Randy Henderson's Blog, page 4
August 23, 2016
Why I Talked to Word Sluts at WorldCon
I found myself in a number of conversations at WorldCon where persons were seeking my advice or thoughts on their writing, or seeking advice of a group in which I sat, and would say some variation on:
“People seem to have a problem with me calling it Warrior Wanda the Space Slut. But I mean slut in a positive or ironic way, because she is a powerful woman so she can have sex with whoever she likes.”
Or
“I have a pretty graphic rape scene in my novel, but if I didn’t have it she wouldn’t have that motivation to get stronger from it and learn to fight that is so important in my story.”
These persons were clearly seeking someone to say, yes, that is okay.
And I engaged in these conversations in a calm, friendly, positive way.
Why?
Because I have the privilege to do so.
By this, I do not mean the honor, though really it is an honor to be asked my opinion on anything. Rather, I mean that had such questions been asked of someone who identifies as female, for example, such questions would have been understandably offensive and anger-inducing, and made the person feel unsafe, along with a host of other reactions.
I’m not saying I found the questions pleasant and encouraging, but I recognize that my con experience as a cis white male who presents as het is entirely different from that of anyone who is other than that.
So while I cringed internally, I did not walk away, or mock these persons then, or later with my friends. I gave them a clear but disgust-free expression of “Oooooo, I wouldn’t do that,” and proceeded to lay out in positive terms how they could improve their stories, and their chances of reaching a broader audience.
Here is an example of the types of thing I try to say in these cases, with the goal not being to score points or put him in his place, but to help guide the writer in the right direction where they will hopefully learn for themselves in time what cannot be forced into their understanding in a single argument (And to be clear, I am not in any way saying there are not other approaches, or that outright anger is in any way not a valid response for others to have):
***
“People seem to have a problem with me calling it Warrior Wanda the Space Slut. Do you think that will be a problem? It is meant to be funny, not offensive.”
“Well, first, I think the fact that you are asking about putting “slut” in the title says you recognize that it’s likely to offend at least half of the planet’s population. I can’t tell you what is right or wrong for you, but just for me, personally, I don’t like to put things out in the world that might possibly create pain, or make someone feel like they are being made fun of or attacked, even by accident. Especially when I have a choice. And that means learning to look at these things from different points of view and understanding how others would react. And when I think what I wrote is going to be hurtful to others, I have found that there is usually an even better way to write it that won’t be hurtful. You seem to have a good gut if it is telling you this might not be a good idea. Trust it.”
“But it’s just a joke. I mean slut in a positive or ironic way, because she is a powerful woman so she can have sex with whoever she likes. If they read the book, they will get that.”
“I hear you, that you are in a way trying to take back the power of that word and make it positive, but I just don’t know if that is something you or I could do as men. And I definitely don’t think you can do that in a title, without context. Not just for reasons of respect and to avoid offending people, as I don’t think this is a case of art offending people toward a positive purpose. But rather, remember there is the practical side as well. Why use a term that is likely to offend women? Women are AT LEAST half of your potential readership. Why shoot yourself in the foot like that, and lose half your sales? Even if you have a strong female character develop in the story, most female readers won’t get past the title to find that out. And understanding the reason she wouldn’t get past the title and avoiding that will only help you be a better writer.”
“Well, I do have a pretty graphic rape scene in my novel, but that is what gets her to fight and become a warrior.”
“Hmmm. I think it is great that you are consciously working to write strong female characters. But I would caution against using rape and abuse as a motivator for a couple of reasons.
First, it is used way too often for this very purpose, and often not done well. Yes, part of the reason for this is unfortunately because rape and abuse are so prevalent and part of so many people’s story, so it’s a trauma that leaps to mind easily. But that is another reason NOT to use it: it is a real and present problem for so many women and men, so unless your story is specifically about rape and its real impacts, I would find some other traumatic event to give your character their psychic wounds.
And again, why choose to put something in your story that may cause a large percentage of your readers to just stop reading?”
“But if I cut out the rape scene she wouldn’t have that motivation to get stronger from it and learn to fight that is so important in my story.”
“From a writing craft perspective, I think the best character motivations come from deeper internal wounds, wounds that are the result of more deeply ingrained doubts and fears such as from an entire childhood of mental or emotional or economic or religious abuse. Again, something other than sexual abuse unless your story is specifically about the wounds that causes.
