…there’s this, possibly the strangest, most brilliant mashup I’ve yet seen:

I was looking for something to post this morning and wanted something that wouldn’t sound too melancholy, so I thought I’d look through the backpages of this blog and see what I’d been saying and/or doing on (or as close as possible to) November 19 in previous years. This is what I found:

• In 2009, I posted my first and only blog post at Tor.com;
• In 2008, I delivered The Best Science Fiction and Fantasy of the Year: Vol. 3 to Night Shade;
• In 2007, I was working on the Locus recommended reading list and my mother was in hospital with heart trouble. I also was expressing my doubts about the 1st release of the Kindle. Hm. I might have been wrong about that (looks at own Kindle);
• In 2006, I was asking why the heck Microsoft called it the Zune, and expressed optimism about new books from Greg Egan and William Gibson;
• In 2005, I was reading reviews of the now sadly defunct Best Short Novels series, working on the 2006 volume, and pondering Bruce Holland Rogers email subscription service for his short stories; and
• In 2004, I was bothered about how anthologies should or shouldn’t be structured and being dismayed at the then new Australian government’s social policies.

Two things struck me re-reading those blog posts: I always seemed busy and I rarely seemed happy. I wonder if that’s telling.

Well, thanks to some hard work, fast footwork and the tireless efforts of my wife and sometime co-editor Marianne Jablon, The Best Science Fiction and Fantasy of the Year: Volume 5 has been delivered to Night Shade Books about nineteen days early, and just thirteen days after I was asked if I could be sure to get it in on time. Done!

There is, of course, a lot still to be done. There’s copyedits to get through, a cover, and we’re still nailing down permissions (we have emailed agreements, but I won’t really rest easy till we have the signed permissions themselves), so respite but no rest for a few weeks.

I will, once all of the permissions are nailed down, post the table of contents for the book here. I’m really quite happy with it.