It's that time of year again! I've published everything that I'm going to publish this year, finished all the projects and worked on all of the teams, so I'd love to tell you about them, and if you're so inclined, I'd love to be considered for your ballots and clicks--Hugos, Nebulas, Locus, Ignyte, whatever you find yourself voting in! And if you find yourself in the position caught between too many amazing books and stories (oh no, how terrible), just tell a friend, leave a review, buy a truckload! Word of mouth is still the best way to keep a book going strong.
I'd also like to say a special thanks to all of the people who have been reading and the people who helped make my own projects possible--there are so many people who don't get included on ballots despite the team effort that so much of these projects are. I've also pointed out the magazine/publisher and editors of the pieces so that you can consider voting for them in the appropriate categories, too.
Okay, without further ado, the works, what they're about, and what they're eligible for. (If you're not sure if something fits a category, reach out to the awards organizers.)
The Unbroken - Orbit (ed. Brit Hvide)
- The first book in the Magic of the Lost Trilogy
- A military-political fantasy where a colonial conscript and an imperial princess fight for a desert colony's fate
- f/f main characters
- JUST LOOK AT THEM (***@Marceline2174 is eligible for Fan Artist categories! Check out her Baru Cormorant, Mass Effect, Gideon/Harrow the Ninth, and Arcane art to name a few!)
- Eligible for Best Novel and Debut categories
"The Captain and the Quartermaster" (audio) - Beneath Ceaseless Skies (ed. Scott Andrews)
- A short story about a battle couple and the strains their relationship takes while freeing their home from a tyrant
- fantasy/military fantasy: silk/steel pairing; civil war; long-term relationships
- Eligible for Best Short story categories (5700 words)
"The Fiction of Peace, the Fantasy of War" - Fantasy Magazine (ed. Arley Sorg)
- An essay about how and why we write war in science fiction and fantasy, and who we write it for. What might war look like in fantasy if we write it for different people? If we explore the consequences?
- Eligible for Best Related work or short nonfiction categories (1150 words)
"WWXD: A Warrior's Path of Reflection and Redemption" - Uncanny Magazine (ed. Lynne and Michael Thomas)
- An essay where I talk about Xena's 6-season long quest for redemption, whether she ever really made it, and how we can learn from her journey
- Eligible for Best Related work or short nonfiction categories (2061 words)
And then some of the collaborative projects!
We're Here: the Best of Queer Speculative Fiction 2020 - Neon Hemlock (ed. Charles Payseur, C.L. Clark (me!)
- An anthology with a "wide range of genres and voices on offer, but all...thematically united by explorations of transformation and movement"
- Eligible for Best Anthology awards, and Best Editor awards
PodCastle Fantasy Podcast - Escape Artists Podcasts (ed. C.L. Clark, Jen R. Albert, Shingai Njeri Kagunda, and Eleanor R. Wood)
- A short story podcast posting new short audio fiction EVERY WEEK!
- Hosted by Summer Fletcher and Audio Produced by Peter Adrian Behravesh
- Note: Jen and I were co-editors and changed the guard mid-year, so all editors should be listed as some of the stories this year were selected by both pairs of co-editors
- Eligible for Best Semiprozine, Podcast, and Audio categories, etc.
I would also urge you to consider the amazing community work by the FIYAHCON folks. We say tireless work, but I doubt it was tireless at all--it was only ceaseless. They deserve any and all the recognition for making this community a better place, and the convention is eligible for the Best Related work categories.
I have been very very busy, apparently. Putting it all in a list puts some perspective on what I've accomplished this year, regardless of awards, as well as the need for a break. I hope you all will accord yourselves the same respect for your pandemic efforts and take a load off wherever you can.
Stay sharp, my friends.