Ditmar Awards Again

Nominations have opened for the 2014 Ditmar Awards.

I'm eligible with a whole bunch of stories, but there are two in particular that have achieved some success and recognition.

Holland:1944 

published by Mike Resnick in Galaxy's Edge #7. It has garnered some great reviews, and was selected by Mike for inclusion in The Best of Galaxy's Edge.

The Last of the Butterflies

published by Keith Stevenson in Dimension6 #3. Again some great reviews, and reprinted in Dimension6: Annual Collection 2014.

Should you feel these stories are worthy of a nomination, I would certainly appreciate the support.

Nominations for the 2015 Australian SF (“Ditmar”) awards are now open and will remain open until one minute before midnight Perth time on Sunday, 1st of February, 2015 (ie. 11.59pm, GMT+8). Postal nominations must be postmarked no later than Friday, 30th of January, 2015.
The current rules, including Award categories can be found HERE.

You must include your name with any nomination. Nominations will be accepted only from natural persons active in fandom, or from full or supporting members of Swancon 40, the 2015 Australian National SF Convention. Where a nominator may not be known to the Ditmar subcommittee, the nominator should provide the name of someone known to the subcommittee who can vouch for the nominator’s eligibility. Convention attendance or membership of an SF club are among the criteria which qualify a person as “active in fandom”, but are not the only qualifying criteria. If in doubt, nominate and mention your qualifying criteria. If you received this email directly, you almost certainly qualify.

You may nominate as many times in as many Award categories as you like, although you may only nominate a particular person, work or achievement once. The Ditmar subcommittee, which is organised under the auspices the Standing Committee of the Natcon Business Meeting, will rule on situations where eligibility is unclear. A partial and unofficial eligibility list, to which everyone is encouraged to add, can be found HERE.

Online nominations an be made via this form.

The Best of Galaxy's Edge 2013-2014.

I'm delighted to announce that Mike Resnick has selected my story, Holland:1944, to be reprinted in The Best of Galaxy's Edge 2013-2014.

And what a TOC. I'm in there with Brad R. Torgersen, Andrea Stewart, Tina Gower, Marina J. Lostetter, Kary English, Lou J. Berger, Ken Liu, C.L. Moore, Nancy Kress and Larry Niven.

LARRY NIVEN!

(So, is this a fitting entry for my 500th post?)

Run, Buy, Preorder, Purchase. It's due for release next week.

Here's the table of contents:

Introduction, by Mike Resnick
I, Arachnobot, by Brian Trent
Pocketful of Mumbles, by Tina Gower
Creator of the Cosmos Job Interview Today, by Nick DiChario
Will You Volunteer to Kill Wendy?, by Eric Cline
Neep, by Kathleen Miller
Effect and Cause, by Ken Liu
Ghost in the Machine, by Ralph Roberts
The Prayer Ladder, by Marina T. Lostetter
Holland: 1944, by Steve Cameron
The Spinach Can’s Son, by Robert T. Jeschonek
Intersection, by Gio Clairval
No Place for a Hero, by James Aquilone
Happily Ever After, by C. L. Moore
Upright, Unlocked, by Tom Gerencer
Love in Bloom, by Sabina Theo
Icarus at Noon, by Eric Lief Davin
Matial, by Lou J. Berger
Do You Remember Michael Jones?, by Nancy Kress
Zombies at Work, by Leena Likatelo
Exemplar, by Mercedes Lackey
The Nechronomitor, by Brad R. Torgersen
Today I Am Nobody, by Tina Gower
God Walks Into a Bar, by Larry Niven
Totaled, by Kary English
The Unchanging Nature of Stones, by Andrea Stewart

Thirty Three And A Third.

Twelve months after its launch, Galaxy's Edge has been approved by the SFWA as a professional market. Congratulations to Shahid Mahmud, Laura Somerville and Mike Resnick who have worked so hard in achieving that goal.

In September of last year, I wrote on how impressed I was with this magazine, so I was thrilled when I was able to sell Mike a story a short time later. (I also mentioned two other magazines in that piece - interestingly I've also sold to Keith Stevenson at Dimension6. Now I have to sell to Dean Wesley Smith at Fiction River to hit the prophetic trifecta.)

What does it mean for me?

It means that my first pro-level sale, a story entitled Holland:1944, now qualifies as one-third of the required three sales to become a full SFWA member, and I'm pretty happy about that.

Oh, and for the next five weeks or so, Holland:1944 continues to be available to read for free here.

Holland: 1944.

I'm thrilled to announce that my story, Holland:1944, is now available in Galaxy's Edge #7.

The magazine is free for the next two months, or it can be purchased in a number of formats either from the webpage, or through your usual online retailers.

But wait, there's more.  Check out the names on this TOC and tell me this isn't worth reading.

Once again thanks to Mike, Laura and Shahid. Thanks to Stewart C. Baker, who suggested I turn this idea into a story, although he probably doesn't even realise it. (There is a story in itself behind all this.) And special thanks to David McDonald, Pete Aldin, and the amazing Tina Gower, who all spent time critiquing my story.

And to Bob Writer, wherever you may be.

