First encountered Steve on LIVE JOURNAL. Think my 1st comment was: are you the author of CARPE DIEM? And why no more books about Miri and ValCon?
And then chapters of FLEDGLING would appear, we fans would read, critique, and thru Patreon, contribute to the next month's chapter. Those days were such fun. We saw FLEDGLING & SALUTATION published this way.
Thanks Steve, Sharon, for never giving up on your dreams
I remember those days - sending a donation and salivating for the next chapter!! The memories and wonders Steve and Sharon created together will never die, but I do miss him.
I always enjoyed seeing him "like" or comment on a FB post about the Orioles. It was great fun to know that one of my favorite authors also was a fan of my favorite team. This season should be one to remember and I'm sad that this fellow fan won't be around to cheer on our Birds. I will, of course, also greatly miss his posts and sly wit.
IN MEMORIAM Steve Miller, 1950-2024
Steve Miller and Sharon Lee have long been known for their popular Liaden Universe stories. Both have written other things as well. Even before that, Steve was the founding president of the Infinity Circle, UMBC’s (University of Maryland, Baltimore County) first science fiction club and founding Curator of UMBC’s Albin O. Kuhn Library & Gallery's science fiction research collection.
Steve also deserves to be remembered as a pioneer of digital publishing. In 1990, he came up with “disk-top publishing” as the perfect moniker for publishing books (SF and other) on computer disks. Floppies, even! He even founded his own disk-top operation, BPLAN Virtuals, using Ted Husted’s IRIS software as a reader interface. By the next year, he had a number of titles available, including the Disk-Top Science Fantasy Reader, Disk-Top Horror Reader, and Disk-Top Writer's Guide anthologies, his and Sharon Lee's own Gnothi-Kairon novella (set in the Space Rogues universe), and their Kinzel collection (as well as a novella of my own, Alien Resonance).
The disk-top publishing term soon became enshrined in the name of the Disktop Publishing Association. By 1993, disk-top action was showing up on Genie. But in that same year, even as the Internet was staggering to its feet, the Disktop Publishing Association became the Digital Publishing Association.
E-books have come a long way since then. But the pioneers should not be forgotten. Honor Steve Miller’s memory!
He was probably instrumental (and inspirational) in helping me to begin to share my life with a Maine Coon cat. Aside from all that though he was a thoughtful and kind person - I remember con breakfasts with Steve-and-sharon that live in my memory long after many other such shared meals with other people have left the building...
I did not personally know Steve, but his stories (especially the Liaden series written with Sharon) meant so much to me and I feel his loss as do so many other fans. The universe is a smaller place. My heart goes out to Sharon.
I remember Steve demonstrating how to move around in a house with multiple large affectionate cats, by keeping one's feet as close together as possible. He did that at a talk and book signing at the Burlington, MA, Bornes& Noble.
I didn’t meet Steve and Sharon physically very often—a couple of Friends of Liad breakfasts, Balticon a couple of times, but for years on Facebook. I was one of the small legion of people who called Toni Weisskopf at Baen to tell her that Meisha Merlin Publishing had failed and Steve and Sharon were greatly in need of a new publisher. I remember when Steve made a mad dash in a U-Haul truck to Atlanta to retrieve as many Liaden Universe books as he could fit before Meisha Merlin’s receiver in bankruptcy torched, dumped, or sold them. I sent him money for gas, because I knew it was needed, and I wanted the Liaden Universe to survive—after all, I’ve been a fan since the day Agent of Change was released.
Steve and Sharon are part of that small group of writers (and publishers) that have influenced me and taught me how to be a good writer and editor, and publisher. Sharon and Steve, Eric Flint, Mercedes Lackey, Rosemary Edghill, Jim Baen. I hope I’ve been a good pupil and done well with what they’ve taught me.
Steve and Sharon taught me how to manage a fan base. It isn’t easy, and it involves being open publicly to a great extent. I always admired Steve’s ability to maintain an even strain while being pursued stage left by screaming fans.
Having been married for the past 11 years to another writer and editor, Joy Ward, I have long admired Sharon and Steve’s vastly longer marriage for its stability.
Ave atque Vale, Steve. And may the Goddess bless Sharon who has to stay behind for a time. After my first wife passed, I had to do all the things she is doing to pack up, clean up, and wind up the loose threads Steve left. It is hard, hard. Blessed be.
I have been reading Lee and Miller since Meisha Merlin days and with every novel become more entranced with their world building, sense of wonder and magic, and creative idea exploration! Steve's legacy will live on long, as will the amazing people and places that were born in his mind. Sharon had an equal measure in them, but surely this is a case of the end result being greater than the sum of the parts! An amazing partnership and synergy! May his influence continue to create amazing tales. Part of Steve remains forever in those who remember him.
I very much wish I'd known Steve better. We first encountered each other via Facebook and I enjoyed his posts about trains, cats, day lilies, and more. I was fortunate to meet him (and Sharon) and hear a reading at a con in NJ in April 2023 and it was a really nice weekend. I'll treasure the "I met Steve Miller" badge ribbon (and ditto Sharon) from that con.
Rest, well, Steve. You lived a good life and you and your work will long be remembered.
