GENERAL – John Joseph Adams

Category: GENERAL

NEWS: Hugo Award Nomination Deadline is March 31

Nominations for the Hugo Awards closes March 31.

If you like a thing, and you think it’s deserving of a Hugo Award, nominate it! If you’re not familiar with a thing, but you saw it on a suggested nominations list or something of the sort, either read/watch it, and then nominate it because you like it, or don’t nominate it because you didn’t like it. Point being, please don’t nominate stuff just because it’s on somebody’s list somewhere; only nominate things you personally think are deserving.

JJA Word Association Theater

I was watching Survivor the other night (shut up, I like it—and I’m a couple episodes behind, no spoilers!). One of the contestants, indignant that someone dared complain that he had flipped on their alliance, stood up, puffed out his chest, and shouted at him:

“You better RELAX, bro!”

It was uttered in such a ridiculous manner, with such exquisite bro-ness, that I could not help but riff on the line:

“If you want to get ready for beach season, you better WAX, bro!”

“If you need to send back that contract, do it by FAX, bro!”

“If it weren’t for the IRS, we wouldn’t have to pay TAX, bro!”

“If you want to get the most antioxidants from your protein smoothie, you gotta add FLAX, bro!”

“If you like video games, you should go to PAX, bro!”

“This weekend, we should go see MAD MAX, bro!”

And, my favorite, the pièce de résistance:

“If you want someone to appreciate your clever metaphors, don’t tell em to DRAX, bro!”

NEWS: OPERATION ARCANA is Now Available!

Operation Arcana, my new anthology of military fantasy, is now available from Baen Books.

COVER COPY:

In the realms of fantasy, the battlefield is where heroism comes alive, magic is unleashed, and legends are made and unmade. From the War of the Ring, Tolkien’s epic battle of good versus evil, to The Battle of the Blackwater, George R.R. Martin’s grim portrait of the horror and futility of war, these fantastical conflicts reflect our highest hopes and darkest fears, bringing us mesmerizing visions of silver spears shining in the sun and vast hordes of savage beasts who threaten to destroy all that we hold dear.

Now acclaimed editor John Joseph Adams is sounding the battle cry and sixteen of today’s top authors are reporting for duty, spinning never-before-published, spellbinding tales of military fantasy, including a Black Company story from Glen Cook, a Paksenarrion story from Elizabeth Moon, and a Shadow Ops story by Myke Cole. Within these pages you’ll also find World War I trenches cloaked in poison gas and sorcery, modern day elite special forces battling hosts of the damned, and steampunk soldiers fighting for their lives in a world torn apart by powers that defy imagination.

Featuring both grizzled veterans and fresh young recruits alike, including Tanya Huff, Simon R. Green, Carrie Vaughn, Jonathan Maberry, and Seanan McGuire, Operation Arcana is a must for any military buff or fantasy fan. You’ll never look at war the same way again.

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

INTRODUCTION—John Joseph Adams
RULES OF ENCHANTMENT—David Klecha & Tobias S. Buckell
THE DAMNED ONE HUNDRED—Jonathan Maberry
BLOOD, ASH, BRAIDS—Genevieve Valentine
MERCENARY’S HONOR—Elizabeth Moon
THE GUNS OF THE WASTES—Django Wexler
THE GRAPHOLOGY OF HEMORRHAGE—Yoon Ha Lee
AMERICAN GOLEM—Weston Ochse
WEAPONS IN THE EARTH—Myke Cole
HEAVY SULFUR—Ari Marmell
STEEL SHIPS—Tanya Huff
SEALSKIN—Carrie Vaughn
PATHFINDER—T.C. McCarthy
BONE EATERS—Glen Cook
BOMBER’S MOON—Simon R. Green
IN SKELETON LEAVES—Seanan McGuire
THE WAY HOME—Linda Nagata

BUY THE BOOK:

Trade Paperback
Ebook
Audiobook (forthcoming May 5)
- Audible.com
- Downpour.com
- Audio CD
- MP3-CD

If you’d like to learn more about the book, read stories from the anthology for free online, or read interviews with the authors, visit my Operation Arcana website at johnjosephadams.com/operation-arcana.

NEWS: My Article “Ten Reasons to Write Short Stories Even Though the Pay is Peanuts” is Free to Read on the SFWA Blog

An article I wrote with my editing partner Daniel H. Wilson, “Ten Reasons to Write Short Stories Even Though the Pay is Peanuts,” is available to read for free online on the SFWA Blog. It first appeared in the latest issue of the SFWA Bulletin. You can probably guess what it’s about from the title!

NEWS: Cover Reveal for Best American Science Fiction & Fantasy 2015!

On February 1, I finalized my selections for Best American Science Fiction & Fantasy 2015 and passed them along to guest editor Joe Hill. Now Joe will read the 80 stories I selected (40 SF / 40 fantasy), and choose the best 10 of each genre that will go into the anthology. The rest of the stories will be listed in the back of the book as “distinguished stories” published in 2014 (like honorable mentions).

Meanwhile, I’m pleased to be able to reveal the cover and announce that the book is now available for pre-order.

NEWS: WASTELANDS Now Available in Mass Market Paperback!

