Nothing for All

My first crime convention was this weekend. The New England Crime Bake was in Dedham, MA, which is even closer to my house than Readercon. Which is nice.

I spent most of Saturday afternoon chatting with Jedediah Berry and Dave Zeltserman, both extremely talented writers that you all should read. We survived the mystery of the box lunches and eventually headed to a panel.

F is for Fear, which, to be honest, was a little underwhelming. But it could be that I'm a horror snob and having spent many an hour discussing horror with friends and foes alike, I was left thinking the 'fear' discussed in the panel didn't dig deep enough; felt like a discussion of 'safe' fear. Regardless, I sally forthed and heard a real PI give a spiel about what it is he really does. Very entertaining.

Post-paneling it was cocktails and dinner with Jedediah*,

*it occurred to me that Jedediah and I were very much like the Bake's version of Readercon's The Canadians*

Dana Cameron, Margery Flax (she essentially runs MWA with a fist of iron! And she was one of the nicest, most friendly people I met this weekend), Toni Kelner and her husband Steve, Peg Patten (owner of Front Street Book Shop), Eileen Foster Keck, and one other person whose name I can't remember (sorry!). We had a lovely time, even as dinner theater was foisted upon us unsuspectingly. We did not figure out the mystery, but were made to sign a song. Me singing in front of people: oh the humanity.

Sunday morning featured 'breakfast with the authors'. The panelist authors hosted tables and a few people came by my table to talk The Little Sleep which was very nice. Then at 10Am, was my panel "U is for Unconventional," other panelists included fellow Canadian Jedediah, Francie Lin, and Lynne Griffin, and moderator Pat Remick. The panel was very well attended, and Pat did a great job moderating us unconventional folks.

After that was a signing and by that time, the crime was thoroughly baked, as it were. Thanks again to Pat and the con committee for the invite!

http://whatever.scalzi.com/2009/11/15/checking-now-if-i-have-anything-at-all-interesting-or-useful-to-say/

http://whatever.scalzi.com/?p=9110

posted by Victoria Strauss for Writer Beware

As readers of this blog know, I’m fascinated by the strange phenomena that flourish at the fringes of the publishing world. So I was thrilled recently to discover yet another example: an online course that teaches people how to become Virtual Author’s Assistants.

What’s a Virtual Author’s Assistant, you may ask? The course website offers this explanation:

Author’s Assistants are people who work behind the scenes to create, organize and coordinate all the different pieces necessary to get a book published. To writers, they are miracle workers.

The world of publishing can be frightening, overwhelming and frustrating. An author’s assistant is the expert the writer turns to guide them step by step through the process.

From their homes, Virtual Author’s Assistants organize the publishing process for authors around the country and around the world.

Expert? As it turns out, potential Virtual Author’s Assistants need know nothing about the publishing industry. “[D]on’t worry. We’ll teach you. All you need is a love of books, a few basic business skills and a desire for fun and interesting work.” (Wow. Who knew this publishing stuff was so easy and entertaining? I must have missed that nugget of wisdom in my 25+ years as a writer and writers’ advocate. And gosh, I must be awfully dense, because after all that time, I’m still learning.)

Read the rest of this entry »

Mirrored from SFWA | Comment at SFWA

Okay, here's the latest from the SFWA about Nebula Rules:

In January of 2009, SFWA adopted a new set of Nebula Rules. This year is their first in effect so we thought we’d review the process for those who are curious.

From November 15th – February 15th, Active and Associate members may nominate up to 5 works in each category of the Nebulas, the Bradbury and the Andre Norton Award.

Members may change their ballot at any point during the nomination period.

Only works published between July 1, 2008 and December 31st, 2009 are eligible.

The 6 items in each category that receive the most votes go on the ballot. (The Norton Jury may add up to 3 works on the Norton ballot.)

By March 1st, the final ballot is sent to Active members only.

The Nebula ceremony is in May

What is eligible for a Nebula?

Works published between July 1, 2008 and December 31, 2009 are eligible in the following categories.

a. Short Story: less than 7,500 words;
b. Novelette: at least 7,500 words but less than 17,500 words;
c. Novella: at least 17,500 words but less than 40,000 words
d. Novel: 40,000 words or more.
( At the author’s request, a novella-length work published individually, rather than as a part of a collection, anthology, or other collective work, shall appear in the novel category. )

This is the confusing bit. As part of the transition rules, works which received at least five (5) recommendations under the previous Nebula Awards® rules and were published after July 1, 2008, but didn’t make the 2008 Preliminary Ballot get to have those nominations added to their total for this year. Members who recommended these works last year will not have their total number of allowed nominations reduced, but they may not nominate these works a second time.

