Just found out Pandemonium is a finalist for the Mythopoeic Fantasy Award, and the book’s in some amazing company:
- Carol Berg, Flesh and Spirit and Breath and Bone (Roc)
- Daryl Gregory, Pandemonium (Del Rey)
- Ursula K. Le Guin, Lavinia (Harcourt)
- Patricia A. McKillip, The Bell at Sealey Head (Ace)
- Gene Wolfe, An Evil Guest (Tor)
The award is given out by the Mythopoeic Society, a group of scholars, writers, and readers who like strange words and are especially interested in the work of J.R.R. Tolkein, C.S. Lewis, and the rest of their literary circle, known as “The Inklings.” (Note to self: stop calling it “hanging out with my friends” — it’s a “literary circle.” Much cooler.) The society gives out the award in July at their annual conference, MythCon, which is at UCLA this year. I wish I could attend, but the budget, alas, is tapped out.
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Hey, Pandemonium made the Locus Awards short list for best first novel!
If only I could be there in person. Then Paul Melko and I could duel to the death for the prize — while this plays in the background.*
(Extra nerd points if you recognized the soundtrack from “Amok Time” episode of Star Trek, the classic Spock/Kirk fight where Spock is mad with 7-Year Vulcan Lust. Pon farr, baby. Until just now I did not know that Theodore Sturgeon wrote that episode.)
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Shirley, You must be Joking
I really should have blogged something lately, maybe something about my friends, or something good I’ve read, or something good I’ve read written by friends (hello? Jack Skillingstead’s forthcoming novel, Harbinger? Watch for it.) But instead, after a lengthy silence, more about ME.
Like me and my opinion on the forgotten classics of science fiction. I participated in one of SF Signal’s Mind Melds on the topic, and took the opportunity to talk about the books that influenced me in the 90’s–the weird, not quite rational fantasies of Rachel Pollack, Patricia Anthony, and especially Sean Stewart—each of which needs to be back in print.
But wait, there’s more about me. Yesterday they announced the Shirley Jackson Awards ballot and Pandemonium is a nominee in the novel category (as opposed to what, Daryl? Best interpretive dance?). The awards are given for “outstanding achievement in the literature of psychological suspense, horror, and the dark fantastic.” For those new to the industry, “dark fantastic” is just like the fantastic, but harder to see.
They give out the award this July at ReaderCon in Boston. Fortunately, I go to that convention every year, so I’ll be there in person to either (a) smile manfully as the award goes to someone else, or (b) faint. Bet on (a)!
Tomorrow, I shall overcome my narcissism. Because nobody overcomes narcissism like me.
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Not very, that’s how often
Okay, so that was a pretty great weekend. It ended with getting an award and people clapping. How often does that happen? I mean, if you’re me. (Answer: See blog post title.)
I was in Orlando, Florida, at the 30th annual ICFA, the International Conference on the Fantastic in the Arts. It’s an academic conference invaded by writers, or an SF convention overrun by professors and students, take your pick. Some writers, like James Patrick Kelly, Elizabeth Hand, and Ted Chiang (yes, I’m linking to all of them, because if you’re not reading these people, you owe it to yourself to start) have been going there for years, and I can see why — the weather’s great, the conference is small, and the focus is on the kind of literary SF that those folks excel at.
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For one, no broken neck
The other day I wrote out a long e-mail to my friend Andrew charting the rollercoasting craziness in my life recently. It takes a certain amount of self-centeredness to complain to Andy, because the guy recently broke his frickin’ neck. Seriously. He’s not paralyzed or anything, and he’s back at work, though he feels sore whenever he spends too much time doing, well, anything involving his body. But he’s better. And his band, Attic of Love, is playing gigs again.
So in that spirit — Andrew’s spirit — today I shall speak only of the peaks, n0t the troughs.
For example, my mom is out of the hospital and recovering at home, with no infections or other nastiness. Props to my little sis and her employers for arranging for her work at home and help out. Because this is an all-peak post, I shall not mention my older sister, who just found out that the muscle tear in her shoulder is not JUST a muscle tear, but a cracked shoulder bone — with a missing chip floating somewhere in her body. Jiminy!
Also, I have a new agent that I’m just thrilled to be working with. Martha Millard represents some of my favorite writers, including Sean Stewart, Michael Swanwick, and William Gibson. I am the small fish in her pond, and happy to be swimming there.
Two days ago I finished the first draft of a story that will appear in an anthology of superhero stories later this year (or early next). The current title is “Message from the Bubblegum Factory.” And the first sentence:
The guards, Dear Reader, are kicking the shit out of me.
I’ve also found out the release date for my second book. The Devil’s Alphabet will be out November 24, 2009. To celebrate, I’ve just posted up the first chapter. It may be rewitten by the time the book’s published, but it should give you a taste of what I’m up to this time.
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Hulk Says Read Now
Hi, ready to talk about Daryl again? Great! We have lots of fun facts. For example, did you know Daryl enjoys bean dip? It’s true! He also loves talking about himself in third person, Hulk style!
Okay, enough. I do still have to talk about me, though, because this blog is all about overcoming native midwesterner reticence and telling the world what’s up in my writing life.
So, some good news in the first week of February — David Hartwell and Kathryn Cramer picked two of his my stories for their “year’s best” anthologies. “Glass” will be appearing in their SF edition, and “The Illustrated Biography of Lord Grimm” will be in their fantasy book. Which brings my “best of” count for 2009 up to 4 anthologies. Now if only I’d published more than two stories last year.
