Last
month, I went to Austin for the Nebula Awards weekend, which is held by
the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA). I spent most of the
weekend feeling like I was surrounded by my bookcase, as so many authors I've
read over the years were all around me. I know this should not be a surprise to
me, since I'm an author, myself, but it kept astonishing me that these icons
were really just people, and I was one of them. Someday maybe I'll get past
that sense that I'm a fangirl
who found a way to sneak into an elite gathering,
but in the meantime, it taxes my resources to play it cool in these settings.
And, yes, I'm such a dork that I've spent a fair amount of time since that
weekend staring at my bookcase and saying, "I know him and her and him and him
and her ..."
At the risk of sounding like a
gossip column full of bold-faced
names, I started off the weekend by running into
Connie Willis on my way
into the reception for the nominees. I joined
Rosemary Clement-Moore
and
Candace Havens
for the booksigning, and also got a chance to chat with Nebula short story
nominee
Vera Nazarian.
I was glad I didn't join the big group going out to
dinner after the booksigning because they got caught in a huge thunderstorm
while I was safely in the hospitality suite at the hotel, discussing the way
science fiction television and movies never seem to get Texas right (like those
snow-capped mountains outside Dallas in the first X-Files movie).
On Saturday, I spent a lot of
time hanging out with
Sarah Beth Durst and
Elizabeth Wein, both
nominees for the Andre Norton Award for young adult or children's sf/fantasy. I
think we figured out what the fundamental flaws in the Star Wars prequels were.
(See, the authors can be every bit as geeky as any science fiction reader.) I'd
read and enjoyed both their books. Sarah's
Into the Wild is a
fun twist on fairy tales in which the fairy tale characters have escaped from
the story world to have normal lives -- but then "the Wild" escapes and traps
them all over again. Elizabeth's
The Lion Hunter is part of a series that mixes Arthurian
legend with African and Middle Eastern culture for something truly unique.
Because I was there as a guest of Del Rey Books, I got to sit
at a pretty stellar table for the awards ceremony. By the end of the evening,
there were two Nebulas sitting on our table -- one for
Michael Chabon, who won
for best novel for
The
Yiddish Policemen's Union, and one the Grand
Master Award for
Michael
Moorcock. I'm hoping the award-winning vibes rubbed
off on me at least a little. I was also seated by
Elizabeth Moon, and we had
great fun swapping bread recipes.
In all, the experience was inspiring and a good way to lead up to the release
of my latest book, Don't Hex
With Texas. Next month, I'll have book tour tales.
Shanna Swendson writes "Fairy Tales for Modern Times" and is the
author of the Enchanted, Inc. series about a Texan in New York City, a
magical NYC. Visit her
website or blog
for more information.
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