Works which received less than five (5) recommendations under the previous Nebula rules and were published after July 1, 2008, may be nominated but their nominations don’t carry over from last year.

According to the last published NAR, the following works and members are affected by this.

Novelette
6 Kosmatka, Ted: Divining Light (Asimov’s, Aug08) DWGoldman, STourtellotte, EJStone, NKress, MMcGarry, CDeLancey

Short Story
5 Burstein, Michael A.: I Remember the Future (I Remember the Future, Apex Publications, Nov08 ) JPelland, CArdai, MResnick, PLevinson, RSawyer

So my question is--if there was a story that was orginally published 2007, but then was included in an Anthology after July 2008--is it still eligible?

In January of 2009, SFWA adopted a new set of Nebula Rules. This year is their first in effect so we thought we’d review the process for those who are curious.

• From November 15^th – February 15^th, Active and Associate members may nominate up to 5 works in each category of the Nebulas, the Bradbury and the Andre Norton Award.

• Members may change their ballot at any point during the nomination period.

• Only works published between July 1, 2008 and December 31^st, 2009 are eligible.

• The 6 items in each category that receive the most votes go on the ballot. (The Norton Jury may add up to 3 works on the Norton ballot.)

• By March 1st, the final ballot is sent to Active members only.

• The Nebula ceremony is in May

What is eligible for a Nebula?

Works published between July 1, 2008 and December 31, 2009 are eligible in the following categories.

a. Short Story: less than 7,500 words;
b. Novelette: at least 7,500 words but less than 17,500 words;
c. Novella: at least 17,500 words but less than 40,000 words
d. Novel: 40,000 words or more.
( At the author’s request, a novella-length work published individually, rather than as a part of a collection, anthology, or other collective work, shall appear in the novel category. )

This is the confusing bit. As part of the transition rules, works which received at least five (5) recommendations under the previous Nebula Awards® rules and were published after July 1, 2008, but didn’t make the 2008 Preliminary Ballot get to have those nominations added to their total for this year. Members who recommended these works last year will not have their total number of allowed nominations reduced, but they may not nominate these works a second time.

Works which received less than five (5) recommendations under the previous Nebula rules and were published after July 1, 2008, may be nominated but their nominations don’t carry over from last year.

According to the last published NAR, the following works and members are affected by this.

Novelette
6 Kosmatka, Ted: Divining Light (Asimov’s, Aug08) DWGoldman, STourtellotte, EJStone, NKress, MMcGarry, CDeLancey

Short Story
5 Burstein, Michael A.: I Remember the Future (I Remember the Future, Apex Publications, Nov08 <Single-author collection>) JPelland, CArdai, MResnick, PLevinson, RSawyer

Mirrored from SFWA | Comment at SFWA

This interview has been up for almost two years now on YouTube, but has received only 800-some hits. Also, since KSR's MARS trilogy is referenced as "recent," the actual age of the interview is probably even older. Nonetheless, always a pleasure to hear Stan speak!

Posted by Paul DiFi.

http://smallbeerpress.com/not-a-journal/2009/11/15/which-nyc-conference-should-we-go-to/

http://smallbeerpress.com/?p=6437

There are two Future of Publishing/Ebooks are Fun/Wow, Look at That conferences on in New York in Jan/Feb and we are wondering which one is worth going to and why?

There’s the O’Reilly Tools of Change, Feb. 22-24, and there’s:

We’re working on an ebook store which will sell our books and some others and which should launch in time for everyone who buys the new Apple gadget to make it their homepage so we’ve been doing a little research and so on and if anyone thinks we should go to one or the other of these we’d love to know.

http://smallbeerpress.com/not-a-journal/2009/11/15/anil-menon-interview/

http://smallbeerpress.com/?p=6435

Talks with (the indefatigable?) Charles Tan. And if you like that, go read his blog.

The Balkan Vulcan DJ shift on Pirate Cat Radio.

http://www.jeffvandermeer.com/2009/11/15/sunday-reading-novella-sublimation-angels-by-jason-sanford/

http://www.jeffvandermeer.com/?p=6278

Guest blogger Jason Sanford often rants on his website at www.jasonsanford.com. His fiction has been published in Interzone, Year’s Best SF 14, Analog, Intergalactic Medicine Show, Pindeldyboz, and other places, and has won the 2008 Interzone Readers’ Poll and a Minnesota State Arts Board Fellowship.