In fact, the strongest character arcs are the ones where they change something about themselves, overcome those internal fears and doubts that are holding them back or making them act poorly. Your character cannot change the past unless they are a time traveler. And they cannot be certain of changing others, or the way others perceive them. They can only change how they perceive themselves, and what their wants and goals are, and that is a more powerful journey. It requires a bit more thought and work to develop their motives, but it also gives you a much deeper and richer conflict to work with, and will give you a better story that more people will read and love.
It’s like what you hear about writing endings all the time: don’t go with your first or even second choice, since that might be too obvious and overused and it will be more powerful, and original.”
***
I have had, generally, positive results from such conversations.
Is that person going to run off and write amazing, enlightened, diverse fiction right away? Not necessarily. But they’ve had validation that that uncomfortable feeling in their gut is there for a reason, as well as some practical reasons and ways to change. It is helping to put them on a path toward stronger, better stories.
We are taught as writers to guide our characters through the story with a series of rewards and punishments so they can grow toward the hero they need to be. This is not so different, offering encouragement toward positive change.
Now, I did not come to such understandings myself naturally, as a wee lad, enlightenment striking me like a beam of sunshine. I grew up reading fantasy voraciously, but as a white male I was fairly unaware that all these novels filled with predominantly male heroes and white casts (at least as the “good” race) were lacking in so many ways. They fit my experience.
I did have the benefit of growing up in a largely African American neighborhood, and attending a performing arts high school with very open explorations and expressions of gender identity and sexual orientation (though I was also raised hardcore Nazarene/ Baptist Christian, which tended to intentionally “shelter” me or layered their values over everything). And I did tend to gravitate towards fantasy stories with female protagonists both in my reading and writing, and voraciously consumed Lackey’s Herald novels, for example.
I think these experiences primed me to be more open to the issues in genre fiction than someone raised in different environments, or perhaps someone who read strictly SciFi with male protagonists.
Yet even with all of that, I did not have any kind of conscious understanding of the issues in genre fiction, of my privilege or how it blinded me to other experiences, or of the need to consciously challenge my own first choices and assumptions and tropes when writing, until 2007.
In 2007 I began to engage with the Fantasy Magazine Blog for a Beer weekly event and I started to see people talking about the problems of racism and sexism, of exclusion and inequality in this genre I loved. The person running the blog? K Tempest Bradford. And a regular contributor was this emerging writer named Nora Jemisin. They both helped to burst my blissful little bubble of privilege in the best possible way, for which I am continually grateful. I still cringe when I think of my part in some of those early conversations, but, just as I cringe when I read my high school poetry, it is rewarding to feel I have grown since then.
Certainly, I continue to make mistakes, and I’m sure I will continue to make writing choices that reflect ignorance of other experiences that my various privileges make me blind to despite my best efforts.
But because I do have these privileges, it perhaps makes it easier for me in some cases to talk to persons still learning these same things, I may feel safer doing so, than for someone who is more directly affected by the mistakes being made. Granted, I am speaking from a position of less experience and personal knowledge than others, so that is the down side. But that is not a reason to remain silent.
It would be easy enough to only friend and follow people of like mind on the FaceTweets, and if I were a woman, and/or person of color, and/or trans or any other than I am who had to read many of the things said online, I’m positive I would reach a point where my blood would boil out of my eye sockets and splash down onto the Unfriend and Block buttons so fast it would defy the laws of physics.
But I have a secondary privilege conferred on me by my other privileges, and that is emotional distance from trollish, hateful or uninformed comments. This is not to say they do not make me angry or sad, but rather that I do not feel as personally threatened as others might, and do not feel the cumulative weight of a lifetime of such comments already on my back, the pain compounded and my patience long eroded.
So while it is not always pleasant, and never my first choice of how to spend my time, I do try to stop and take the time to engage in such conversations, careful to keep it positive and reasoned and constructive, keeping my faith in the fundamental sparks of compassion and desire to be heard and appreciated that is in each of us.
Not everyone listens.
But I look forward to continuing the journey of growth as writers and compassionate reasoned human beings with those who do.
July 20, 2016
Ghostbusters was Many Things and Most of them Great
1) Remake of a beloved classic
2) A comedy
3) A movie, period
3) A work of female representation and empowerment
For me:
1) Remake: It was that perfect blend of nods to the original yet different enough to be fresh. Much better than many of the other remakes in recent years.
2) Comedy: It was funny, I laughed out loud a number of times. But it lacked a character with the same level of comedic snark as Murray’s character in the original. This was not the fault of the actors, but of the writers.
