tor editions, and user comments and complaints are getting attached to the legitimate versions as well as the pirated NookBook, so I'm not sure how that's going to work out. I was going to do a NookBook edition of it myself when I had time, but I think that's probably not going to happen now.
That kind of put a damper on Thanksgiving for me, though otherwise it was great. We had turkey, stuffing, gravy, cranberry sauce, rolls, corn, potatoes, and I made the Emeril recipe for green beans braised in bacon, onion, and garlic. It was all excellent.
I went with some friends to the Galleria on Friday to use our Borders coupons and watch rich people shop. Had really, really good Mexican food and saw the aftermath of an almost smash-and-grab at one of the very expensive stores, possibly DeBeers or Gucci. The police and security response was interesting to watch. It was very fast and efficient, and it was clear from how they spread out to guard positions all over the mall that they were prepared for the initial attempt to be a distraction for a more serious robbery somewhere else. We went and sat for a bit in a little store that sells one kind of specialty makeup, which did not appear to be much worried about being robbed.
Oh, and before the robbery we saw a Wii demo installation where people were playing Epic Mickey, which was created by our friend Warren Spector. It looks awesome!
We also went to Murder by the Book and vigorously stimulated its economy to the best of our ability.
That kind of put a damper on Thanksgiving for me, though otherwise it was great. We had turkey, stuffing, gravy, cranberry sauce, rolls, corn, potatoes, and I made the Emeril recipe for green beans braised in bacon, onion, and garlic. It was all excellent.
I went with some friends to the Galleria on Friday to use our Borders coupons and watch rich people shop. Had really, really good Mexican food and saw the aftermath of an almost smash-and-grab at one of the very expensive stores, possibly DeBeers or Gucci. The police and security response was interesting to watch. It was very fast and efficient, and it was clear from how they spread out to guard positions all over the mall that they were prepared for the initial attempt to be a distraction for a more serious robbery somewhere else. We went and sat for a bit in a little store that sells one kind of specialty makeup, which did not appear to be much worried about being robbed.
Oh, and before the robbery we saw a Wii demo installation where people were playing Epic Mickey, which was created by our friend Warren Spector. It looks awesome!
We also went to Murder by the Book and vigorously stimulated its economy to the best of our ability.
November 24, 2010
Yesterday I made an apple pie, and fought off the wasp in...
Yesterday I made an apple pie, and fought off the wasp invasion of the living room with the vacuum cleaner. Seriously, the wasps come down our chimney sometimes but this was crazy. There was at least ten of them, and we were finding more stragglers all evening. The vacuum cleaner still occasionally makes a "bzzzt" noise.
More links:
I have an entry in the SF Signal Mind Meld: Great Gift Ideas For Geeks and Science Fiction and Fantasy Fans I talk about neat SF/F related presents.
Magical Musings: Persistence of Desire by Caridad Ferrer. Ferrer talks about the long hard road to getting her next books published:
The publisher pretty much hated this book I had poured so much of my heart and soul into. They said my lead character was too unlikable and the manuscript would require far too much work in order to make her redeemable. I was devastated— I didn't think my lead, Soledad, was unlikable in the slightest. She was strong, sure, and extremely forthright. She was ambitious and unapologetic about it, but how did these things make her unlikable? If anything, I thought they were great qualities for a lead female in a young adult novel. Unfortunately, what I thought no longer mattered. They didn't like it, they weren't going to publish it.
Strange Horizons: Terra Incognita: A Brief History of Mexican Science Fiction by Silvia Moreno-Garcia.
Bare Bones e-zine: The Ballantine/Del Rey Paperback Covers of Ralph McQuarrie: A Checklist (1976-1987)
More links:
I have an entry in the SF Signal Mind Meld: Great Gift Ideas For Geeks and Science Fiction and Fantasy Fans I talk about neat SF/F related presents.
Magical Musings: Persistence of Desire by Caridad Ferrer. Ferrer talks about the long hard road to getting her next books published:
The publisher pretty much hated this book I had poured so much of my heart and soul into. They said my lead character was too unlikable and the manuscript would require far too much work in order to make her redeemable. I was devastated— I didn't think my lead, Soledad, was unlikable in the slightest. She was strong, sure, and extremely forthright. She was ambitious and unapologetic about it, but how did these things make her unlikable? If anything, I thought they were great qualities for a lead female in a young adult novel. Unfortunately, what I thought no longer mattered. They didn't like it, they weren't going to publish it.
Strange Horizons: Terra Incognita: A Brief History of Mexican Science Fiction by Silvia Moreno-Garcia.
Bare Bones e-zine: The Ballantine/Del Rey Paperback Covers of Ralph McQuarrie: A Checklist (1976-1987)
November 23, 2010
While some parts of the country are buried under snow and...
While some parts of the country are buried under snow and ice, it's 80 here, humid, and the wind has died down.
I have no words of wisdom, so I offer links:
* Judith Tarr's annual holiday mentoring sale: Fast News Dump AAANNNDD...The FIFTH (Yes! Fifth!) Annual Holiday SALE!
Over here is a general explanation of what I do. The rate has gone up to $40 an hour but I'm holding it steady for now. What it adds up to is a one-on-one, you decide what you need, I work with you to get it, ongoing for as long as you want or need, online class in writing and developing fiction. You can start at any point, from first idea to finished ms. needing revision (hello, NaNo participants!). I have done poetry, and can talk to you about nonfiction, memoir, etc.
Here's the deal: Between now and December 7th, I'm offering 5 hours for $180. That's $20 off the regular rate. This is time enough for a query/synopsis/sample review and some revisions, a good start on an ongoing novel development or revision, or a fairly in-depth review of a fistful of short pieces.
