I’m a Nebula finalist!

And that’s just one of the really cool things that have happened lately.

RECENT NEWS

I’m going to jump right into recent news since I can now finally talk about the fact that in early March I was told my story, “Once Upon a Time at The Oakmont,” was a finalist for the Nebula Award for Best Short Story. Keeping that a secret for two whole weeks was torture but, somehow, I managed to pull it off.

You can watch the official announcement of all the nominees here.

If you’d like to see the complete Nebula ballot in text form, find it here.

This nomination is a huge honor, especially given the other nominees in my category, but for me it’s extra special because in the 59 years of this award, no Chilean writer has ever been nominated for it before. So, I’m making history as the first.

I was also happy to learn that my friend Renan Bernardo, who’s novelette “A Short Biography of a Conscious Chair” is also nominated, is likewise the first Brazilian writer to ever be nominated for the Nebula. A very cool thing for us to share.

SFWA Members have until April 15 at 11:59 pm Pacific Time to make their final selections for the Nebula Awards. I hope you’ll keep mine and Renan’s stories in mind when voting.

AWARD ELIGIBILITY

I have 11 eligible stories from 2023 that you can find here, with all the relevant information, but I’m most hoping people will consider “Once Upon a Time at The Oakmont.” This story is free to both read and listen to at Fantasy Magazine, linked above.

Nominations for Canada’s Aurora Award are open through April 6, 2024. Voting begins June 8, and closes July 13. Note that any Canadian citizen can nominate or vote on the Auroras by purchasing a $10 CSFFA annual membership here.

The Locus poll and awards ballot is also still open. Readers have until April 15 to get their votes in. Remember that anybody and everybody can vote for the Locus awards absolutely free, so get those votes in before the deadline.

And if you’re a member of the World Fantasy Convention (or were a member in 2022 or 2023) you have until May 31, 2024 to vote for your favorite stories for the World Fantasy Award. Just going to throw out there that my birthday is May 28, so if you want to help me celebrate, I’d love a nomination for “Once Upon a Time at The Oakmont.”

RECENT FICTION SALES

Thrilled to be able to finally say that “Once Upon a Time at The Oakmont” has been selected for Year’s Best Canadian Fantasy & Science Fiction, Vol. 2. The Kickstarter for this anthology is currently underway. If you would like to support this series of books that showcases the best work from Canadian writers, you can contribute here.

In addition to that, my story “Decorative” which was originally published in a Flame Tree Publishing anthology, will be reprinted in Radon Journal this May. I’m excited to see this one out in the world again, especially since it wasn’t previously free to read.

I have another sale I’m not yet allowed to publicly announce, but I’ll definitely do so when they give me the go-ahead.

RECENT PUBLICATIONS

ICYMI I’ve so far had four publications in 2024.

“The Procedure” was published in Abyss & Apex – a couple considers whether a new life-extension treatment is right for them.

“Face the Music” was published in Factor Four – when certain people get superpowers, they don’t realize these come at a cost.

“Bright Horizons” was published in Learning to Be Human: Short Stories – what happens when an artificial intelligence runs a high school.

And…

“The Body Remembers” was translated to Farsi at MetaphorSpace – A soldier learns the downside of a regeneration treatment. (read it in English)

FORTHCOMING PUBLICATIONS

For forthcoming fiction in text form click here.

EVENTS

I have a live event coming up on April 5 through Strong Women, Strange Worlds that includes five other authors. We’ll be discussing our books and reading short excerpts from them. I’ll be reading from Lost Cargo, and there will be multiple giveaways, including an epub copy of my novella for one lucky winner. The event will be via Zoom, and you can sign up to be in the audience here. If you miss it, the recorded event will eventually be posted online, but you won’t want to miss the discussion and giveaways, so if you’re able to make it, please join us.

INTERVIEWS

If you missed it, I recently appeared on Deborah Davitt’s Shining Moon podcast for a fourth time to discuss Food & Foodways in Fiction. This time I was joined by fellow authors Beth Cato, Amelia Gorman, Nibedita Sen, and D.A. Xiaolin Spires. Among the stories we discussed was my SF/Humor story, “How to Impress a Top Food Critic and Put Your Restaurant on the Galactic Map,” which will soon be reprinted in Dragon Gems’ Spring edition. You can listen to the episode here.

I was also interviewed recently by R. Jean Mathieu for his Philosophy in a Teacup series of author interviews. We talk about the things that inspire my stories, my thoughts about time, and lots more. I’m told that should be out some time in May, but I’ll keep you posted.

