My WorldCon schedule

I received my final schedule for WorldCon. I'm very pleased. Here it is:

Steampunk: Trend or Genre? - Friday 13:00 - 14:00
Steampunk emerged from SF, quietly at first, and then gathering momentum and breadth. It now spans written fiction, graphic, costuming, and other areas. It's become large enough that it's recognized by the world at large. Is Steampunk its own genre? Can you define it? What works in a story? Is it a trend that spans genres? Or does it matter?
Lou Antonelli (Moderator), Gail Carriger, Jess Nevins

How to Build a Successful Book Launch Campaign - Friday 20:00 - 21:00
Gabrielle de Cuir (Moderator), Thomas Olde Heuvelt, Lou Antonelli, Gail Carriger, Gini Koch

Sidewise Award for Alternate History Saturday 12:00 - 13:00

Stroll with the Stars Sunday - Alamo edition Sunday 09:00 - 10:00
The Sunday Stroll with the Stars will head towards the Alamo, a few short blocks away. It will be led by Alamo aficionado and LoneStarCon 3 Chair Randall Shepherd. Meet Randy in the lobby of the Marriott Rivercenter for his personal tour of this famous Texas garrison. Visiting the Alamo is free; note that you will not be able to take photos inside parts of the Alamo.
Kay Kenyon, David Brin, Bobbie DuFault, Lezli Robyn, Janet Harriett, Carolina Gómez Lagerlöf,  Lou Antonelli, Charles Radley, Janet Freeman-Daily, Sheila Williams, Genese Davis.

Fiction about Real Politics and How Writers Get It Wrong - Sunday 11:00 - 12:00
David Nickle (Moderator), Teresa Nielsen Hayden, Gregory A. Wilson, Lou Antonelli, Madeline Ashby

Philosophy and Science Fiction Sunday 16:00 - 17:00
Science, from warp drives to lasers, is an important element in the genre but science fiction has also been a place to examine philosophical viewpoints. From the use of Star Trek to raise questions of racial equality to Asimov's laws of robotics and ethical questions about machines, philosophical issues are intrinsic to science fiction and fantasy. Our panelists look at some of the more interesting philosophical questions in the genre.
C. J. Mills (Moderator), Mark L. Van Name, Madeline Ashby, Lou Antonelli, Steven Diamond

"Great White Ship" nominated for the Sidewise Award

Well, the news has been announced, so I can go public.

The judges for the Sidewise Awards for Alternate History have announced the short list of finalists for the 2012 Sidewise Awards.

I'm proud and grateful that my short story, "Great White Ship", has been named a finalist for the Best Short Form category.

This was the news I referred to in my post last week when I said I was gonna plotz.. I got the email about the nomination last Tuesday. This was the first time I've bee nominated for an award of this kind, and it was a new experience.

The winners will be announced at LoneStarCon 3, the 71st Annual World Science Fiction Convention the weekend of August 30, 2013, in San Antonio.

This year's panel of judges was made up of Stephen Baxter, Evelyn Leeper, Jim Rittenhouse, Stu Shiffman, Kurt Sidaway, and Steven H Silver.

The Sidewise Awards for Alternate History were conceived in late 1995 to honor the best allohistorical genre publications of the year. The first awards were announced in summer 1996 and honored works from 1995. The award takes its name from Murray Leinster's 1934 short story "Sidewise in Time," in which a strange storm causes portions of Earth to swap places with their analogs from other timelines.

Thanks to Daily Science Fiction and the Sidewise judges, as well as everyone who has enjoyed the story.

"Kindermarchen"

Howard and I at ArmadilloCon in 2010.

With the World Science Fiction Convention being held in San Antonio next year - LoneStarCon 3 -  there will also be an anthology issued in conjunction with it, called "Rayguns Over Texas". The deadline for submissions was Dec. 1st. I sent in a story, but I doubt I'll be included; my s-f is too old-fashioned for current tastes - i.e. I don't always make the white male hetero Christian the villain, the future dystopian and America the Evil Empire. I know a lot of s-f writers don't like me because I am so non-PC; I really don't care, I got a day job. anyway. For me, it's just meant to be fun.

One of the few authors who's always been nice to me is Howard Waldrop - Howard is a nice guy in general. After I wrote the story I sent to the anthology, I called Howard last week to get caught up. Howard had a big and arduous move to a new apartment as of Nov. 1st. and I was unhappy to hear that didn't send anything in for the anthology- he said he was too busy with the move.

Afterwards I had an idea. I felt bad that Howard might not be included in an anthology that highlights Texas authors - he's the real deal.

Back in 2007, when I published original fiction on my Sentinel Science Fiction blog, I bought and published a story Howard wrote called "Kindermarchen", which was done for Conestoga in Tulsa in 2006. I remember his reading it, and in 2007 when I was doing Sentinel S-F, I asked Howard it if had ever been published.

It hadn't, and so I did. I called Howard back last Sunday and asked if it had ever been published anywhere else. He said it hadn't.

Sentinel S-F went away in the fall of 2007; I fell behind in my hosting payments because of the expenses related to my move when I took my current job. So it hasn't been available on-line for over five years. Therefore it has a very minor publication history.

I went digging through a pile of manuscripts and at the very bottom I found "Kindermarchen". I scanned it through OCR software, made it into a Word file, and asked Howard if I could submit it. He said sure, and I also asked the anthology editor, and he said to send it along.

So that's my good deed for the week. I think any overview of Texas S-F should include something from Howard. I hope he gets in. Anyway, it was the best shot I had for him. I called him this afternoon and told him I had sent the story off, and he was thankful.