It says something about 2010 that I’ve been attempting (and failing) for almost a week to find something simple to say about it. It was the busiest year of my life. It was the most productive year of my life.  There were more family occasions in it, more times for special moments, but also more stress and pressure. It was rewarding, challenging, difficult, but mostly fun.

What did I do? Well, there’s so much that it’s a blur. I almost don’t remember which books I worked on during the year. The vagaries of publishing are such that there are often long delays before a book appears, so for example, while I write this on Christmas Eve a number of the books I’ll have out in 2011 are already finished and put to bed. Still, this year eleven books and one magazine  issue that I edited were published.   This was what came out:

1. The Best Science Fiction and Fantasy of the Year: Volume 4 (Night Shade Books, March)
2. Mirror Kingdoms: The Best of Peter S. Beagle (Subterranean Press, March)
3. Fritz Leiber: Selected Stories (ed with Charles N. Brown) (Night Shade Books, April)
4. The Green Leopard Plague and Other Stories, Walter Jon Williams (Night Shade Books, April)
5. Subterranean Online, Spring Issue (April)
6. Hard Luck Diggings: The Early Jack Vance (ed. with Terry Dowling) (Subterranean Press, June)
7. Legends of Australian Fantasy (ed. with Jack Dann) (HarperCollins Publishers Australia, July)
8. Wings of Fire (ed. with Marianne S. Jablon) (Night Shade Books, May)
9. Swords and Dark Magic: The New Sword and Sorcery (ed. with Lou Anders) (Harper Eos, July)
10. The Best of Kim Stanley Robinson (Night Shade Books, August)
11. Godlike Machines (The Science Fiction Book Club, September)
12. The Best of Larry Niven (Subterranean Press, December)

I don’t think I’ll ever have that many books out in a single year again, but I’m proud of each and every one of them in different ways, and would like to thank everyone at Eos, Voyager, Subterranean and Night Shade for being wonderful to work with, patient, and making the books themselves look so wonderful.

I also worked as reviews editor for Locus, working on my hundredth issue, and completing my thirteenth year with the magazine. The Locus team – Liza, Kirsten, Amelia, Fran, Tim, and Carolyn – are a fantastic group and it’s always great to work with them. One special thing in 2010 is that I got to share a little of my World Fantasy Award with them. It was presented ‘for editing anthologies and magazines’. Locus is the only magazine I did editorial work for during 2009, so the award is in part for them, which pleases me greatly.

The year wasn’t all about editing, though. I was busy at the day job, too, and owe Patrick, Drew and Garth my thanks there as well.  The family and I travelled to Dunsborough and Melbourne, and I had a surprisingly good time in Columbus. I made new friends, saw old ones, and it all spun dizzyingly past. Gary and I recorded thirty-one podcasts!! Oh, and there were awards. The Aurealis, Locus and World Fantasy Awards all came home this year, as did a number of awards nominations (Hugo, Ditmar etc). My thanks to everyone involved with those too.

I hope to say more about 2010 in coming days, but for now I just want to wish everyone I’ve worked with, met, seen, or talked to during the year a wonderful holiday season and a safe and successful new year!