3) Film: It was okay, but the plot was rather straightforward, there weren’t really any surprises. In the first, you had the mystery of Zuul and the keymaster/gatekeeper etc, with the (albeit light) romance subplot, which felt like multiple threads that came together in the end (like particle streams). This one didn’t feel quite as well developed plot-wise, the revelations along the way not really surprising. And the opening had a huge issue for me when I expected at first the character who seemed to have died in the basement to turn out to be possessed or a demon or something but no, he just inexplicably escaped?
4) Female Representation and Empowerment: Awesome. And well done. The jokes about internet comments were perfect. Lots of meta stuff to enjoy. And I got a bit teared up at the end, when they are all on the balcony. I can’t remember the exact words, but I felt when I saw it that they were talking as much about their accomplishment in making the film and doing it well as in defeating the giant Trump robot.
Well, okay, it wasn’t a Trump robot, but maybe in the sequel?
June 14, 2016
Orlando: Many Problems, Many Solutions
I feel like one more post on Orlando is just noise right now. Yet I also feel silence is unacceptable. So, in short:
First, it is not any one problem, it is multiple problems. And the solutions are complex and many. Here’s an admittedly simplistic and limited list:
Yes, it is the problem of fundamentalist extremists who believe violence is a divinely blessed action (which we have in every religion). Solution: Religion isn’t going anywhere for a while, so as long as it is here, support moderate voices in all religions and ideologies, and don’t arbitrarily punish those who believe in the same version of deity as this week’s terrorist yet don’t share the same belief in violence. Embrace the messages of love and peace, and leave the outdated bigotry and fears (and rivalries) of the Iron Age tribes behind.
Yes, it is an issue of bigotry and hatred. Solution: do not shame people for being different (which only leads to self-shame), and do not support the insidious belief that some deity has deemed their very nature a sin, be that nature their sex, orientation, or race. Know that someone being different than you does not take anything away from you. Diversity is strength. And if you know someone who is not a cis-gendered heterosexual, reach out and let them know you care about them. Events like this are a scary reminder of the hate and violence that can strike them at any time just for being who they are.
Yes, it is an issue of uncontrolled gun sales. Solution: Let the government study the disease of gun violence, to determine and vote into law effective safety rules and regulations the same as we have for cars, for planes, for alcohol, for anything else that may be dangerous if abused. We can regulate gun sales and license owners without violating the 2nd Amendment.
Yes, it is an issue of mental health. Solution: greater support of mental health facilities, greater support of mental health services by insurance providers and government health programs, and less stigmatization so that people aren’t afraid to seek help.
And Yes, it is a problem of broken politics. Solution: Force States to rewrite voting district lines fairly, and push for campaign finance reform, so that the vast majority of Congress are not safely GOP or Dem seats sponsored by special interest groups and wealthy donors, where the members only have to worry about pandering to the most extreme in their party to keep their seat rather than actually being accountable to a widely representative group of voters.
Here’s some folks you can send your thoughts to or support besides the echo chamber on Facebook:
If in the US, contact your US Representative
Human Rights Campaign – LGBT support
GLAAD (Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation)
National Alliance on Mental Illness
Volunteermatch where you can find general volunteer opportunities
June 7, 2016
Usual Path to Publication
Want to know how to get published? Well, there’s lots of ways, actually 
And writer/ editor Shannon Page has put together a pretty neat collection of essays called The Usual Path to Publication by 27 published authors (including yours truly) on HOW they got published. Check it out!
And for some additional fact-dense and flow-charty info on publishing options, you can also see my post on How to Become a Novelist (Part 2): Publish a Novel
Links:
May 31, 2016
Finn Fancy 3 Cover: Smells Like Finn Spirit!
Two big bits of news for book 3, Smells Like Finn Spirit:
First off, revised Finn 3 has been officially delivered to my editor! And I am so proud of it. Of course, I’m biased, but honestly there are just so many parts I can’t wait for people to read — funny moments, emotional moments, fantastical moments, moments that made me tear up or laugh on my own re-read — and I think that’s a pretty good sign. It has more of the humor of Finn Fancy Necromancy, and expands on the world building of Bigfootloose and Finn Fancy Free, with some deep character moments I think reflect all I’ve learned as a writer while working on these books, and it completes a nice three book arc (with seeds for future books of course should Tor buy more). Not trying to sound braggy, or like I think so much of my skill or anything, I just am proud of what I created, and feeling pretty happy about being a writer right now.