* Guardian article: The Royal Society's Lost Women Scientists A study of the Royal Society's archives reveals that women played a far more important role in the development and dissemination of science than had previously been thought, says Richard Holmes
* A post from Mark W. Tiedemann's Blog that really resonates with me: Bullying
Here is what the psychoanalysis seems always to miss, what perhaps we don't want to acknowledge about Our Children. Bullying is in its most common forms a power issue. It's kids flexing their muscles, lording it over others, testing boundaries, asserting dominance. It doesn't always appear to be bullying, because often it doesn't take physical form, at least not the form of punching and kicking. Often it can just be labeling and subsequent ostracization. But the pay-off is in terms of power. The bully gets off on it. It is fun for them. They are not doing this out of some hidden self-loathing--they like watching the victim cringe or cry, they like hearing the laughter of others who are watching, and they like the momentary mantle of superiority knocking someone down confers.
* Tobias Buckell answers a question about writing: Am I Better Off Living a Different Dream?
I know that writers write. And I'm approaching *deleted* having lived nearly my entire life dreaming of being a writer without having written anything of significance. So if writers write, and I've spent *deleted* years not writing, I'm probably *not* a writer.
I have no words of wisdom, so I offer links:
* Judith Tarr's annual holiday mentoring sale: Fast News Dump AAANNNDD...The FIFTH (Yes! Fifth!) Annual Holiday SALE!
Over here is a general explanation of what I do. The rate has gone up to $40 an hour but I'm holding it steady for now. What it adds up to is a one-on-one, you decide what you need, I work with you to get it, ongoing for as long as you want or need, online class in writing and developing fiction. You can start at any point, from first idea to finished ms. needing revision (hello, NaNo participants!). I have done poetry, and can talk to you about nonfiction, memoir, etc.
Here's the deal: Between now and December 7th, I'm offering 5 hours for $180. That's $20 off the regular rate. This is time enough for a query/synopsis/sample review and some revisions, a good start on an ongoing novel development or revision, or a fairly in-depth review of a fistful of short pieces.
* Guardian article: The Royal Society's Lost Women Scientists A study of the Royal Society's archives reveals that women played a far more important role in the development and dissemination of science than had previously been thought, says Richard Holmes
* A post from Mark W. Tiedemann's Blog that really resonates with me: Bullying
Here is what the psychoanalysis seems always to miss, what perhaps we don't want to acknowledge about Our Children. Bullying is in its most common forms a power issue. It's kids flexing their muscles, lording it over others, testing boundaries, asserting dominance. It doesn't always appear to be bullying, because often it doesn't take physical form, at least not the form of punching and kicking. Often it can just be labeling and subsequent ostracization. But the pay-off is in terms of power. The bully gets off on it. It is fun for them. They are not doing this out of some hidden self-loathing--they like watching the victim cringe or cry, they like hearing the laughter of others who are watching, and they like the momentary mantle of superiority knocking someone down confers.
* Tobias Buckell answers a question about writing: Am I Better Off Living a Different Dream?
I know that writers write. And I'm approaching *deleted* having lived nearly my entire life dreaming of being a writer without having written anything of significance. So if writers write, and I've spent *deleted* years not writing, I'm probably *not* a writer.
November 22, 2010
I need to go get new cat food this morning, because the a...
I need to go get new cat food this morning, because the amount the cats were eating had dropped off dramatically, and I finally realized it was because the new! improved! version of the food had a different texture, one they specifically don't like.
Does everyone else have cats who knead you? Tasha doesn't, Harry didn't, but Bella kneads me on a regular schedule, every day. She was a barn kitten who had been rescued after the farm's owner was killed in a fire, so I don't know how much time she spent with her mother. I also don't think she had a lot of interaction with other cats between the rescue and us adopting her, and I'm not sure how long she was in the shelter. All our cats are indoor-only, but she's the only one who did live outside as a kitten. And she's clearly decided outside is not for her, since she hides in the bedroom whenever the front door is open and doesn't even particularly like it when someone rings the doorbell.
***
Saw this on Facebook: Barbara Hambly is doing the Further Adventures of characters from her previous series.
As pretty much everybody knows, fantasy series get dumped by publishers – and as pretty much every author knows, other publishers generally do not fall over themselves to pick up these abandoned series.
That doesn't mean the author doesn't want to write about those people anymore, or that fans of the series are no longer interested.
These people are very real to me. I like them.
I also like being able to pay my medical insurance.
The stories are $5 each, and they're from the Benjamin January series, Antryg and Joanna, Sun Wolf and Starhawk, John and Jenny, the Sisters of the Raven, and others.
Does everyone else have cats who knead you? Tasha doesn't, Harry didn't, but Bella kneads me on a regular schedule, every day. She was a barn kitten who had been rescued after the farm's owner was killed in a fire, so I don't know how much time she spent with her mother. I also don't think she had a lot of interaction with other cats between the rescue and us adopting her, and I'm not sure how long she was in the shelter. All our cats are indoor-only, but she's the only one who did live outside as a kitten. And she's clearly decided outside is not for her, since she hides in the bedroom whenever the front door is open and doesn't even particularly like it when someone rings the doorbell.
***
Saw this on Facebook: Barbara Hambly is doing the Further Adventures of characters from her previous series.
As pretty much everybody knows, fantasy series get dumped by publishers – and as pretty much every author knows, other publishers generally do not fall over themselves to pick up these abandoned series.
That doesn't mean the author doesn't want to write about those people anymore, or that fans of the series are no longer interested.
These people are very real to me. I like them.
I also like being able to pay my medical insurance.
The stories are $5 each, and they're from the Benjamin January series, Antryg and Joanna, Sun Wolf and Starhawk, John and Jenny, the Sisters of the Raven, and others.
