So here's the thing.
As is always the case when a new book is released, the illegal downloads for Sparrow Hill Road are popping up like mushrooms after the rain. They seem to be quite healthy, too. Swell; hopefully that means sales will be good. It definitely means that people are reporting them to me, because that's part of the circle of piracy. Which also means that some...other...links are getting reported to me.
Including the downloads for the original Edge of Propinquity stories.
I am aware that some people, on seeing me type that, will go "oh yay I can read them." And I am begging you: please don't. Please do not download these stories. Please do not save these stories. If you have them as historical artifacts, well, I can't stop you from doing that, but I would be much happier if you deleted them.
"Silly author, not understanding that the internet is forever!" No, I understand completely that the internet is forever. There's nothing in those stories that I'm ashamed of. The bulk of them have been preserved in the new volume, cleaned up and edited and improved by additional material. I'm not trying to hide anything. But those stories are out of canon, and I've been fielding emails and comments for the last two weeks about "but this contradicts..." or "but this story that isn't collected here says...". They've picked up in volume in the last two days.
So this isn't an anti-piracy post: it's a "please stop downloading what is essentially an early draft, and is out of canon, and is making me tear my hair out" post. You're not missing anything good by leaving it alone. You're just missing a lot of confusion about what year Rose actually died. And you're missing out on Mary and Amy entirely.
Really.
May 8 2014, 02:40:04 UTC 3 years ago
May 8 2014, 02:45:34 UTC 3 years ago
Please. You are literally missing nothing.
May 8 2014, 02:48:53 UTC 3 years ago
May 8 2014, 02:52:55 UTC 3 years ago
3 years ago
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May 8 2014, 03:23:38 UTC 3 years ago
Seems more than reasonable to me!
May 8 2014, 06:19:49 UTC 3 years ago
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May 8 2014, 03:53:58 UTC 3 years ago
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May 8 2014, 03:53:36 UTC 3 years ago
To those who didn't see the old stories already, I'd say that so far I recommend doing what Seanan suggests. The book has the shiny bits, and more. Rose is awesome - meet her at her best. :)
May 20 2014, 16:19:47 UTC 3 years ago
May 8 2014, 04:03:08 UTC 3 years ago
I barely do that any more because of my evil connections and many obligations.
This book is worth the real moneys.
May 20 2014, 16:19:57 UTC 3 years ago
May 8 2014, 04:31:13 UTC 3 years ago
May 20 2014, 16:20:22 UTC 3 years ago
May 8 2014, 05:06:06 UTC 3 years ago
May 20 2014, 16:20:32 UTC 3 years ago
May 8 2014, 05:07:20 UTC 3 years ago
(Gott helfen.)
May 20 2014, 16:20:43 UTC 3 years ago
3 years ago
May 8 2014, 08:10:54 UTC 3 years ago
May 20 2014, 16:20:55 UTC 3 years ago
May 8 2014, 10:20:14 UTC 3 years ago
But it's not a "oh, this must be right and this must be wrong and oh what are you doing Seanan with all this wibbly wobbly timeline stuff" cause y'know-- it's her storyline and her timeline and what is in Sparrow Hill Road goes for Rose.
*hugs and gives you a fresh batch of pumpkin-chocolate chip cookies and the heads of those that have wronged you on a silver platter. Well... separate platters. No blood in the cookies*
May 20 2014, 16:21:29 UTC 3 years ago
May 8 2014, 14:20:40 UTC 3 years ago
Bottom line is, it's your work, your rules. I respect you, and I respect your wishes, and I'll do exactly as you asked.
By the way, I am in the middle of Sparrow Hill Road, and enjoying it immensely, in that "so good it makes me want to cry" sort of way.
May 20 2014, 16:21:42 UTC 3 years ago
May 8 2014, 14:27:49 UTC 3 years ago
May 20 2014, 16:22:11 UTC 3 years ago
May 8 2014, 14:29:15 UTC 3 years ago Edited: May 8 2014, 16:25:48 UTC
May 20 2014, 16:22:21 UTC 3 years ago
May 8 2014, 17:08:29 UTC 3 years ago
I didn't realize bringing up the other stories would make you sad. I love the book. I'm sorry. :(
May 20 2014, 16:22:38 UTC 3 years ago
May 8 2014, 17:49:16 UTC 3 years ago
And this post had an unintended side effect. I hadn't realize how different the book was from the stories, so this was on my 'buy eventually' not my 'buy as soon as possible' list.
Knowing there are changes means it's on my 'buy as soon as possible' list.
May 9 2014, 01:39:58 UTC 3 years ago
And where there's one, there's probably more...
(been busy, haven't bought mine. Tomorrow. It Will Be Mine.)
3 years ago
May 8 2014, 18:31:15 UTC 3 years ago
May 20 2014, 16:23:09 UTC 3 years ago
May 8 2014, 18:43:16 UTC 3 years ago
p.s. the library has purchased Letters to the pumpkin king and I am getting a copy of that for my birthday in september too.
May 20 2014, 16:23:20 UTC 3 years ago
May 9 2014, 01:48:09 UTC 3 years ago
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May 20 2014, 16:23:42 UTC 3 years ago
May 9 2014, 19:50:03 UTC 3 years ago
So if ever an anti-piracy post comes - I'm all for it. ^_^
I know this was probably not the intention of this post, but this is an never thought of positive side effect of doing this the legal way - you really get the newest, edited version.
May 20 2014, 16:24:00 UTC 3 years ago
3 years ago
May 14 2014, 14:10:39 UTC 3 years ago
Editions by academic types (and I am lucky to be one of them) focus on making the author's final intentions for a text the version that people study. This is a good thing: if you read Tennyson's 1832 version of the "Lady of Shalott," you become very glad that he turned it into the 1842 version. I do not sit around wondering, "What happened to the daffodilly? Is it still there, ever chilly?" Naw. We don't need to go there. The living version is haunting, and true.
So, fair roads, Rose.
May 20 2014, 16:24:19 UTC 3 years ago