Writing Words Fantastical and Otherwise

Category: Awards

My Birthday and Awards

Mike Glyer’s File 770 mentioned my birthday thusly:

“Born June 26, 1954 — James Van Pelt, 69. Here for the phenomenal number of nominations that he has had though no Awards have accrued. I count 26 nominations so far including a Sturgeon, a Nebula and, perhaps the longest named Award in existence, John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer / Astounding Award for the Best New Science Fiction Writer. He has but two novels to date, Summer of the Apocalypse and Pandora’s Gun, but a really lot of short fiction, I think over a hundred pieces, and two poems.”

To be fair, I have won SOME things: my collection, THE RADIO MAGICIAN AND OTHER STORIES won the Colorado Book Award.

My first collection, STRANGERS AND BEGGARS was recognized as a “Best Book for Young Adults” by the American Library Association.

My short story, “Minerva Girls,” won the Anlab Readers’ Choice Award from ANALOG for best novella in the magazine for the year.

And, personally, I count every short story that is reprinted in a “years’ best” anthology to be a winner. That’s happened 11 times.

Oh, and it’s five poems, thank you very much.

My Hugo Eligibility Post

It has been a good publishing year for me, and I have a bigger list of stories than I normally have that are eligible for awards. Despite the awkwardness of sounding like I might hope that someone maybe could consider something I’ve written for an award, I’ve compiled a list of what appeared in 2016.
 
I really, really, really am proud of all of these stories, but if someone pressed me to say which ones I think are most likely to attract Hugo/Nebula voters, I would say the ones in the better read venues, Analog, Asimov’s, OSCIMS, and Interzone. Of those, the one I have the most affection for (as if I could choose among the children) is “The Continuing Saga of Tom Corbett: Space Cadet” in the Dec. Analog . . . or maybe “Three Paintings” in Asimov’s . . . or . . . damn it!
 
But, really, I’m happy with all of them. For example, I think “The Lies” that appeared in Daily Science Fiction is one of my best works, sentence by sentence (and don’t you think it’s possible one day that a story from DSF will show up on a major award ballot?).

“In Memoriam,” Abyss & Apex, Jan. 2016.

“Orphaned,” Orson Scott Card’s Intergalactic Medicine Show #52, Sept. 2016

“Maybe if One Person Less,” Daily Science Fiction, Oct. 21, 2016

“Zoo Hack,” Perihelion, May 2016

“Mars, Aphids and Your Cheating Heart,” Interzone #264, 2016

“The Silk Silvered Skulls of Millen Mir,” Triangulation: Beneath the Surface anthology, 2016

“No One is so Fierce,” Worlds of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror, 2016

“The Lawn Fairy War,” See the Elephant, 2016

“Titan Descansos,” Alien Artifacts, Sept. 2016

“The Continuing Saga of Tom Corbett: Space Cadet,” Analog, Dec. 2016

“Writing Advice,” Daily Science Fiction, July 22, 2016

“We Have Always Lived in the Hamlet,” Lightships and Sabers, 2016

“Falling Out of Downey,” Grand Valley Magazine, 2016

“Death of a Starship Poet,” Analog, July/August 2016

“The Heated Door,” Silent Screams, 2016

“The Lies,” Daily Science Fiction, Jan. 19, 2016

“Neoteric Urban Archaeology,” The Best of Both Worlds, 2016

“Three Paintings,” Asimov’s, April/May 2016

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