And second, COVER REVEAL! Thanks to the awesome Peter Lutjen!
March 17, 2016
Big Funny, Big Prizes, I Like It!!!
Hey awesome peoples, I have a teensy favor to ask, and PRIZES to offer: if you have read Bigfootloose (or enough to have formed an opinion), pretty please leave a review.
Just one click on a link below and another click on some stars, then write a sentence or two about how it transformed your life and healed your chronic inability to speak Sasquatchese — or, you know, whatever you want. Bing bang BOOM! Taking a minute to leave a review is the best way you can help get Bigfootloose into the hands of folks who might enjoy it (or any book you read, for that matter).
Links to Review Sites:
Powell’s (who also offers their own contest for people who leave comments! Bonus!)
iTunes (select “Launch in Application” at top of page)
And if you leave a good review with lots of stars, that will help offset those weird reviews where they give it only 2 stars because they reserve more stars exclusively for To Kill a Mockingbird and The Bible, or because the book was shipped a day late, or because when they dropped it on their foot it left a bruise, or because they thought Kevin Bacon would be narrating the audio version.
But of course, leave an honest review. They all help.
In two weeks (on Easter Sunday, 3/27) I will select* three random reviews, and three favorite reviews (most entertaining or eloquent or that makes me blush the brightest) and the six winners will win:
Your own pet Bigfoot, and a shiny $20 gift certificate for a bookstore near you.
PLUS EITHER
a shiny signed UK version of Bigfootloose,
OR
a shiny signed ARC version of Bigfootloose (though why the Arcana Ruling Council is printing copies I don’t know).
THANK YOU!!!
Links to Review Sites once again:
Powell’s (who also offers their own contest for people who leave comments! Bonus!)
iTunes (select “Launch in Application” at top of page)
*Selection will be made from all reviews posted across all sites listed above with dates between (and including) 3/18-3/26/2016. Favorites will be picked first, then the random drawings determined from remaining non-winners. Reviews copied between sites will be entered once per site for the random drawing (increasing odds of winning), but can only win once.
March 4, 2016
When Worlds Collide: Diversity in Fiction vs Drumpf
I see two major conversation streams in my world converging here: Diversity in fiction, and our current political circus.
Diversity in fiction is about many things, but one of those is that it allows us to experience lives unlike our own, and through that experience gain a deeper understanding of people who are different from ourselves, and the ability to empathize with other experiences. This applies across all media.
Perhaps if we had more popular media that shared an honest view of the Mexican immigrant experience, for example, we might not have a demagogue winning votes by promising to build a giant wall and kick people out of the country, or playing on other racial and religious fears.
Not saying diversity in fiction is THE solution to any problem, but this is just one example of why I feel diversity in media is actually important not just for any specific group who see themselves continuously ignored or badly stereotyped in media, not just for those who are marginalized or persecuted in society, but for everyone. Because we are all in this together — at least until we find a way to teleport to our own planet where we can mess it up however we want without affecting others.
February 15, 2016
Finn Fancy Love Time: Ticking Clock Edition
Bigfootloose and Finn Fancy Free comes out February 16th. This is a really critical and exciting time for the series! I hope you’ll join in the fun.
“So, this is your apartment? Nice. Where can I slip into something more comfortable?”
“Right over there, in the door past that copy of Finn Fancy Necromancy. Oh my gosh, have you read it? It’s REALLY exciting and funny an — uh, like you. I’ll get the wine.”
Why do I give this fine example of Finn Fancy love? Well, let’s play a quick Choose Your Own Finnventure:
You come across a dark and quirky contemporary fantasy series that features lots of humor, magic, action, romance, sasquatches, gnomes, Fey, social unrest, family drama, 80s and 90s references, a wee bit of knitting, and more.
If not interested, fair enough, turn back to page Facetweet and have an awesome day.
If you think it might be cool for the series to continue past book 3, continue reading.
This IS the book you’re looking for!
The Finn Fancy series is not in trouble, but it has reached its first critical test. Whether or not Tor wants to publish more Finn Fancy books will likely be based on sales of book 1 and pre-sales/ sales of book 2 (Bigfootloose) over the next couple of weeks. Just because that’s how the industry works.
What this is: Me asking you to take a few minutes to support Finn Fancy if you’ve read and enjoyed it, OR if dark and quirky contemporary fantasy is something that interests you and you MIGHT read it someday. Or if you are just feeling generous toward me and want to support my dream, I suppose.
