Action is more interesting than inaction.

Science Fiction World has picked up Guo Jianzhong's translation of the story. I will be riffled past by a million readers.

RICE LAKE. "26 Monkeys, Also the Abyss" is on the Nebula preliminary ballot. Hurrah! If anyone wants to vote for it for the Hugos that's a lovely thought. eta: ...which you can read here.

I am in Rice Lake, very unexpectedly. My mom had foot surgery Tuesday, and on Wednesday my parents decided that they wanted me around to run errands. So I flew out on the Wednesday red-eye, rented a car to drive out here, and have been in Wisconsin since. She's recovering really well, but of course this first week is scary, since everything's bandaged heavily and you can't see how the incisions are doing. She hasn't been taking much for painkillers, just hydrocodone for sleeping. I come from tough stock.

It's really cold, but as always I love being here. Someone built an igloo of snow blocks on the lake a couple of weeks ago, and it's still there, though the wind has scoured long waves along the north and west sides. Inside it's been scraped down to the bare ice. When you're inside it, you are surrounded by pearl-colored light. The ice road is there, though I haven't gone down to drive it yet.

I'll head back to Seattle next Wednesday unless something unexpected comes up.

I am working on fiction, and that's taking over my brain.

I have an interview tomorrow on KUOW in Seattle, during "Sound Focus," their regional interest program. Check it out streaming tomorrow at 2pm, or listen to the archives after the fact.

And "The Evolution of Trickster Stories among the Dogs of North Park after the Change" will be translated into Japanese in the December 2008 S-F Magazine from Hayakawa Publishing. I am thrilled that my fiction will be in Japanese!

First draft on Kylen is keeping me busy. I've rethought much of what's happening after the first 20K, so even though I have a lot of words on paper, they mostly need to be replaced with different words. That's okay, that's why the dictionary is so fat.

Now that the children's book is off my plate (for now), and so are some documents I needed to produce for something completely other, I'm thinking about books. When I stopped working on novels in spring of 2005, I had several books under contract, and one of them, Kylen, more than half finished. I thought I would never return to Kylen, but it turns out that I not only can but must. And better to do so before I forget all my research, or plunge into the other book, which will be the third Japan book.

Kylen feels inseparable from my life when I was first writing it: in Lawrence, married, writing full-time. It was my constant companion through the medical and personal crises that changed everything, and I let it go when I let go of the other things. How will it feel to return to it now? The amount of work that needs to be done -- the spinning-up and the research and the new writing -- is intimidating. Ditto, the emotional channels that are likely to re-open.

I stalled out in 2005 for a lot of reasons, but not the smallest is that I lost faith in the book. I didn't trust my voice or my plot; I didn't trust my craft to hold these things together to the end. Do I have faith in the book now? I don't know. I am afraid I will feel it's necessary to start over -- which I don't think I could bring myself to do. And I am not sure how to re-access the passion for the book and the sense that it's worth doing.

Thinking out loud here, not complaining or asking for anything. --And telling you all that, Yes, I am writing novels again. Which for me is definitely a hurrah.

For the last six weeks I've been working on a children's/YA book, about 15,000 words. I emailed it to my agent tonight. Not sure what I think about it at the moment, but at least it's off my desk! I hope she gets back to me quickly.

I am giving up and begging you, dear LJ people. Can someone send me the September Locus? Or at least tell me what Gary Wolf said about "The Evolution of Trickster Stories..." in the review of The Year's Best Fantasy and Horror? Please? Thank you.

is a nominee for the World Fantasy Award!

I would tell you the other nominees, but I don't know if I'm supposed to.

There's proof of water on Mars. A bunch of you are going to understand when I say I cried when I heard this.

New job title. I am (for the fourth or fifth time) a managing editor.

I just got the check for the Year's Best Fantasy and Horror reprint which reminded me: Oh yeah! yay!

The story is also being reprinted in the Nebula Awards anthology.

Mars lander, landing. I know this is a simulation, but that doesn't change this: the fact that such a thing is possible makes me so very, very happy, and so proud to be a member of my species.

...with my name on the cover and everything. Very much a happy dance. I just cleaned out the Northgate B&N.

And I made apple rhubarb crisp.

