Trips

April 7

So, today I found out that I took first place in the Strange Horizons Reader's Poll, in every category in which I had eligible work. "Little Gods" won first place in fiction, "Muse Trap" won first place in poetry (I also got an honorable mention for "Engulfer"), and my review of Coraline got first place in reviews.

Triple crown. I am the great three-horned beast. I'm a triple-threat. Fear me. Revere me. Limit my coffee intake when I start to sound like this.

I mean, wow! I'm honored. And the combined prize money is $75, enough to pay all my poets for Flytrap, and thus a non-trivial sum. I'm very pleased. A lovely way to start a Monday. And Mary Anne says there were a nice solid number of votes, so I guess it wasn't just that my three friends voted for me (heh, especially since many of my friends are SH authors themselves, and presumably voted for their own best work).

Tonight Heather and I went out to dinner with the lovely Susan Marie, whom we have not seen in lo these two weeks, what with her traveling about so much. Nice talk, lots of stories, including the patented Tim & Heather "Boring Story Made Funny By Comical Exaggerations And Impertinent Interruptions, At Least, We Hope It Was Made Funny." Then home, for a little more Angel, and reading journals, and this.

Not much else to report. Work is busy-busy. I'm doing photo-spread layouts, something in which I have no experience and precious little native aptitude, so it's slow going. It's going to be a busy couple of weeks... So it goes. I suppose I'll endure. The awards help -- validation increases my energy levels. This really has been a hell of a year for award-stuff... I'm grateful. I'm glad people are reading my work, and liking it. That's all I've wanted, for a long time now, and it's happening. I'm amazingly lucky.

Words written since February 1, 2003: 28,300

Words written since last entry:
Well, none. I mean, c'mon, I was up late last night. I got up at 8:45 this morning, brushed my teeth in the shower, drank my coffee, left, put gas in the car (after driving around the pump three times because I couldn't remember which side of the car the tank was on), and got to work about fifteen minutes later than my usual, acceptable lateness. Then I worked until nearly 6:00, so it was okay, and I went out tonight and didn't write or anything. So, I kind of suck. But I'll write tomorrow morning. I'm excited. I get to write a scene in which my protagonist answers the phone and has a conversation. And this is my big crazy thriller sorcererpunk action book!

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