My first anthology, WASTELANDS: STORIES OF THE APOCALYPSE, is now available in mass market paperback, from Titan Books. Titan will also publish the companion volume, WASTELANDS 2, on Feb. 24.

Gathering together the best post-apocalyptic literature of the last two decades from many of today’s most renowned authors of speculative fiction — including George R.R. Martin, Gene Wolfe, Orson Scott Card, Carol Emshwiller, Jonathan Lethem, Octavia E. Butler, and Stephen King — Wastelands explores the scientific, psychological, and philosophical questions of what it means to remain human in the wake of Armageddon. Whether the end of the world comes through nuclear war, ecological disaster, or cosmological cataclysm, these are tales of survivors, in some cases struggling to rebuild the society that was, in others, merely surviving, scrounging for food in depopulated ruins and defending themselves against monsters, mutants, and marauders. Wastelands delves into this bleak landscape, uncovering the raw human emotion and heart-pounding thrills at the genre’s core.

NEWS: New Free Read Added – “Dead Man’s Hand” by Christie Yant

Christie Yant’s excellent story from my anthology DEAD MAN’S HAND, which happens to also be titled “Dead Man’s Hand,” is now available to read for free online. [free read]

NEWS: Hugo Awards Nomination Period Now Open + Free Stuff for Worldcon Members

This year’s Hugo Awards nomination period is now open. The 2015 Hugo Awards will be presented in Spokane, WA during Sasquan, the 73rd World Science Fiction Convention (Aug. 19-23). Nominations close on March 10, 2015.

Anyone who is or was a voting member of the 2014, 2015, or 2016 Worldcons by the end of the day (Pacific Time/GMT – 8) on January 31, 2015 is eligible to nominate. You may nominate only once, regardless of how many of those three Worldcons you are a member. If you’re not already eligible to nominate and don’t plan to attend, you can purchase a supporting membership for $40, which gives you voting/nomination rights.

Nominations may be submitted through the online ballot, available here.

To assist you in finding material to nominate, I’ve assembled this post to list everything that I worked on in 2014.

Most of Lightspeed‘s original fiction from 2014 is available online (and also much of the 2014 original fiction is available as a podcast).
Most of Nightmare‘s original fiction from 2014 is available online (and also much of the 2014 original fiction is available as a podcast).
Selected stories from The End is Nigh and The End is Now are available online.
Selected stories from Help Fund My Robot Army & Other Improbable Crowdfunding Projects are available online.
Selected stories from Dead Man’s Hand are available online.
Selected stories from Robot Uprisings are available online.

Also, here is a spreadsheet showing the word counts of all the material I published in 2014 in Lightspeed, Nightmare, and in the abovementioned anthologies.

If you are planning and eligible to vote for the Hugos this year, if you email me proof of your Worldcon membership (i.e., your name is listed on the Worldcon website as an attending member, or the email confirmation or receipt you received when you purchased your membership, etc.) I would be happy to make some additional 2014 material I edited available to you in digital format.

After the jump, you’ll find all of the 2014 eligible stories/authors that either appeared in Lightspeed or Nightmare, or in projects I’m otherwise affiliated with. Everything is sorted into their proper Hugo categories. (more…)

NEWS: WASTELANDS Discounted to $2 Until Dec. 30!

My first anthology, WASTELANDS: STORIES OF THE APOCALYPSE, is currently on sale in ebook format for just $1.99 until Dec. 30.

“My favorite anthology of all time—packed with masterworks.” —Paul Goat Allen, Barnes & Noble
“An exceptional anthology. In scope and vision it can only be compared to Harlan Ellison’s Dangerous Visions. […] I highly recommend this anthology for anyone who enjoys reading anything. […] Wastelands: Stories of the Apocalypse is the best anthology of any kind I have read.” —Grasping for the Wind
“Everything that is best about the trope, from bleak, empty worlds to beacons of hope.” —Booklist

It’s currently available for just $1.99 at the following ebook marketplaces:

Cover & TOC Reveal: OPERATION ARCANA

Here’s the cover, cover copy, and table of contents for OPERATION ARCANA, an all-original anthology of military fantasy I edited for Baen. It’s forthcoming in March 2015, but you can pre-order it now.

COVER:

Cover art by Dominic Harman; cover design by Jason Gurley.

COVER COPY:

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

INTRODUCTION—John Joseph Adams
RULES OF ENCHANTMENT—David Klecha & Tobias S. Buckell
THE DAMNED ONE HUNDRED—Jonathan Maberry
BLOOD, ASH, BRAIDS—Genevieve Valentine
MERCENARY’S HONOR—Elizabeth Moon
THE GUNS OF THE WASTES—Django Wexler
THE GRAPHOLOGY OF HEMORRHAGE—Yoon Ha Lee
AMERICAN GOLEM—Weston Ochse
WEAPONS IN THE EARTH—Myke Cole
HEAVY SULFUR—Ari Marmell
STEEL SHIPS—Tanya Huff
SEALSKIN—Carrie Vaughn
PATHFINDER—T.C. McCarthy
BONE EATERS—Glen Cook
BOMBER’S MOON—Simon R. Green
IN SKELETON LEAVES—Seanan McGuire
THE WAY HOME—Linda Nagata

PRE-ORDER:

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