Thanks to our longtime readers and fans we’re finishing up the 25th Anniversary Year of the Liaden Universe® and what a grand year we’ve had. We’ve met and talked with many of you at conventions, the BEA, and on our Trade Secret book tour. Jethri’s adventures, like Theo’s, have brought round lots of commentary, and Trade Secret hit the Bookscan bestseller list at Number 6 — a real accomplishment in these days of movie and TV-tie-in domination of the Science Fiction bestseller lists.

One thing we’ve been surprised by is how many of our readers tell us they’ve been with us (or our characters) since close to the beginning. To help us celebrate Trade Secret and our 25th year of Liaden publication please share with us your first Liaden experience — and how many titles you’ve read since then — and we’ll randomly select 5 lucky responders for a free Trade Secret audio book courtesy of Audible! We’ll be selecting winners based on replies received by midnight Friday,December 6 (our time in snowy Maine). You’ve got 5 shots — tell us how you got started in the Liaden Universe®!

Here’s the full complement of Liaden Universe® offerings from Audible!

This just in!  Laura Haywood-Cory interviews Lee and Miller!  Here’s the link.  Please share it widely.

Lee and Miller PhilCon Schedule (be aware that this is our preliminary schedule, and that changes may be made:

FRIDAY

Fri 7:00 PM in Executive Suite 623 (1 hour)
READING: STEVE MILLER (1648)

SATURDAY

 Sat 12:00 PM in Autograph Table (1 hour)
AUTOGRAPH: SHARON LEE, STEVE MILLER (1678)

Sat 3:00 PM in Plaza III (Three) (1 hour)
“MUNDANE” SCIENCE FICTION (1593)
[Panelists: Gregory Frost (mod), Barbara Krasnoff, Allen Steele,
Margaret Riley, Steve Miller]
Science fiction can be set in the future without all of the
impossible tropes, such as time travel, faster than light travel,
psi powers and galactic empires.  What are some examples, and what
goes into creating it

Sat 4:00 PM in Plaza II (Two) (1 hour)
“DANGEROUS VISIONS” RE-EXAMINED (1541)
[Panelists: Tim W. Burke (mod), Edward Carmien, Tom Doyle, Jim
Freund, Steve Miller]
Taking another look at Harlan Ellison’s ground breaking anthology.
Did this change the field forever?  Or is it overrated

Sat 6:00 PM in Plaza III (Three) (1 hour)
ABOUT THE PHILIP K. DICK AWARD (1602)
[Panelists: Gary Feldbaum (mod), Tim Sullivan, Rock Robertson, Steve
Miller, David Walton]
What is the Philip K. Dick Award, and what does it have to do with
Philadelphia area fandom?  How is it administered?  What are oame
famous works that have won?  What influence does it have in the
field

Sat 7:00 PM in Plaza III (Three) (1 hour)
BALONIUM, UNOBTAINIUM AND UPSIDASIUM (1530)
[Panelists: John Ashmead (mod), Darrell Schweitzer, John Monahan,
Sharon Lee]
From cavorite to kryptonite, science fiction fiction writers love to
add new elements to the periodic table.  How do you create
convincing imaginary substances and what do you do with them

Sat 8:00 PM in Plaza IV (Four) (1 hour)
EXPANDING A SHORT STORY INTO A NOVEL (1505)
[Panelists: Steve Miller (mod), Sharon Lee, Lawrence M. Schoen, Mike
McPhail]
How do you turn a short work into a longer work without just simply
padding.  What are proper ways to expand a story

Sat 9:00 PM in Plaza II (Two) (1 hour)
I WANNA BE A PUBLISHER! (1500)
[Panelists: Sally Wiener Grotta (mod), Brian Koscienski, Steve
Miller, Mike McPhail]
Some people want to go beyond just writing and editing books into
the world of publishing.  If you really do want to publish books,
what steps do you take?  What pitfalls must you avoid

 Sat 10:00 PM in Plaza III (Three) (1 hour)
CHARACTERS YOU CAN NOT STOP WRITING ABOUT (1603)
[Panelists: Peter Prellwitz (mod), Danielle Ackley-McPhail, David
Sklar, Sharon Lee]
There are characters or character types so popular that certain
writers can not stop writing about them even if they want to. Can
you name your favorite examples

 SUNDAY

 Sun 12:00 PM in Executive Suite 623 (1 hour)
READING: SHARON LEE (1662)

Sun 1:00 PM in Plaza II (Two) (1 hour)
IS THAT A “STORY”? (1611)
[Panelists: Darrell Schweitzer (mod), Jim Freund, David Sklar,
Sharon Lee]
Ever since the days of the “New Wave” we have had this argument.
What is a story?  Are there works published that are not stories

 Sun 2:00 PM in Crystal Ballroom Three (1 hour)
THE BUSINESS OF WRITING (1621)
[Panelists: Steve Miller (mod), D.H. Aire, Christine Norris, Alex
Lidell]
Everyone talks about the craft of writing, but what are some of the
hidden pitfalls from the business side of… well… the business?
From contract basics to handling taxes, published professionals will
talk about what you need to know, and what traps are out there for
the unwary.

Sharon Lee and Steve Miller will be embarking on a book tour in support of the seventeenth novel set in their star-spanning Liaden Universe®, Trade Secret.

The full tour schedule is below.  Please feel free to distribute it wherever it may be of interest.

* * *

The Official Lee and Miller Book Tour Schedule

Thursday, October 31, 7-9 pm
Pandemonium Books and Games, 4 Pleasant Street, Cambridge MA

 Friday, November 1, 7-9 pm
The Toadstool Bookstore, 586 Nashua Street (Lorden Plaza), Milford NH

Saturday, November 2, 2-4 pm
Barnes and Noble, 98 Middlesex Turnpike, Burlington MA

Sunday, November 3, 1-4 pm
Annie’s Bookstop of Worcester, 65 James Street, Worcester MA

Monday, November 4, 7-9 pm
Barnes and Noble, 7 Holyoke Street, Holyoke MA

Tuesday, November 5, 7-9 pm
Flights of Fantasy, 381 Sand Creek Road, Albany NY

Wednesday, November 6, 7-9 pm
Book Trader of Hamilton, 2421 Nottingham Way, Mercerville NJ

Thursday, November 7 (be careful! there are two events today)

Noon-2 pm : 
University of Pennsylvania Bookstore, 3601 Walnut at 36th Street, Philadelphia

7-9 pm:
Chester County Book Company, 967 Paoli Pike, West Chester PA

Friday, November 8 — Sunday, November 10
PhilCon, Crowne Plaza Hotel, Cherry Hill, NJ     

Sunday, November 17, 2-4 p.m.
Books-a-Million, South Portland, Maine