Wendy N. Wagner

Smarter people than me have weighed in on the Hugo eligibility of the Women Destroy projects. It sounds like the issues are unlikely candidates for the Best Related Work category. (Sorry! I know my last post said it was!)

I was a little bummed out to hear it, because I think the Women Destroy special issues are some of the most exciting work that happened last year, with an unusual positive message of inclusivity and empowerment. I also think the Women Destroy projects brought together fiction and nonfiction in a particularly resonant way, and I don’t think we see those two forms brought together in synergy nearly enough.

As I’ve mentioned before, the individual pieces within the special issues can all be nominated for awards. Each nonfiction piece does qualify for Best Related Work, including the multi-author Editorials. I personally think the editorials do an exceptional job explaining the genesis of the projects and expressing the unique spirit of destruction.

Whatever happens, I know I’m looking forward to the big awards party in Spokane this year. 2014 had a bumper crop of great work, and I think science fiction and fantasy should be proud of itself.

2014 was a pretty good year for me. I spent a lot of time with my family, started playing Call of Cthulhu (the RPG), and learned a lot about editing. I got to go camping and took a quick trip to Seattle, where I finally got to tour the Seattle Underground, which was just as epically weird and historical as I was hoping. [Pro-tip: Allergic to mold? Take a Claritin before you go down there! Yeesh.]

On the work front, I had some stuff come out:

Novel

Skinwalkers — This came out in April from Paizo Press’s Pathfinder Tales line. If you love adventure, you should check out this story of a retired Viking pirate mama fighting barbarians and dealing with family drama. If you read it and loved it, be sure to share a great review. It’s totally eligible for the Scribe Award for tie-in writing or the Origins award for game-related products.

Short fiction

“Bread Crumbs,” Tell Me A Fable. A. W. Gifford & Jennifer L. Gifford, ed. Dark Opus Press — this came out in February. It’s a fun Lovecraftian retelling of Hansel and Gretel, and it was a blast to write.

“Winter’s Wolves,” Pathfinder Tales — this came out in March. If you need a quick action romp with giants and wolves with frost breath, this piece will scratch that itch.

“Words of Power,” Shattered Shields. Jennifer Brozek & Bryan Thomas Schmidt, ed. Baen Books — this came out in November. If you liked my story “The Secret of Calling Rabbits,” then you’ll probably like this sweet story about a golem in an alternate history World War I. I loved the setting!

Nonfiction Editing

Women Destroy Science Fiction!, Lightspeed Magazine — This was released in June. This double (more than double, actually!) issue devoted to the work and experiences of women in the science fiction community was the work of more than 100 women, and I got to serve as both the Managing and Nonfiction Editor of the piece. NPR named it one of 2014’s best books of the year. I feel the personal essay section packs a tremendous emotional punch! Because of the incredible amount of nonfiction in this work, it stands out from an anthology, and ~~qualifies for the Hugo for Best Related Work~~. (See explanatory post.)

Women Destroy Fantasy!, Fantasy Magazine — This was released in October. Another double issue devoted to the work and experiences of women, but this time focused on the fantasy genre. There are no personal essays in this one, but as the Nonfiction Editor of this one, I am incredibly proud of the nonfiction in this piece, including the in-depth discussion of women in genre illustration and design. ~~This also qualifies for the Hugo for Best Related Work~~. (See explanatory post.)

I think both of these collections are amazing. WDSF is a real stand-out for the sheer quantity of material, with 7 large articles or essays and 29 short form essays, all of it ranging from work by best-selling authors to new writers just breaking into the field.

So if you’re nominating for the Hugos this year, don’t brush off the Best Related Work category. Here are two collections that deserve your attention!

I burst into tears when I saw the list! As my first big editorial project–I was the Nonfiction and Managing Editor of this book–it’s pretty awesome to see it getting so much notice. It took a lot, a lot of people to put Women Destroy SF together, and working with them was an incredible experience. If you haven’t read it, check it out today!

It’s been an exciting year so far, but by far the most thrilling news is that I’ve signed on to write another book for Pathfinder! More details will follow, but I think it’s safe to say that Jendara and her family are pretty stoked to get into more trouble.

*dances off to go write*

Orycon is my local sf/f convention, and I love it. I always have a great time! This year looks like it’s going to be just as fun as ever, and I’ve got a pretty packed schedule. If you’re going to be at the convention, I hope I get a chance to say hi!

Here’s my schedule:

Friday, November 7th

12:30 pm — Wendy N. Wagner reading — Grant
4:00 pm — Spaceships, Colonists, and Castaways — Madison
5:00 pm — Loving Your Villain — Roosevelt
8:00 pm — The Games Are Afoot: Sherlock vs Elementary Throwdown — Hamilton

Saturday, November 8th

1:00 pm — Freaking Me Out, Not Grossing Me Out — Idaho
[helping with the Writers Workshop during the afternoon]
7:00 pm — Writing & Art for the RPG Industry — Morrison
8:00 pm — SHATTERED SHIELDS anthology launch — Orycon Suite 1570

Sunday, November 9th

11:00 am — Writing in Other People’s Worlds — Morrison
1:00 pm — Women Role Models in SF — Hawthorne

and …

Sunday, November 9th — 4:00 pm — Powell’s Books at Cedar Hills Crossing

SF AUTHORFEST

Over two dozen NW sf/f writers and visiting members of the Cloud City Garrison!

