I think it’s fitting that the 100th post to my blog be about the very thing that started the blog in the first place. Here’s the cover of the forthcoming WRITERS OF THE FUTURE vol 23, which will include my story (more on that in a minute…)

As I’d said earlier, I got a sneak-peak at the cover when I went to the Galaxy Press booth at Book Expo Canada last month, but seeing it again now…well, it still looks fabulous. I can’t wait to get my hands on the book. And I really hope they’ll give us a cover flat to frame.

My thanks for this image go to Andrea Kail, the first-place winner in the fourth quarter, who found the listing on Amazon and posted it to her blog. I’d looked and looked but hadn’t been able to find the upcoming volume.

Now then, as for my story…

When I won, I was told to keep hush-hush about the title. See, I know Rob Sawyer–one of the WOTF judges and kind of my writing Yoda–and because I’d won a first place I was up for the Grand Prize, which would be voted on later. Because Rob might be one of the judges to vote on the Grand Prize-winning story, to keep things on the level I wasn’t to tell him the name of the winning tale. Okay, good idea. I didn’t want to taint the process.

But the Internet is a funny thing. The names of at least two of the first-place winning stories are available here and here (amongst other places) so I guess it doesn’t matter anymore?

I’m not sure when the vote is made on which of the four stories is the Grand Prize winner (I assume it could happen any time after the fourth winning story is known), but Rob is in the Yukon at the moment, and won’t be able to attend the WOTF prize dinner as he’ll be in China receiving his own award at the same time, so I guess all bets are off.

I’ve also been asked for a write-up about the story and its inspiration for an upcoming profile in the WOTF newsletter, so if the contest itself is going to be publishing my name and story title before the awards date then I guess everything is already locked up and I don’t risk anything by daring to speak, err, type the name of my tale.

Just in case, if you happen to be a WOTF judge and are reading this, well, look away now…

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My winning story in the WOTF 23 is called ‘Saturn in G Minor’. It’s about a composer who plays a symphony on Saturn’s rings, and the risks you face should you ever actually meet your heroes… I hope you like it when you get a chance to read it.

Ah, that feels better! 🙂

– S.