A four day weekend, and all I can think about is work. I like the idea of packing the family up and heading South, maybe to a small B&B. Putting the feet up, read Flora Segunda, and do fun things with the kids. Instead, I’m finishing off my last bit on The New Space Opera (for the moment), thinking about year’s bests, and working on an interview for Jeff (trying not to make it too dull).  I’ll probably watch the Grand Final today, and we’re headed out to dinner with the Cabal tonight, so that should be good. Think I could do with a little time off, not physically, but mentally.

Exciting news! Just got a first sneak peek at the cover art for The New Space Opera. The artwork is by the fabulous Stephan Martinere and will be used on both the US and Australian editions of the book. I think he’s done a spectacular job with the cover art, and am delighted with it. Many thanks to my fabulous editor Stephanie and everyone at HarperC Australia who arranged it.

I want you all to note that I did not whine in this post. Too much whining on blogs. Too much whining on this blog. So, instead of whining (in the face of some good reason to do so), I offer this: I’ve been catching up on my reading for The Best Science Fiction and Fantasy of the Year for Night Shade over the past few weeks. You know, going over the last few stragglers for the year, beginning to go back and see if that story from January was really as good as I remember it. Anyhow, yesterday I was reading stories from the December issue of Asimov’s, and finally got to Paolo Bacigalupi’s “Yellow Card Man”.  It’s a near-future SF novelette set in the same world as “The Calorie Man” and is absolutely corruscating. Bacigalupi completely nails the story, from the desperation of his lead character, the harshness of his situation, to the details of the background. I doubt he’s written a better story, and it reinforced my feeling that SF is a long way from being done with what it can say about things. I’m not sure how long it is – probably something like 16,000 words – but it’s amazing. Bacigalupi is always worth watching, and one day there’s going to be a hell of a collection come out.  See: that was better than whining, yes?

Is it possible to write a science fiction story involving a young adult protagonist who has entered military service with the intention of serving in an extraterrestrial setting that reads like it was written after 1955?

So, I’m at home working today. Been reading through an enormous pile of magazines, collections, and anthologies, as I work my towards a final shortlist for The Best Science Fiction and Fantasy of the Year and Best Short Novels: 2007, doing an editorial pass on my intro for The New Space Opera, and working on a few other bits and pieces. Sophie, of course, couldn’t abide me not paying attention to her, so a photograph. I spent time on the interview that I’m doing with Jeff, which is interesting, and had some interesting conversations with various people. There may, it seems, be a change in my working arrangements. Too early to tell, but it may not be good news. I’m not sure. If it is bad news, then I’ll just have to work harder on other stuff. I’ve been pretty lucky these past few years, and I try to never lose track of that.