WSFA SPSFA = AWESOME

Some of the more astute among you may have worked out that Alisa Krasnostein is over in Washington DC at the moment, where she just attended the prizegiving ceremony at Capclave. I'm delighted to announce that my story "Siren Beat," published by Alisa last year, has just won the Washington SF Association Small Press Short Fiction Award.

Not only is this an enormous honour, there is also a trophy! How brilliant is that? I've never won a trophy before.

Here is the speech I gave Alisa to read, although apparently there was unlicensed adlibbing and the getting of laughs, so who knows what she actually said! *grins*

As an author, "Siren Beat" is the story that keeps giving back. I have been overwhelmed by the buzz and response to this story, which began as an experiment in trying to create urban fantasy with a distinctly Australian flavour. My Australia is not the outback or the crocodiles or the soap opera suburbs. I live in Hobart, a small city on the edge of a bright grey coastline; there's nothing between us and Antarctica but a very cold wind. I loved bringing monsters to my hometown, and indulging in the Tasmanian obsessions with weather and seafood to drag a kraken and a handful of sirens into our harbour.

Receiving international recognition for a story I thought would not make sense to anyone but me is a tremendous honour, and I am very grateful for it. I am also delighted to announce that I recently received an Australia Council grant to write the first Nancy Napoleon novel, further exploring the characters and world of "Siren Beat."

I would like to thank Alisa of Twelfth Planet Press, not only for publishing this story and creating such a beautiful book, but for taking up the challenge to fly halfway around the world to have an adventure I would have loved to attempt myself, if I was not at home with a baby glued to my left leg. Credit also goes to Marianne de Pierres, who originally inspired this story, to my partner Andrew who supports me with every definition of the word, and to Kaia Landelius, my Swedish Writing Fairy, who pitched in when I was struggling with one of the most confrontational scenes. Everyone needs a friend who will help them write tentacle smut.