A reading from the sacred texts of my people. As you are brought
to remembrance, recite them with me.

The island of Gont, a single mountain that lifts its peak a mile
above the storm-racked Northeast Sea, is a land famous for
wizards.

Mr. and Mrs. Dursley, of number four, Privet Drive, were proud to
say that they were perfectly normal, thank you very much.

In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit.

There was a hand in the darkness and it held a knife.

Far out in the uncharted backwaters of the unfashionable end of
the Western Spiral arm of the Galaxy lies a small unregarded
yellow sun.

All children, except one, grow up.

It was a dark and stormy night.

You see, I had this spacesuit.

It was a pleasure to burn.

In fairy tales, witches always wear silly black hats and black
cloaks, and they ride on broomsticks. But this is not a fairy-tale.
This is about REAL WITCHES.

The unicorn lived in a lilac wood, and she lived all alone.

The nominees for the 2012 Andre Norton Award for Young Adult
Science Fiction and Fantasy are:

Iron Hearted Violet, Kelly Barnhill (Little, Brown)

Black Heart, Holly Black (S&S/McElderry; Gollancz)

Above, Leah Bobet (Levine)

The Diviners, Libba Bray (Little, Brown; Atom)

Vessel, Sarah Beth Durst (S&S/McElderry)

Seraphina, Rachel Hartman (Random House Children’s Books; Doubleday UK)

Enchanted, Alethea Kontis (Harcourt)

Every Day, David Levithan (Knopf Books for Young Readers)

Summer of the Mariposas, Guadalupe Garcia McCall (Tu Books)

Railsea, China Miéville (Del Rey; Macmillan)

Fair Coin, E.C. Myers (Pyr)

Above World, Jenn Reese (Candlewick)

And the award goes to…

Fair Coin by E.C. Myers 

2013 Nebula Awards Weekend

San Jose Hilton, San Jose, California

May 16-19, 2013 (Mass Autographing Open to Public May 17, 5:30-7:30 pm.)

Here’s the schedule for the PageOne Table

•  11:00 am FIESTA PROGRAM – Christine Barber
•  12:30 pm SIGNING – Walter Jon Williams
•  1:30 pm SIGNING – Melinda Snodgrass (Phillipa Bornikova)
•  2:00 pm FIESTA PROGRAM – Land of Enchantment Romance Authors
•  2:30 pm SIGNING – Steven Gould
•  3:30 pm SIGNING – Darynda Jones & Gabi Stevens
• 4:30-5:30 pm SIGNING – Jacquelyn Frank

• Damon Knight (1965–1967)
• Robert Silverberg (1967–1968)
• Alan E. Nourse (1968–1969)
• Gordon R. Dickson (1969–1971)
• James E. Gunn (1971–1972)
• Poul Anderson (1972–1973)
• Jerry Pournelle (1973–1974)
• Frederik Pohl (1974–1976)
• Andrew J. Offutt (1976–1978)
• Jack Williamson (1978–1980)
• Norman Spinrad (1980–1982)
• Marta Randall (1982–1984)
• Charles Sheffield (1984–1986)
• Jane Yolen (1986–1988)
• Greg Bear (1988–1990)
• Ben Bova (1990–1992)
• Joe Haldeman (1992–1994)
• Barbara Hambly (1994–1996)
• Michael Capobianco (1996–1998)
• Robert J. Sawyer (1998)
• Paul Levinson (1998–2001)
• Norman Spinrad (2001–2002)
• Sharon Lee (2002–2003)
• Catherine Asaro (2003–2005)
• Robin Wayne Bailey (2005–2007)
• Michael Capobianco (2007–2008)
• Russell Davis (2008–2010)
• John Scalzi (2010-2013)

Most of these people are heroes of mine. Eight of them are Damon  Knight Memorial Grandmasters (including Damon, though it was just called the Grandmaster when he received it.) Inevitably, seven of the past-presidents are dead–the first, Alan E. Nourse in 1992, the most recent, andrew j. offut, just nine days ago. Several of them are really good friends. I first served as Regional Director for SFWA when Jane Yolen was president and if I can be half as gracious and effective as she was, I will consider my time in office to be successful.

As you may have noticed, I don’t post here very often, though I will be trying to improve that. Most of my effort, right now, is devoted to finishing my book Exo before I take office. I have been told that serving as president will seriously slow my writing output. I am going to do my best to make that a lie. I’ve written more in the last three months than in the year before it, so we’ll see.

