Liaden Unibus 02
Page 31
"I did not wish to miss the birth of our daughter," he said, drowsy under her fingers.
"Not a worry. Priscilla says day after tomorrow."
"So soon?"
She laughed, and pushed him off her lap. He made a show of sprawling on the rug, and she laughed again, pushing against the arms of the chair.
Val Con leapt to his feet and helped her rise.
"I believe I will have a nap," he said. "Will you join me?"
"Wouldn't miss it for anything."
About the Authors
SHARON LEE AND STEVE MILLER live in the rolling hills of central Maine, where they repaired from Maryland—with cats, books, music, and computers—after selling the first three Liaden Universe(r) novels in the late 1980s.
Before moving to Maine, Steve and Sharon were active in the Baltimore science fiction community for years as fans, short story writers, editors, bookstore owners and art agents. In the mid seventies Clarion West graduate Steve (class of '73) was the founding Curator of the UMBC Science Fiction Research Collection as well as the Director of Information for the burgeoning Baltimore Science Fiction Society. A well known traveling fan, Steve participated in well over 100 conventions during this period.
Since moving they've continued to write in the Liaden Universe(r) and seven novels—Local Custom, Scout's Progress, Conflict of Honors, Agent of Change, Carpe Diem, and Plan B, and I Dare are in print, with Balance of Trade due in 2004, and two additional Liaden novels coming in the years after that.
The current novels are available individually in electronic format from WebScriptions as well as in Meisha Merlin trade paper editions; the omnibus Partners in Necessity—containing the first three novels—is also out in hardcover from the Science Fiction Book Club and mass market editions of all the novels are or will soon be available from Ace.
Along the way, Sharon and Steve were (and are) fortunate in having very supportive readers. In 1995 those readers requested—via an internet mailing list—something Liaden to tide them over. Steve's experience in chapbook publishing came to the fore and thus he began SRM Publisher. Two Tales of Korval was SRM's first book and its first print run was expected to be 60—but ended up at 200. Those rapidly sold out, as well, and now Two Tales is the SRM Publishing stable's best seller, with over 4500 copies in print.
As readers continued to ask for more short works, SRM brought out other chapbooks, including a reissue of pre-Liaden fantasy The Naming of Kinzel. Eventually Absolute Magnitude magazine got into the act with Liaden Universe(r) short stories. Editor Warren Lapine accepted the novelette "Balance of Trade" for issue 11 of Absolute Magnitude, snapped up "A Choice of Weapons" for issue number 12 and then took the very popular novella "Changeling" for issue 14. These stories were collected into the fifth and sixth Liaden Universe(r) chapbooks from SRM. "Changeling" has proved very popular and is also available as a WebScription electronic book. In 2002 the Liaden short story Veil of he Dancer appeared in Absolute Magnitude and Sweet Waters appeared in the premier issue of the new UK magazine, 3SF.
After a stint as Web Libriarian at a dot.com, SRM Publisher grew to be Steve's "day job"—in part because SRM Publisher took over the original Sharon Lee and Steve Miller "Authors of the Liaden Universe" website, expanding it to include an online catalog page as well as a list of congruent authors.
As SRM Publisher grew, Michael Capobianco, then President of SFWA—Science Fiction Writers of America—asked Sharon to become the organization's first Executive Director, a full time position she held for more than three years. With contracts for Liaden Universe(r) novels set through 2005, Sharon gave up that job last year, running for and winning the SFWA Vice Presidency, which she assumed July 1st of 2001, and then running for and winning the SFWA Presidency, a post she assumed in July 2002.
As fulltime writers Sharon and Steve frequently attend science fiction conventions and signings around the US and Canada. In the last few years they've been guests or participants at libraries, conventions and science fictional events in Schenectady, Chicago, San Jose, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Roanoke, Boston, Burlington, Bangor, and Fredericton (New Brunswick), Kansas City, San Jose, Baltimore, with upcoming travels to Minneapolis and Toronto, and a return to Baltimore as Guests of Honor for BaltiCon, an annual regional science fiction convention in May, 2003.
