Seanan McGuire (seanan_mcguire) wrote,
Seanan McGuire
seanan_mcguire
  • Mood: loved
  • Music: BOCA, "Put Your Records On."

Mandy's a pirate, and Mia weaves silk shrouds for fairies...

I'm trying not to be the all-Hugos, all-the-time channel right now (believe me, it's hard), but there is something I really wanted to talk about, and that's my nomination in the Best Related Works category. Wicked Girls, the CD I released in January 2011, has been nominated for the brass ring. This is the first time a single-artist filk CD has been nominated for the Hugo Awards...except for where it's not a single-artist CD. My name may be the only thing on the cover, but it's not the only name that was involved with the project. And that's what makes this so amazing. Because Wicked Girls is the thing I did with some of the people I love best in all this world, and I think that it shows. I really do.

This is the album where half the songs were written specifically so Vixy could sing them with me, or specifically for Amy's fiddle breaks. This is the album where my "I love you more than fairy tales" songs for my friends all got recorded, "Wicked Girls" and "Mother of the Crows" and "The True Story Here" and so many others. It was an amazing experience, recording this. And I credit that entirely to the people who recorded it with me.

Vixy, who sings with me on almost every track. Amy, whose screaming electric fiddle is the first primary instrumentation on the album. Kristoph, who tolerantly listened to me trying to explain what I wanted, and then gave me a hundred times more. Mary, and Betsy, and Sooj, who took the time to come to the studio and make things amazing. They put the heartbeat into the songs. Paul, who I loved first and best as a guitarist. Tony, who makes magic with strings. Margaret, who harps like it's going to be banned tomorrow. And others, and others, and others, forever.

Tara designed the cover; Beckett designed the liner notes. Mia made the pendants that inspired almost half the songs. Deborah listened, and loved, and helped in a thousand ways, as did Kate, and Cat, and all the members of my scattered family.

After more than thirty years, the filk community has representation on the Hugo ballot, and it's for an album that contains members of Southern filk, Midwest filk, Pacific Northwest filk, and California filk. And that is amazing. I am amazed.

I think I'm going to be amazed for a while.
Tags: amy, awards and stuff, beckett, betsy, deborah, filk, good things, i make music, mary, paul, recording, tara, vixy
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  • 69 comments

anne_d

April 12 2012, 02:51:47 UTC 5 years ago Edited:  April 14 2012, 18:38:21 UTC

Awesome!

In other only slightly related news, I spent portions of the last two days reading all of your online stories (Incryptid, Velveteen Vs, and Sparrow Hill Road), and very much enjoyed every last one of them. All those different worlds you've built, and each of them feels fully realized to me the reader. Wow.

Also the Husband is reading Feed. He seems to be well and truly hooked, heh heh heh...

ETA: The Husband said last night that he's really enjoying Feed. I mentioned that the next book is over there on the shelf and the third will be out in June. Oh good, says he, I like having something to look forward to. Gotcha...

seanan_mcguire

April 26 2012, 16:23:48 UTC 5 years ago

AWESOME.