What's in a Week - Vol. 29

News, an interview, Hugo Award nominations, what I watched, what I'm writing, etc...

Drying Out, Shaken Up

Here in Los Angeles, we had record-breaking rain, floods, and farther up the coast (Central Coast), there were even a couple of small tornadoes. As if that weren't enough, on Friday we had an earthquake that was widely felt; millions of people felt that one, including me. It was about a 10-second one, not severe, but enough to give me the incentive to update emergency supplies, so I'm working on that this weekend. The best time to prepare for disasters was yesterday; the second best time is now.

On Saturday morning I took the time to sit in the sun for about ten minutes and just...appreciate it.

New Interview!

The folks at Canvas Rebel reached out, asking to interview me for their site. In this interview, I speak to the strengths of being a hybrid author, having some works traditionally published and some self-published.

Creative Rituals - an Interview with Artist Kim Herbst

I'm slowly moving my Creative Rituals series to my blog, so be sure and read this interview with my cover artist for The Inn at the Amethyst Lantern if you've not already! https://jendiagammon.com/2024/02/05/creative-rituals-artist-kim-herbst/

Hugo Award Nomination Time

If you are voting member for the Hugo Awards, the nominations are open. I have works eligible for the Hugo Awards under both my pen names! They are:

Novel:

THE INN AT THE AMETHYST LANTERN by J. Dianne Dotson (Eligible for Best Novel and Lodestar Award) - Young Adult; Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Climate Fiction. Published by Android Press, October 2023.

Short Fiction:

“Copper” by Jendia Gammon in INTERZONE issue 295 (Best Short Fiction)

Note that "Copper" and THE INN AT THE AMETHYST LANTERN are also longlisted for the BSFW Awards and are on the Nebula Awards (SFWA) reading list! For short fiction and the Norton younger readers award, respectively.

"Falling Upward into Starlight” by Jendia Gammon; Flash Fiction Short Story; Fantasy. Published by Queer Sci-Fi in the RISE anthology, October 2023.

“A Swirl of Leaves and Sand,” by Jendia Gammon; Short Story; Fantasy/Magical Realism. Published by Seaside Gothic, October 2023. 

“Opal World Frolic” by Jendia Gammon; Short Story; Science Fiction. Published by Third Flatiron in the Rhapsody of the Spheres anthology, August 2023.

“The Tower and the Raven,” by J. Dianne Dotson; Short Story; Fantasy. Published by Lazy Wolf Studios in Tales from Stolki’s Hall: A Thrones & Bones Anthology, September 2023.

“Midnight Serenade” by J. Dianne Dotson; Short Story; Science Fiction, Fantasy, Climate Fiction. Young Adult. Published by Solarpunk Magazine, January/February 2023.

Note: "Midnight Serenade" under my pen name J. Dianne Dotson makes me eligible for the Astounding Award for a new/upcoming writer (traditional publishing)!

Cover Art

The cover art of THE INN AT THE AMETHYST LANTERN is sublime, and its artist, Kim Herbst (mentioned above!) would be a wonderful nominee for that category! Behold:

If you are a voting member of the Hugo awards, I would love your nomination(s)! Everything is also listed here on my new blog!

BSFA Nominations

I'm also longlisted for the BSFA Awards and would love for members to vote for my eligible works off that list!

On the Screen

The fifth and penultimate episode of TRUE DETECTIVE: NIGHT COUNTRY on Max (aka HBO) dropped early because of the Super Bowl and it was a truly gripping, shocking episode. I don't know how they'll wrap this up by the finale, but I'm riveted.

On the Page (or Audio)

I'm still listening to Andy Serkis narrating The Lord of the Rings audiobooks, and currently I'm on The Two Towers. Serkis does a marvelous job again, and the section with Treebeard is quite special. (And not hasty!)

If you start these audiobooks, begin with The Hobbit.

Writing Update

My agent finished reading my campy horror novel and will submit it to the first round of editors at publishing houses later this month. She loved it, loved the antihero main character, and said the ending was "brutal". True. I didn't hold back in that final act.

Currently, I'm writing three novels: a space opera adventure, a fantasy, and on the back burner, a cozy romantic mystery. I took a few days off from this because I had a work deadline, but I'll be back to writing this coming week. I'll rotate between the three and put more chapters on the space opera in particular.

I submitted new short stories this past week, and we shall see if anyone goes for those. Each short story I write can also fit into potential new collection books for me down the road.

I await news on two books on submission, the thriller with sci-fi and horror elements, and the epic fantasy with dragons. I will share any updates on those if/when the time is right.

There is also something else being looked at and I can't discuss that at all right now. Would be awesome if something came of it; it's highly unlikely, but we miss 100% of the shots we don't take, after all. I'd like a slam dunk one day!

The Week Ahead

This next week is a short one for my teens, and I'll be busy trying to get as much done as I can before Gareth returns near my birthday later in the month. Unfortunately it looks like we have another potentially strong set of storms coming through for next weekend. So I'll "make hay while the sun shines" and get my daily step count back to the level that was derailed by torrential downpours. (I did get out for walks in lighter rain when I could.)

You can keep up with my goings-on on Threads, Instagram, and BlueSky if you like. For all other links, head to my LinkTree for other social media, books, etc.

Meanwhile, I baked a pie, and that will fuel my Sunday before I make chili for the Super Bowl. Have a great week!

Write on!
Jendia