The year is rushing by and, as always, I’m failing to take stock as often I should of all of the great things that are happening. With June almost over, we’re half way through 2009 and I’m about to have three books come out in a rush.

Each is different, and I’m very proud of them for similarly diverse reasons. First up is The New Space Opera 2. As regular readers know, it’s the second in The New Space Opera series of anthologies that I am co-editing with Gardner Dozois. This volume is different from the first – lighter and more adventurous and perhaps even pulpy. There are great stories from many cool people, and you should check it out.

Next up is Wild Thyme, Green Magic. This is the third of the four books of Jack Vance’s work that I’m co-editing with Terry Dowling. This one collects, at its simplest, the rest of Vance’s best short fiction (think of it as the Treasury Vol. 2). Lovely cover, and just out from Subterranean.

And finally, the year’s best. It seems like a year ago that I finished this one (I delivered it in October, I think). Beautiful cover (thank you Jeremy and Fred!) and some wonderful, wonderful stories. It was a good year and I think you can see that in this book. I’m very happy to have signed up to do the next two volumes in the series and am slowly getting down reading for the next one.

Where to next? Well, this is just the first half of the year, however wonderful. Godlike Machines IS coming, as is my special issue of Subterranean and Eclipse Three, all before the end of the year. Not sure what else. Busy, busy.

A strange 24 hours. I was getting ready for work on Monday morning when Marianne came in to tell me that it looked like Jessica had had another seizure. When I saw her it was pretty clear that she had, which is a worry. Doctors have assured us that the seizures themselves – she has ones while she’s asleep, usually very early in the morning – don’t do any damage but we need to address possible medication issues and so on. And, she’s our little girl, even at nine, so you worry.

It meant that I started the day worried and tired – another poor night’s sleep – and the day pretty much continued that way.  A solid day in the place-of-employ-that-is-nameless, then home.  The ARC of Scott Westerfeld’s Leviathan arrived in the mail, which was wonderful. The publicist had promised to send me a copy, but it never showed. Instead, thanks to Twitter, a very kind person at Amazon.com sent me a spare copy. I’m in his debt.  We don’t have one for Locus yet, so I’ll have to folow that up.  I got home to find the house clean and fresh, and the girls reasonably full of energy.  Homework ensued, pretty much killing my plans to catch up on anthology work before dinner, but was sweet nonetheless. Sophie is becoming a very good reader, and Jessica is solidly learning her basics.  I *think* she’ll get there.

And then I whiled away the evening, chatting with girliejones about Masterchef Australia before reading a couple chapters of Suite Scarlett.  I then actually slept. It’s Tuesday morning and I’m taking a moment over coffee before diving into the day.  Had a work meeting yesterday, and I seem to have walked out with an ocean of stuff to do.

The first copy of The New Space Opera 2 arrived in the mail today! Yay! Gardner and I have now done two of these books, and I’m very happy. They’re both different, both strong in their own way, and we’re both eager to do a third one. Many thanks to Diana at Eos and the entire Eos team, Stephanie at Voyager and the entire Voyager team, to Stephan Martiniere, and to all of the authors.  Without you this would be a very rough beast indeed, and everything you’ve done has been greatly appreciated.

Oh, the book’s not quite in stores yet, but I also hear if you live in Perth there may be a launch coming up. More on that soon.

What an odd weekend. We went iceskating this afternoon. It wasn’t entirely successful, and it wasn’t completely a failure. Fourteen girls, aged six to nine, showed up at 1pm, went to a icehockey change room temporarily designated as a party room, and gave it a go.  There were some very happy girls, some wet girls, and one or two bruised ones.  Jessica seemed to enjoy herself, which is the main thing.  There’s now chaos in the family room – presents opened and everywhere – and I’m trying not to think about how to get two tired girls who are fixated on a Bratz DVD to turn the room back into a space I can bear to look at.  Still, Jessica is nine, and that’s good

I also had a really good conversation with Sophie last night. She has issues with some of her friends, and wanted to discuss it calmly and clearly, because it was troubling her. She’s a caring, sensitive kid and I couldn’t be prouder of her. I, on the other hand, am wiped. More soon, world. You’re all still there, right?