So if you DO want to help guarantee more Finn Fancy books, here’s what you can do, in rough order from most impact to least. I’ve tried to make it easy:
1) BUY THE BOOKS. You can buy Book 1: FINN FANCY NECROMANCY, and/or Book 2: BIGFOOTLOOSE AND FINN FANCY FREE in your preferred format at any of the links below. Or if you plan to attend one of my readings for Bigfootloose and intend to buy the book, order from that bookstore and let them know you’ll pick it up at the reading.
Finn Fancy Necromancy:
Bigfootloose Available for Pre-Order (Releases February 16, 2016):
2) PROMOTE THE BOOKS on your social media. Here’s some images and sample 140 character text you can copy/paste and then tweak to make your own, or you can of course just let the inspiration flow.
I loved Finn Fancy Necromancy, and so excited for Bigfootloose and Finn Fancy Free! If you like fun, funny fantasy: http://amzn.to/20bfYWg
3) REVIEW THE BOOKS. If you’ve read them, give them honest reviews on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and iTunes (at the same links as listed above for purchasing), and Goodreads (links below). (I can’t give you words to copy/paste here, that would feel wrong. And not in a good way.).
Goodreads for Finn Fancy Necromancy
4) TELL PEOPLE in live conversations that you enjoyed/ are interested in the Finn Fancy series. In addition to the fine example in the opening of this post, here’s a couple more:
Example 1:
“Read anything good lately?”
“Yes, Finn Fancy Necromancy! It was really fun and funny, you should totally read it!”
Example 2:
“Where do you want to eat tonight?”
“Someplace with good light for reading. I just can’t put this book, Finn Fancy Necromancy, down! It’s so good! Just like Greek Pizza, full of exiting and rich flavors, yet also pretty cheesy.”
“Soooo … pizza then?”
Example 3:
“Honey, what safe word should we use?”
“‘Finn Fancy.’ Because it’s a really exciting and adventurous series that isn’t afraid to explore pain and laughter, but sets clear boundaries and expectations.”
“Ummm …”
Well, you get the idea.
What this is not: desperation, or me asking folks to save my series just because, or me not knowing what I’ll do if Tor doesn’t buy more. I think book 1 sold pretty well*, and if not I’ll be fine if they don’t buy book 4. I’ve been incredibly blessed to be published as is, and I love writing the Finn Fancy books, but if the series ends I will write other things. And Finn will be fine — he can quit getting into danger and drama and go write video games on his Commodore 64 in the Heaven of Retired Characters.
But all the feedback I’ve received is that readers loved Finn Fancy Necromancy, and I’d hate for Finn Fancy to die not because of a lack of interest, but rather just because I dislike doing the self-promotion thing too much**. Especially when there is a very specific sales period like this that can really matter.
So thank you if you’ve taken any of these actions, and thanks so much to all of the readers, booksellers, librarians, and friends who’ve helped Finn Fancy and my writerly dreams live and shine bright.
Footnotes (that might be of informativational interest to writerly types):
*Book 1 sold decently in hardback — “decently” being defined (with my complete lack of previous experience or context in these matters) as enough to sell through its advance and a bit more, but it didn’t require multiple printings or anything — and is now out in Trade Paperback. So while I’m hopeful that Tor isn’t exactly disappointed, I’m also sure they’re not leaping up like meerkats, impressed by this hot new author or anything). I’m in that uncertain area of thinking it is very possible they’ll want more but also very possible they won’t. I honestly believe sales in the next month will be very important in this decision. Book 2 comes out February 16th. Because of the long publishing cycle, Tor really can’t wait and see how books 2 and 3 actually sell over time before deciding whether to contract book 4. The constraints of linear time and temporal integrity directives can be so annoying sometimes. Or to put it another way, I would need to have book 4 written before book 3 even comes out. Traditional publishing cycles are funky that way.
**While Finn ended up on personal fave lists, I didn’t do the work of reminding people about my books as the big names/sites were compiling their 2015 Year’s Best lists or their 2016 Most Anticipated lists or nominating books for awards etc. Not to imply it would have definitely gotten on such lists if I had, yet weirdly, I felt bad for Finn. He deserved better of me. I know it is a perfectly legit and necessary part of the promotion game, but I just didn’t feel comfortable doing so. Which in the end perhaps does the series a disservice, and could harm the potential of more books in a series people seem to enjoy. It’s such a weird circular dance. So I’m biting the bullet and being self-promotiony about this, because this at least is just a direct and meaningful act of reader democracy: if you like the books (or think you might), you can vote with your support to continue the series.
