So I did that thing again…
…where I don’t post for a month. Sorry. :(
Epic adventure was epic, and has so far resulted in multiple new adventures, one of which was WisCon. I don’t even know what to say about it. I got to meet so many awesome people, and connect with several who I met last year at WFC, and perhaps most notably I finally met my dear friend (because we can become that on the internet in this day and age) Adam Israel in person. Yes, he is just as awesome as he seems.
The other highlight, of course, was kicking off the launch of Lightspeed. Editor and Overlord John Joseph Adams introduced the magazine with a packed reading by four of his authors, all of which were brilliant, though I think my favorite reading was by Genevieve Valentine. (Just wait until you read this one. It’s in the July issue.)
Lightspeed officially launched on June 1 and has so far been a resounding success. The site is beautiful, thanks to Jeremiah Tolbert. June 9 marked six months since I started working for the magazine, and it has been so gratifying to see it take off the way it has. (I confess I kind of miss the slush. One month ’til we reopen! Jordan and I will be ready. I hope you’re polishing those manuscripts!)
Right before that two of my beautiful sisters came to stay for a week, which was phenomenal; we are 19 years apart in age (they are mere minutes apart from each other, being twins) so this was really our first opportunity to spend some real time together and get to know each other better. They are both just dazzling beings of light and energy and talent, and I am honored to be their sister. I wish we had more time, and I can’t wait to see them for Sisterfest 2 in August.
And now my beloved co-adventurer and Significant Other is here visiting until Monday. Life just keeps being awesome.
But the reason that I decided to post today instead of any other day is because today I reached a milestone in my writing career that means a lot to me. I’ve written before about the role of SFWA in my life over the past eight years. I credit them with giving me the information I needed to calibrate my expectations. They gave me the basic tool kit for behaving like a professional. I am so grateful for the many articles they have posted on their website; for being an organization made up of people who love genre; for just giving me a place to start. In 2009 I got to pay back a little of my debt to them by volunteering for some stuff, and it felt great to be able to participate.
Last week Prime Books–who is publishing the anthology that I made that sale to back in February–became a qualifying market for SFWA. So today I became an Associate Member.
It’s one sale, and one sale does not a career make. Associate Membership does not make me a professional any more than that one sale does. Enough hard work and perseverance to match what I’ve put in since 2002 might–but this is still a milestone. It is something I’ve aspired to for as long as I’ve known they exist.
Thanks so much to everyone on Twitter who offered their congratulations.
What do I wish for next?