Wish me luck.

Various posts on the news of my election:

SFWA’s official news

At Tor.com

At Scalzi’s blog

At Locus

Gaslight Gathering, San Diego’s steampunk and victoriana convention. Jay Lake will be the convention Guest of Honor this year (May 3-5) and we are holding an auction to help him with his fight against cancer. We would very much appreciate any item(s) for the auction that you might be willing to donate (e.g. autographed books, galleys, etc.). We are also asking for your help in getting the word out to anyone you think might be willing to donate – authors, artists, editors.

Please send any donations to
Jay Lake Auction
c/o Val and Ron Ontell
4557 Rueda Drive
San Diego, CA 92124

As time is short, we would appreciate receiving donations by April 25. Much thanks for your help with this.

840A Juan Tabot Blvd NE * (505) 296-6107

(Near the intersection of Juan Tabot and Lomas)

Writers in attendance are:

Stephen R. Donaldson
Ralph Estes
Steven Gould
Melody Groves
Maryelizabeth Hart
Paul Hutton
Jim Jones
Jeffrey J. Mariotte
Robert Vardeman
Joan Spicci Saberhagen
Melinda Snodgrass
Ian Tregillis

AND Phillipa Bornikova!

——

One of our students from Viable Paradise self-published a short novel [EDIT: Marko tells me it was over 99K words so not so short]  (it was his Viable Paradise submission) in eBook and it has really taken off.  This doesn’t surprise me–I was pretty riveted when I read the beginning of it and I bought it and read it in pretty much one sitting. Good book. Check it out: Terms of Enlistment by Marko Kloos. Future Military SF, gritty and gripping. That link is to Kindle, but I’m pretty sure you can find it in all the usual ebook stores, including direct buy from Marko himself.

As of the time I’m typing this the book is:

• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #499 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)
  • #4 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Genre Fiction > Science Fiction > Military
  • #11 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Genre Fiction > Science Fiction > Adventure
  • #15 in Books > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Science Fiction > Adventure

That indicates some kick-ass sales. Marko is  on Twitter (@markokloos.) He follows 172 and is followed in turn by 904. He has 13,740 tweets, meaning he’s active. If you actually look at his twitter stream you’ll see he interacts with others, is amusing, and doesn’t spend all his time talking about his self-published book.

Marko is doin’ it right. He is connecting with an audience and he is providing something they care about.

There is a person on Twitter who is not.

@<redacted>Author (And yes his twitter handle is really @<FnameLname>Author) follows 2,186, and is followed in turn by 2,014. He has 25,489 tweets. When I paged back through his tweets, not only are they all links to his four self-published ebooks, they contain phrases like, ”The characters, the settings, the storytelling is unbeatable. A masterpiece.” When you look at the reviews they are, shall we say, uniformly laudatory, yet the sales rank is:

• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #654,615 Paid in Kindle Store

Now let me be clear, I have no personal knowledge of the quality of Mr. @<redacted>Author’s fiction, but, given the above I am not going to even look. In my opinion,  @<redacted>Author is doin’ it wrong.

Why do I care?

Mr. @<redacted>Author, for the last year or so, adds the hashtag #SFWA to his every tweet. He does, by the books’ descriptions, write Science Fiction, so I don’t think he’s talking about the South Florida Wrestling Association or the Scottish Football Writers Association. I can confidentially say that @<redacted>Author is not a member of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America since I am and I checked the member directory. This is annoying, but mostly I would like people to know that this is not connecting to your audience.

This is lying to your audience.

This is holding your audience in contempt.

Don’t do this.

It’s not really working for Mr. @<redacted>Author and it won’t work for you.

BUT THAT DAY IS NOT TODAY.

I got a starred review from School Library Journal. Good reviews are nice but STARRED review are one of those Sally Field moments where you say “You like me, you really like me.”  So, forgive me for this additional Impulse post.

STARRED GOULD, Steven. Impulse. Bk. 3. 368p. (Jumper Series). Tor. 2013. Tr $25.99. ISBN 987-0-7653-2757-4; ebook $12.99. ISBN 978-1-4299-8754-7.

