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Nebula Awards weekend
Apr. 29th, 2002 01:43 pmLaura and I are just back from Kansas City. I didn't win the Nebula, but I was hardly disappointed with the experience of being a nominee. It was a terrific weekend, and it really couldn't have gone better. I met a lot of writers that I've looked up to for a long time, and I even got to hang out and commiserate with them at the post-awards party. Ah, the rewards of being a loser. :)
One of the high points of the weekend was when Nancy Kress—a multi-award-winning writer I admire who also used to write a great column on writing for Writer's Digest—introduced herself to me out of nowhere, told me she'd been hoping to meet me, and told me how wonderful my nominated story was. (I started hyperventilating around then, because until then I hadn't really believed the possibility that I might actually win. But if Nancy Kress liked my story so much...)
I got to hang out with old Clarion friends like Geoff Landis (who was also on the ballot, for his novel Mars Crossing), Mary Turzillo, and Resa Nelson, and also with Scott Edelman, a terrific who bought some of my stories for Science Fiction Age when that magazine still existed. My old friends and online writing group compatriots Mark Worthen and Jeannie Eddy showed up from Jefferson City too, which was delightful. We were fortunate enough to have Tor editor Jim Minz join us on an excursion to K.C. Masterpiece for barbecue, and I'm happy to report that he is a real gentleman, besides an editor of discernment and taste.
I was delighted to meet James Patrick Kelly and Robert Reed, both writers I've admired for many years, and ended up spending a couple of hours with them both at the post-awards party. Wil McCarthy (nominated for The Collapsium) was there, and I got to chat for a while with Mark Tiedemann too, who was delightful.
At the banquet itself, we sat at one of the Tor Books tables, in the distinguished company of Jim Minz, Jim Frenkel, Jeffrey A. Carver (nominated for Eternity's End), and Catherine Asaro (nominated for The Quantum Rose). You'll never meet a nicer man than Jeff, and it was a lot of fun to be sitting there at the table when Catherine won for best novel. (I've sat at banquet tables with winners twice now—two years ago, it was Mary Turzillo winning best novelette for "Mars Is No Place for Children"—and nothing could be more delightful.)
I always enjoy talking with Jim Frenkel, but this time was amazing in that his first question was to ask me when he was going to see my novel. My answer was: "Real soon now!"
Most of this good stuff was due to Laura, in her superhero guise as "Wife of Nominee." (Her conference badge said "Laura Shunn," which is not her name, but she took the nom de guerre to heart and played the role to the hilt.) She is a great press agent, and anyone who wants to be noticed would do well to take her along. Of course, the greatest delight (my overused word of the day) was just to have her with me while all these cool things were happening.
One of the high points of the weekend was when Nancy Kress—a multi-award-winning writer I admire who also used to write a great column on writing for Writer's Digest—introduced herself to me out of nowhere, told me she'd been hoping to meet me, and told me how wonderful my nominated story was. (I started hyperventilating around then, because until then I hadn't really believed the possibility that I might actually win. But if Nancy Kress liked my story so much...)
I got to hang out with old Clarion friends like Geoff Landis (who was also on the ballot, for his novel Mars Crossing), Mary Turzillo, and Resa Nelson, and also with Scott Edelman, a terrific who bought some of my stories for Science Fiction Age when that magazine still existed. My old friends and online writing group compatriots Mark Worthen and Jeannie Eddy showed up from Jefferson City too, which was delightful. We were fortunate enough to have Tor editor Jim Minz join us on an excursion to K.C. Masterpiece for barbecue, and I'm happy to report that he is a real gentleman, besides an editor of discernment and taste.
I was delighted to meet James Patrick Kelly and Robert Reed, both writers I've admired for many years, and ended up spending a couple of hours with them both at the post-awards party. Wil McCarthy (nominated for The Collapsium) was there, and I got to chat for a while with Mark Tiedemann too, who was delightful.
At the banquet itself, we sat at one of the Tor Books tables, in the distinguished company of Jim Minz, Jim Frenkel, Jeffrey A. Carver (nominated for Eternity's End), and Catherine Asaro (nominated for The Quantum Rose). You'll never meet a nicer man than Jeff, and it was a lot of fun to be sitting there at the table when Catherine won for best novel. (I've sat at banquet tables with winners twice now—two years ago, it was Mary Turzillo winning best novelette for "Mars Is No Place for Children"—and nothing could be more delightful.)
I always enjoy talking with Jim Frenkel, but this time was amazing in that his first question was to ask me when he was going to see my novel. My answer was: "Real soon now!"
Most of this good stuff was due to Laura, in her superhero guise as "Wife of Nominee." (Her conference badge said "Laura Shunn," which is not her name, but she took the nom de guerre to heart and played the role to the hilt.) She is a great press agent, and anyone who wants to be noticed would do well to take her along. Of course, the greatest delight (my overused word of the day) was just to have her with me while all these cool things were happening.
