Robert J. Sawyer

Hugo and Nebula Award-Winning Science Fiction Writer

Archive for September, 2007

German Flashforward

Wednesday, September 12th, 2007

I’m very pleased to announce the sale of a German edition of my novel Flashforward to Wilhelm Heyne Verlag, an imprint of Random House GMBH, and for a nice pile of euros, too, I might add. ;) The Robert J. Sawyer Web Site

Star Trek geekery: a return to Vasquez Rocks!

Wednesday, September 12th, 2007

Vasquez Rocks in southern California is where the classic Star Trek episodes “Arena” and “Friday’s Child” were filmed. And the good folks at HeroComm.com — a site devoted to the actual original communicator props from the series — decided to take one of the original communicators to Vasquez Rocks for a reunion, recreating the famous […]

What is Science Fiction?

Tuesday, September 11th, 2007

Over at Yahoo! Questions, someone asked, “What do YOU think science fiction is? Do you think it could be a prediction of the future?” I posted this answer: My own definition is this: Science fiction is the mainstream literature of a plausible alternative reality. That is to say, it is stories told as if to […]

"Biding Time" in Penguin Book of Crime Stories

Monday, September 10th, 2007

For those looking for my Aurora Award-nominated short story “Biding Time,” it’s online during the voting period here as a Word document, in the DAW science-fiction anthology Slipstreams edited by Martin H. Greenberg and John Helfers, and also, I’m pleased as punch to announce, in the wonderful new anthology The Penguin Book of Crime Stories, […]

Actual fill-it-in Aurora ballot now available

Monday, September 10th, 2007

The actual fill-it-in-and-mail-it ballot for the Aurora Awards is now available online as a PDF here. If you’re an attending member of VCon in Vancouver, voting is free; otherwise, it’s Cdn$6.00 to vote — the fees go entirely to pay for the Aurora Awards trophies (which are gorgeous and are designed and built by the […]

Another example of how not to do it

Sunday, September 9th, 2007

This query, with attached manuscript, showed up in my email box today, and, yes, it was in all-caps: DEAR SIR/MADAM I AM A MEMBER OF WINNING WRITERS , USA. I PICKED YOUR CONTACT DETAILS FROM ONE OF THE WIINING WRITERS WEBSITES RECENTLY.. What did our hapless wannabe do wrong? 1. “Dear Sir/Madam” — No. Address […]

Cathy Palmer-Lister and On-Site Aurora Voting at Con*Cept

Sunday, September 9th, 2007

Cathy Palmer-Lister, the chair of Con*Cept, the Montreal regional SF convention, agreed several days ago to having on-site voting for the Auroras this year at Con*Cept (in addition to the on-site voting at VCon in Vancouver, the actual venue for the Aurora ceremony this year). The world should note that having on-site voting at Con*Cept […]

I was not in Japan this year

Sunday, September 9th, 2007

So, now there’s a rumor that a fan saw me in Kyoto around the time of the Worldcon in Yokohama. I was NOT — absolutely not — in Japan at any time this year. Jeepers, if I was in Japan, you think I’d pass up the chance to go to Worldcon? Besides the fact that […]

CanadianSF.com has links to Aurora nominees

Saturday, September 8th, 2007

The final ballot of the Aurora Awards is now available, at long last. I’ve added a wiki version of the list of finalists to the Canadian SF Works Database that Marcel Gagné and I created earlier this year. If you know of a nominated work that is available online, go there and add a hyperlink […]

Jet-Lag Sucks!

Saturday, September 8th, 2007

After two weeks in China, Carolyn and I are struggling mightily with Jet-lag. It’s 15 hours earlier here in Dawson than it is in Beijing, and our internal clocks are not adjusting. We finally got to sleep at 7:00 a.m. this morning and got up at almost 2:00 this afternoon — which would have been […]

100th Award Nomination

Friday, September 7th, 2007

With the just-announced nomination of my short story “Biding Time” for Canada’s Aurora Award, I’ve hit a major career milestone: my 100th award nomination. It’s a number that astonishes and delights me, and it breaks down thus (the number in brackets is actual wins): Analog Analytical Laboratory Award: 1 (1) Aurora Award: 33 (9) Barry […]

Astronomicon canceled?

Wednesday, September 5th, 2007

It looks like Astronomicon, the wonderful little SF con in Rochester, New York, has been canceled for this year. It was to have been November 9-11, 2007, but that info is gone from their website, which now says “Our next convention will be held in November, 2008.” I was guest of honor at Astronomicon 5 […]

Back at Berton House

Tuesday, September 4th, 2007

After a wonderful two-week trip to China, Carolyn and I are back at Berton House in Dawson, Yukon. We’ll be here for 24 more days. I still plan to get more pictures and commentary up about the Chengdu SF conference, but for now — back to work on my novel! The Robert J. Sawyer Web […]

Back in Canada

Tuesday, September 4th, 2007

Carolyn and I have made it safe and sound to Whitehorse, the capital of the Yukon. Tomorrow at 7:00 a.m., we take the final flight from Whitehorse to Dawson, and return to Berton House. All is well, but we’re exhausted. The Robert J. Sawyer Web Site

A Call for On-Site Aurora Voting at Con*Cept

Monday, September 3rd, 2007

A Call for On-Site Aurora Voting at Con*Cept We now face a major crisis — yet again — related to the credibility of the Aurora Awards, thanks to the tardiness of release of the final ballot. The facts: 1) For good or ill, VCon, the convention at which the Aurora Awards will be presented in […]

Dennis Mullin rescinds his promise

Sunday, September 2nd, 2007

Yup, that’s right: Dennis promised — his word — that he’d FINALLY have the Aurora Ballot done by Labor Day. But apparently that’s not to be; the promise has disappeared from the Aurora website, to be replaced with: “Apologies for the delays. 2007 voting ballot will become available later this week. As well as mail-in […]

Paleozoological Muesum of China

Sunday, September 2nd, 2007

Today, Sunday, September 2, was our last full day in Beijing. Once again, the wonderful Juana and Dede were our guides. We started with shopping (well, the women shopped — I parked myself in the English-language bookstore and browsed). Then it was off to lunch at a restaurant Juana recommended — terrific. After that it […]

Beijing: Summer Palace, Kung Fu

Sunday, September 2nd, 2007

Yesterday (Saturday, September 1, 2007) Carolyn and I were met at our hotel (the Park Plaza Beijing) by Juana, a lovely woman who had worked as a translator at the Chengdu SF conference, and her friend Dede — and also by a wonderful guide we’d hired for the day who used the western name Remington. […]

Why having a Worldcon in Canada in 2009 is cool

Saturday, September 1st, 2007

The 2009 World Science Fiction Convention will be in Montreal. That’s cool for many reasons, including: It’s the 30th anniversary of John Robert Colombo’s Other Canadas, the massive retrospective anthology that first established that there was, in fact, such a thing as Canadian science fiction. It’s the 25th anniversary of the first Tesseracts anthology, edited […]

Worldcon in Montreal in 2009

Saturday, September 1st, 2007

Yay! I, of course, am thrilled! Montreal Worldcon Homepage The Robert J. Sawyer Web Site