Well, about two minutes ago I sent off an email containing the submission manuscript for my young adult science fiction anthology, The Starry Rift. I’m really happy with the book, but am so close to it that I don’t entirely know what to think. I’m enormously happy and relieved to get the book to the publisher at long, long last — and begin the next phase of bringing the book to publication in mid-2007 — but I’m also incredibly nervous. This is the first original anthology I’ve done, the first where I’ve edited the stories. I don’t think I’ve ever been more invested in a book. Will my editor, the fabulous Sharyn, like it? Will it be good enough? Will all be well? I’ve done all I can, and now it’s out of my hands. I have my fingers crossed.

PS: Once I know that the book has been accepted for publication I’ll post the table of contents here. It’s something of a doozy.

I get stressed way too easily. My mum always used to say that my family was of a nervous disposition, which I always rubbished. And yet, as I’ve gotten older I’ve gotten twitchier and twitchier. I’m sure this is partly a byproduct of physical fitness, partly of poor organisation, but it’s there nonetheless. We’ve been trying to organise things for my mum’s birthday on Thursday and my daughter Jessica’s sixth birthday next week, and that got me a bit twitchy. Then this morning I got an email that plunged me into mild chaos. I’ve got a tick under my left eye as I type. The email was perfectly fine, it just asked where I was at with something. Now, I thought I’d replied last August to this query already (an email seems to have gone astray), and suddenly was going ‘oh shit, oh shit, oh shit’. I’ve now responded to the email and wouldn’t blame my correspondent for being both disappointed and angry with me. I hope it’ll work out, but it both added to the stress of the morning and left me thinking I get stressed way too easily. And way too easily to be this disorganised.

I told you CHARLES, Liza, Kirsten, Tim, and the gang were making things happen. Today’s email brings two wonderful images from World Fantasy Award winning artist John Picacio that will be the covers of Fantasy: The Very Best of 2005 and Science Fiction: The Very Best of 2005 respectively. I’ve loved John’s work for ages, he has a fantastic new book out right now, and he did that astounding cover for MonkeyBrain’s Kim Newman collection. I feel very lucky indeed and, while the cover designs still need to be done, I think the book’s will look terrific.

Little kids, at least my girls, love to be co-conspirators. They love to be part of a secret, especially a good one. Here’s an example. Yesterday morning I got an email from Marianne telling me that Sophie (age four and a half) had been very difficult all morning, not getting dressed, having tantrums, all that kind of thing. She was so difficult that Marianne banned her from doing some of her favorite things for the morning, and they both were still a bit cross when I got home.

Just before dinner Sophie wanted to watch one of her new favorite movies, The Lady and the Tramp. She told me she wanted to watch it, but she wasn’t allowed to. I asked her why, and she told me – quite seriously – that she’d not been very good. She’d gotten out of bed and had a tantrum, got dressed and had a tantrum, had breakfast and had a tantrum, and then gotten in the car and had a tantrum – four tantrums! (her emphasis). I asked her why? She said she didn’t know. We then had quite a serious conversation about whether tantrums made mummy happy or cross (cross), whether mummy did nice things for Sophie when she was cross (no), and whether Sophie liked it when mummy did nice things for her (yes). I then suggested wouldn’t it be a good idea if she did something nice, and then maybe mummy might do something nice for her. Sophie thought this was a very good idea. I suggested the ‘Getting Ready’ Present. We would secretly go and pick out Sophie’s clothes for the morning, lay them out, and then in the morning Sophie could get up, have breakfast, and then secretly get herself all dressed and ready to go without telling mum. It would be a present. Sophie loved this idea! It was a secret, it was a conspiracy, and it was doing something nice for mum. And I just got word she went through with it like clockwork. She’s apparently pleased as punch with herself, which she should be, and being delightful. We’ll have to see if we can make it work tomorrow morning, though .

Sorry to make your download suffer for my enthusiasm, but this is the first image I’ve seen of the Locus Press year’s best volumes. This is the galley for Science Fiction: The Very Best of 2005. The photo was taken in Oakland, California by the wonderful Liza, who is making sure these books are as terrific as they can be. We’ve finished all of the proofing and nonsense, galleys are going out to reviewers right now, cover art has been selected, and they’ll be purchasable before you know it. Yay! And, in case I haven’t thanked ’em enough yet, many, many thanks to Liza for all of her hard work on making these books happen, Kirsten for making the galleys happen, Tim for all of his hard work on layout, and to CHARLES, who approves things.