Gr 8 Up—This addition to the series is the first one marketed to young adults. It stands strongly on its own, but will encourage teens to pick up Jumper (1992) and Reflex (2004, both Tor) as well as seek out the 2008 film, Jumper, based on the first book. Sixteen-year-old Cent has spent her life in isolation, hiding from the people who are looking to kidnap and control her father and his ability to jump from place to place via teleportation. Although she has been able to travel the world by “jumping” with her parents, her entire existence is a secret, and she has never been able to go to school or have friends. This all changes when she is caught in an avalanche and suddenly ends up back in her own bedroom. Cent is a jumper, too. No longer able to protect her, her parents allow her to assume a false name, set down roots, and attend school, where she makes friends and finds her first love. But what happens when her identity is discovered and her family is suddenly in grave danger? A great science-fiction story that holds up to classic adult/YA crossovers, this is a must-read for any fans of the genre. With a strong female protagonist, interesting secondary characters, a bit of romance, some humor, and loads of action and adventure, Impulse will keep readers engaged from start to finish. –Sharon McKellar, Oakland Public Library, CA.

However, the Audible.com Audiobook is still $4.49 (normally $24.95.) That’s a fantastic price. And, as I’ve said before, the narration/performance by Emily Rankin is equally fantastic.

seems to be having some promotional pricing right now.

The Nook eBook is currently $1.99  (normally $12.99)

The Kindle eBook is currently $1.99 (normally $12.99)

The Audible.com Audiobook is currently $4.49 (normally $24.95.)

Also, if you do Kindle AND audiobooks the two whisper sync (that means they keep track of where you are and can switch back and forth without losing your place.)

I’ve made inquiries, but I don’t know right now how long this pricing will last so strike while the iron is hot!

Editors: Datlow, Ellen and Terri Windling

ISBN: 978-1-4231-4619-3

Review Issue Date: March 1, 2013

Gr 9 Up–Eighteen stories and one poem by both popular and lesser-known authors. There are stories ranging from the nightmarish–Steven Gould’s “Rust With Wings” about metal-eating bugs that will devour anything, including a pacemaker–to the comical–Matthew Kressel’s “The Great Game at the End of the World,” about a game of baseball played as Earth is being destroyed by strange alien creatures. Jeffrey Ford’s “Blood Drive” strikes an ominous, “too close to home” note given recent events in the news: it is a frank depiction of a world in which everyone over 18, including teachers and students, is armed with guns. Though the subject matter is bleak, many stories end on a note of hope or provide moments of reflection. While not every entry is strong, there is much here to savor, and fans of dystopias won’t be disappointed.–Necia Blundy, formerly at Marlborough Public Library, MA

Emphasis TOTALLY MINE, BABY, OH YEAH!

Here’s a Map! More Info on Event!

Saturday, February 16 @ 2pm

Daniel Abraham
presents the fabulous reissues of his
Long Price Quartet

Steven Gould
presents his latest Jumper novel
Impulse

I have an auction item over at Con-or-Bust.

I’ve put up a 1st edition hardback of Impulse (Jumper III) which I will  autograph and inscribe to the winner. If the auction goes over $50, I will also make the winner a named character in its sequel, Exo. I am willing to kill the character in some spectacular or embarrassing way, if desired.

About Con or Bust:

Con or Bust helps people of color/non-white people attend SFF conventions (how to request assistance). It is administered by Kate Nepveu  under the umbrella of the Carl Brandon Society, a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization. 

Go here for more info on Con or Bust.

=====

Update: Current Bid stands at $100 $120 $125 $150 $175. You still have until the 24th of February to die horribly in Exo.

Sometime next week the interview will also air on  KLCK AM 1400 in the same area, but the time has not been set yet.

Me.

To promote Impulse.

This Saturday (1/26 – 2:30 pm) at Page 1 Books.  They are located at:

11018 Montgomery NE, Albuquerque, NM 87111

I will read a little and talk a little about the evolution of jumping through all three books.

Maybe I’ll bake cookies.

Dear Members of SFWA

I am running for SFWA President for the 2013-14 term.

I have been an active member of this organization for over 30 years, serving on its board of directors as a regional director in the 1980s. I believe this organization has been an invaluable asset to my writing career and I want it to continue to positively affect writers’ careers in the years to come.

We have come a long way from the days when Jack Chalker’s cat threw the organization into chaos by laying in a box that contained our entire membership roster and pushing assorted note card records out of the box to fall behind his filing cabinet. We have become not just an organization for professional writers but a professional organization for working writers.