And finally, I recorded an interview with alibris for their “Author Corner” series, which will be posted on their various social media platforms very soon (Instagram TikTok Facebook Twitter). In it, I discuss my stories, things I love about being a writer, and even share a little advice.

THE STORY BEHIND THE STORY: “My Trip to Zarkania”

Now that I’ve reached a major career milestone with this Nebula nomination—something I never even dared to dream about—it’s natural to look back on where it all started. With that in mind, I thought I’d do a special, “Story Behind the Story.”

In the beginning I was just a kid with a library card who loved stories and wanted to share her own with the world. In many ways, I’m still that, so I’ve been able to live that dream, but this nomination elevates it to a whole new level.

For years now there’s been a line in my website bio (and occasionally in the author bios that have run alongside my published stories) that reads: “She penned her first speculative story as a third-grade assignment: a science fiction piece about shape-shifting aliens.”

At the age of eight, I’d already been creating my own stories for about three years. But this assignment is the first time I remember writing science fiction. I recall that I was really proud of it, and that the other kids in school really liked it. Because of this, I’ve kept it for over 40 years. The paper has yellowed a little, but the words remain legible. And now, for the first time since 1983, I thought I’d share it with a wider audience.

Here it is, in all it’s eight-year-old penmanship glory, with grammar errors intact… “My Trip to Zarkania,” a first-contact story by P.A. Cornell, ©1983.

This is my version of a “How it started/How it’s going.” It’s funny to look back on this and think that this was the beginning. Obviously, this is not a story that would ever get published, but the fact that I felt like I’d accomplished something when I wrote it, gave me the encouragement to write something else, and so on, for decades.

That’s how it happens. You just keep telling your stories. Some will be better than others, but each one is part of the learning process.

When I read this now, I mostly just think it’s cute. Especially now that I’m a mom whose kids have created art of their own through the years. I’ve always been a big fan of art made by children.

“Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up.”

– Pablo Picasso

But I can also see some things this story had going for it. For starters, my spelling isn’t too bad, and I knew enough to make sure my fictional setting had a breathable atmosphere—point for world-building. Also, I was so young, that I’d never encountered the “shapeshifter” trope. So, this came entirely out of my mind, which shows creativity. I’d later of course come to learn that my idea wasn’t entirely original, but that’s not something that’s ever mattered to me. Most ideas have been done before. The important thing is to make it your own.

This story is very fast-paced and the ending is…perhaps a bit abrupt, but the basic building blocks of a story are there. Luckily, I had people in my life to encourage me to keep going, and many books to read that would in time help to teach me the craft.

This story is, in the end, part of a larger story. From there I went on to publish first non-fiction, then fiction. I’ve also worked editing other people’s words for many years. Since selling my first piece of short fiction in 2015, I’ve published over thirty more, including a novelette, most to professionally-paying markets. In 2022, I also published my debut novella, LOST CARGO. My fiction has been translated into Farsi, and my non-fiction into Spanish. I’ve been interviewed multiple times.

If that’s not enough, my writing has won an award (2022 Short Works Prize for Fiction) and has been long-listed for the BSFA Awards. I’ve also been part of an anthology that was long-listed for a Bram Stoker Award (Darkness Blooms). I’ve had stories in two “Best of the Year” anthologies (Year’s Best Canadian Fantasy & Science Fiction Volumes 1 and 2). My work has made several recommended reading lists and has been favorably reviewed many times. My novella was listed among the best of the year.

And now, of course, the Nebula nomination. (Not to mention the things I’m still not allowed to announce publicly)

I don’t say this to brag. I mention it only to take stock of how far I’ve come since writing my earliest stories. I didn’t have many advantages on my journey. I didn’t know anything about publishing at first. I didn’t know any other writers growing up. I didn’t even know about things like writing workshops, conventions, or authors’ associations like SFWA until I was an adult. I didn’t study creative writing in school. Even the Internet is a relatively new tool on my journey. It wasn’t there for my entire childhood. It wasn’t even a tool I used much my first time at college when I studied photography.

What I did have, through all those years working alone, were books. I read everything I could get my hands on, and still do as much as possible. It all started with a library card and stories like this one.

I think it’s important for all of us to look back now and then to see how far we’ve come. To pat ourselves on the back for what we’ve accomplished and set goals for what we want to achieve going forward.

Thanks for taking this little trip down memory lane with me.  

“My Trip to Zarkania” has never been published until this appearance in my newsletter. It did, however, earn me an ‘A’ from my third-grade teacher, Mrs. Caesar.

Thank you for reading! If you enjoyed this, please like, subscribe, and/or share.

P.A. Cornell