So…I’ve been nominated for a Ditmar!

This was announced a few days ago now but I’m still fairly excited and can’t think of a more eloquent way to put this so: YAY! I’ve been nominated for a Ditmar award in the field of Best New Talent!

The Ditmar Awards are annual awards to recognise achievement in Australian speculative fiction. Like the Hugos they are voted for by the community and eligibility is determined by membership at the Australian National Science Fiction Convention. This year the Natcon  is Continuum X in Melbourne.

The Best New Talent field looks to be a very competitive this year and I’m honoured to be appearing on the ballot with such a talented group of people.

Here is the list.

Best New Talent

Michelle Goldsmith
Zena Shapter
Faith Mudge
Jo Spurrier
Stacey Larner

I’m also very grateful to the people who nominated me. Thank you so much!

Although I am not sure about my chances of taking home the prize, I’m very excited and encouraged that some of the people who have read my published (and I’m guessing forthcoming work as well – the smallish nature of the community means that most of my stories have been seen by a reasonable number of people during the critiquing, editing and pre-publication process) thought I was worthy of being nominated.

I have been slightly out of the loop for a little while due in part to chronic illness (which thankfully seems to be under control after my most recent surgery), and some more positive reasons including a new job and beginning a Masters in Publishing and Communications. However, adapting to these and struggling to find time to write can impact upon confidence so it is a real motivational boost to know that people believe in you and like what you are doing.

I’ve read many of the works in the other Ditmar categories as well, and the quality is certainly very high. Congratulations to all the nominees and the eventual winners!

Anyone eligible can vote in the Ditmars here.

I also look forward to catching up with friends and meeting new ones at the convention this year. As well as generally lurking around, I will be on a number of panels and at the launch of the anthology ‘Use Only as Directed’ which contains one of my stories. Hope to see you there!

Full Ditmar Shortlist

Best Novel

Ink Black Magic, Tansy Rayner Roberts (FableCroft Publishing)
Fragments of a Broken Land: Valarl Undead, Robert Hood (Wildside Press)
The Beckoning, Paul Collins (Damnation Books)
Trucksong, Andrew Macrae (Twelfth Planet Press)
, Paul Collins (Ford Street Publishing)

Best Novella or Novelette

“Prickle Moon”, Juliet Marillier, in Prickle Moon (Ticonderoga Publications)
“The Year of Ancient Ghosts”, Kim Wilkins, in The Year of Ancient Ghosts (Ticonderoga Publications)
“By Bone-Light”, Juliet Marillier, in Prickle Moon (Ticonderoga Publications)
“The Home for Broken Dolls”, Kirstyn McDermott, in Caution: Contains Small Parts (Twelfth Planet Press)
“What Amanda Wants”, Kirstyn McDermott, in Caution: Contains Small Parts (Twelfth Planet Press)

Best Short Story

“Mah Song”, Joanne Anderton, in The Bone Chime Song and Other Stories (FableCroft Publishing)
“Air, Water and the Grove”, Kaaron Warren, in The Lowest Heaven (Jurassic London)
“Seven Days in Paris”, Thoraiya Dyer, in Asymmetry (Twelfth Planet Press)
“Scarp”, Cat Sparks, in The Bride Price (Ticonderoga Publications)
“Not the Worst of Sins“, Alan Baxter, in Beneath Ceaseless Skies 133 (Firkin Press)
“Cold White Daughter”, Tansy Rayner Roberts, in One Small Step (FableCroft Publishing)

Best Collected Work

The Back of the Back of Beyond, Edwina Harvey, edited by Simon Petrie (Peggy Bright Books)
Asymmetry, Thoraiya Dyer, edited by Alisa Krasnostein (Twelfth Planet Press)
Caution: Contains Small Parts, Kirstyn McDermott, edited by Alisa Krasnostein (Twelfth Planet Press)
The Bone Chime Song and Other Stories, Joanne Anderton, edited by Tehani Wesseley (FableCroft Publishing)
The Bride Price, Cat Sparks, edited by Russell B. Farr (Ticonderoga Publications)

Best Artwork

Cover art, Eleanor Clarke, for The Back of the Back of Beyond by Edwina Harvey (Peggy Bright Books)
Illustrations, Kathleen Jennings, for Eclipse Online (Nightshade Books)
Cover art, Shauna O’Meara, for Next edited by Simon Petrie and Rob Porteous (CSFG Publishing)
Cover art, Cat Sparks, for The Bride Price by Cat Sparks (Ticonderoga Publications)
Rules of Summer, Shaun Tan (Hachette Australia)
Cover art, Pia Ravenari, for Prickle Moon by Juliet Marillier (Ticonderoga Publications)

Best Fan Writer

Tsana Dolichva, for body of work, including reviews and interviews in Tsana’s Reads and Reviews
Sean Wright, for body of work, including reviews in Adventures of a Bookonaut
Grant Watson, for body of work, including reviews in The Angriest
Foz Meadows, for body of work, including reviews in Shattersnipe: Malcontent & Rainbows
Alexandra Pierce, for body of work, including reviews in Randomly Yours, Alex
Tansy Rayner Roberts, for body of work, including essays and reviews at www.tansyrr.com

Best Fan Artist

Nalini Haynes, for body of work, including “Defender of the Faith”, “The Suck Fairy“, “Doctor Who vampire” and “The Last Cyberman” in Dark Matter
Kathleen Jennings, for body of work, including “Illustration Friday”
Dick Jenssen, for body of work, including cover art for  Interstellar Ramjet Scoop  and  SF Commentary

Best Fan Publication in Any Medium

Dark Matter Zine, Nalini Haynes
SF Commentary, Bruce Gillespie
The Writer and the Critic, Kirstyn McDermott and Ian Mond
Galactic Chat Podcast, Sean Wright, Alex Pierce, Helen Stubbs, David McDonald, and Mark Webb
The Coode Street Podcast, Gary K. Wolfe and Jonathan Strahan
Galactic Suburbia, Alisa Krasnostein, Alex Pierce, and Tansy Rayner Roberts

Best New Talent

Michelle Goldsmith
Zena Shapter
Faith Mudge
Jo Spurrier
Stacey Larner

William Atheling Jr Award for Criticism or Review

Reviews in Randomly Yours, Alex, Alexandra Pierce
“Things Invisible: Human and Ab-Human in Two of Hodgson’s Carnacki stories”, Leigh Blackmore, in Sargasso: The Journal of William Hope Hodgson Studies #1 edited by Sam Gafford (Ulthar Press)
Galactic Suburbia Episode 87: Saga Spoilerific Book Club, Alisa Krasnostein, Alex Pierce, and Tansy Rayner Roberts
The Reviewing New Who series, David McDonald, Tansy Rayner Roberts, and Tehani Wessely
“A Puppet’s Parody of Joy: Dolls, Puppets and Mannikins as Diabolical Other“, Leigh Blackmore, in Ramsey Campbell: Critical Essays on the Master of Modern Horror edited by Gary William Crawford (Scarecrow Press)
“That was then, this is now: how my perceptions have changed“, George Ivanoff, in Doctor Who and Race edited by Lindy Orthia (Intellect Books)

 

Slider image is Carnival of Souls by moforuss

The post So…I’ve been nominated for a Ditmar! appeared first on Vilutheril.