The Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers of America announced the start of its nominations period for the Nebula Awards yesterday, so it’s time for me to do what all the cool kids are doing — remind members of the fiction I published last year.

It was a light year for me, with only two stories seeing print — both of which are under 7,500 words, and therefore eligible in the Short Story category.

And they are —

“The Stranded Time Traveler Embraces the Inevitable”

I’m extremely pleased to be part of If This Goes On, an anthology assembled by Cat Rambo for Parvus Press as a form of resistance against “a world shaped by nationalism, isolationism, and a growing divide between the haves and have nots.” Writing this particular piece helped break me from a period of writer’s block brought on by the results of the 2016 election, and I can think of no better place for it to have appeared.

If you’d rather listen to me read it than read it yourself, check out this video recorded at last year’s Readercon.

“Five Years Later”

“Five Years Later” appeared in the Harlan Ellison tribute anthology The Unquiet Dreamer, edited by Preston Grassman and launched by PS Publishing at the World Science Fiction Convention in Dublin.

While the anthology is a tribute to Ellison, as is the story, the story was not written to ape his style, or attempt to channel the man. Rather, it’s one which I hope would not have seemed out of place in Dangerous Visions.

And that’s it for 2019! As for 2020, I already have four science fiction and horror short stories slated to come out in magazines and anthologies, and I look forward to letting you know about them as they appear.

If you’re a voting member of SFWA and would like to receive copies of either of the stories mentioned above, send me an mail.

Thanks for your consideration!

Since the Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers of America recently announced the start of its nominations period for the Nebula Awards—and the recommendations period for the Bram Stoker Awards from the Horror Writers Association is ongoing—plus all of my 2017 short stories have now been published—well, it’s that time of year again.

Since all the cool kids seem to be doing it, I’ve assembled info about this year’s publications in one place so eligible voting members of both organizations can take them into consideration.

And so …

First up, three science fiction tales—

“After the Harvest, Before the Fall”

This was the story that broke my 44-year dry spell with Analog. It’s an 11,600-word novelette described by the magazine as “people born to die struggling to live.” It takes place in a future in which the rich and powerful get to order new bodies whenever they wish, and the religion those who are harvested have created to deal with their oppression. (more…)

A few days ago, the Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers of America announced that the nominations period for the Nebula Awards had begun, and since all my 2016 short stories have now been published—and the recommendations period for the Bram Stoker Awards from the Horror Writers Association is ongoing as well—it’s time to gather info about my publications in one place so eligible voting members of those two organizations can take them into consideration.

First up, two science fiction tales—

“101 Things to Do Before You’re Downloaded”

This 5,850-word far future science fiction story appears in the anthology You, Human, edited by Michael Bailey for Dark Regions Press. With the Earth about to end for our descendants, there are still a few more things that need to get done before it’s all over …

[UPDATED November 27 to add video from Chessiecon, so you may now see and hear me read all four stories I published in 2016. Enjoy!]

(more…)

Just as I foretold, I spent Friday and Saturday participating in the Baltimore Book Festival. And I even have proof. See?

My name on the program board at the Science Fiction Writers of America tent!

I took part in four programming items—here I am (in a photo taken by Sam J. Miller) with Lara Elena Donnelly as I pontificate on Friday’s “The Future of Science Fiction & Fantasy” panel.

I had a great deal of fun hanging out with friends and interacting with readers, so much so I regret I didn’t stay on for today’s third day of the festival. And as usual, a lot of the fun took place outside the confines of the official event itself. (more…)

I loved, loved, loved last year’s Baltimore Book Festival, and not just because I had an opportunity to spend time with some of my favorite science fiction and fantasy folks on the planet. I was also able to meet new people, people I wouldn’t ordinarily have met as I travelled the convention circuit, because the event wasn’t a closed con that required payment to enter, but rather a way of interacting with the general public. That is—anyone who might choose to wander the Inner Harbor over a long Autumn weekend.

So, of course, I jumped at the opportunity to do it all over again.

The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America arranged a full weekend of programming September 23-25—orchestrated by local writer Sarah Pinsker—and you can see our complete schedule here. But since you showed up on this page looking for info about my appearances, here’s where you’ll be able to find, well, me.

Book Speed Dating
Friday, September 23, 11:00 a.m.
Our authors have a minute to tell you about one of their books and the perfect book to go with it. What could possibly go wrong? Find your next favorite book!
Authors: DH Aire, Lara Elena Donnelly, Scott Edelman, Addison Gunn, and more.

The Future of Science Fiction & Fantasy
Friday, September 23, 3:00 p.m.
Genre bending fiction, new frontiers, self publishing. Science fiction and fantasy are quickly changing, so what is on the horizon? Join us as we discuss where we are and where we are going.
Authors: Lara Elena Donnelly, Scott Edelman, Addison Gunn, Larry Hodges, Justina Ireland.

Second Breakfast & Snozzberries: Food in SF & Fantasy
Saturday, September 24, 5:00 p.m.
Sensory details are the hallmark of great science fiction and fantasy, and nothing brings that home quite like the food! Join our panelists as they discuss food in their favorite books. We guarantee you’ll leave hungry.
Authors: Cinda Williams Chima, Lara Elena Donnelly, Scott Edelman, Anna Kashina, Fran Wilde, K. Ceres Wright

Meet the Authors Party
Saturday, September 24, 6:00 p.m.
Rub elbows with your new favorite science fiction and fantasy authors at this annual event!

