Many things have happened in the past couple of weeks, and it's time I got caught up. First, we have been waiting for some time to have one of our stories printed in a book instead of available on the internet. I'm proud of the stories and articles we've sold to the Grantville Gazette over the years, but somehow, they didn't ever seem real to me because they were just part of the ether out on the internet. I didn't have anything I could sign for fans. And I never really heard if anyone liked them.
Well, now that is about to change. Our story, Sailing Upwind, has been selected for Grantville Gazette VI, due out in hardback in January. And the news today is that the e-arc is out on Webscriptions available for download. Yes, it's still electronic, but Baen always lets you read some of the opening chapters, and ours is one of the free stories. If you are curious about the series, I'd love to answer any questions. But you can go here and see for yourself. After reading the lead-in blurb, hit NEXT at the top right corner, and you'll see the table of contents. I am so excited!
Next, we survived the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta. It was a close thing, but we made it through to the end without serious harm.
Seriously, the ten days of Balloon Fiesta can take a lot out of you. Kevin takes leave every year, and we get up each morning at 4:30 am to participate in the cold and dark. At least it wasn't as cold this year as it has been in previous years. Unfortunately, we did not fly as often as we did last year. Mostly too windy. And since I wasn't feeling very well, I sent my assistant, Jamie Walbridge, in my place most mornings. So I didn't take any new pictures.
Also of note, we got the email from the Slush-meister at Baen books. They liked our novels, but they were not what Baen is looking for right now. So we have to start the submission process again.
They said complimentary things about my novel, Colors of Evil, though. I was always unsure if Baen would want to publish a SF/Mystery/paranormal story. It is a little hard to categorize.
Finally, since we are within sight of November, we have started planning two new novels to work on for NaNoWriMo. Kevin is working on a sequel to his first effort, and I'm going to write a space opera taken from a short story that I wrote a couple of years ago. The working title is Cool and the Pirates, and it's set in the not-distant future in the Asteroid Belt. Jamie is even going to try her first NaNoWriMo, so we can encourage each other. I've already set up my novel page for this year. If any are interested in being one of my writing buddies, my online name is tyrca.