On the other hand, everything I did manage to publish made it onto the recently released Locus Recommended Reading List for 2008. Pandemonium is in their First Novel category, “Glass” is in Short Story , and “Lord Grimm” is in the Novelette (AKA long short story, for you civilians out there).
I haven’t read a lot of the other stories or novels — I’ve been falling behind this year — but I was happy to see some of my favorites on the list. For example, Eugene Mirabelli’s “Fallen Angel” (F&SF 12/08 ) . Like everything he does, beautifully written from an oblique angle. And they also recommended the best Iain M. Banks book in a couple years, Matter.
Friends of mine also had some stories on the list that you have to check out: Cat Valente, Ted Kosmatka, Paolo Bacigalupi, Charles Coleman Finlay, all doing some of their best work. I mean, Cat’s incapable of writing an unbeautiful sentence, Ted’s been on fire the past two years, Paolo is continuing his long run of cutting edge stories, many of which are in his new collection, Pump Six and Other Stories. If you’re not reading these people, you gotta start.
But Charlie. This is a great year to start reading him. His “The Political Prisoner” novella is hard-hitting stuff. And he’s about to launch a three-book series from Del Rey that combines his graduate-degree history chops with fantasy adventure, all appearing within months of each other starting in April.
The “Traitor to the Crown” series starts wtih The Patriot Witch, then A Spell for the Revolution, and The Demon Redcoat. Witches fight the American Revolution, people. I got to read a couple of these books at Blue Heaven, and now you can download The Patriot Witch free on his website. He also blogs the details of the deal.
So, yes, it’s freezing in most of the country. Hunker down and start reading, people.
Hulk Smash!
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Hi, I moved in next door
Hello there, little girl...
Locus Online has posted an excerpt of the interview from the most recent issue of Locus the print magazine. Until it went online, I hadn’t noticed that in the picture they used for me I look like I’m smiling for my Neighborhood Pedophile Registration photo.
If you read the excerpt, you may notice that I refer to my next book as Oh You Pretty Things. That’s a lie. After we did that interview, I got a call from my editor saying that the people at Random House didn’t much like that title, and could I think of anything else? After polling friends and neighbors — which is just the kind of thing that can get you on that registration list — we came up with The Devil’s Alphabet.
I still like the original title better. How could I not? It’s like trying to rename a dog after it’s been living in your house a couple years. So Pretty Things is still my secret name for it. And that’s the name it still responds to when I call it in from the back yard. Who’s a good book? Who’s a pretty thing? You are! Yes you are!
But I did get some great news about the next book–Greg Ruth is returning to do the cover, and I’ve already seen some sample sketches that are exceedingly cool. I love the way he thinks. Also, Deanna Hoak will be returning as copy editor. She’s stellar, and stopped me from looking stupid throughout Pandemonium. So, we’re getting the band back together. Very Blues Brothers.
In other news that I meant to share earlier:
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HackenSacked
Just a reminder if any of you are hanging about the New Jersey area tomorrow, January 24, I’ll be at a group signing and Q&A at 2:00 until 4:00pm at the Barnes & Noble in The Shops at Riverside in lovely Hackensack. (Click the link to see a Google map to the place.)
I’ll be there with S. C. (aka Sam) Butler and Joshua Palmatier (see their duelling interview below), as well as Patricia Bray and Barbara Campbell.
We’re heading out to a restaurant afterward, so stay for food and drink!
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I, Zombie
The Three Laws of Zombi-ism *
1. A zombie must not stop hunting and eating human beings, or through inaction, allow a human being to go uneaten.
2. A zombie must disobey all orders given to it by human beings, except when the order is to eat human beings.
3. Braiiins!
____________
* Among other things I was thinking about in the car today.
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The Crawford Award
So I’m sitting there at Starbucks this afternoon, trying to punch out a few more sentences on the laptop, when my cell phone rings, and it’s critic and Locus columnist Gary K. Wolfe calling to BLOW MY MIND.
Here’s the gist of what he had to say, as expressed in this press release which just went out:
The winner of the 2009 Crawford Award, for an outstanding new fantasy writer whose first book was published in 2008, is Daryl Gregory, for Pandemonium (Del Rey). The other authors on this year’s shortlist were Doug Dorst, Alive in Necropolis (Riverhead); David Schwartz, Superpowers (Three Rivers); Felix Gilman, Thunderer (Bantam Spectra); and J.M. McDermott, Last Dragon (Wizards of the Coast). Although technically published in late December 2007, the Gilman novel was deemed eligible for consideration because it appeared too late for consideration in 2008.
Sponsored by the International Association for the Fantastic in the Arts and administered by Gary K. Wolfe, the Crawford Award is now in its 25th year. Past winners include Charles de Lint (1985), Greer Gilman (1992), Susan Palwick (1993), Jonathan Lethem (1995), Candas Jane Dorsey (1997), Kij Johnson (2001), Alexander Irvine (2003), Joe Hill (2006), M. Rickert (2007), and Christopher Barzak (2008). This year’s panel of nominators included Graham Sleight, Paul Witcover, Farah Mendlesohn, Niall Harrison, Cheryl Morgan, and Kelly Link. The award will be presented at the International Conference on the Fantastic in the Arts, March 18-22, in Orlando, Florida. Details of the conference are at www.iafa.org.
I’m incredibly honored to be among this year’s nominees. And to be in the same list as the previous winners? Well, I don’t even know how to process that information yet. I’ll have to get back to you.
One thing’s for sure: I can’t wait to go to Florida in a few months. It’s FREEZING here.
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