It's that time again: that time when the air is sweet, the daffodils are blooming, and a young girl's fancy turns to thoughts of BLOODY INTERNET SMACKDOWNS. Specifically, it's time once again for the BSC Review Book Tournament, wherein books published during the last year BEAT THE HOLY CRAP OUT OF EACH OTHER for your amusement. See how much we love you?

Currently, An Artificial Night is up in the first round of the Westeros Bracket, and Toby needs your help! She's up against Wizard Squared by K. E. Mills (which I have not read, but which I am sure is a fabulous book in its own right), and if you don't step in, she could get schooled.

So come on! Let's indulge in some good, old-fashioned schoolyard brawling. Because it's fun.

I am so easily pleased sometimes.

UPDATE: I will not be appearing in this anthology, and this is why.

I am pleased to announce the sale of "The Prince is Right" to the anthology Wicked Pretty Things [Amazon]|[Mysterious Galaxy], a YA collection of "dark fairy romance" to be published on August 2nd, 2011.

Questions I have been asked already:

Is your story set in the Tobyverse?

No. "The Prince is Right" is set in an entirely new fae-centric world, one that plays around with my fondness for seasonal monarchies and John Hughes movies. Salem Lyons must find the Harvest King and be crowned the new Harvest Queen, or everything she loves will pay the price. But what if she doesn't want the job?

Is your story a dark fairy romance?

It's a fairy romance that takes place almost entirely at night, which makes it dark. That's my story, and I'm sticking to it. I, um, sort of missed the whole "dark = grim" memo, and wrote a classic 1980s teen romance, complete with Molly Ringwald jokes and buckets of John Hughes references. Also, one of my central characters spends about half her time as a hairless cat. So the grim is not so present in this particular tale.

I am super-excited about this book, where I get to appear alongside authors whose work I respect and admire, like Rachel Caine, Tera Lynn Childs, and Lisa Mantchev. This is the first time Rachel (who is awesome) and I have been in a book together, and that's pretty much cause for celebration right there! Also, the cover is gorgeous.

Yay! Wicked Pretty Things!

Hugo nominations are drawing to a close, and that means it's time to remind people about eligibility and whatnot. Works are eligible if they were published in the calendar year preceding this one (2010). Statistically speaking, you'll probably know if you're eligible to nominate (an vote). For the Hugos, you need to have been a member of Aussiecon IV (WorldCon 2010) or be a member of Renovation (Worldcon 2011) to nominate. You must be an attending or supporting member of Renovation to vote, once the ballot has been decided upon.

My eligible works:

Short stories.

* "Dying With Her Cheer Pants On."
* "Everglades."

Technically, all of "Sparrow Hill Road" is eligible, but I would have to recommend looking at "Good Girls Go To Heaven," "Last Dance With Mary Jane," "Faithfully," or "Thunder Road" if you were considering nominating one of these.

Novels.

* A Local Habitation.
* An Artificial Night.
* Feed (as Mira Grant).

...it's a little scary, seeing my 2010 book publications boiled down to something that streamlined. It's also a little scary realizing that I published three books in 2010. I need a nap.

Best Related Work.

* Chicks Dig Timelords (I was a contributor, along with many others).

I am no longer eligible for the Campbell Award, although I will be in Reno to pass the tiara to the next honored recipient.

To be quite honest, it would be an honor beyond reckoning, and also the scariest thing in the history of ever, if I were nominated for a Hugo award. For anything, really. I'm proud of pretty much everything I did in 2010, including my failure to faint during the Hugo Award Ceremony in Australia. I think Feed may be the most solid stand-alone book I have ever written, so there's that.

Anyway, that's my eligibility. I'll try to have more in this listing next year. And please, if you're eligible, nominate. Not "please nominate me," or "please nominate my friends," just...nominate. That's how we do right by this big, beautiful field of speculative madness.

Words: 10,842.
Total words: 61,647.
Reason for stopping: finished chapter thirteen. It's time for dinner.
Music: random shuffle, an enormous amount of Glee.
Cats: Alice, on the guest room bed; Lilly, loafed up on the cat tree; Thomas, parts unknown.

So no, I didn't manage to hit 70,000 words before the invasion descended. But I did manage to break 200 pages in the manuscript, a landmark which came solidly in the middle of a very grim, very tense scene that was both hell and extremely exciting to write. All my chickens are coming home to roost, which is exactly what needs to happen with a book of this sort, and yet is still very satisfying to see actually happen.

I've set up a little tracker in my .txt file, the one that I pass from machine to machine as I track all the junk and links and random things that build up in my life. This one compares my current word count to the "must be at least this tall to ride this ride" word count (IE, "how long the book has to be"). I'm aiming for between 140,000 and 150,000 words. Right now, I'm right on track. That is both amazing and terrifying.

I'm starting to feel like this book may actually put paid to everything. It's crazy, but it's true.

I think I can do this.