My story “Interloper” (published in the Jan ’11 issue of Asimov’s) has been shortlisted in the Best Science-fiction short story category for the Aurealis Awards.
Which means… I’ve now had stories shortlisted in all four short story categories at the Aurealises. Neat. Winners announced at the ceremony on 21 May. Fingers crossed, and congratulations and good luck to all the other shortlistees.
Have landed my first sale of the year: “The Wishwriter’s Wife” to Daily Science Fiction. Boo-yah!
This story was written in my head during the last vipassanna meditation retreat I did (10 days silent meditation), and decanted onto note paper while locked in the loo (since you’re not allowed to write at vippy). Desperate times call for desperate measures.
Have also learned that Ellen Datlow has given my stories “Red Dirt” and “Annicca” mentions in the long-list of HMs for The Best Horror of the Year #3.
And I received a lovely and unexpected bit of fandom in the mail a few weeks ago: John E Rogers Jr has started his own Silver Keyboard Award for best story in each issue of Asimov’s, and gave the inaugural award to me for “Interloper” in the January 2011 issue.
Mm, in fact, “Interloper” was also written in my head at the same vippy retreat as “The Wishwriter’s Wife”, and “Annicca” came out of the first vippy I went to. So I can definitely recommend silent meditation retreats as an aid to writing. Not actually the objective of said meditation retreats, but what the hey.
Ian McHugh 