The highlight of my first WisCon was seeing John Kessel’s daughter crown Matt Ruff with the Tiptree tiara. I told Susan, I think it was, I’m gonna get me one of those. Or words to that effect. And I went off and in less than six months — lightning speed! — ripped out a little story called “Planet of the Amazon Women,” which I then sold to Strange Horizons.

It didn’t win me a tiara, of course. But! Today Elizabeth Bear points me to that very Matt Ruff’s web site, whereon he has posted the Tiptree long list.

Which is getting pretty close for a first try, I think.

Thanks again to Jed and Susan at SH for some fantastic editing, and to the Fairwood writers’ group for some fantastic workshopping.

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P.S. Also, congratulate Meghan McCarron, if you haven’t already, for making the list with the hilarious and touching “Close to You.” To which, take note, there will be a kind-of-sort-of prequel in Twenty Epics.