I’m really looking forward to meeting lots of great people and getting my geek on!

First, a quick update: if you’re in the Portland metro area, then this weekend you should totally stop by StoryCon at the Fort Vancouver Regional Library! There will be great panels and readings from area authors, and the Friends of the Library will be having a big sale, too. Plus, it’s totally free, and I’ll be there! I’m sitting on two panels–Game of Tomes: Binge Reading and the Rise of Series (11:30 in the Klickitat Room) and a little later, The Paranormal as Metaphor (1:30 in the Klickitat Room). I hope I’ll see you there!

Women Destroy All Genres continues apace! If you haven’t yet checked out Women Destroy Fantasy! and Women Destroy Horror!, we’re still posting new material on the website. Of course, for all the awesome destruction (including my essay and printable reading guide), you’ll have to pick up the ebook or print editions. Here are a few more updates about the project:

Women Destroy Science Fiction! was selected Book of Honor for Potlatch 24.

Skiffy & Fanty posted a great review of Women Destroy Fantasy!

and best of all …

We have t-shirts! Check them out at the Lightspeed Zazzle store.

And that’s about it for now. But I can promise plenty more trouble coming soon.

I am getting very, very excited for the November release of Chicks Dig Gaming. It looks jam-packed with cool essays about games (video games, tabletop games, live-action games–you name it!), and it includes a ton of women whose work I adore. Here’s the whole line-up:

• Thank You, Mario, but Our Princess is in Another Castle, by Catherynne M. Valente
• ’Round the World With Nellie Bly, by Rosemary Jones
• Select Hero or Heroine, by Dawn Foran
• How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Numbers: a Girl, a Rulebook and Arithmetic, by Seanan McGuire
• Look Behind You! A Three-Headed Monkey!, by L.M. Myles
• So You Want to Start a Fight, by Dorothy Ail
• Who in the Hell is Carmen Sandiego?, by Teresa Jusino
• An Interview with Lisa Stevens
• Intuition, Gaming and the Laboratory Scientist, by Kelly Swails
• Saving the Galaxy in Cute Shoes, by Zoe Estrin-Grele
• The Silence of the Games, by Sarah Groenewegen
• Raising Gamers, by Filamena Young
• Game Change, by Linnea Dodson
• The Evolution of a LARPer in Three Acts, by Johanna Mead
• Black Windows, by E. Lily Yu
• Another Puzzle Solved? Professor Layton and the Passive Princess, by Mags L. Halliday
• An Axe Up My Sleeve, by Cheryl Twist
• A Chick Who Doesn’t Dig Games Plays “Portal,” by Fiona Moore
• An Interview with Margaret Weis
• How to Design Games for Boys, by Lynnea Glasser
• The Grace of Dice and Glossy Cardstock, by Lucy A. Snyder
• THAC0 of a Gamer Girl, by Jaleigh Johnson
• Let Us Play, by Lene Taylor
• The Hero in My Story, by Caitlin Sullivan
• When the Stars are Right, by Wendy N. Wagner
• A Vicarious Tale of Getting into Video Games for the Plot, by Hannah Rothman
• We Play to Lose, by Emily Care Boss
• It’s Five O’Clock Somewhere, by Amy Hanson
• Saving Throws, by Jody Lynn Nye
• Go for the Eyes, Gamer Girls, Go for the Eyes!, by Sam Maggs
• Looking for Group, by G. Willow Wilson
• Refuge, by Mary Anne Mohanraj
• Leopards at the Wedding: Finding Love in a Glitchy Landscape, by Miriam Oudin
• Blood on the Hull: Gender, Dominion and the Business of Betrayal in “Eve,” by Jen J. Dixon
• Castling, by Racheline Maltese

It looks like the pieces range from game analysis to personal essays to interviews, so I think there’s a ton of great variety. I’m sure you can guess what my essay is about!

Wild black kitten in Eastern Washington

It’s been a fantastic summer, full of camping, gardening, road trips, and lots of silly family activities. But now it’s September, school is back in session, and I’m back to my regular routine.

On the editorial front, I’ve been working hard to get Women Destroy Horror! and Women Destroy Fantasy! off to the publisher. I just learned that they have been formatted and sent to the proofreaders, so I’m feeling good. There’s a lot of great material in these volumes, and I think people will really enjoy them. I’m also really excited because in August Lightspeed took home its first Hugo award! (For pictures of her rocket, check out the September Editorial.) It’s pretty awesome working with this amazing team!

