We’re in the final week of Session 2008. The legislature is scheduled to adjourn sine die this Friday, barring something stupid coming up. These next few days promise to be hectic to the extreme, but I’m relieved to be so close to officially surviving my second session. Also, I’m a little nervous now that “writing season” is about to start up again. After being away from it for so long, there’s some performance anxiety about getting back into the habit of putting words on the page. Meep.
Writing Stuff
Saw in the Baen’s Universe e-ARC area that “A Thread of Silk” will be in their June 2008 issue. Coolness.
Received:
• Promo copies of Magic in the Mirrorstone to sign. The Mirrorstone Books folks sent several copies that they want to use as promotional giveaways ’round to all of the authors to John Hancock. The instruction letter inside said that they wanted to get the books back before February—the anthology’s release date—but, um, unless their marketing department has a time machine stashed away, that’s not going to happen. Oops. Well, I’m sending them along to the next author tomorrow. At least there are only two stopovers left.
• 60-days to a (reprint) sale of “Caesar’s Ghost” to Pseudopod. Yay!
• Contract from Aeon for “Black Swan, White Swan”…along with a request for an intro. Erg. I have a dickens of a time writing intros or synopses for my stuff. As the author, I want to come off as witty and insightful, but definitely not ostentatious or pretentious, and I want to intrigue the reader with my story’s premise without giving away too much or building false expectations.
Yeah, for my next trick, I’ll turn Kool-Aid into brandy and walk on Jell-O. Much brow furrowed lip-chewing, there. I came up with something and sent it off, but I’d rather write a whole story while aardvarks gnaw on my ankles than a one-paragraph introduction. *twitch*
• Payment from both Drabblecast (for “The Tiger Fortune Princess”) and Pseudopod. Yay²!
ToCmates! My “Making Alex Frey” is in that issue of Baen’s.
Woot! Congrats all around!
Argh! I’d forgotten all about Baen’s Universe, and now I found out they’re currently closed for submissions. 🙁
Ah, well. Congrats to you. 🙂
Doh! Well, if it’s any consolation, I sent them “A Thread of Silk” just as they were closing to subs from their last go-round, which, when all was said and done, resulted it them taking 619 days before deciding to buy it. Granted, they gave me the option of pulling it and subbing it elsewhere (and also re-subbing when they opened up again), but as the story had made it past their first round, I opted to just let it ride—which turned out to be a good call.
Also, they re-open to subs in May
.
I had the same reaction to the box o’ Mirrorstone books.
Even stranger, I don’t know why they didn’t just take back some of the books we all (“we” meaning me, Greg, and Ann) signed at the ALA reception that Friday night, or the books we all (here “we” means me, Greg, and Holly) signed on Saturday at ALA. Oh well.
But it’s a cool looking book, and I’m pretty pleased by that.
It’s a very cool looking book
! Guess they wanted every author’s signature on this batch. Although I was a little surprised at how few there were, as they came in a box that could’ve easily held three times the number.
Guess they wanted every author’s signature on this batch.
Absolutely. My point was, they already had books with three of the authnors’ signatures, why not take some of those, and send them to the rest of the authors. Instead, that same box that you have came to me too (and to Ann and to Greg). Crazy!
Ah, I see your point. The ways of marketing are arcane and esoteric indeed.