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I enjoyed his stories. He is missed.
First encountered Steve on LIVE JOURNAL. Think my 1st comment was: are you the author of CARPE DIEM? And why no more books about Miri and ValCon?
And then chapters of FLEDGLING would appear, we fans would read, critique, and thru Patreon, contribute to the next month's chapter. Those days were such fun. We saw FLEDGLING & SALUTATION published this way.
Thanks Steve, Sharon, for never giving up on your dreams
I remember those days - sending a donation and salivating for the next chapter!! The memories and wonders Steve and Sharon created together will never die, but I do miss him.
I always enjoyed seeing him "like" or comment on a FB post about the Orioles. It was great fun to know that one of my favorite authors also was a fan of my favorite team. This season should be one to remember and I'm sad that this fellow fan won't be around to cheer on our Birds. I will, of course, also greatly miss his posts and sly wit.
IN MEMORIAM Steve Miller, 1950-2024
Steve Miller and Sharon Lee have long been known for their popular Liaden Universe stories. Both have written other things as well. Even before that, Steve was the founding president of the Infinity Circle, UMBC’s (University of Maryland, Baltimore County) first science fiction club and founding Curator of UMBC’s Albin O. Kuhn Library & Gallery's science fiction research collection.
Steve also deserves to be remembered as a pioneer of digital publishing. In 1990, he came up with “disk-top publishing” as the perfect moniker for publishing books (SF and other) on computer disks. Floppies, even! He even founded his own disk-top operation, BPLAN Virtuals, using Ted Husted’s IRIS software as a reader interface. By the next year, he had a number of titles available, including the Disk-Top Science Fantasy Reader, Disk-Top Horror Reader, and Disk-Top Writer's Guide anthologies, his and Sharon Lee's own Gnothi-Kairon novella (set in the Space Rogues universe), and their Kinzel collection (as well as a novella of my own, Alien Resonance).
The disk-top publishing term soon became enshrined in the name of the Disktop Publishing Association. By 1993, disk-top action was showing up on Genie. But in that same year, even as the Internet was staggering to its feet, the Disktop Publishing Association became the Digital Publishing Association.
E-books have come a long way since then. But the pioneers should not be forgotten. Honor Steve Miller’s memory!
He was probably instrumental (and inspirational) in helping me to begin to share my life with a Maine Coon cat. Aside from all that though he was a thoughtful and kind person - I remember con breakfasts with Steve-and-sharon that live in my memory long after many other such shared meals with other people have left the building...
I did not personally know Steve, but his stories (especially the Liaden series written with Sharon) meant so much to me and I feel his loss as do so many other fans. The universe is a smaller place. My heart goes out to Sharon.
I remember Steve demonstrating how to move around in a house with multiple large affectionate cats, by keeping one's feet as close together as possible. He did that at a talk and book signing at the Burlington, MA, Bornes& Noble.
I didn’t meet Steve and Sharon physically very often—a couple of Friends of Liad breakfasts, Balticon a couple of times, but for years on Facebook. I was one of the small legion of people who called Toni Weisskopf at Baen to tell her that Meisha Merlin Publishing had failed and Steve and Sharon were greatly in need of a new publisher. I remember when Steve made a mad dash in a U-Haul truck to Atlanta to retrieve as many Liaden Universe books as he could fit before Meisha Merlin’s receiver in bankruptcy torched, dumped, or sold them. I sent him money for gas, because I knew it was needed, and I wanted the Liaden Universe to survive—after all, I’ve been a fan since the day Agent of Change was released.
Steve and Sharon are part of that small group of writers (and publishers) that have influenced me and taught me how to be a good writer and editor, and publisher. Sharon and Steve, Eric Flint, Mercedes Lackey, Rosemary Edghill, Jim Baen. I hope I’ve been a good pupil and done well with what they’ve taught me.
Steve and Sharon taught me how to manage a fan base. It isn’t easy, and it involves being open publicly to a great extent. I always admired Steve’s ability to maintain an even strain while being pursued stage left by screaming fans.
Having been married for the past 11 years to another writer and editor, Joy Ward, I have long admired Sharon and Steve’s vastly longer marriage for its stability.
Ave atque Vale, Steve. And may the Goddess bless Sharon who has to stay behind for a time. After my first wife passed, I had to do all the things she is doing to pack up, clean up, and wind up the loose threads Steve left. It is hard, hard. Blessed be.
I have been reading Lee and Miller since Meisha Merlin days and with every novel become more entranced with their world building, sense of wonder and magic, and creative idea exploration! Steve's legacy will live on long, as will the amazing people and places that were born in his mind. Sharon had an equal measure in them, but surely this is a case of the end result being greater than the sum of the parts! An amazing partnership and synergy! May his influence continue to create amazing tales. Part of Steve remains forever in those who remember him.
I very much wish I'd known Steve better. We first encountered each other via Facebook and I enjoyed his posts about trains, cats, day lilies, and more. I was fortunate to meet him (and Sharon) and hear a reading at a con in NJ in April 2023 and it was a really nice weekend. I'll treasure the "I met Steve Miller" badge ribbon (and ditto Sharon) from that con.
Rest, well, Steve. You lived a good life and you and your work will long be remembered.