Good morning and welcome to the all-new, low bandwidth ‘Other Side of the World’. It’s mid-June (this post seems to have a lot of’ ‘n’ dashes already, huh?), and I’m getting on with the year. Today is Jessica’s party for her friends.  Ice-skating with nine-year-olds.  Should be fun, I guess.  I’ve been spinning my wheels for the past week, knocked off balance a bit by this sinus infection thing that’s kept me home from work and unproductive.  I’m determined once we get into the week that’s coming that I’m going to focus (!) and get things done.

And I have a lot of things to get done.  This isn’t a boring ‘to do’ post (I hope).  When I say done, I mean things to organise and focus on for the rest of the year. Even though I’d happily change my flights if I could, I’m headed for the US and Canada in just over six weeks.  While juggling a day job, before that time arrives I need to lose 10kgs, finish Eclipse Three, Conquering Swords, and the Special Issue.  I also want to get proposals to my agent for the witches book and the space opera book, and get ideas worked out for both this loopy new book Lou just suggested and this other book idea that came up over drinks at girliejones house on Saturday night.  I also have house stuff to take care of before 31 July (the take-off date) like getting the cooker fixed, the dumb light in the living room repaired, some guttering stuff and so on. Oh, and taxes. NOT going to the US with those undone.

I also plan to step up my reading (hi LSS guys!!).  There’s some likelihood I may be doing a panel in Montreal on the best short fiction of 2009. If I’m going to do that I should read some. I started early, back in October last year, so I’ve gone through some stuff. Time to get moving. Oh, and I’ve read books – I mentioned that, yeah?  I read Joe Abercrombie’s Best Served Cold. I liked it a lot.  Joe can do that hard-action fantasy thing as well as anyone out there, and Lou was completely right to recommend him. I also read, thanks to Patrick and Bill, Cherie Priest’s steampunk adventure, Boneshaker. It’s coming from Tor in November, and is terrific fun.  She’s writing a sequel right now, which is the one reason I can forgive her for not being able to write a story for the short steampunk antho I’m doing for SubPress with Bill.  More on that one soon too.  And I’ve just started reading Maureen Johnson’s Suite Scarlett. Why? Mmm. Truthfully, because I met her at Scott and Justine’s place in 2006 and she was funny, and because they recommended her book. So far it’s terrific.

The giveaway that you’re reading a first draft ramble is that I start a lot of sentences with ‘And’. I should edit those out Anyhow.  I also need to (a) chase up the intro for the ‘Best of Larry Niven’, (b) finalise the story order and texts for the ‘Best of Peter Beagle’, (c) assemble the final ms. for Walter’s collection, (d) order the books so I can get on with the ‘Best of Joe Haldeman’, and (e) get back to CHARLES about the ‘Best of Fritz Leiber’. Oh, and get started on the dragon book and on the ‘Best of KSR’.

I think that’s everything.  I think. Oh, Eclipse. I spoke to the publisher yesterday. I think we’re on for Eclipse Four and so on, which is good news. I have a hard time letting go of things, and I can’t help but feeling the Eclipse is still in its birthing throes.  Still, if it’s going to continue (as seems likely) I need to refine the whole project somewhat. I’m seriously interested in YOUR thoughts.  Right now it’s an unthemed original anthology series of science fiction and fantasy stories. It usually features about 120,000 wds of stories, mostly in the 7.5k range.  While I love the series and am happy with each volume, they aren’t consistent from book to book. If Eclipse is going to continue and find a readership I need to redefine it somewhat so that there is a consistent character from book to book.  I don’t want it to be a themed book – I do enough of those – but it needs to be definitively itself.  Not sure where to take it, though. Drop the slipstream stuff that’s crept in? Drop the fantasy and go SF only? Push it more definitively to the heart of the genre (something it’s drifted way from)?  Not sure.  Thoughts are welcome!

Well, more soon. We’re running late for breakfast.