Puppies in the heartland

After three conventions in five months - in Kansas City, Houston, and Oklahoma City - I have to say I have not seen any animosity against the Sad Puppies effort, and in fact, many statements of support.

The Puppy Kickers would have you think that if you are a Sad Puppy and you go out in public, people will spontaneously attack you in righteous indignation. The fact is, the s-f literary establishment is cliquish and, while the Puppy Kickers have been feeding each others' nutty outrage (nutrage?), most fans don't care as much about the Hugos as they do, and many fans have over the years noticed the social inbreeding and the tendency to ostracize anyone who doesn't fit into their narrow political parameters. I've seen and heard many fans express satisfaction that someone has stuck it to the snobs.

The leading lights in literary s-f are on a political spectrum with Obama on the right and extending God knows where to the left. And as for God, forget it. Any professions of faith get you branded an idiot at best, usually a bigot. The characterization by Tor Editor Irene Gallo of the Sad Puppies as neo-nazis, homophobes and racists is pretty much the party line.

There are a lot of Christians and Republicans between the west bank of the Hudson and San Francisco, but these people don't seem to know it. The Puppy Kickers are scattered all across the U.S. - John Scalzi lives in Ohio, George R.R. Martin in New Mexico - but let's face it, wherever they live is a little suburb of the Upper West Side of Manhattan.

In the places I have been this summer, the fans - if not people of faith and Republicans themselves - know people who are and have friends who are, and they don't have that visceral hatred towards the average American that the Puppy Kickers have. If the U.S. had a parliament instead of a Congress, we'd have a Republican Prime Minister. As someone who's followed politics both personally and professionally for as long as I have. I know the only reason the Democratic Party gets as many votes as it does is the relentless ballot box stuffing in the big cities. Most Americans vote Republican.

Most people also identify themselves with some religion. But it seems the Puppy Kickers don't seem to know anyone who goes to a church, mosque or synagogue, or who votes Republican. Being privileged by birth, wealth, or political correctness, the Puppy Kickers see no reason to be fair or care about the conditions that led to the slapdash backlash against their cliquishness.

The assertion the elites didn't orchestrate efforts to nominate certain works each year is specious. A friend asked me at one of my recent conventions if I think there is a blacklist against aspiring authors. I told it it wasn't necessary, the opinion leaders are so uniform in their outlook any formal list or slate was unneeded. For the last few years, all I had to do was look to see what Scalzi, Jim Hines, Rachel Swirsky and Mary Robinette Kowal was blogging about to know what was going to be on the Nebula and Hugo ballot.

The fans in the heartland know and recognize the narrow base of social acceptance in literary science fiction and most are happy to see some backlash against it. Fandom remains open and accepting of all types of people in a way that literary s-f left a number of years ago.

The Puppy Kickers cite well-known authors who are known conservatives - Mike Resnick and Larry Niven are two - but they came up through the ranks years ago. People like Larry Corriea and Brad Torgersen have entered the field in the past ten years, and have seen and felt first-hand the snubs and insults of the snobs. Both were nominated for the Campbell Award for Best new writer in their first year of eligibility. They didn't win. Now, that award allows you two years of eligibility, and over the years many writers have has two shots at winning - but neither Larry nor Brad were even nominated in their second years of eligibility.

The Puppy Kickers would assert it's because as people got to know them better, they realized they sucked as authors. I suspect it's more likely they were shunted aside because they do not conceal their Mormon faith.

In 2012, when Mitt Romney was the Republican nominee for president, most of the leading lights in the s-f  literary world combined their hatred for people of faith with their hatred for Republicans by attacking Romney in the most vile language. Quite frankly, I personally believe there are some things you should never say to or about people, regardless of the subject. In light of the attacks on Romney, is it any wonder all the Mormon s-f writers went off the reservation? It's almost a human rights issue - "you can't say that about one of my coreligionists.

I doubt most of the Puppy Kickers have any Christian friends, and certainly no Mormons. But here in Middle America there are plenty of Christians, Mormons, and even - as Jay Lake used to say - "low church atheists" - people who don't believe in the supernatural, but, like Jay, didn't mind if you needed a faith.

I remember when Jay said the source of so much ill feeling were the "high church atheists" - people who didn't believe in God, and wanted to stamp out your religion, too. Jay was a smart man and a nice guy.

As I have made the convention circuit, I have been heartened by the many people who have been kind and supportive of my work, and either supportive or tolerant of the Sad Puppies effort. It reminds me that most people are thoughtful and considerate human beings, and the internet is a tool that is - like the machinery left behind by the Krel as depicted in the s-f classic movie "Forbidden Planet" - letting the darkest and worst innermost aspects of human nature loose upon the land.

