Hugo-worthy??? Little me!?!

I came back from work this evening to find my inbox crammed with emails telling me that George R. R. Martin had mentioned the Hotlist on his LJ. You can read it here.

Even beyond the giveaways, Pat's is a cool site to visit for anyone with an interest in fantasy. It's one of the most lively and literate blogs on the internet, and seems to feature new content almost every day. If he keeps it up, this is a site that deserves serious consideration for a Hugo nomination next year.

How cool is that? many of you asked me. Well duh! This is about as cool as it gets!;-) GRRM told me about the same thing in an email a few days back. But to have him say this to all his fans, that's something else!

I've been doing this for nearly three years now, so naturally I have more contacts and resources than bloggers newer to the game. And yet, even though I'm aware that various authors, editors, publicists, agents and other people "in the know" frequent this blog, the fanboy in me is always shocked when something like this occurs. I mean, we're talking about George R. R. Martin here! And he opines that this blog of mine could be worthy of a Hugo nomination! Call me stupid, but I always feel odd when I realize that an author I admire is actually taking the time to read the pointless drivel I come up with!

So once again, let me take this opportunity to thank George and all the other SFF writers who have "plugged" the Hotlist in the past. I try to downplay the whole thing, but your kind words mean a lot to me. . . Okay, enough of this emo crap!

Hmmm, the Hotlist as a Hugo nominee!?! It sure would be rewarding, just to get a nod. But since I attempt to let the authors and their work take as much of the spotlight as humanly possible, I feel it's not "personal" enough to warrant a nomination. Also, beyond the friendliness I project, I do have that anti-establishment side that I never tried to conceal. But you never know. . Surely making fun of Goodkind every time the Yeard puts his foot in his mouth should give me an edge over the competition, right!?!

By the way, GRRM feels the same about William Lexner's www.speculativereviews.blogspot.com. Stego was taking a break from blogging, but he's supposed to be doing a comeback soon. Come on, man! I like your stuff, and so does GRRM. That should be more than enough for you to return and start pissing people off!;-) The Blogosphere hasn't been the same without you, my friend. . .

Note to Jacqueline Carey fans: Last spring, the Kushiel's Justice giveaway dethroned GRRM and became the most popular contest ever held on this blog. No small feat, considering that Martin had held the title for over a year and had defeated all comers quite easily. Well, in less than 24 hours, the Dreamsongs giveaway has become the most popular contest ever, beating Carey by a 2-to-1 margin. Sorry Jacqueline, but I'm afraid this is a first round TKO. . .

So to all the new faces around here, all I can promise you is to try to keep up the good work and hope that it will be enough to keep things fun and interesting.:-)

Good times ahead, that's for sure!