Table of Contents:

Cassandra, by C. J. Cherryh
Holland, 1944, by Steve Cameron
Cordle to Onion to Carrot, by Robert Sheckley
Pallbearers, by Martin Shoemaker
Werehunter, by Mercedes Lackey
The Tour Guide, by Lou J. Berger
Faster Gun, by Elizabeth Bear
The Necronomator, by Brad R. Torgersen
In a Green Dress, Surrounded by Exploding Clowns, by Robert Jeschonek
One Sunday in Neptune, by Alexei Panshin
Except for the Plumbing, by Greg Benford
From the Heart’s Basement #7, by Barry N. Malzberg
Book Reviews, by Paul Cook
Lest Darkness Fall (Part 1), by L. Sprague de Camp

My Story Is Coming In Galaxy's Edge.

How on earth did I manage to squeeze in between Cherryh and Sheckley? I still can't believe it.

Add Malzberg, Sprague de Camp, Benford and you'll find me all a quiver. Huge fanboy moment. I mean, these are names that have been on my bookshelf since I was a teenager.

In more recent years I've been impressed by Torgersen and Shoemaker. I'd go as far as calling them online friends. And I feel honoured to share a TOC with these guys as well. I know most of the other names, I'm sorry I'm just not familiar with their writing. So little time, so many books.

My story, Holland: 1944, goes live in Galaxy's Edge #7 next Saturday. It'll be free on the website until the following issue. And it's available for purchase as an ebook or in print.

Thanks Mike Resnick, Shahid Mahmud and Laura Somerville.

Contributor copies appear to have arrived in the U.S., which means mine is hopefully somewhere over the Pacific Ocean.

First Steps in 2014.

I have big plans for this year.

March will see my first pro-level publication in Galaxy's Edge 7 (edited by Mike Resnick) and I certainly see it as having one foot placed on the next rung. All I have to do is swing that other leg up and step up.

I desire more pro-sales obviously. First I need to get more stories written and submitted, and sold of course, and that will happen. And then there are a couple of other ideas lurking dangerously beneath the waters, and tentative plans to pull a couple of others in on my schemes. I hope these people will agree to go along for the ride. Where it leads, however, will be another matter.

I have a deadline at the end of this month, and research and writing continues for that piece. A different type of writing for me, but one I'm enjoying quite a bit. This week I should have two complete days available for writing that will see the piece well on its way to completion.

And then onto the next story. Then the next one. And the one after that. Repeat.

This whole writing and publishing thing is getting addictive.

Head Down, Back To Work.

I've enjoyed a post-sale euphoria this week after Mike Resnick bought a story for Galaxy's Edge. Selling is always a great feeling, but I've enjoyed this one a whole lot more because of the market. And although I'm thrilled by every sale, this is probably the most excited I've been since my first one three years ago, when Tasmaniac bought Ghost of the Heart.

It was great to get congratulatory emails and messages from a few writer friends/peers. While I also received congrats from other family and friends, the writers understood the importance of this sale, the difficulty in selling to the pro-markets, the career development this actually represents. But every single one of them said the same thing - keep writing, get more work out there, get your next one sold. (Gitte Christensen said some very nice things here. Thank you.)

I've heard of writers who sell one story to a pro-market and never sell to them again. I'm aware of others who presume this first sale means they've broken through, only to take a year or more to sell the second. And, of course, there are those who continue to sell regularly at this level.

Dave Farland wrote a piece this week about giving up.  I don't think I've ever seriously considered giving up, but I've certainly questioned whether I was wasting my time. A lot of writers will tell you that perseverance is the key to success. It's a major part, that's true, but talent and skill also come into play, just like any other skill based creative career. There are some who will never sell a story no matter how hard they try.

Fortunately this insecurity I have about my own work means I cannot presume another sale will follow. I hope it does, but I also recognise it's a tough world out there and I must work harder to ensure I improve my writing.

This first sale was only the foundation, but I am determined to build  on it.

First Professional Sale.

I am absolutely thrilled to announce my first pro-level writing sale.

Mike Resnick, the most awarded and nominated SF writer in the known universe, has bought one of my stories for Galaxy's Edge. It was only a couple of weeks ago I was singing the praises of this magazine, and I can't believe that I'm now going to be included in its TOC.

I have a few friends who didn't really understand why I was so excited. They figured I'd been selling stories for a while now so this was just another sale. Market levels are actually designated, and the SFWA (Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America) lists the qualifying markets they consider to be of a professional level. This determination is based on a number of factors, including pay-rate, longevity and reputation.

And  selling to a pro-level market is one of those goals I have on my checklist.

Onwards to the next goal (which is another sale at this level), but for now I'm dancing around my house.

Feel The Moonlight On Your Skin.

A couple of pro-level mags have slipped quietly into the market place this year.

Fiction River, a series edited by Dean Wesley Smith & Kristine Kathryn Rusch, already has three issues out, with each issue being themed. At this stage I've only read the first one. While I enjoyed it and will continue to read the series, the stories varied wildly in quality. I truly hope the standard settles down.

Galaxy's Edge, from the desk of Mike Resnick, is more even, with stories at a higher standard. So far I've read the first two and really enjoyed them both. Mike's so-called 'writing children' (his mentorees) get a bit of space, but on the whole their stories deserve to be there.  The editorial and Barry Malzberg's column have both been entertaining. Add non-fiction by Gregory Bensford and an ongoing serialisation of the almost winner of the 1962 Hugo novel and it's heading in the right direction

Both of these magazines are are available in print and e-book, and are well worth a look.

I'm looking forward to Dimension6 from Keith Stevenson. Keith is a past editor of Aurealis, and has run Coeur de Lion publishing for a few years now. And I've heard whispers of a few more new magazines on the horizon.

All in all the future for SF looks bright. Welcome to the New Golden Age of speculative fiction.