Back home

Coming home from SoonerCon in Oklahoma City reminds me that I've attended three conventions in just about five weeks - ConQuest in Kansas City May 22-24, ApolloCon in Houston June 19-21, and SonnerCon June 26-28. Now for a break - I have a week off for a summer vacation this week. My next convention will be ArmadilloCon Convention in Austin July 24-26.

A Facebook friend asked me today, "What do you get out of this much con-going? It's not a financial benefit is it? I'm curious."

I replied that I do it for self-promotion and networking. I have seen the benefits accumulate over the years of people getting to meet and know you a bit, to know that you're a real person. I suppose it works for me because I'm very outgoing, and I'm also a much better public speaker than a writer.

I also feel this year I have a special obligation to get out there because of my Hugo nominations. I feel if I'm asking people to consider my virtues as a writer, they have the right to see me and buttonhole me.

Off to Oklahoma City

Patricia and I will be driving to Oklahoma City tomorrow to attend SoonerCon. Then next week I will have my summer vacation - the first vacation I've had since 2013.

Last year I had two weeks' paid vacation cancelled when the newspaper I worked at was sold and the new owners said as far as they were concerned I was a new employee and I had to work a year before I had any vacation time. That's why I was unable to attend LonCon in August.

I worked seven years under the previous owners but "Poof!" - My vacation evaporated. I'm as much in favor of private enterprise as anyone, but it's these little cheats from greedy corporations that turn people against business.

However, korporate karma can be brutal.

My Hugo nominations

I received two certificates in the mail Monday from the Sasquan Hugo committee for my two nominations, in the Short Story and Best Related Work category. Patricia says she will get them nicely framed so they can be hung in my home office.

By the way, I am only the fourth person (as best I can tell) ever to be nominated in a fiction and non-fiction Hugo category in the same year (Mike Resnick has done it twice). This has happened before in the following cases:

Mike Resnick - 2001

Redchapel : novelette
Putting It Together: Turning Sow's Ear Drafts into Silk Purse Stories : related book

2002
Old MacDonald Had a Farm : short story
I Have This Nifty Idea...Now What Do I Do With It? : related book

Michael Swanwick - 2002
The Dog Said Bow-Wow : short story : 2002 (winner)
Being Gardner Dozois : related book : 2002

John Scalzi - 2009
Zoe's Tale : novel
Your Hate Mail Will Be Graded: A Decade of Whatever, 1998-2008 : related book (winner)

My #1 fan

Back from ApolloCon in Houston. Patricia and I had a great time, and John Alexander Husisian made my con when he showed up wearing this!

John said when he contacted the company that made the shirt, he was told it had to be personalized, which is why it says "John is" at the top. He said he was told that without that, it would be seen as merchandising, since I am a celebrity!

John said he knew I would be tickled to be called a celebrity.

Off to Houston

My wife and I are driving to Houston Friday to attend ApolloCon. The weather continues to be stormy, with intermittent thunderstorms, but it's not like we will be on the back roads. Houston is pretty much due south of where we live in East Texas. It's a five hour drive. After the drive I made to Kansas City Memorial Day weekend for ConQuest, this will be a breeze, and I have my lovely wife with me.

I look forward to attending this year. Last year it was held the same weekend as SoonerCon in Oklahoma City. I accepted SoonerCon's invite before I got ApolloCon's. This year I can attend both; SoonerCon is next weekend.

Updated ApolloCon schedule

Here is my updated schedule for ApolloCon​ this weekend:

Friday 4 p.m. That's Funny - Humor and strangeness go hand-in-hand. Panelists discuss the elements of humor in speculative fiction.

Friday 8 p.m. Sm'tkRoyani and Bob - It's one of the great unspoken rules of Sci-fi and fantasty: don't let your characters' names make the reader wonder whether your cat walked over the keyboard. Still, you might not want to call your alien buffalo-squids Dick and Jane, either. How can you create inventive, original, internally-consistent names, and what are some of the best (and worst) examples in popular fiction?

Saturday 10:00 a.m. What We Know Now - Twentieth-century writers predicted many different technological advances. What do we have in 2015 that these writers didn't foresee?

12:00 p.m. That Old (Black?) Magic - Discussion of what makes magic believable and examples of magic systems that work well or don't.

2:00 p.m. Autographing.

4;00 p.m. Small Press Pros & Cons - An honest look at the pros and cons of publishing with a small press. Audience questions are welcome.

Sunday 11:00 a.m. Autographing

Sunday 1 p.m. Reading - I will be reading my Hugo-nominated short story "On a Spiritual Plain".

This update reflects my autographings, plus a panel change - I was taken off the Saturday panel on Underwear and added to the Friday panel "That's Funny!"