… Well, maybe not in that exact order.

I received the copy edited MS of THE NATIVE STAR yesterday (my copy editor is Faren Bachelis, who is, if the red and blue scribblings on my pages are any indication, a swell person) and will be diving into that over the weekend. I am happy to report that the changes are encouragingly minor. A few quibbles over my desire to Initial Cap Every Person, Object, or Role I Refer To, Ever. The need to expunge a few random Britishisms that have smacked my gob for some bloody reason, eh what (Here I thought “moggy” was an adjective, not a noun!) I have to finalize the acknowledgements and figure out how I want to phrase the dedication. And then, this little book flies away on its own wings. I’m done with changing anything other than typos. My job title officially changes from “writer” to “marketer” — both marketer of this book (and the sequel, which has yet to be formally retitled) and marketer of the two proposals I’m putting together for my agent.

It’s all good. I know from marketing, kinda. I’ve been slowly but steadily laying the groundwork for the past year, compiling lists, building spreadsheets, generally cackling to myself in my Secret Underground Lair of Doom. The next big project is going to be fleshing out a series of articles on the real-life historical events and social movements referenced in the first two books. I’ve got dozens of topics, and will be posting a new article every couple of weeks. It should be quite grand, if I don’t fall behind like a total slacker. If all goes according to plan, I’ll post the first installment over the weekend. Dattebayo!

In other news … I filled out my Nebula ballot today. I do quite like the new system, which is a million times nicer and easier than the old system. And I like the fact that you can change your votes right up to the deadline, so if news breaks that any of the people I voted for are actually Covert Agents of Fiction Bent on Destroying our Sacred American Way of Life I’ll be able to turn on a dime to Save Democracy. I think SFWA is to be commended for giving their members that out for Democracy.

I do, however, wish that voters got a *total* number of recs to spread around however we liked within categories. Like, I read more short stories than anything else. So it would be nice if I could do, say, 10 noms in the the Short Story category, maybe 5 in the Novel category, and sprinkle the rest around however. Before you hit the comment button, understand that I know why this is a horrible idea … there’d be a metric butt-ton of recommendations in the Short Story and Novel categories, and Novella and Novelette and Andre Norton and Ray Bradbury would go a-begging, and everything would end up all twisted. Well, I REJECT YOUR LOGIC! If I’m struggling to come up with 5 novellas I’ve read & liked while there 10 or more kickass short stories that I genuinely wish I could nominate, then I should be able to nominate the things I feel confident about. And I know I don’t *have* to use all 5 noms in Novellas. But it’s much like the old HMO problem. If my plan covers prostate exams for free, DAMMIT, I WANT MY FREE PROSTATE EXAM! What I’m proposing is CONSUMER-DIRECTED NEBULA NOMINATING. You get a budget, much like any careful consumer, and you spread it around in the way that works for you and your family, to foster your health and wellness.

Yoinks, day job incursion on my night-mind, like seeing a co-worker on a Saturday buying a birthday cake at Costco. Creepy and unsettling.