Chapter 2 of Ancillary Sword on io9

I am apparently a blogging machine today! Because there’s lots of stuff, I guess.

So. Last week I told you that Chapter 1 of Ancillary Sword was available on Orbit’s website. Today, io9 has posted Chapter 2.

Of course, if you’ve pre-ordered Ancillary Sword you already have access to the first three chapters, and you’re saying “oh, that? I’ve already read that.” But if you haven’t–if you haven’t pre-ordered yet, or for whatever reason pre-ordering isn’t in the cards for you, well, enjoy chapter two!

Posted on in Ancillary Sword, announcements

Ancillary Sword Pre-order Update 2

So, the thing where you get a bookplate if you pre-order Ancillary Sword is geographically limited. It’s Orbit mailing them out (though of course I’ll be signing the bookplates myself) and having done largish mailings for work in the past, I can completely understand why that is.

However! There’s no reason access to the first three chapters should be limited to particular countries. SO. If you’re not eligible for the bookplate offer, but still have pre-ordered AS (or if you do in the near future) use this link. Fill it in. Hit submit. Enjoy the first three chapters!

Here’s the link again, just so it’s very easy to find. Click here if you’re in a country that isn’t eligible for the bookplate pre-order thing, but you’ve still pre-ordered and would like access to the first three chapters.

Posted on in Ancillary Sword, announcements

Ancillary…Pie?

So, yesterday I posted about the update to the Ancillary Sword pre-order thing now including access to the first three chapters. Except, I was in a hurry and wrote “Pre Order” instead of “Pre-order” and then this happened:

To which, of course, I replied,

And the general consensus was that, yes, I was now legally and morally obligated to do so.

The following is not intended to be that pie recipe. It is mostly for my own reference, and hopefully for your amusement. I take no responsibility for the results if you decide to make any of these yourself.

It turns out that if you plug “tea pie recipe” into Google you get…well, first you get a page and a half of links to various versions of something called “Sweet Tea Pie.” Which apparently involves not only tea and a couple of truckloads of sugar, but also eleven egg yolks and a double boiler. Eleven egg yolks. I’ll just let that sink in a bit.

No, there is no meringue on this pie. What the heck are you supposed to do with eleven egg whites if there’s no meringue on your pie? Huh? And I’ve got to admit, this is kind of an intimidating recipe. (I did once make a lemon meringue pie entirely from scratch just because I wanted to know if I could. Once was enough.)

Hannah Bowman suggested adapting a whiskey pie recipe. Wait, whiskey pie? Yeah, turns out that’s a thing. Oh, and there’s a recipe for Chess Pie with whiskey whipped cream.

Here’s a chocolate tea pie recipe, from Lipton. I also ran across an earl grey french silk pie recipe. Hey, I didn’t realize french silk was just chocolate mousse! I am still thinking about how I feel about raw eggs. Even chocolatey ones.

Then there’s this Earl Grey Cream Pie in a Sugar Cookie Crust. I know, right?

But this one pretty much takes the, uh, cake. Bubble Tea Pie with a Fortune Cookie Crust. And for one brief, shining moment it looked like Wes Chu was going to step up and make it and tell us all about it, but his wife vetoed the project. I find this fundamentally unfair. I do not promise to make it myself, even though I do in fact have easy access to the ingredients, but I must confess myself intrigued.

Of course, one might also adapt pie recipes that call for some strongly flavored liquid–like the whiskey pie recipe above–to use tea instead. So, apparently Rum Cream Pie used to be kind of a thing. I am eyeing that recipe with a great deal of interest.

Also, it has just this morning occurred to me that any Ancillary themed pie actually should be a bunch of very small tarts in those adorable tiny fluted tart pans. I do not know if I am quite up for that, but it would be awesome.

Posted on in Ancillary Sword, really cool

Ancillary Sword Pre Order Update

You remember last week, I told you that if you pre-ordered Ancillary Sword and filled in this form with a copy and paste or an image file of your receipt, you could get a signed bookplate? Well. Starting today, if you do those things, you can also access the first three chapters of the book.

That’s right. Pre-order Ancillary Sword, fill in that form and you’ll be able to read not just the first chapter, which is already up on Orbit’s website, but the next two chapters.

I’m given to understand that if you’ve already filled in that form, you’ll be getting (perhaps already have gotten) an email giving you access to those chapters. Enjoy!

Editing to add: Currently the form is still geographically restricted. I’ve asked Orbit if it’s possible to let anyone who pre-orders, anywhere, to access the chapters. I’m told they’ll try to put up a form, and they’ll tell me when it’s up, and I’ll blog about it as soon as I get the word. So watch this space!

Posted on in Uncategorized