I have been doing some writing, of course. I’m making slow headway on a novel that’s percolating for the last eight months or so; the only thing I can tell you about it is that it has the word “Dogs” in the working title! However, I’ve been working on some other exciting projects that I am dying to talk about … and can’t! Stay tuned. 🙂

Next week on Wednesday the 10th, I’ll be taking part in SFWA’s Pacific Northwest Reading Series, held quarterly at the Kennedy School here in Portland. You can buy yourself some delicious beer and tots and listen to cool writers reading their work and sharing the secrets of the universe. Who wouldn’t want that? For more information, check out the SFWA site.

My mom’s bane: the canny old hen that won’t stay in the chicken yard.

As research for the upcoming Women Destroy Fantasy! special issue of Lightspeed, I’m compiling a list of fantasy novels by women that have won major genre fiction awards. Here’s what I have so far:

World Fantasy Award-winning novels by women

The Forgotten Beasts of Eld, by Patricia McKillip (1975)

Watchtower, by Elizabeth A. Lynn (1980)

Thomas the Rhymer, by Ellen Kushner (1991)

Godmother Night, by Rachel Pollack (1997)

The Antelope Wife, by Louise Erdrich (1999)

The Other Wind, by Ursula K. LeGuin (2002)

Ombria in Shadow, by Patricia McKillip (2003)

Tooth and Claw, by Jo Walton (2004)

Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell, by Susanna Clarke (2005)

Tender Morsels, by Margo Lanagan (2009)

Who Fears Death, by Nnedi Okorafor (2011)

Alif the Unseen, by G. Willow Wilson (2013)

Locus Award for Best Fantasy Novel

Harpist in the Wind, by Patricia McKillip (1980)

The Mists of Avalon, by Marion Zimmer Bradley (1984)

Tehanu: The Last Book of Earthsea, by Ursula K. LeGuin (1991)

Beauty, by Sheri S. Tepper (1992)

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, by J. K. Rowling (2000)

Paladin of Souls, by Lois McMaster Bujold (2004)

The Privilege of the Sword, by Ellen Kushner (2007)

Lavinia, by Ursula K. LeGuin (2009)

Fantasy novels[*] by women that have won the Nebula Award for Best Novel:

The Falling Woman, by Pat Murphy (1988)

Tehanu: The Last Book of Earthsea, by Ursula K. LeGuin (1991)

Paladin of Souls, by Lois McMaster Bujold (2005)

Powers, by Ursula K. LeGuin (2009)

Among Others, by Jo Walton (2012)

[*] If the author attempted to explain the speculative elements of the text via some kind of appeal to science or technology, I called it science fiction and did not include the work.

Works by women writers to receive the Mythopoeic Fantasy Award[*]

The Crystal Cave, by Mary Stewart (1971)

Red Moon and Black Mountain, by Joy Chant (1972)

The Song of Rhiannon, by Evangeline Walton (1973)

The Hollow Hills, by Mary Stewart (1974)

The Firelings, by Carol Kendall (1983)

When Voiha Wakes, by Joy Chant (1984)

Cards of Grief, by Jane Yolen (1985)

Thomas the Rhymer, by Ellen Kushner (1991)

A Woman of the Iron People, by Eleanor Arnason (1992)

Briar Rose, by Jane Yolen (1993)

The Porcelain Dove, by Delia Sherman (1994)

Something Rich and Strange, by Patricia A. McKillip (1995)

Waking the Moon, by Elizabeth Hand (1996)

The Wood Wife, by Terri Windling (1997)

The Djinn in the Nightingale’s Eye, by A.S. Byatt (1998)

The Innamorati, by Midori Snyder (2001)

The Curse of Chalion, by Lois McMaster Bujold (2002)

Ombria in Shadow, by Patricia A. McKillip (2003)

Sunshine, by Robin McKinley (2004)

Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell, by Susanna Clarke (2005)

Solstice Wood, by Patricia A. McKillip (2007)

Orphan’s Tales, by Catherynne M. Valente (2008)

Flesh and Spirit and Breath and Bone, by Carol Berg (2009)

Lifelode, by Jo Walton (2010)

Redemption in Indigo, by Karen Lord (2011)

The Uncertain Places, by Lisa Goldstein (2012)

Digger, vols. 1-6, by Ursula Vernon (2013)

[*] From 1971-1992, the Mythopoeic Society made no distinction between adult and youth fiction. In 1992 the Mythopoeic Society began giving two separate awards, the Mythopoeic Fantasy Award for Adult Literature and the Mythopoeic Fantasy Award for Children’s Literature. I have included only the Adult winners for the time being.

If you’re in the Salem, Oregon, area, stop by the Downtown BookBin on Saturday at 7 pm–I’ll be there reading from my fun adventure novel, Skinwalkers! It should be a blast.

Me, having fun reading at Powell’s. (Sorry it’s a little blurry–it’s an action shot!)

Wendy N. Wagner

Women Destroy: an update on Hugo eligibility

2014: my work in glossy review

WDSF makes NPR’s Best Books of 2014

I get to write another Pathfinder book!

Orycon and SF Authorfest!

StoryCon and more destruction

CHICKS DIG GAMING — table of contents released

September already??

Read the Destruction: Award-winning novels by women

Reading SKINWALKERS in Salem!