ann vandermeer

In recent news, I’ve got some stuff in recent bundles. The VanderMeer Winter Mix Tape Bundle includes The Bestiary, which holds my piece, Tongues-of-Moon Toad, and The Other Half of Sky, edited by Athena Andreadis, and containing space opera piece “Dagger and Mask.” The Holiday Fantasy Bundle includes my Christmas R-rated story, “He Knows When You’re Awake” in Naughty or Nice, edited by Jennifer Brozek

At the same time the current HumbleBundle holds one of the things that I’m happiest about from this year, Ad Astra: The SFWA 50th Anniversary Cookbook, along with a lot of other great stuff.

I talked about reading the classics in an Another Word piece for Clarkesworld Magazine. What prompted me to write it? Because there’s been a lot of discussion of the classics as though pointing out problems with a piece is the same as crossing it off the list of stuff to be read. I talked about the decision to change the World Fantasy Award bust back in January for Clarkesworld and emphasized that yeah, you can read H.P. Lovecraft and yet not want to accept an award bearing his face, and moreover, your objections could be pretty complicated and nuanced.

Today I’m finishing up the draft of the third in my series on teaching for the SFWA Bulletin. Part one was about prepping to teach and Part two about teaching, while this last part talks about what to do afterward and how to keep doing it if you find you enjoy teaching. Freelancers, the SFWA Bulletin pays ten cents a word and is actively looking for material, as is the SFWA Blog, which pays six cents a word.

Just turned in my edits for “Red in Tooth and Cog,” which appears early next year in a market that’s been a longtime goal of mine, The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction.

Writing wise, I continue assembling Hearts of Tabat into coherent shape. I’m also finishing up a bespoke story, tentatively titled “She Eats My Heart Entire,” for an anthology and I’ve got a couple of others I want to finish up this month, including a Christmas piece that I should get drafted today and at least a couple for the Patreon campaign.

I went through the usual slew of books in September, but I thought I’d mention some of the more notable ones. Links go to the Kindle edition when available, because I do most of my reading on that.

Erin Morgenstern’s THE NIGHT CIRCUS was a terrific read and one that will delight fans of THE PRESTIGE and CARTER BEATS THE DEVIL. Lots of gorgeous and beautiful description of a highly evocative setting and the love story that plays out against it.

While on a visit to Baltimore recently, I was introduced to Joe Hill’s graphic horror novel, LOCKE AND KEY. I read the first one, and am looking forward to the rest.

THE PALACE JOB by Patrick Weekes was a terrific romp of a fantasy read, and is an Ocean’s Eleven type adventure played out against a fantasy setting.

Jonathan Wood’s NO HERO and YESTERDAY’S HERO reminded me of a less frenetic Charlie Stross. Another fun and frothy urban fantasy was Jennifer Willis’ VALHALLA.

Love Joe Lansdale, but I’m reading him slowly in order to spread out the cost of getting all the Hap and Leonard novels. September held THE TWO-BEAR MAMBO as well as a collection of short fiction, BUMPER CROP.

I go back every few years to read E.F. Benson’s Mapp and Lucia novels. Why doesn’t someone do a fantasy version of these? That would be so awesome.

THE WEIRD: A COMPENDIUM and THE APEX BOOK OF WORLD SCIENCE FICTION are both books that I am dipping into periodically, spacing them out so I can think about the stories, rather than absorb them all in one long read.

THE BANDIT KING by Lilith Saintcrow is a fantasy romance, the sequel to THE HEDGEWITCH QUEEN. I’ve yet to find a Saintcrow book that I haven’t enjoyed.

In nonfiction, I’ve been reading these:

• RATIO by Michael Rudman, which talks about the ratios needed for certain things like biscuits vs. pie dough and explores a lot of the science. It’s fascinating, and I’m thinking about taking a year just to work through each of the 33 ratios (he goes through doughs, stock, sausage, sauces and custards) he explores.
• Gretchen Rubin’s THE HAPPINESS PROJECT and STUMBLING ON HAPPINESS by Daniel Gilbert.
• FROM AN ANONYMOUS SOURCE purports to be written by a senior White House official. It’s entertaining if you’re interested in politics.

So I got up this morning and discovered five bajillion Facebook notifications, so I figured SOMETHING must have happened. And, to my surprise, I found out the something was that I’m on the WFC award ballot for my work with Fantasy Magazine. I really loved my time with the magazine, and so that was a huge and lovely validation.

Many, many congrats to everyone on the ballot, and particularly Clarkesworld Magazine, whose amazing staff better deserves to win the category I’m in, as does Charles Tan, who’s done an awesome job with the Bibliophile Stalker website. There’s lots and lots of names whose presence is well-deserved, but particular shouts out to Lily Yu, the inimitable Ann & Jeff VanderMeer, Karen Joy Fowler, and Ken Liu. 🙂

I hadn’t been planning on attending WFC this year, but now I’m thinking Wayne and I will be there.