standing on a star unstable

My turn on the PodCastle merry-go-round has come again: Sun's East, Moon's West, read by MK Hobson!

The best comment on the forums so far--indeed, the only comment--I think helps sell the tale better than I could:

I think one of the things I enjoyed most about this story was the sense of wit underlying the tale. While it wasn't overtly humorous aka 'Another End of the Empire,' there were amusing details here and there that made me grin. Like Pheasant, the fire-breathing dragonsparrow. Best pet ever - I want one! :p

I do think its the underlying wit that makes this more than just a mishmash of various tales. Rather, its a mishmash, but one that's tongue-in-cheek. A fun listen!

-Talia

In other news, my writing group buddy C.L. Anderson has won the Philip K. Dick award. AWESOME SAUCE.


Also:
435 days until my next book is due. It seems important that I keep on that metric.

And I have to go back to work tomorrow...

In no particular order:

psamphire has himself an agent! Patrick Samphire is not only an awesome writer, but he's also the awesome father of mrdarcysblog and the awesome husband of stephanieburgis. I met Patrick and Steph a few years ago in Glasgow, and have been watching them both gear up for great things since...

gregvaneekhout sold a kid's book called Kid vs. Squid. Greg's user name is pretty much his real name (Greg van Eekhout) and I met him (and Sarah Prineas) at a Strange Horizons tea party at some con or other years ago (I want to say WisCon. But it could have been WorldCon). You may know him from this journal for having written only my most favorite short story ever, In the Late December.

And nisi_la (Nisi Shawl) is nominated for the World Fantasy Award for both a story and for her collection Filter House, which I got to hear her read from back when she did a reading in Ann Arbor--not only is she a great writer, but she's also a Michigan woman. And a Michigan woman, as in, University of... She preceded me in my same college, in my same dorm, and don't think I don't love that coincidence. There are few enough spec fic folk in the world, you have to treasure your connections where you can. And by you, I mean me.

Also, I'm not above a little reflected glory via the alma mater that way.

Also, she helped found the writing group that I am in an offshoot of.

And there's other good news for people I've not yet met, like Aliette de Bodard's trilogy sale (w00t!) And sartorias's book launch day for Treason's Shore, the final Inda book. We love Sherwood far too much not to mention that!

Gosh, is that it? Seems like there was yet more good news to be had. Hm.

ETA: Aha! Yes. marrael, aka Janet Chui, has also been nom'd for World Fantasy, in this case for the art in A Field Guide to Surreal Botany... mwahahaha, I own World Fantasy Nominated art! (For reals. I bought the Library Plum art.) Yaaaay, Janet!

No, I'm not selling friends, but stephanieburgis, fellow Michigan native who now lives in Yorkshire (*jealous*) has sold her YA trilogy!

She SO ROCKS. Which we already knew, but now EVERYONE will know!

Congratulations, Steph!