My novella "Sublimation Angels" is a finalist for the Nebula Award!

That headline says it all. But in case you want more details, here they are:

• "Sublimation Angels" is one of six finalists for the Nebula Award for Best Novella.
   
• The novella was originally published in the Sept./Oct. 2009 issue of the British magazine Interzone, and is eligible for the Nebulas due to also being published in their electronic e-book edition.
   
• To read the novella, you can download a PDF copy from my website. You can also download the novella as an RTF file, which is perfect for e-book readers and Kindles. However, please note that due to size limitations the RTF file lacks the art created by Paul Drummond.
   
• To see all the Nebula finalists, please jump over to the SFWA's offical release.

I'll have more to say about the other Nebula finalists in the next day or so (although I agree with John Scalzi that this is one of the best Nebula ballots in years, and proof that the new nomination system works). Until then, I want to share why being a finalist means so much to me.

As I child, my entry into science fiction was through my grandfather, who read and collected SF magazines and books. The small office in his home was covered in homemade bookshelves, each lined with enough science fiction to excite any young kid. One of my best childhood memories is sitting in his office during a hot Alabama summer and reading Fritz Leiber's classic story "A Pail of Air." I read the story in one of my grandfather's worn magazines, and the idea of the main character surviving on a frozen earth resonated with me, especially since I'd only seen a dusting of snow once or twice in my life.

When I recently reread Leiber's "A Pail of Air," all those memories came spilling back. So with "Sublimation Angels" I decided to create my own frozen world where people struggle to survive and understand life.

My grandfather died when I was 14, well before he could read any of my SF stories. Still, I think he would have enjoyed reading my novella and seeing it become a Nebula finalist. After all, his bookshelves were full of Nebula anthologies and award-winning stories, each of which he read countless times.

Before I forget--and I hope this doesn't sound like one of those stupid Oscar thank you speeches--I want to thank Andy Cox and the Interzone editors for publishing the novella, everyone who read the novella, everyone who nominated it for the final ballot, and the many people like Rachel Swirsky, Colin Harvey, Gareth D Jones, Sam Tomaino, and John DeNardo who gave the novella glowing public reviews and praise. There are also many others who have supported me and my writing, and it's impossible to thank them all. But thank you anyway.

Crap. Sounds like I fell straight into the cliched land of Oscar thank you speeches. But my words are still sincerely meant.

Comments

[Annie]

Congratulations, Jason! I've just downloaded "Sublimation Angels." I appreciate you making it available, and sharing your story about you and your grandfather, and how you came to write it. Your "speech" is not at all cliche, since thank you is thank you and it's important to say it!

[Cate Gardner]

Congratulations, Jason.

[T.W. Anderson]

Huge grats mate :)

[Rachel Swirsky]

Congratulations again, Jason! Well-deserved.

[Philrm]

Jason - I discovered "Sublimation Angels" when you were guest-blogging on Jeff Vandermeer's site. It's one of the best stories I've read all year (in fact, it prodded me into finally subscribing to Interzone - still waiting for my first issue), so its nomination is well-deserved. Congratulations!

[Jason Sanford]

Thanks to every one for the kind words.

And Philrm, thanks for subscribing to Interzone. It's a great magazine and they've been very supportive not only to my writings, but also to a number of other new writers.

[T.W. Anderson]

As soon as they start accepting e-subs I'll submit to them :) They are a great magazine, and I'd love to get published with them, but I have a personal thing with zines who won't accept e-subs. 21st century and all that :)

But yes...Interzone is a phenomenal mag. Some great stuff over the years.