And the good news is….

Amazon chose INTO THE FIRE as one of the best SFF book releases for February.  Hurray!!

I know I’ve been absent for far too long in the run-up to a book release, and though it was all Stuff Happened, and then More Stuff Happened, and then Stuff Happened Right on Top of Stuff Already Happening….it did leave all of you hanging around the old clubhouse…or just looking at the unlighted windows…too long.

A brief list of the Stuff:  continued requests for another round of questions and problems to be fixed in the book (you’ll be glad these occurred!!)  that lasted through November.  Then I got sick, about the time I had to prod husband to go see the doctor again THIS WEEK because some bad things were happening with him.  Our son graduated from community college mid-December, and I literally crawled out of bed to make it down to the city to see his graduation (YAY!)  and then fell back into bed, feverish again, and was able to sing at only one service on Christmas Eve.  (The day before that, my horse Mac died….and there I was with a dead horse in the horse lot on the holiday weekend.  A friend trailered over his tractor, with a front-end loader, and removed the body to their ranch.   Then returned on Christmas Eve to pick up his tractor.  Somewhere in there (my memory is tangled) husband seen his doctor, and gotten an appointment with a surgeon,  been sent for a scan, and had surgery on, um, January 3.   Meanwhile, I’d been employing idle hours (! not many of those!) since about October looking at horse ads because we knew Mac was old and might not last another year, though in the week before he died he had looked spryer than for awhile.   Now I looked harder, figuring it would take several months to find one of the type I wanted) and while husband was in bed after surgery,  I spotted a nearby ad for a horse the right age, training,  and size…only 20 miles away.

This led to a frantic week of discovering that yes, the mare was a good match…getting her to a vet for the pre-purchase exam, and then having her delivered…and having to rush off to Austin, in the face of oncoming severe (for us) weather, to get her a blanket and some other stuff that her seller had said he’d bring, only he didn’t.  And due to the pre-January 1 and immediate post-January 1 stuff, I didn’t have necessary legally required reports written yet…due on January 31.  And the mare did not fit any of my saddles, which (not having been used for over 10 years) were not (as they should’ve been) perfectly clean and ready to be unwrapped and used.  But they didn’t fit anyway, so…

However, I have a rideable horse, when I finally get a saddle, which I would have by now (maybe) if the saddle fitter hadn’t had to change our appointment to the end of next week.  In younger, fitter, and slimmer days I’d have been on her bareback already.  Now…it hasn’t happened yet.

This image makes her too “red”–she’s a smoky buckskin, sort of peanut-butter colored in shade or on a cloudy day, and with very gold highlights in full sun.  This was the cold, cloudy, windy day she arrived.  Like most horses in a new field, she ran around a lot.  We’ve been doing a lot of ground work, since I wasn’t confident enough to get on her bareback from the get-go (here’s another picture to suggest why not…)

  When younger, I could ride a gallop bareback (fun!) but at 70+ just not ready for that, after 10 years + without any riding.  But…a saddle that fits her WILL be acquired, and I WILL ride her and when I’m fitter, I’ll ride her bareback as well.   So there’s been work on leading politely (she wasn’t bad, but she sometimes thinks she should be leading me),  taking the bit without a fuss, not freaking out at everything resembling a whip. etc.  She was used as a general riding horse and roping horse by her former owner,  who got too big for her (way taller than me and somewhat heavier) and has a lot of experience in both ranch work and rodeoing, riding alongside traffic, riding in cities (in and around the big statewide livestock shows and rodeos), parades, etc.  She’s an interesting mix of Quarter Horse and Arabian, both in conformation and disposition.   No papers, which doesn’t bother me.  Eight years old, 14.3 hands high, the kind of dings in the pre-purchase exam you expect to find in an 8 year old ranch/roping horse but nothing disqualifying.

So that’s what’s been taking up my time.  With two reports (the ones due 1/31) turned Wednesday, and the one due 2/10 almost finished, I’m beginning to get glimmers of what might come after INTO THE FIRE.  Nothing strong enough to talk about yet.  I do want to go back and finish the bits started about the great reunion of characters on Waystation Huygens…

 

 

52 thoughts on “And the good news is….

  1. Woot! DH and I kept trying to read Cold Welcome in the car but lack of long trips and other discussions when we were on roads good for reading meant it didn’t happen. So, he is reading the HB version and I just got the Kindle version and will read that so we will be reading somewhat together and able to talk. Then when Into the Fire gets here, we will probably hold it until we have a couple of longer road trips and read it together. I’m REALLY looking forward to it.

