Caren Gussoff writer. geek. bon vivant. dot com

I have has a few publications this year that are eligible for Nebula and Hugo nominations, if you were, you know, feeling the spirit.

Also, Brain Harvest is eligible to be nommed for a Hugo semiprozine, and Eden, Shane, and I are ripe for the editors short form category.

Just sayin’. You know. *kicks some gravel*

The Speculative Literature Foundation has the 2009 Gulliver Grant press release up:

http://www.speculativeliterature.org/Grants/SLFTravelGrant/TravelGrant2009.php

I’m really excited and very honored. Looks like I was up against some serious competition, just from the announcement of the honorable mentions.

I am going to use the grant to offset expenses to travel from Seattle up to Orcas and Whidbey Islands, and then southwest to Ocean Shores (during various times in February, March, and April 2010)  for research for the book.

I was really happy to find out that my vampire alt history/vampire academia story–one I really like, but am aware was a weirdly hard sell for most places–was snapped up by Daikaijuzine today, and will appear in an issue at the end of December.

My winning “worst cover letter” is now live in Poor Mojo’s Almanac(k). This was super fun to write.

Miles Klee’s “Nurse on Terror Island.” Not your mom’s Little Mermaid.

Trivia point of great interest: you can read another great piece by Miles in Birkensnake 2–we are ToC mates. It’s a weird, cool feeling when you publish someone and are published alongside them.

Anyway, go do some reading. Good stuff.

is now live at Birkensnake.

I wrote this story at Clarion West (in week 5), after a joking dare from Connie Willis on whether I could write a hard SF space opera in less than 2000 words. “Correspondence” weighs in at just over 1500 words, and was inspired by an idea seeded to me by my husband, Chris (who always wants more robot stories). It’s not a space opera in the traditional sense, except that it’s in space, has a hero, and a battle (of sorts).

I also highly encourage you to order a hand-bound, hand-singed (with a blowtorch!) copy of the mag. It’s a lovely object and a steal at 4 measly bucks.

And Steve Fahnestalk wrote a really nice blurb about my work*:

“As They Get Warmer, They Give a Little” by Caren Gussoff is a little techo-geek essay on the end of the world, sort of. Zack Leven works in a sim call center, but feels his hacking talents are wasted on the helpdesk. He also has a crush on the green-eyed receptionist. He’s hacked into a sim of the real world , but something goes wrong. We’ve read stuff like this before, but maybe not brought down to such a personal level. As reality apparently follows his sim, Zack gets a pair of really tight leather pants (“As they get warmer,” the salesman tells Zack, before slapping him on the ass, “they give a little.”) partly from need, partly to impress the receptionist. Nicely done, and by a Clarion West graduate.

Read the rest of the review here.

*Only note: Steve defines “didikai” incorrectly (from how I use it, to refer to myself). I don’t use it to mean non-Romany gypsy. I use it to refer to my own mixed blood–I’m half Rom, as y’all know.

Woo. Now that’s some fine company I’ll be keeping.

Table of Contents for Destination: Future, to be published early 2010, edited by Eric T. Reynolds and Z.S Adani.

“The Angel of Mars” by Michael Barretta
“When You Visit the Magoebaskloof Hotel Be Certain Not to Miss the Samango Monkeys” by Elizabeth Bear
“Memento Mori” by Sue Blalock
“Hope” by Michael A. Burstein
“Ambassador” by Thoraiya Dyer
“No Jubjub Birds Tonight” by Sara Genge
“Jade Flower” by C.E. Grayson
“The Gingerbread Man” by James Gunn
“Games” by Caren Gussoff
“Rubber Monkeys” by Kenneth Mark Hoover
“One Awake in All the World” by Robert T. Jeschonek
“Watching” by Sandra McDonald
“The Hangborn” by Frederick Obermeyer
“Dark Rendezvous” by Simon Petrie
“Encountering Evie” by Sherry D. Ramsey
“Monuments of Flesh and Stone” by Mike Resnick
“Mars Needs Baby Seals” by Lawrence M. Schoen
“Edge of the World” by Jonathan Shipley
“Alienation” by Katherine Sparrow
“The Light Stones” by Erin E. Stocks
“Embians” by K. D. Wentworth

So. I’m starting a novel. I am of two minds about it:

• One, I’m really, really excited. The novel concept grew organically from the last short story I completed, mostly because I fell in love with the characters and became pretty convinced that the concept and world could be a bigger one than I was able to capture within the confines of the short story. There are definite advantages to working on a novel as well—novels are, realistically, the best  (although far from guaranteed, as evidenced by my own first novel as well as the experiences of countless other novelists) way to be able to make a living writing. Also, I really, really hate starting new stories—a personal quirk of mine, becoming a fiery ball of intolerable anxiety as I struggle to find an entry point into my next idea (if I have a next idea, that is).
• Two, I am absolutely dreading being ensconced in a novel. It’s like being in a new relationship. You need to be able to enjoy the honeymoon period while remaining somewhat clearheaded about the fact that it is a long-term commitment that will have ups and downs (and as many of one as the other). It’s also a time gamble, which frightens me to a certain extent—what if I dedicate two years to this project, forsaking other projects along the way—and it sucks? I mean, that sounds truly lame to say, but it’s a very real worry—not that there aren’t things to learn from a failed project, but because it’s a deliberate choice that regardless of the outcome, I must take responsibility for, good or bad.

I think I will continue to write short stories*. I am a short story writer, primarily, always have been, probably always will be. But here—I have smashed the bottle of champagne over my own head to christen the journey. My blog: now with 100% more novel bitching!

*in fact, got two pieces of awesome short story news this week. My very scary entry into the Worst Possible Cover Letter Rant Contest at Poor Mojo’s Almanac(k) took first place and will be published in the Fall. And, my SF story, “Games,” will be in Z.S. Adani and Eric T. Reynolds’ Destination: Future anthology. More details soon.