It’s that time of year again. Award nominations are opening up QUITE SOON and, well, I’m here to humbly ask for your consideration. Authors around the world are putting out these lists. If you’re interested in finding lots of great stuff from 2020, I’ll point you to Cat Rambo’s huge awards page round-up.
Also, if you get a chance, check out the Nebula Reading List for more ideas about what to read as you’re looking for works to nominate. I guarantee you will find plenty of great stuff.
It’s been a busy year, and I’m proud of every single one of these stories. They represent the best work I’ve ever done, and I’m thrilled that they’re out there in the world and eligible for consideration. I’m not listing here the stories I’ve been publishing over on my Patreon, since they’re not really in any kind of award running. You can still read them if you like. You could even tell other people about them.
But these are the ones you should look at and consider for nominations:
Short Stories
I’ve had a few short stories come out this year, and I hope you’ll take a look. They’re my most experimental, most artistic writing, and I’m really happy with the ones that managed to fight their way through a covid publishing slowdown to find the light of day.
The Cemetery Merchant
This story shows up in The Community of Magic Pens (affiliate link), and it’s a story of an old merchant who sells cursed pens in an old graveyard. I hope you’ll appreciate what I’ve done with this odd, creepy setup. It’s a short piece, but always kinda hits me in the feels when I read it. I think it’s some of my best writing this year, and you WON’T GO WRONG buying that book. It’s a good one, and it’s the kind of positive fiction your brain craves.
One Final Walk in the Dust and the Rain
One Final Walk in the Dust and the Rain is one of several environmental pieces I’ve written in recent years. Secret fun fact: The characters in this novel walk along a road up into the bluffs along the Mississippi that I used to always take to visit my grandmother when I was a kid. It’s not a scary walk, but it was a terrifying drive. Lots of sharp twists and dropoffs that disappeared into the forest below. Fun stuff.
When Last the Cicadas Sang
This is another of those environmental pieces, and I’ve had the pleasure of having it picked up by Little Blue Marble. As of the writing of this list, it’s not out yet, but it’ll be out by the end of the year and therefore will qualify for award season.
Pulls Weeds and Does Dishes
Pulls Weeds and Does Dishes is a story about an elderly widow learning to accept the assistive technology robot foisted upon her by caring relatives. It’s in volume 31 of Neo-opsis, and it’s all tangled up in real feels. I hope you enjoy it.
Novella
Yeah, that’s right. The novella is coming out in ONE WEEK. That’s well within the limit for award season, and I’m really hoping you’ll take a look.
Of a Strange World Made
Of a Strange World Made(affiliate link) is the first in the Colony of Edge series, but it’s written to stand on its own. I believe this is my best so far at striking the balance between serious science fiction and absurd fun. I hope you’ll grab a copy and give it some consideration come nomination time.
P.S. if you want a copy of this for review, please let me know. Just head over to the Contact page and send me a message.
Novel
This year has been so wild it’s hard for me to even believe that my novel came out in February. What even is February? Is there time?
Grandfather Anonymous
Grandfather Anonymous(affiliate link) is my sci-fi thriller published in February by Dingbat Publishing. It features an older protagonist and some really fun hacking and tech. It’s a long shot for any kind of awards, but, I love this book. It’s the first novel I’ve written that takes place in and around my hometown. What will the tech look like in Red Wing, Minnesota in thirty years?
Well, I hope this novel isn’t exactly right about that. I bet there will be some old hackers running around town, though. Tech guys like myself have to go somewhere, right?