When Jeff selected a group of guest bloggers to keep this site going while he was on his book tour, he told us “I don’t mind at all if you plug your projects, just vary the content if you do so.” I’m going to take him up on this with a blatant plug for my novella “Sublimation Angels.”

The novella was published in the Sept./Oct. 2009 issue of Interzone, a wonderful British SF magazine which I provided a sampler for last week. Anyway, my novella is now available as a PDF download and includes the great art Paul Drummond created for its initial Interzone publication. “Sublimation Angels” is a hard SF story with an old school twist, which SF Signal called “A captivating story about freedom, rebellion, and seeking the truth”  and Suite101 called “One of the best novellas of the year.”

Download the story here. I hope people enjoy it.

And in other news, the Nebula Awards nomination period is now open. I’ve posted information about the process and my nominations on my website. And no, this isn’t an attempt to bring “Sublimation Angels” some nominations. The novella isn’t eligible since it was published in Interzone, although why overseas print magazines aren’t eligible but overseas online magazines are is hard to understand.

From various places around my flist--the silent version of Matrix--without the endless newage yaddayadda and with pies!

When Buck and I go out walking and he wants to pause to smell something* (like a clump of dried grass or a miniature pile of leaves) and I want to keep walking, and we, therefore, travel onwards, he gives a small grunt sound. Not a piggy grunt, more of a huff grunt. It reminds me exactly of a grumpy old man made to do what he wants not to do at a time he doesn't want to do it.

*If we paused all the time, we wouldn't be walking. At least, that's what I'm telling the dog.

Jeff VanderMeer will be stopping by my place of employment, Brookdale Community College, on his current book tour for Finch and Booklife. He'll be reading from the new novel, discussing aspects of the writing life, and answering questions. If you're in Jersey, stop by. Open to the public and free. Here's the pertinent information:
Brookdale Community College on Nov. 17th, from 11:30 to 1:30, in the Navesink Room of the Student Life Center, reading from his new Fantastic/Noir novel, Finch and discussing his new book for writers, Booklife.
Here's a link to driving directions to the Lincroft Campus of Brookdale from all over Jersey:
http://www.brookdale.cc.nj.us/pages/131.asp

Yesterday was a good day. calendula_witch and I got in a terrific walk up some mondo hills, spent some good quality couple time together, both got writing and reading done, then eventually went out. Our itinerary included Good Vibrations, Borderlands Books, Tacqueria Cancun (one of my favorite Mexican restaurants on the West Coast), and of course, The Make-Out Room for Writers With Drinks. Borderlands Books produced some unexpected bonus in running into Greg and Astrid Bear. I also got a phone call on the store phone, from sdn, which was surprising but fun.

We ran into Kat Richardson on the sidewalk, who was killing time before reading at Writers With Drinks, so we pulled her along. Once there we met up with maryrobinette (another reader) and Mr. maryrobinette, along with two friends of calendula_witch's. Afterwards, out with the WWD crew for crepes and fries at Frjtz. Whoever thought of putting truffle oil on french fries ought to be sanctified.

After WWD, we wound up talking to blakecharlton and therinth quite a bit. Blake's a medical student with both a personal and professional interest in cancer, Erin is a nurse. They had a lot to say, especially Blake, which was very helpful to me in my ongoing process of sorting my perspectives on my cancer, its recurrence, and my fears both rational and irrational. One thing Blake talked about was the survivorship community. The point he made, in reference to a close family member who'd survived a very bad experience with cancer (much worse than mine looks to be, frankly), was that there were conversations that Blake could not have with his loved one. There's a shared experience and an emotional vernacular which cancer survivors only find in other cancer survivors.

This of course made all kinds of sense. You see the same phenomenon in veterans, law enforcement, survivors of a disaster, or people who've shared any complex, high stress experience.

Which made me realize that one reason I'd written "The Specific Gravity of Grief" was to try to frame that cancer experience, that cancer mindset, for people who haven't taken that particular journey. To some degree, it's why I blog so extensively and thoroughly about my cancer journey, but the story (just finished, now in revision, due out from Fairwood Press next year) is a way of communicating the essentially incommunicable. Or so I hope.

A lot of streams crossed last night, and it wasn't dangerous so much as enlightening. It reminded me that while I stumble a lot, I also continue to progress. Sometimes I remember to be proud of myself, and the people around me.