My short-term goals are the completion of the incorporation plans already approved by the membership and already 98% done by the current board. The Operations Policy and Procedure Manual is another underway project that is critical to SFWA’s progress. Far too often, in the past, the good work of previous boards was undone, as new officers kept reinventing the wheel.

I am not interested in reinventing the wheel. I am not interested in sweeping changes. I like the direction we are generally headed and it is my intention to work with the existing board. I am for building consensus among the officers and members. I am for the ongoing efforts to improve the careers of working writers in an industry that is undergoing substantial changes.

This is not to say I don’t have an agenda of my own.

I am interested in examining current industry practices that are affecting reversion of rights. With the advent of eBooks in the publishing mix, what is out-of-print? What do current reversion clauses look like industry wide? Are they, in effect, tying up rights in perpetuity? This issue calls for exploration and discussion at the very least.

If there is a radical spoke to my campaign wheel, it is my desire to form an exploratory committee to examine a future event: a time where we may see the need to admit active members who do not currently fit our current membership requirements. What exactly is a professional writer? We have our membership definitions but we are now seeing writers not just making money, but making good livings without traditional publishing deals. While the time to change our membership requirements may not be here yet, I believe that it’s time to start thinking and talking about this.

For those of you who are unfamiliar with me:

• I sold my first fiction to Analog in 1979 so I’ve been writing professionally for over 34 years.
• I’ve been nominated for the Hugo twice and the Nebula once for my short fiction. I’m the recipient of the Hal Clement Award for YA Science Fiction for my second novel, Wildside.
• I have published eight solo novels with Tor Books as well as one collaboration with my spouse, writer Laura J. Mixon. My first novel Jumper was loosely adapted into the 2008 movie of the same name with Hayden Christensen, Samuel L. Jackson, Jaimie Bell and Rachel Bilson. My books have been published in over 17 countries. I have been on the New York Times bestseller list (once.)
• I publish the eBook editions of my first five novels myself and am fully familiar with the advantages and pitfalls of “Indie” publication.
• I’ve been a full-time writer many times over my career, including the past 7 years.
• For the past 13 years I’ve taught at Viable Paradise, the genre workshop on Martha’s Vineyard.
• I will be 58 by the time of the election, am in good health, and have a 4th degree black belt in Aikido. (In other words, I really know how to fall down. In the words of the song, “I get knocked down, but I get up again, You’re never gonna keep me down.”)

I would appreciate your vote.

Steven Gould

“It is our responsibilities, not ourselves, that we should take seriously.”

Sir Peter Ustinov 1921-2004

—

Edited to fix my conflation of Samuel R Delaney and Samuel L Jackson.

This Endeavour Award-winning collection pulls together 15 critically acclaimed science fiction and fantasy stories that take readers from a technicolor cartoon realm to an ancient China that never was, and from 
an America gone wrong to the very ends of the universe. Including the Hugo Award-winning “Tk’Tk’Tk,” the Writers of the Future Award winner “Rewind,” “Nucleon,” “The Tale of the Golden Eagle,” and many other
highly-praised stories, Space Magic shows David D. Levine’s talents not only as a gifted writer but as a powerful storyteller whose work explores the farthest reaches of space as well as the depths of the
human heart.

‘Impulse’ Control: An interview with Steven Gould

With “Impulse,” the third book in Steven Gould’s popular “Jumper” series, he takes us back to school as teleporters Davy and Millie’s daughter Cent discovers that a) she can teleport herself and b) it’s about time to escape her parents’ paranoid over-protectiveness and finally meet people. Of course, it’s only paranoia if they’re not really out to get you… (Read the review here)

I talked to Steven Gould about “Impulse,” the “Jumper” world, and coming-of-age novels.

(C.A. Bridges GO386)

 It’s a book about parenting, as Davy and Millie must overcome their own fears, get a new home in a small town, and watch their teenager start to interact with the world. It’s a book about discovery, as Cent comes to grips with her new abilities and how to use them safely. It’s a book about being the new kid in school, navigating the cliques and power struggles and friends and drug dealers and bullies. It’s a book about confronting injustice in any form. And it’s a book about your first love.

Also, hey, teleporting.

Jump into ‘Impulse’ with a new teleporting teen
by CA Bridges The Daytona Beach News-Journal