One: My Asimov’s story, “Epitome,” which was my first sale (by about two days), was not only reviewed in this month’s Locus but selected as a recommended story. It’s been a weird, intense, rewarding-but-rough stretch lately and I can’t overemphasize how good this feels. Similarly, I’ve received a couple notes via social media from strangers, or friends of friends, …
When Someone You Love Hurts You and You Love Them Anyway
I have the worst dog. This is not unqualified hyperbole, either. I am a dog trainer, by hobby at least, and I’m not terrible at it. Vesper is the kind of dog… okay, there have been a couple times where professional trainers watched me working with her and said, “yeah, I couldn’t do that.” By which …
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Epitome
If Vivian dies before I tell her I’m in love with her, will I regret that more than telling her I’m in love with her? Because I don’t know what happens to me if I say it out loud. Even if she can’t hear me. “Epitome,” Asimov’s Science Fiction, September 2016
The Hugo Awards: Women Ruin It for Good
I’m on the Slog again talking about how badass women in my genre are. (Actually, this happened on Monday, but I insisted on hugging Cory Doctorow even though he told me not to (I WAS DRUNK) and I caught his flu and I’ve been a hot mess since I got home.) I always come home from WorldCon …
WorldCon 2016: Badass Ladies & Bros Who Want Blood from a Stone
Last day of WorldCon. I keep thinking “Saint Louis” but it’s Kansas City and that just goes to show how much I’ve been paying attention to the world outside my very narrow focus for the last five days. Of course, a lot happened, some of which I had to be reminded of the following day. …
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How High Your Gods Can Count
“They said shoot a problem monkey, and we shot a monkey. They’re all fucking problem monkeys.” “How High Your Gods Can Count,” Strange Horizons, May 2, 2016 © 2016 Nora Potwora, “How High Your Gods Can Count”
Hello, CW 2016
I am getting all nostalgic about Clarion West, as it comes up on acceptance time, as plans form up for this summer’s class and as the CW committee decides on the lineup for 2017 (omg IT’S AMAZE). Classmates, too, have been talking about their own experience and what they think they ultimately got out of it now …
Sold
In January I made my first professional sales, one right after the other, to Asimov’s and Strange Horizons. Both are markets I read regularly and admire. I have been delaying announcing this for reasons I cannot really account for. Well, yes, I can–I don’t have signed contracts and so part of me doesn’t want to believe it until …
It is Hard to Get Anything Done
When you have this shit going on all the time: I’m getting more time to work as the baby dog starts being able to do big-dog things along with the big dog, so I can multitask. And they chase each other when we play fetch so it’s like a two-fer!
What Clarion West Does to You
I am a cautionary tale. I’m not warning anyone away from Clarion or Clarion West. It is one of the best things I’ve ever done in my life, and the best six weeks I have ever had. It made me a real, grown-up writer. It is Hogwarts. No, it is Narnia. But if you know anything about magical worlds, you …
Alarmhat 