5:00pm, 20th April 2016
WotF Golden Pen winner 2016
So this happened.
Not only that, but my illustrator, Adrian Massaro, won the Golden Brush award—the first time in contest history that one story has won both awards.
It's been just over a week and I still can't wrap my head around it. This was my first ever sale of any kind. I've met legends of the field (and I don't use that word lightly). I've been complimented by Doug Beason, Nancy Kress, Greg Benford, Todd McCaffrey. I've had Kevin J Anderson tell me this short should be a novel.
Best of all, I got to spend a week and a bit in the company of people equally as mad as I am in the same sorts of ways. To the Female Blacksmith Appreciators of WotF32—I salute you. You're all magnificent, and you're going places. I'd wager my soul that there's a Hugo or Nebula waiting somewhere in our ranks.
I have much, much more to say on the topic, but I'll come to that in time. I plan on debriefing the whole week, day by day, and then going into specifics on my story Squalor & Sympathy after that.
Until I get round to that, to everyone offering their congratulations—thank you. It means the world.
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