February 3, 2016
Finn Fancy Knitomancy: Gnome Hat Edition!
I think this counts as my first fan art! Heather Seevers of NW Handspun Yarns knitted a Finn Fancy gnome hat! And she created a pattern so you can do the same!
Here’s the knitting pattern:
Finn Fancy Gnome Hatsy knitting pattern
There’s definitely some special knitting that goes on in Bigfootloose. So I would LOVE for others to knit gnome hats and send me pictures of them. Or, if you want to get crazy, you could knit a Bigfoot I suppose. But they probably don’t look as nice on your head.
January 30, 2016
Important Update: All the Awards I’m Going to Win in 2016!
It’s award nomination time! AND THANK GAWD, I don’t need to ask you fine folks to nominate or vote for me or anything, because I already know all the awards I’m going to win this year. The people behind the people behind the scenes have told me I’m a shoe-in. So here’s the list. Don’t be jealous.
2016 Hugo for Best Novel Idea about Use of a Hugo: “Condom demonstration prop in sexual education class for cyborgs“, submitted by Randy Henderson, author of Finn Fancy Necromancy.
2016 Ricky for Best Line to Read in an Alan Rickman Voice*: “Bloody Mary, and make it as spicy as Shakira shaking her hips in a jalapeño field, please.” From Finn Fancy Necromancy, by Randy Henderson.
2016 Nebula for: Depiction of Gnomes Almost Awesome Enough to Make Us Forget the Travesty that was Gnomeo and Juliet: Finn Fancy Necromancy, by Randy Henderson.
2016 Locus Award for “Best Use of Magical 80’s Tech versus PTA Blood Witches”: (magical Casio calculator watch) from Finn Fancy Necromancy, by Randy Henderson.
The 2016 Ziggy Award for Four Completely Random Lines of Dialogue from a Novel Best Sung Together like a Ziggy Stardust Song:
“Feet too, Stormer,” I said. “You’re a loner, a rebel.”
…
“He drew me close and snuffled my head, surrounding me with his musky cedar scent.”
…
“I like that you look at me like I’m still that girl who didn’t know The Clash from The Cure.”
…
And Petey said,
“I took your Pacman watch.”
All lines from: Finn Fancy Necromancy by Randy Henderson
Now I suppose if you have an empty slot after you realize that City of Stairs was 2014, and All the Birds in the Sky is 2016, you can actually add Finn Fancy Necromancy to your nomination ballot. Not that I have any expectation of winning but oh boy could I have some fun pretending like I might for that brief month or so.
Or if not me, you can add your deserving-writer-friend-whose-book-you-haven’t-read-yet-because-let’s-face-it-it-just-isn’t-your-thing-and-you-have-so-much-to-read-already-but-you’re-sure-they-are-a-great-writer-and-wonderful-human-being. That’s cool too. That’s what I’ll probably do with that last slot on my own ballots.
(On a completely unrelated note, I define “deserving-writer-friends…” as folks who have eligible works for award nomination and happen to take me to a delicious meal and/ or offer a really good neck and shoulder massage. Just saying. No reason.)
There. Done. Phew. Now I don’t have to do all that uncomfortable promotiony stuff about awards for the next several months.
PS: All joking and Finn Fancy aside, you really should nominate the stuff you read and liked in 2015. Those folks worked hard, are no doubt mired in Imposter Syndrome, and it really makes them feel good to have that work validated by nominations.
Ending Soonish Nomination details:
If you are a SFWA member, you can nominate for the Nebula Award until February 15th. Note the word-counts when nominating. And you can also nominate for the Andre Norton award for YA books as well.
If you’re a member of the 2015, 2016, or 2017 WorldCons, you can nominate for the Hugo awards. You’ll need your membership number (emailed to you by MidAmeriCon if you’re registered for 2016, or by Sasquan if you went 2015 but not going 2016). And you’ll need a PIN, emailed to you by MidAmeriCon (and if you haven’t received it by Feb 5th you’re supposed to email them at hugopin@midamericon2.org).
Have fun! And good luck to all the amazing authors who really do deserve an award. I’ll probably list a few suggestions when I find the time again.
Cheers!
*You know you tried it.
