Caroline M. Yoachim's Blog, page 3

2019 Awards Eligibility

I’ve been spending most of my time on longer projects, so this has been a somewhat slower year for short fiction. I do have a novelette out in Lightspeed that I’m particularly proud of:

The Archronology of Love (Lightspeed Magazine, 8900 words) – A love story, a mystery, AND I got to invent an entire academic field! Here is an excerpt from the opening of the story:

This is a love story, the last of a series of moments when we meet.

 

Saki Jones leaned into the viewport window until her nose nearly touched the glass, staring at the colony planet below. New Mars. From this distance, she could pretend that things were going according to plan—that M.J. was waiting for her in one of the domed cities. A shuttle would take her down to the surface and she and her lifelove would pursue their dream of studying a grand alien civilization.

 

It had been such a beautiful plan.

 

“This is a fascinating, intellectual, and emotionally moving (one might say tear-jerking) story that showcases just how much Yoachim is on top of her game right now.”  –Karen Burnham, Locus

I also had a flash story out in Daily Science Fiction (and I have another flash story in the pipeline, which might appear before the end of the year. If it does, I will come back and update this post):

A Voice the Color of Blood (Daily Science Fiction, February 20, 2019)

My senses are overwhelmed by the navy blue rumble of a distant explosion. A hush falls over the barracks as we listen for alien missiles outside. I close my eyes and wait in colorless silence.

 

Norwescon!

I will be at Norwescon next weekend! Come hear me read from my new Lightspeed story “The Archronology of Love,” or talk about worldbuilding, fictional religions, what drives a story, and more! Here’s my schedule:

Thursday

Worldbuilding in a SF Universe (4:00pm – 5:00pm @ Cascade 12)

Are there elements of SF worldbuilding that are unique to science fiction? Are there elements that need to be in any science fiction story? Technology, medicine, economics, government, religion, history, types of characters, clothes, languages, and food. What elements might be unique to SF? How much detail is enough?

Friday



Reading: “The Archronology of Love” (4:30pm – 5:00pm @ Cascade 3)

Excerpt: When you visit the Chronicle, you alter it. Your presence muddles the temporal record as surely as an archaeological dig muddles the dirt in your excavation sites. In the future, human archronologists will look back on you with scorn, much as you look back on looters and tomb raiders–but we forgive you. In our early encounters, we made our own errors. How can we understand something so alien before we understand it? We act out of love, but that does not erase the harm we cause. Forgive us. 

Fictional Religions in Fantasy (5:00pm – 6:00pm @ Cascade 9)

Real-life religions often aren’t internally consistent. How can a writer give a fictional religion the depth and humanity needed to convey a compelling narrative?

Saturday



Autograph Session 1 (10:00am – 11:00am @ Grand 2)

Nancy Pearl, Yanni Kuznia, Mary Robinette Kowal, Daniel Koboldt, Neil Clarke, Tran Nguyen, Carol Berg, Stephen L. Gillett, Pat MacEwen, Lee Moyer, Spencer Ellsworth, Caroline M. Yoachim, Curtis C. Chen, Evan J. Peterson, Julie McGalliard, Scott James Magner, Joseph Brassey, Fonda Lee, Barth Anderson, KJ Kabza, Miss Violet DeVille, Abie Ekenezar, Greg Bear, Ren Cummins, Nisi Shawl, Nancy Kress

What is Your Story’s Engine? (1:00pm – 2:00pm @ Cascade 12)

Your story can be plot-driven, character-driven, or even author-driven in a voice piece or a more poetic work. Learn to recognize what’s driving your story, play to your strengths, and how to keep a balance that keeps your story moving forward.

Mommy, Where Do Writers Come From? (4:00pm – 5:00pm @ Cascade 11)

Do only MFA recipients get published? What advantages are there to attending workshops like Clarion, Odyssey, or the Norwescon Writers’ Workshop? Is it possible to write and publish completely on your own? This panel will explore the options available to new writers and what worked best for panelists.

Are You Blocked? (6:00pm – 7:00pm @ Cascade 11)

Is a writer’s block just laziness? Or is something bigger blocking writers who can’t write? We’ll talk about different kinds of blocks (e.g., emotional blocks, external demands, imposter syndrome, perfectionism) and how panelists have dealt with them. Come share ideas about how to shatter blocks!

 

“The Archronology of Love” at Lightspeed Magazine

I have a new story out this month! My novelette “The Archronology of Love,” is the cover story for the April issue of Lightspeed Magazine. The gorgeous illustration is by Reiko Murakami.

There is also an Author Spotlight interview where I talk about the origins and inspirations of the story, and how my writing has changed over time.

Here is an excerpt from the story:

This is a love story, the last of a series of moments when we meet.

Saki Jones leaned into the viewport window until her nose nearly touched the glass, staring at the colony planet below. New Mars. From this distance, she could pretend that things were going according to plan—that M.J. was waiting for her in one of the domed cities. A shuttle would take her down to the surface and she and her lifelove would pursue their dream of studying a grand alien civilization. It had been such a beautiful plan.

Stories in 2018

I had two stories out this year:

Midnight at the Fountains of Bellagio (Daily Science Fiction, October 2018)

The Clockwork Penguin Dreamed of Stars (Mechanical Animals, November 2018)

Overall, my 2018 feels like a year of work-in-progress. I drafted a novella, a novelette, and a handful of short stories… but nearly all of them are still waiting on revisions, so I did not send a lot of stories out on submission. Next year, I hope, will be a year of finishing.

I will be at Worldcon!

