I’m a Hugo Award Nominee — Holy Moly on a Stick!

If you didn’t know already, then you’re probably living in a hole, don’t know what a Hugo Award is, or don’t care.  Or maybe you’re secretly plotting to keep me forever in obscurity.  *glare*

In any case, my podcast, The Skiffy and Fanty Show, is a finalist for the 2014 Hugo Awards in the Best Fancast category.  We’re up there with a bunch of other amazing podcasts, too; there’s something really cool about being in a category with Galactic Suburbia, The Writer and the Critic, and The Coode Street Podcast.  Heck, even SF Signal, who is the big boy (or girl) in town, is worthy of admiration for being a powerhouse in the sf/f podcast field.  Plus, there’s Verity Podcast (Doctor Who FTW!) and Emma Newman’s adorable Tea & Jeopardy.  If this isn’t a varied list of cool podcasts, I don’t know what is!

So my name is among a sea of wonderful names.  My crew is among a sea of wonderful crews.  My podcast is among a sea of wonderful podcasts.  It’s a good day.

And, indeed, that’s all this post is about:  celebrating the awesomeness that is this whole ordeal.  I don’t know if I’ll win, and in a lot of ways, I kind of don’t care.  Obviously, I want to win, but I never thought I’d sit here and write this sentence and think “yeah, I really do feel deeply honored that I got nominated and get to see this thing I’ve spent so much time on among a host of amazing shows that have worked hard to be where they are too…and even if I don’t win, I’m still going to feel great.”  But I really feel that way right now.  It feels amazing.  I’ve never been nominated for anything important.  Hell, when I played baseball in my youth, I was the kid you’d give that silly participation trophy to because I couldn’t play worth a damn (though I had the lowest strikeout record in my last season because I was so short and hardly anyone could pitch within my strike zone — I wear that with pride).

But now I’m a Hugo nominee!  That’s not a participation award.  That’s a “people like what you do and voted for you” plaque.  I may not win, but I’ll get to wear my little Hugo pin like a badge of friggin honor.  And you better believe I’m going to wear that thing everywhere.

Cue transition to new thing….

And that brings me to the very important fact that I’m still trying to raise funds to attend Worldcon.  Now, I have a new reason:  to attend the Hugo ceremonies!  Right now, I need to make enough to pay for the plane ticket this month.  The food and (now new) hotel expenses can come later.  But it does mean I really really really need help.  As of this post, I’m about $600 short of the amount I need for the plane ticket.*

If you’ve got $10 to spare, please consider donating.  It would help me out a lot, but it would also help The Skiffy and Fanty Show do a lot of wonderful things at Worldcon, including attending the Hugo Award ceremonies.**

And on that note, I’m going to go for a walk and grin like a fool all day!

*Pretty sure I can get a ticket for between $1250 and $1400 right now, but that will change after April, I imagine.

**Also on the docket:  lots of interviews with international authors and a few walk-by sessions!

P.S.:  I’ll have another post about the awards later.  Right now, I’m riding the happy.