I have a story in the July Asimov's, called "26 Monkeys, Also The Abyss." Though I haven't seen a copy yet, this morning I found an email in my inbox from someone telling me he loved the story. This of course made my day.

Has anyone seen it? What about in the racks somewhere? I need more than the half-dozen I'll get from Sheila.

This review makes me really happy. If you don't want spoilers, either skip the review or read the story online first.

SFWA members, be sure to vote for me.

I had a great afternoon with weaselmom, who will be cat- and rodent-sitting while I'm out of town at ICFA. I made afternoon tea, which included (but was not limited to) curried chicken sandwiches, crumpets, and fresh scones. We chatted about this and that, and I had a wonderful time. I get together with friends in ones and twos far too seldom, so I'll try to do this again. Plus, I have curried chicken left over, which is just lagniappe.

It's bitterly cold out, but the cherry trees outside my apartment building are all blooming, the bright pink even more surprising on gray days like today. I look forward to seeing the sun again, and to August when my poorly insulated top-floor south-facing apartment will be breathlessly hot. I'll lie there like a happy gila monster and dimly remember shivering through March.

The guy downstairs is playing his guitar and singing. Fortunately, he's not very disciplined about practicing, so I think we're about done for the evening.

I am on the 2007 Nebulas final ballot!

Congratulations to everyone (me included) and a special congrats to deliasherman, whose story, "The Fiddler of Bayou Teche," from the same anthology, Coyote Road, is also on the ballot.

I need a new dress....

My friend and former student lanerobins's first novel, Maledicte is on this year's Locus Recommended Reading list. I like and respect many authors on that list, but there's a specific glow that comes from seeing a former student's name there.

From another friend and former student, antonstrout's first novel, Dead To Me, comes out on the 26th. He always ignores me, but I am nevertheless thrilled to take full credit for whatever he knows. The good stuff, I mean.

I suppose it's a good time for me to mention that I am teaching the intensive novel workshop again this summer for the Center for the Study of Science Fiction in Lawrence, Kansas. In the course of the two-week intensive workshop we do everything from critiquing chapters to total structural revamps. It's a lot of work, so I limit the class to six or seven students. The deadline for expressing interest by emailing me at kijjohnson at gmail dot com is April 15, but earlier is better. I'll post more about this closer to the date.

"The Evolution of Trickster Stories..." is also on on this year's Locus Recommended Reading list.

And it's been purchased for the next The Year's Best Fantasy and Horror anthology.

The official announcement is out. "The Evolution of Trickster Stories Among the Dogs of North Park After the Change" from Coyote Road, is on the preliminary ballot. I think this is my first time.

Next step: SFWA members will get a preliminary ballot with this compete list. That vote will winnow the list down to six finalists in each category, which will be voted on (again) in a final ballot to pick a single work. The winners will be announced in April at the Nebula banquet in Austin. (Austin! If I get to the final ballot I am so going.)

SFWA members, if you would like to read "Evolution of Trickster Stories..", email me at username at gmail, and I can email you the file, or send you to a private link.

( Here is the full list. )

I have finally seen it with my own eyes. Yes, "The Evolution of Trickster Stories..." from The Coyote Road is on the preliminary Nebula ballot! Next step is moving from the preliminary to the final ballot. I don't remember how that happens -- one of you must know, right?

In other news, it was 4:30 this morning when I finally fell asleep, despite trying every possible sleep aid, relaxation technique, and dull book. Tatsuko kept me company through the night curled into my down comforter, wheezing gently in her sleep --until four, when she popped awake with a clear devil in her pretty eyes. She bounced on the bed like a kitten and started playing Bed Mouse with my hand, something I don't remember her doing for many years. I laughed out loud and then hoped I wasn't waking up the downstairs neighbor.

I was staggering with sleepiness today, but work was dead enough that I left early, and returned home to one of those perfect naps, when the bed is warm and soft and the sleep is so much better than mere mundane nighttime sleep. After an hour and a half I dragged myself from my mistress's arms.

I wrote for an hour or so tonight. It was nothing new, just light revision. I stopped right before the substantial reworking starts because I am being disciplined, but not that disciplined, not quite yet. Tomorrow I'll plunge in.