It's that time of year again... awards eligibility post time! If you're not familiar with this tradition for speculative fiction and horror awards Lyndsie Manusos wrote an excellent overview on BookRiot in 2022 and the indefatigable A.C. Wise maintains a current list and an explainer here: https://acwise.net/what-have-you-done-what-have-you-loved-2024/
I had 3 short stories published this year I'm really proud of, and I’m also eligible in Fan Artist categories.
Just noting that none of the below stories are available to read online for free, but please message/email me and I’ll happily send you a digital copy!
Short fiction
"Dualhaven" in The Off-Season: An Anthology of Coastal New Weird, October 2024
“If you met your double,” Al slurs, her face flushed, setting down an emptied mini-bottle of vodka with wonderful elegance next to all the other mini-bottles, “what would you do?”
CeCe travels to the old hotel in the declining coastal town of Dualhaven to meet her friend Al, a tradition since childhood. CeCe just wants troubled, volatile Al to be happy—but if Al changes into the person CeCe wants her to be, will she still be the person CeCe loves?
"Practice Makes Perfect" in Conflux 18: Missions and Quests, October 2024
There are too many people on the escalator to push past. I’m not exactly worried. But I am pleased that I’m heading back to work, and not home, because then he’d know where I live.
A young woman becomes trapped in a public speaking time loop.
"Down the Hatch" in Cosmic Horror Monthly 51, September 2024
“What was unacceptable about you?” I ask Petey. Drugs, I presume. It occurs to me too late that I shouldn’t have used the term unacceptable.
“I wanted to be a musician,” says Petey. “I wanted to move to the city.”
“Canberra’s a city,” I say weakly.
“You know what I mean. A big city. Like Melbourne or Sydney.”
“And—there was some sort of bad crowd involved?” I hazard. That can’t be all there is to the story.
Mouse hasn't heard from Petey's mum in years, but she never could say no to Alice. Mouse agrees to take Alice's troubled teenage son to an underwater wellness retreat to be remade into a better version of himself—but in who's eyes?
Fan Artist
I'm also eligible in Fan Artist categories. So far, that's for: Cathy and Jasmine (The Marigold by Andrew F. Sullivan), Two Doors (The Stanley Parable) and Green Screen (The Stanley Parable) on Instagram. I also repost across most social media platforms if you're not on Instagram. Will update if anything else happens this year! I gravitate towards "comfort" horror and weird fiction in strange times so there may be more fan art...
Thank you so much for taking the time to read. Please take care during these difficult times, and I hope you have a happy and safe rest of the year!
Beyond eligibility posts, I had a great writing year in 2024. I revised and went on sub with another novel with my wonderful agent Carleen Geisler, and to keep myself from thinking about being on sub I've drafted the next project, and plan to revise early next year. Thanks Carleen, the Canberra Speculative Fiction Guild novel crit group, and my writing buddies including my agent sibling Z.K. Abraham for all your fantastic feedback on the book on sub.
Moodboard for doppelgängers/underwater hotel project on sub
In June, I had the opportunity to illustrate my first book cover for Jessica Nirvana Ram's poetry collection "in the aftermath." It was an honour to illustrate this project, and Viviana and Prismatica Press were a dream to work with.
With short stories, a similar pattern to last year, where I was writing steadily but I published no stories in the first half of the year and then for some reason published 3 stories, including my weird fiction dream markets Cosmic Horror Monthly and The Off-Season anthology, in September and October.
I was over the moon to be shortlisted in the Aurealis Awards for the first time in 2024, in the YA Short Story category for "Integrated Learning" in Aurealis 166. This was the final push I needed to travel to my first interstate con, Continuum in Melbourne. I loved Continuum and it was fantastic meeting and catching up with amazing people including fellow finalist Anthony Panegyres. Thanks to the organisers and judges, and congratulations to the Aurealis Awards winners and shortlisted (full list here), including Pamela Jeffs who won after being nominated twelve times, and J Palmer who won with his first published story!
Aurealis Awards winners and shortlisted in Melbourne, 2024 - Photo by Cat Sparks
In October, I had a blast at Conflux, which also hosted the Ditmar Awards and the Australasian Shadows Awards for horror on the Sunday night. It was a pleasure being one of the judges in the Australasian Shadows and a privilege to read so much excellent Aussie horror.
I was so excited and honoured to win three Ditmar Awards, in Short Story for "Jimmy Flip Brings His Little One to Work, and It Comes My Turn to Hold It" in BODY OF WORK anthology (ed. C.Z. Tacks), Fan Artist, and Best New Talent. Thanks so much to everyone who voted, the organisers for making Conflux and the Ditmar and Australasian Shadows Awards happen, and big congratulations to the winners and shortlisted—and cheers to my unofficial life coach T.R. Napper for encouraging me to put myself forward for Best New Talent in the first place... Shoutout to Karen Herkes and Cat Sparks who went above and beyond with Conflux.
Slight aside, excited to see the anthology BODY OF WORK anthology (ed. C.Z. Tacks) getting lots of love this year as well as my weird motherhood story "Jimmy Flip Brings His Little One to Work, and It Comes My Turn to Hold It." "Jimmy Flip" was also shortlisted in the Brave New Weird Awards this year (full list here), which gave me a boost as I am a huge fan of Tenebrous Press (and of course New Weird). Pamela Jeffs won an Aurealis Award for her story "Death Interrupted" in BODY OF WORK, and the anthology as a whole was shortlisted in the Ditmars, so congrats editor C.Z. Tacks, cover artist Red Saunders, and all contributors.
Other Conflux highlights included being a panellist on the humour in speculative fiction panel with Scott Steensma, C.Z. Tacks, Americo Alvaregna, and Gabiann Marin, placing 2nd in the Conflux/CSFG Short Story Competition with my public speaking time loop story (congratulations Geoff Taylor and winner Greg Foyster who is not only an incredible writer but also a friend from my online crit group), excellent readings, panels, book launches, art show, catching up with and meeting new wonderful writers and other creatives, and of course coming home with a bag full of books.
Middle photo by Scott Steensma (capturing the chaos of Conflux!) and last photo Cat Sparks
Thanks for taking the time to stop by!
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