  2. I won’t say I’m actually camped out by the front door, waiting for ‘Into the Fire’ to arrive through the letterbox, but… 🙂

    1. You may hate me for this, but I now have in my hands a nice fresh copy of both the US and UK editions. Petting them. “My preciousssssss…” (Then, not to be spooky, I go cut up another carrot for Mocha.

  3. Sorry for all the stuff happening, especially your and OH’s ill-health. Big YAY for son’s graduation and for that beautiful girl, she looks wonderful.

    1. Well, husband’s recovering well, son has his graduation pictures, and the mare is a delight. Will be more of one when I get a saddle that fits her so I can ride. My ability to get on top of a horse bareback disappeared somewhere in the past dozen years when I wasn’t riding.

  4. Glad you and hubby are feeling better. And a graduation too! But I’m confused. You hadn’t ridden Mac in 10years!?!?

  5. Glad you and hubby are feeling better. And a graduation too! But I’m confused. You hadn’t ridden Mac in 10years!?!? I remember your search for him. Doesn’t seem that long ago.

  6. Sorry for the loss of your horse, very happy for the recovery of your hubby and the acquisition of your new horse! Very nice looking mare.

    Just finished Cold Front last night and read the first chapter of Into The Fire. Loved CF, and ITF: Wow. Talk about hitting the ground running. Or no rest for the weary. At any rate, quite looking forward to it. Any chance of reestablising your LJ feed from your blog?

  7. Glad you’re feeling better. She’s a lovely mare – do you have a name (if only a blog nickname) for her? And please, what is a “roping horse” – not something we have on this side of the Atlantic.

    Tried to come on here yesterday to wish you a happy half-evener, but the site was down.

  8. Yay for the good Amazon juju, new horse, and all. “Into The Fire” is due to show up in my Kindle account on either Feb 6 or 9. Can’t remember which way the numeral was oriented. Excited.

  9. Umm, I was needing a place to go hang out for a bit this evening. I’m going to have to go over to my brick and mortar to see if it’s on the shelves after my appointment.

  10. Well,

    That wasn’t what I expected from the teaser about the three pair of eyes watching the house. I liked that part.

  11. Just to add that “Into the Fire” downloaded on to my Kindle last night – well, promptly at midnight – and I have had to be VERY self-controlled not to have spent the entire day reading, rather than doing all the other things I needed to do today! I can see a whole Vatta Series re-read in my immediate future! (I told you, didn’t I, that when I was unexpectedly taken into hospital in July, I couldn’t face reading anything new, and turned to the Deed of Paksenarrion, and Paladin’s Legacy with great relief!

  12. well elizabeth , you have done it again. I downloaded the book yesterday afternoon and it took me all night to read it. once more you have excelled yourself. I kept telling myself to put it down,but no, I will just read one more chapter until there were no more chapters and the sky outside was my window was pale blue, and the birds were starting to sing. Its no wonder Amazon put it on their best SSF list.its a cracking good story. WELL DONE THAT GIRL!!!

  13. Stayed up way too late to get about 1/2 thru. Enjoying so far. Now the morning is way too early and I have to get out the door to work.

  14. This is driving me crazy-I WANT to read the book, but too much Important Stuff to do in a very short time frame! But I shall look on it as a reward for my diligence….Thank you in advance for anticipated pleasure!

  15. I just finished Into the Fire with pleasure as a welcome interlude from the many things in life that are Not Working As Intended. Now I am rereading, having been taken by surprise by your use of the Immigration issues. Many thanks for another great read!

  16. Into The Fire is great! I was expecting to feel upset at the non-ending that most middle books in a series offer, but Into The Fire was just right; enough resolved that I could put it down, but everything that’s left in the air looks interesting. Not that I want to spend a year “savoring the anticipation” of the next installment, but at least I won’t be upset in the meantime. 🙂

  17. Just got my copy of Into the Fire on Tuesday, doing a happy dance on my good leg. Saving it for a reward after finishing some books for book groups. Sorry about Mac, time spent with horses does not count against our allotted time here on Earth, it is magic time. I am praying for your husband. Hope you are feeling better. Congratulations to your son! We went to Lessons and Carols at Grace Cathedral in SF for Christmas with our son and his girlfriend, Tom Steyer was sitting in front of us. I ended up sick as a dog a few hours later, and went to bed with new Charles de Lint book. I was sick until after New Year, started to feel better around Epiphany. Here’s to a healthier 2018!

    1. I hope you continue to feel better, and that I get rid of this dadgum sinus thing (would help if the weather didn’t change every day and a half!) Here’s to a healthier 2018 for sure!