Your Sunday moment of zen.



Flower along Williams Lake trail, about 11,000 feet, Taos Ski Valley, NM. © 2006, 2009 Joseph E. Lake, Jr.



This work by Joseph E. Lake, Jr. is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States License.

jaborwhalky with Jay Lake Dorito noodle doom mac and cheese — A recipe in honor of my cancers.

Charles A. Tan with a takedown of International Science Fiction Reshelving day — What he said. (Via Andrew Wheeler.)

Superconductors to Wire a Smarter Grid — More than you probably wanted to know about the US power infrastructure. Still, cool stuff.

Bad Science on the Iraqi bomb detection wands — This is as insane, and in its way deadly, as Thabo Mbeki's AIDS denialism. US conservatism have their global warming denial and evolution psychoses, liberals have their antivaxers, but it's nice to know that antiscience lunacy is not just for Americans.

China's fear of a black president

?otD: Which way to Pismo Beach?

---

11/15/2009
Body movement: Not yet, but upcoming 60 minute urban walk (San Francisco hills!)
Hours slept: 5.75
This morning's weigh-in: 236.5 (!?)
Currently reading: Finch by Jeff VanderMeer

http://pyrsf.blogspot.com/2009/11/vintage-lotr-cover-art.html

I used to say 'I have re-read this novel every year since I first read it, when I was 12.' And that used to be true; but then last year, for whatever reason, I didn't get round to my annual re-read. And this year's nearly over. So I've decided to go through it again, before I run out of year.

Now, the point of this post is not to talk about the novel as such, so much as to flag up these beautiful, nay exemplary Pauline Baynes cover illustrations. Let me hear you say 'oooh!' ('oooh!'). Click on them and they should become enlarged.

This was the edition in which I first read LotR (my mother's old edition, I think). When I discovered it again in a charity shop [thrift shops, I believe they're called, Stateside] for the absurd price above indicated I couldn't resist buying it, and adding it to the four (or five; I'm not sure) editions of the title I already own.

But I hope it's not merely rank nostalgia that makes me say: it's a lovely cover. Even the Victorian Playbill title font works. I love the way there's an outer frame of stylised trees (with orcs lurking in the roots) surrounding an inner frame of stylised trees, itself surrounding a vertically stacked perspective of more trees, houses, hills and mountains. The visual idiom is a perfectly pitched Edwardian-Medieval, spot-on for the novel. And there's a canny little visual push-pull about the way the picture invites the eye to run up from the miniature figures at the bottom through the landscape they must traverse to the mountains at the top, at the same time that the words of the title invite the eye to work their way down from 'The' to 'Rings'. Very clever.

The back is lovely too. Those kiln-shaped mountains and towers! Like pottery models. And the sea-blue barrenness of peaks and troughs. I suppose imagery from the cinema versions will, nowadays, tend to overwrite other visual realisations; but for me these pictures will always hold a special place.

( You are about to view content that may not be appropriate for minors. )

Moggy of vonandmoggy is a dear, dear friend, one who shares my birthday along with seajules, whom I met through working at Perfect Books, from where many of the other blessings in my life originate. Her partner, Von, is an entirely self-taught graphic-novelist, and his first book, several years in the making, is now available at retailers coast to coast!

I want to wish huge congratulations to them both -- both, because I know Moggy's also invested a huge deal in this, been the most amazingly supportive partner imaginable.

If any of those stores are near you, maybe look for it next time you're there? I haven't read the book, but trust a great deal to Moggy's opinion, because she rocks.

In other news, in stark contrast to last year, I AM WARM. My room -- my beautiful room -- is so gorgeously, toastily warm right now I could sing. Also the sun is shining and I have this desire in me to find my way to the beach today and write csecooney a letter. Besides that, reading Deleuze's Difference and Repetition, Hogg's The Three Perils of Man: War, Women, and Witchcraft, his Poems, and taking a second look at Scott's Letters on Witchcraft and Demonology. Chapter, you must be GREAT. Please. Please be great.

http://www.kith.org/journals/jed/2009/11/15/12533.html

Courtesy of links from a discussion thread on Otavia's recent Facebook post:

Woofer: Just like Twitter, except that any given post must be at least 1400 characters long. (That's roughly 230 words, or about a page of typewritten double-spaced manuscript; about two-thirds of a page of a paperback book.)

Squeaker: Just like Twitter, except that any given post must be exactly 14 characters long; no more, no less.