Hope to see you there!

I spent the weekend at the Baltimore Book Festival (combined with multiple visits to Baltimore Comic-Con, about which more later), where the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America hosted a tent featuring panels and readings from Friday through Sunday. That’s me to the left on the event’s homepage below, where I appeared for a few seconds at a time in rotation with the many other featured writers.

I was programmed for two items Sunday, but spent many additional hours beyond that at SFWA’s tent as well, enjoying (among other things) the Dangerous Voices Variety Hour gameshow, which put both authors and audience on the spot in amusing ways. You can check out my photos from the weekend over on Flickr.

Unfortunately, I forgot to hand my camera over to anyone to snap any pics of me, but luckily, the Internet provides … (more…)

Something unexpected popped into my head while reading some recent eloquent commentary on SFWA’s current culture war. (To which I won’t be adding an essay of my own, because others have been expressing what’s in my heart and on my mind much better than I ever could, so I’ll just say that I’m all set to enlist in John and Mary‘s Insect Army and leave it at that.)

The memory that showed up to surprise me was of this artifact from one of the most divisive moments in science fiction history, this ad—two ads really—from the June 1968 issue of Galaxy Science Fiction. (I’ve smirched the image from Marooned.)

In the ad, opposing camps of SF writers either “believe the United States must remain in Vietnam to fulfill its responsibilities to the people of that country” or “oppose the participation of the United States in the War in Vietnam.” Yes, I was only 13 when these ads was published, a fan not yet a pro privy to the inner workings of the field, and no, this was not officially related to SFWA, but rather a project generated by Kate Wilhelm and Judith Merril that only coincidentally overlapped with the names of many SFWA members, but still, the contentiousness created by the public choosing of sides seems familiar.

And even though it was painful at the time for the participants to live through, you’ll forgive me if I say that from this distance, colored by time and perhaps my naiveté, these two lists of names and the statements to which they’re appended seem quaint and reserved, especially when compared to the incendiary language of Dave Truesdale’s recent petition (to which, interestingly, a few of the same writers have appended their names).

I don’t think any of us will look back with nostalgia 46 years from now at the current culture war the way I do now for 1968’s. But maybe, by then, if we work really, really hard, and we’re really, really lucky, we won’t still be fighting this one.

When our fearless leader John Scalzi threatened to bring his ukulele to SFWA’s Nebula Awards weekend last month, I knew I had to do the same. (Bring, not threaten, that is.) And unindicted co-conspirator David Bartell, another science fictional uker, brought his along as well.

Saturday afternoon, in the lull between the end of programming and the beginning of the banquet, we found a quiet spot to jam. And luckily, Liza Groen Trombi happened by to snap this picture, which should appear in the next issue of Locus.

For those who don’t know what we all look like, those smiling faces belong to (from left to right), me, John, and Dave. (And don’t worry—I put on a tie, too, before the festivities began.)

I’m hoping that by the next incarnation of the science fiction merry-go-round, a few more of you secret SF ukulele players (you know who you are) will decide to join us.

A show of hands—which of you will be bringing your ukes along to the Chicago Worldcon?

As soon as it was announced yesterday that Connie Willis had been named the next SFWA Grand Master, the Internet exploded with a wide range of chatter, ranging from “It’s about time!” to “Wow, I suddenly feel very old” to “Already?”

That was to be expected. Science fiction fandom doesn’t speak in one voice on anything.

But what I didn’t expect was to find some science fiction fans who had no idea who she was.

Here’s just one example, from Reddit:

Wow… Never heard of her, but she’s never written a series; it’s all short stories and individual novels, by the look of her wikipage.

How very unusual… And unmarketable, which is presumably why I’ve never heard of her.

Will look her stuff up, though.

How interesting to think that to some readers, if you’re writing short stories, or if your novels are not part of a series, you’re invisible—even if you’ve won seven Nebula Awards and eleven Hugo Awards.

I’m not judging the commenter, I’m just … surprised.

Damon Knight used to say that science fiction was the thing we pointed at when we said “science fiction,” but these days, science fiction is so fragmented that Damon would throw his back out trying to point in a thousand directions simultaneously.

And I keep forgetting that.

Have you heard the news? The Science Fiction and Fantasy writers of America has decided to change its membership requirements.

That’s right—as announced yesterday by Patrick Nielsen Hayden, in order to gain or retain SFWA membership, you’ll have to appear in at least two of my dreams!

Don’t believe me? Then check out Patrick’s tweeted revelation below:

Which made me realize it was important for me to prepare a dream census to help guide SFWA’s officials in their new mandate. So below is a list of every person, real or fictional, who has appeared in the dreams I’ve reported to you since beginning to relate them on both LiveJournal and Twitter. You can find them all collected here.

So let’s see—who has visited those dreams more than twice? Who gets into SFWA? Following are all my nighttime visitors, with those who’ve appeared more than once bolded and having the number of visits after their names. (more…)