E.S. Raye

Following last week’s Short Story News Roundup, I thought I’d catch you up on some other upcoming news!

The Laramie Awards

Every year, Chanticleer Book Reviews gives out awards to books in a wide variety of genres. There’s the Shelley Awards for paranormal fiction, the Cygnus Awards for science fiction, and the Clue Awards for suspense/thriller.

My publisher, Alex Parker Publishing, surprised me when they put Gas Giant Gambit up for one of these awards. They shocked me further by ironically submitting not to the Cygnus Awards, but to the Laramie Awards, for “Western, Pioneer, & Civil War, Americana Historical Fiction Novels, and First Nations Works.”

I thought it an interesting choice, but I had done a lot of research in my effort to make deep space of the far future feel like the American Southwest of the mid-1800s. Gas Giant Gambit is brimming with Americana-inspired details and allegories.

Still, against true examples of the Laramie Awards’ genres, I didn’t have high hopes for this one.

But, the “longlist” for the award was announced at the beginning of October, and Gas Giant Gambit made the cut!

There is no published date for when the shortlist will be announced.

But…

Many of the other genre awards appear to go from longlist to shortlist in around 48 to 50 days.

So, while this is by no means an exact science, I sort of expect the shortlist to come out this week, as today, Tuesday, November 18th, is the 48th day.

I very much want to make the shortlist. It would be such an amazing validation of all the work I did and the space-western world I built. That said, I have no expectations of making it any further than than. A true example of Western, Pioneer, & Civil War, Americana Historical Fiction Novels, or First Nations Works deserves to win this award.

But man, I want that shortlist!

Jason Shannon Podcast

I met Jason Shannon, sci-fi author most recently of Tiger Blues, at my very first ComiCon in Cobourg last month. We traded books, and while I have not yet had a chance to read Tiger Blues, Jason read Gas Giant Gambit and asked me to be a guest on his podcast.

We recorded my episode last week, including a reading of one of my very favorite scenes, and it is set to go live on the morning of Thursday, November 20th.

You’ll be able to listen to it, and Jason’s previous episodes, here.

“Mortem Moratus”

Just a quick reminder that my short, dark humored, horror story “Mortem Moratus” will be published in December’s Exquisite Death.

I hope you’ll check it out!

Oshawa ComiCon

Although I am sure I will mention it again before the day arrives, now’s as good a time to start as any:

I will be a vendor at the Oshawa ComiCon on December 27th. Check my Events page for details.

Mystery December News

Finally, the biggest, yet most vague news of the hour.

I can’t tell you what this is. I can’t tell you what it is regarding. I dare not even tell you the exact date it will be made public because I don’t want to get in trouble if some internet sleuth figures it out based on just that.

All I can really tell you is, I have some enormous news coming down the pipeline that I will be able to share (and believe me, share I will!) at some point next month.

Am I making too big a deal out of it? Maybe. Maybe I’m setting the bar too high. I don’t care. I’m starting the hype now!

Stick around for the reveal!