For Your Consideration:
In the grand scheme of things, awards are the aggressively shiny, unnaturally-neon-red cherry on top of a career. They’re not at all necessary to function, and an author can certainly thrive without them. But, writ small, awards, nominations, and other peer and reader accolades are moments in which an author gets to set aside their insecurity for a second and reflect on the work we’ve done and how it benefits our readers.
We don’t need awards, to have a career, but they sure are special.
And in that vein, I am asking you to consider me for one of these special cherries.
If you follow me on Twitter, you’ve probably heard me mention the fact that I work on a sliding scale of Love-to-Money. If I love a project enough, I will take it on for little or no pay. As I am unable to take on every project that crosses my line of sight, if the love is lacking, the other forms of compensation (usually in dollars or GBP) need to make up for that.
Not every author is able to take on low-paying projects because they love them. A lot of us need to pay bills and can’t devote much time, if any, to work that won’t contribute to keeping the lights on and the cupboards filled. I accept that it’s my enormous privilege to be able to take on projects for the joy of them, and I hope that lending my talents to semi-pro markets can drive readers to those markets in such a way as to help them grow- and maybe one day be able to pay the pro rates so many of us count on.
If my work helps to grow markets and make the landscape better for other writers going forward, that is a legacy I am proud to embrace.
2021 was a year in which I did a whole lot for love, and very little money. And for that reason, I ask for your consideration in the category of Best Fan Writer in this year’s Hugo Awards. With the exception of one online article, my work in 2021 was done at less-than-pro rates- a distinction that makes me imminently eligible for this nomination.
Eligible works are enumerated below. Please note: I have included buy links for the novel & short story entries, information as to how to receive these materials at no charge follows.
My second novel: THE DRAGON STONE CONSPIRACY released in February from Zombie Orpheus Entertainment and is part of the STROWLERS shared storytelling universe.
My flash-story “Signed” appeared in the Queer SciFi 2021 Anthology INK.
COBALT CITY, DRAGONSTORM is home to my epic-but-joyful operatic adventure “Facing the Music”.
To receive complimentary electronic copies of any of the above pieces, please email author at TheGingerVillain dot com with HUGO CONSIDERATION in the subject line and which of the above referenced pieces you would like to receive in return (all of them is a valid request!) in the body of the email. I am happy to make these stories available to Hugo Voters free of charge.
I also had articles published in online fan spaces; most notably, I wrote about my Princess Leia collection and what it means to be surrounded by my favorite character’s energy for Hugo-nominated Fanzine Journey Planet and I was also given the honor of writing about my favorite long-running TV romance for the Star Trek official site.
In addition to these published pieces, I appeared in readings and online discussions at Norwescon, QuaranCon, Convention of Heroes, and on the Rest of Both Worlds podcast.
You’re also allowed to take into consideration social media presence, so my Twitter threads- like this one about Cinderella and this one about writing are also on the list of free reads that help make me eligible.
If this body of work, for which I was compensated far more with joy than with dollars (only one of the above pieces was done for a pro rate, many were written for no upfront payment/possible future royalties only), moves you, I would gladly and humbly appreciate your nomination for Best Fan Writer 2021.
I greatly appreciate your time and consideration in reading this far and wish you happy nominating, whether you choose to put me on your list or not. <3