What's in a Week - Vol. 45
The Nebula Conference was awesome! New: online reading and other events this week!
The Nebula Conference was awesome! New: online reading and other events this week!
Nebula Awards Conference
In case you missed the news, I'm a Nebula Award finalist! This is for my young adult debut novel, THE INN AT THE AMETHYST LANTERN (written as J. Dianne Dotson). It was also a BSFA finalist book. And...it might also be up for something else, but I can't share that yet.
This is a thing of beauty, my goodness. I will be grateful for this forever.
Here are several pics from the Nebula Awards conference! We finalists received our certificates and pins and were honored and celebrated by peers and fans alike. Thank you to everyone who nominated my book and voted for it, and thank you to the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association for coordinating and making this conference possible! I felt like Lady Luck, because THREE Nebula winners sat at my table: Ai Jiang (for LINGHUN), Moniquill Blackgoose (for TO SHAPE A DRAGON'S BREATH), and Naomi Kritzer (for THE YEAR WITHOUT SUNSHINE). It was an honor and a delight to be a finalist with them, and even better to cheer them for their wins right at our table! Go read these works!!
On Sunday, June 16, I will be available for a WRITING DATE in which we write together and you can ask questions. Head here for details on that.
Conference Fashion Roundup
Y'all know I like to get gussied up for these book things! I'm already planning for my 2025 lewks for my Doomflower and Atacama book launches, respectfully, as well as for...
StokerCon 2025!
Oh my GOD! I already told you I fell in love with StokerCon last weekend. Welp, I went ahead and jumped on getting 2025 tickets for the FULL con and the hotel, because I know a good thing when I see it. I'm a convert maybe for life. Makes sense, too, because I have TWO horror books out in 2025. Good thing I jumped for the hotel reservations because they sold out in like two days!!
StokerCon 2025 will be in Stamford, Connecticut.
THIS TUESDAY: Free Online Reading Event
On Tuesday night, I'm participating in a flash fiction reading hosted by Space Cowboy Books. Do join me, Eliane Boey, and Jonathan Navair at 6 PM Pacific / 9 PM Eastern! Register via EventBrite for free.
Anthology Update!
In case you missed the news, my husband Gareth L. Powell and I making our own publishing imprint! Our first book is a cross-genre anthology. Announced authors : Adrian Tchaikovsky, Cynthia Pelayo, Ai Jiang, T.L. Huchu, Paul Cornell, Bonnie Burton, David Quantick, Eugen Bacon, Peter McLean, Ren Hutchings, Renan Bernardo, Greg van Eekhout, Pedro Iniguez, KC Grifant, Jonathan Maberry, Dennis K. Crosby, D.K. Stone, Cavan Scott, Sarah L. Miles, J.L. Worrad, Antony Johnston, Mya Duong, Helen Glynn Jones, Alice James, Khan Wong, Kali Wallace, Stark Holborn, Laurel Hightower, Gemma Amor, and Lizbeth Myles!
....and there may be a few more! We are nearing completion of the roster.
We are crowdfunding this endeavor for our cross-genre anthology (tentatively publishing February 11, 2025). Currently, we are 39% funded! You can help us reach our fundraising goal. Read more at this link below. Rewards for your donations start from $5 on up, higher tiers offer books, and still higher tiers include classes from both me and Gareth and other perks!
Money donated goes directly to paying our authors and for expenses in the making of the book.
We've already been editing stories from some of our authors, and we've seen the drafts of the cover art. It's gorgeous! Just a few details and the cover will be finished by the artist. More news to come.
We are debuting the website, name, cover art, and all other imprint-related goodies in mid-July, deliberately a week before San Diego Comic-Con, which I will attend. I have had several consultations with the web team and I have seen an early framing of the website. It's professional, because that's what the design firm specializes in.
Do follow me at Ko-fi above to receive updates on our publishing imprint and the anthology! And thank you for spreading the word.
I'm Going to San Diego Comic-Con!
I'll be on a panel at San Diego Comic-Con, the biggest fandom convention in the U.S., in late July this year! I can share that the panel is called "It All Starts with a Word". From the moderator: "This panel will be about how to start writing the novel that's in your head, what challenges you can expect, the best advice on how to push through them, and dispelling some of the myths and misconceptions about publishers and agents, peppered with some stories and anecdotes from the trenches."
More details as I can share them. SDCC tends not to release its official schedules until closer to the event.
On the Screen
I've not watched much on the screen this past week as I've been working, and recovering from StokerCon to turn around and gear up for the Nebula Conference. WHEW!
On the Page
I'm still enjoying an advance review copy (ARC) of Stark Holborn's latest book, NINTH LIFE.
I also received this AMAZING high-quality bag of books as a Nebula finalist and volunteer. Felt like a holiday! I'm set for summer reading, that's for sure.
I also recently read Helen Glynn Jones' traditional debut novel out from HarperCollins later this year, THE LAST RAVEN. I will be giving a blurb for this book, as I feel so passionately about it. This might be THE book of autumn for dark romantic fantasy. Vampires are SO BACK! Note: it arrives in autumn in the UK and January in the U.S. It's great!
Writing Update
I maaaaay have some book news soon. Maybe. Can't say what. But it's good news!
Meanwhile, the dragon book is still on submission and I am giving nudges to the editors who are reading it. Still hoping you can all get your hands on this book one day: it's one of the best things I've ever written!
As for other works, I'm working on a weird horror Appalachian novella, and pirouetting between a dark fantasy and the sci-fi/fantasy mystery novel. I'm REALLY desperate to get back to writing short stories for some open submission calls happening soon.
The Week Ahead
I'm back to writing fiction in something of a routine, thank goodness. I have so much catching up to do! I am also leaning, finally, into summer break with my teens. Making summer treats, going to parks, just enjoying their company. Maybe we will take some road trips too!
Wishing you all a pleasant week ahead.
Write on!
Jendia