    1. Joan Hardy: An interesting thought…why del Toro in particular? (I’m not much of a movie-goer so I don’t really know who’s done which movies….my unsophistication is at the level of “I want galloping horses, sword-fights, and beautiful scenery…”)

    2. You should make an effort to see one of his movies, particularly “The Shape of Water”. I think his cinematography would be able to capture the world of autism. The unsatisfied love story in the plot might be up his ally too.

  18. Just finished ITF in a marathon read. Love all your books, but Vatta is my favorite. So sorry to hear about the recent difficulties for you and your family. Interesting how life can be resilient and fragile at the same time. Time to write this, my first fan letter ever, to thank you for all the amazing characters and worlds that have delighted me for so long. May the adventures go on and on!

  19. Saw a list on Amazon short while ago listing the 100 sifi/fantasy books one should read. Speed of Dark was listed!. I would have also included Remnant Population. I am sorry to hear that the wait for the 3rd installment will be so long. I reread the whole Vatta series prior to starting ITF. Will probably have to do that again when the next book comes out. That means the piles of books littering my closet floor will have to wait longer before they are read.
    I have always admired how writers can come up with SO many names like you do. Running onto a familiar name is a delight.
    Glad to hear that husband is doing better and son is doing so well.

  20. “A recent concussion …” Whoa! Alarm bells! Somehow that doesn’t sound like you’re referring to last August’s bike crash.

    Sorry I’m late for this party – a little late reading, later commenting. Some minor stuff of my own – mostly good (a ski trip, Winter Olympics coverage: managed to watch two or three events middle of my nighttime, otherwise hurray for internet catch-up). Like everyone else, once started on ITF couldn’t stop, thank you, and a dip back in turned into an almost complete reread.

    Mine is the UK cover of course, worth showing here if you can. (And now the US cover is explained.)

  21. Into The Fire was wonderful. Thank you.
    If I were a scientist on Slotter Key I would be furious that the existence of the Mikslund installation and fauna was kept secret. (Also imagining the local toy manufacturers tooling up for the Mikslund line of stuffed animals!)

  22. Hi from Sweden! I really, really loved Into the Fire! Then again, I love all of your books, so no surprise there. I did have a question that I can’t seem to find the answer to even though I re-read the book. Did Stella ever open the file/information she was given by Benny Quindlan? As far as I can tell it doesn’t say in the book (although I could’ve missed it of course), but it doesn’t seem like her to just ignore it or forget about it when she thought several times about the threat she received from him? Or is that possibly a plot thread for the next book in the series? 🙂

    1. Thank you so much for letting me know you enjoyed Into the Fire. Yes, Stella did look at it but dithered over passing it on to someone else to deal with. And the Quindlan plot thread will continue, though I don’t know exactly how except for one thing that it would be too spoilerish to say.

  23. I just finished Into The Fire, so I’m going to have to go back and reread it just because. I have all of your books on the Nook now, so when one of my nieces posted on Facebook wondering if anyone had a copy of Paksenarrion Dorthansdotter because she lost hers, I was thrilled to pass on all my well-loved and worn paper copies to her, not having known that she had discovered your writings as well. Around 20 years ago when I joined my Episcopal church, I was also happy to hear our rector at the time reference one of your books in a sermon! (It’s amazing how Episcopalians love reading (and writing) good science fiction and mysteries). I’m really looking forward to the next installment!

  24. I wish to make a complaint. For various reasons I did not acquire a copy of Into the Fire until yesterday. Ms. Moon should have a page in the middle of the book to implore her readers to go to sleep if the time if after 11 PM. I finished the book after 12 PM.

    Not that it is an easy read – I will leave to read it again to get the full benefit. A most satifactory addition to the saga of Ky eat al.

    Full Marks to Ms. Moon for Into the Fire.

    Ky goes to a dude ranch where they are branding the new calves.. She is chosen to put the brands —-

    Ky is on a cooking show where she puts the ingredients —-

    Jonathan up in New Hampshire.

  25. So, I was just re-reading the Vatta series from the beginning, and I got to wondering what happened to Gaspard after the attack on Vatta… the last we hear of the man who taught Ky how to fly a plane is when he’s handing a list of survivors to Gerry just after the attack. Maybe it’s just the dismal search function in iBooks, but I couldn’t find a reference to him after the implant flashback in Engaging the Enemy.

    Was he one of the Vatta pilots who helped with the rescue in Into the Fire? That would be some nice continuity if so…

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