If you will also be at Worldcon in San Jose, here is where you can find me:

Friday August 17, 2018

10:00 AM – 11:00 AM – Kaffeeklatsch: Caroline M. Yoachim. San Jose Convention Center 211B1

Join me for an informal hangout! Sign-up for my kaffeeklatsch starts Thursday at 4pm, more info here.

12:00 PM – 1:00 PM Autographs. San Jose Convention Center, Autographing Room

Jeffe Kennedy | Caroline M. Yoachim | Walter H. Hunt | Seanan McGuire | Steve Barnes

3:00 PM – 4:00 PM – Panel: Strategies for Submitting Short Fiction. San Jose Convention Center , 211C

Caroline M. Yoachim | Karen (K.G.) Anderson | Sheila Williams | Fran Wilde | Scott H. Andrews | Chen Qiufan

5:00 PM – 6:00 PM – Reading: Hugo Finalists – Best Short Story. San Jose Convention Center, 211A

Caroline M. Yoachim | Fran Wilde | Linda Nagata

6:00 PM – 7:00 PM – Panel: Breaking Out of the Margins. San Jose Convention Center, 211D

Sarah Kuhn | Michi Trota | JY Yang | Foz Meadows | Caroline M. Yoachim

Saturday August 18, 2018

5:00 PM – 6:00 PM – Panel: Fantasy Aliens. San Jose Convention Center, 210A

Caroline M. Yoachim | Melinda M. Snodgrass | Martha Wells | Keffy Kehrli | Jeannette Ng

Sunday August 19, 2018

10:00 AM – 11:00 AM – Reading: Hugo Finalist Beneath Ceaseless Skies. San Jose Convention Center, 211A

Scott H. Andrews | Alvaro Zinos-Amaro | Rose Lemberg | Caroline M. Yoachim

8:00 PM – 11:00 PM – Hugo Ceremony. San Jose Convention Center , Grand Ballroom

Carnival Nine is a World Fantasy Award Finalist!

The World Fantasy Award finalists have been announced, and I am super excited that “Carnival Nine” is a finalist in the Short Fiction category!

This has been a truly amazing year for me. “Carnival Nine” is a finalist for four major awards–Nebula, Hugo, Locus, and now World Fantasy. I am grateful to Scott Andrews for publishing the story at Beneath Ceaseless Skies, to Tina Connolly for doing a fantastic podcast version, and to all my beta readers for their helpful insights on the story. Thank you to everyone who read and promoted the story. It means a lot to me when my fiction connects with people, and I am honored that “Carnival Nine” has been so well received.

If you haven’t had a chance to read it yet, “Carnival Nine” is free to read online at BCS.

Upcoming Appearances

This week I will be in NYC to do a KGB reading, and in Pittsburgh for the Nebula Awards! Here’s where you can find me:

NEW YORK:

Wednesday, May 16th – 7:00pm

KGB Bar, 85 East 4th Street

(just off 2nd Ave, upstairs.)

As part of the Fantastic Fiction at KGB series, I am reading with the fabulous Tina Connolly! I will be reading from my Hugo, Locus, and Nebula finalist story Carnival Nine. More details about the reading here.

PITTSBURGH:

After my New York trip, I am heading to Pittsburgh. Here is my schedule for the Nebula Awards Weekend. All of the events below take place at the Pittsburgh Marriott City Center (112 Washington Place, Pittsburgh, PA 15219). Registration at the convention is required for most of the events, but the autographing session on Sunday is free and open to the public!

Friday, May 18th

2pm, Marquis B – Short Fiction Contracts Workshop.

A workshop covering the basics of publishing contracts for short fiction. The workshop would be broken up into three sections: Understanding contract terms, managing rights, and contract negotiation. (Keep your film rights)

7:30pm, Grand Ballroom – Nebula Nominee Presentation

Here is your chance to meet and congratulate this year’s Nebula Nominees before the mass autographing. As a way to celebrate the nominees’ work, we have partnered with SAG/AFTRA to have two professional audiobook narrators who will read excerpts from the nominated work.

Saturday, May 19th

6pm-10pm Grand Ballroom – Nebula Reception / Nebula Banquet / Nebula Awards

Sunday, May 20th

10am, Marquis A – Short Story Collections Panel

Single-author short story collections used to be the way authors made their living, but these days they seem to be more of a labor of love. How do you put a collection together and find a home for it?

1pm – 3pm, Grand Ballroom – Mass Autographing

FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC! If you’re in the Pittsburgh area and you want to come and meet a bunch of fantastic science fiction authors, drop by the Pittsburgh Marriott City Center on Sunday afternoon and come to the mass autographing session.

Carnival Nine is a Hugo Finalist!!!

I am so very honored and happy to announce that Carnival Nine is a Hugo finalist in the short story category! This is my first Hugo nomination, and I was lucky enough to be at Norwescon this year and hear the ballot announcement live, surrounded by friends (some of whom are also finalists!). I don’t have the words to express how much this nomination means to me, thank you all so much.

 

The full list of finalists is here. Congratulations, everyone! It is truly an honor to be in such good company.

New Translations in 9th Zone!

I have two stories in 9th Zone! “A Rabbit Egg for Flora” and “Garbage Trucks of Discontent.” Both are translated by Geng Hui, who does fantastic work! Links to 9th Zone & other translations by Geng Hui are available on his website: https://site.douban.com/145351/ 

Carnival Nine is a Nebula Finalist!

Extremely excited to announce that my Beneath Ceaseless Skies short story “Carnival Nine” is a finalist for the Nebula Award! This story is one that I am particularly proud of, and it is such an honor to have it recognized alongside several other truly wonderful stories.

The complete list of Nebula Finalists is here:

https://nebulas.sfwa.org/award-year/2...

Congratulations to all the finalists! I will be attending the Nebula Awards weekend in May–if you will also be there, come say hi!