Book Expo America! Next Week!

So you might have noticed the lack of scintillating posting this week. Or not. Anyways, the reason is that I’m furiously getting ready for Book Expo America, which is happening next week in New York.

If you aren’t familiar with the event, BEA is basically the biggest publishing trade fair in the States. It’s 3 days of packing out the heinous Javit’s Center and talking to publishers, bloggers, librarians and other professionals during the day, and making the rounds of publisher parties and bars in the evening.

New York and I have an…exciting history. Every time I go there, I end up with Stories To Tell*. More accurately, stories that make people who have stories to tell look at me and wonder how I haven’t died yet. Anyways, I’m hoping that this year is much better.

I’ll be there to run the SFWA table and hold signings with some amazing authors. Check out the schedule, and if you’ll be there, come and say hi!

Thursday
1:30: James Sutter
2:00: Michael Martinez
2:30: Jeri Smith-Ready

3:30: Alethea Kontis
4:00 Laura Anne Gilman

Friday
11:00: Sarah Beth Durst
11:30: Shelly Reuben

1:30: Doug Molitor
2:00: Leanna Renee Hieber
2:30: Patrick Matthews

3:30: Jim Hines
4:00: Karen Heuler

Saturday
12:00: SFWA Reading
1:00: Diana Gabaldon

Wish us luck!

*The current highlight** is the cabby who couldn’t figure out where I needed him to take me. We drove around the Bronx for about an hour, stopping to ask people at stoplights for directions. This is, by the way, at about 3am, after a day that started at 9am, included a convention day, an event, a dinner, drinking, Ray Bradbury’s death, a radio show ABOUT Ray Bradbury, and seeing Ground Zero for the first time.

I finally got in a yelling match with the driver and made him let me out on some random street. I called the guy I was dating, told him what was going on, and asked him to pull up Google Maps and get me back home. We had a very long talk about safety later…which is another common theme in my life.

**Followed closely by the time I had a connecting flight through Atlanta and our plane fishtailed on the icy runway.

Nebula Awards Weekend

The 2011 Nebula awards were presented on Saturday, May 19, 2012 at the Nebula Awards Weekend in Arlington, Virginia. By now, you’ve probably read a list of the winners, but I’ll do a quick recap at the bottom of this post, in case you haven’t.

The convention ran from Thursday until Sunday, but because of other commitments, I was unable to attend the entire convention. This was only my second writers’ convention. I attended my first (World Horror in Salt Lake City, Utah) earlier this year.

I was very nervous about attending WHC, but surprisingly, I wasn’t nervous this weekend. I suspect it’s because I was too excited to finally meet in person several people I’ve known for a while online, namely Jaym Gates, Jake Kerr, and Jamie Todd Rubin. It’s funny. When you talk to people frequently (even if those conversations happen via Twitter, email, or what have you), critique each other’s work and such, you feel like friends already. Meeting in person is simply a formality.

When you’re relatively new to the business, meeting people who are already firmly established is daunting. And more than a bit frightening, to be honest. I did my best to keep my fear firmly tucked inside, but I felt tongue-tied more than once.

At the banquet, I sat next to Jack McDevitt. I may have consumed a glass of wine very rapidly to keep from running away shouting, “I am not worthy to sit at the same table with you, let alone next to you.” And if that wasn’t intimidating enough, I was also seated with Joe and Gay Haldeman, Myke Cole, and editor extraordinaire, Ginjer Buchanan. I may have regaled them with a clever tale regarding my first name, or I may have simply mumbled incoherently. If it was the latter, I hope they will forgive me.

The acceptance speeches of Neil Gaiman and Connie Willis were amazing, as was Astronaut Michael Fincke’s keynote speech. Talk about feeling small and insignificant.

Fear and rambling aside, I had a wonderful time and regret not being able to attend the entire convention, but there’s always next year.

2011 Nebula Award Winners:

Novel: “Among Others”, Jo Walton (Tor)

Novella: “The Man Who Bridged the Mist”, Kij Johnson (Asimov’s 10-11/11)

Novelette: ”What We Found”, Geoff Ryman (F&SF 9-10/11)

Short Story: “The Paper Menagerie”, Ken Liu (F&SF 3-4/11)

Ray Bradbury Award for Outstanding Dramatic Presentation: Doctor Who: “The Doctor’s Wife”

Andre Norton Award for Young Adult Science Fiction and Fantasy Book: “The Freedom Maze”, Delia Sherman (Big Mouth House)

Solstice Award: Octavia Butler and John Clute

SFWA Service Award: Bud Webster received the

2011 Damon Knight Grand Master Award: Connie Willis

For a full list of all the nominees, please visit  SFWA.