Note: If you're planning an event and would like the authors to attend you can contact them via email at
srm@korval.com
or
c/o SRM Publisher,
PO Box 179
,
Unity, ME 04988-0179.
Read the internet news list at liadenuniversenews@yahoogroups.com or visit www.korval.com/liad.htm for the latest Liaden Universe(r) news. About the Liaden Universe(r)
" . . .the authors' craftsmanship is top-notch, recalling the work of Elizabeth Moon and Lois McMaster Bujold . . ."—Publishers Weekly November 26, 2001
"The combination of wit, relationship, and space opera may appeal to readers of Lois McMaster Bujold."—Booklist December 15, 2001
"These authors consistently deliver stories with a rich, textured setting, intricate plotting, and vivid, interesting characters from fully-realized cultures, both human and alien—and each book gets better."— Elizabeth Moon, author of Speed of Dark
"Nobody else in the field combines space opera and comedy of manners with the same deftness and brio as these two."—Debra Doyle, co-author of the Mageworlds novels
"Sharon Lee and Steve Miller are so good it's scary."—S. L. Viehl, author of the Stardoc series
More about the authors
Sharon Lee and Steve Miller are co-authors of the best-selling Liaden Universe(r) series and have been writing together since the Kinzel stories for Fantasy Book in the early 80s. They began work on the first Liaden story in 1984 and have published 8 novels and several dozen short works in that series alone. They count Meisha Merlin, Ace Books, Buzzy Multimedia, and WebScriptions among their English language publishers and have several foreign language publishers as well.
Sharon and Steve have appeared as guests and panelists at numerous science fiction conventions in the US and Canada, including stints as Guests of Honor at SiliCon in San Jose, MarsCon in Minneapolis, BaltiCon in Baltimore, CONduit, in Salt lake City and Trinoc*con in Durham, NC, and Special Guests at AlbaCon, ShevaCon, and elsewhere.
Their short fiction, written both jointly and singly, has appeared in Absolute Magnitude, Catfantastic, Dreams of Decadence, Fantasy Book, Such a Pretty Face, 3SF, and several incarnations of Amazing, with more scheduled in 2005. Their work has enjoyed a number of award nominations, with Scout's Progress being selected for the Prism Award for Best Futuristic Romance of 2001 and Local Custom runner-up for the same award.
Low Port, an anthology they edited for Meisha Merlin, appeared in August, 2003. Balance of Trade, their most recent novel, appeared in hardcover in February 2004; their next scheduled hardcover novel is Crystal Soldier, due in February 2005 and out as an eBook as we go to press.
Sharon was born in Baltimore, Maryland in 1952. She graduated from high school in 1970, attended University of Maryland Baltimore County as a mild-mannered night student while simultaneously cutting a fearsome swath through the secretarial field by day. Sharon's interest in science fiction manifested early in life and she won the BaltiCon 10 short story contest in 1976. Since her first pro sale, in 1980, Sharon's professional output has included reviews, features, short stories; TV, radio and print ads, as well as her contribution to the Liaden Universe(r). Sharon also worked as a freelance journalist and a night-side editor for the Central Maine Morning Sentinel.
In 1997, Sharon was hired to be the first full-time executive director of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA), a position she held for three years. She also served terms as vice president and president of SFWA.
Steve was born in Baltimore, Maryland in 1950, grandson of poet and radio personality Dorothea Neale. He graduated from high school in 1968 after learning
how to make chapbooks as editor of the school's literary magazine.
Steve attended University of Maryland Baltimore County in the late 60s and 70s, where he was managing editor of the campus newspaper, and started the school's science fiction club. He was Founding Curator of the Albin O. Kuhn Library's science fiction research collection.
Steve is an independent publisher with an extensive background in SF fandom. He was Vice Chair of the Baltimore in 80 WorldCon bid and is a 1973 graduate of Clarion West writing workshop in Seattle. His first professional fiction appeared in the 70s in Amazing. Steve has accumulated credits in well over 100 newspapers, magazines and journals. In addition to reviews and poetry, Steve's professional output includes short stories, TV and radio commercials, greeting cards, as well as his contribution to the Liaden Universe®.