Author: Susan Forest

Susan Forest is the author of Aurora Award-winning Bursts of Fire (2019), as well as over 25 internationally-published short stories. The second novel of her seven-volume Addicted to Heaven series, Flights of Marigold (Publisher's Lunch Selection), confronts issues of addictions in an epic fantasy world of intrigue and betrayal.
Posted on

Prix Aurora Awards


It is time, again, for nominations for the Aurora Awards, Canada’s top awards for Canadian Science Fiction and Fantasy: writing, art, fan activities and other works. This year, the Auroras will be presented at Keycon in Winnipeg, Manitoba, the weekend of May 16-19, 2008). Hence the deadline for entering nominations is March 17, 2008.

This year the form is MUCH easier, as you can enter online–no need for an envelope and stamp. For a list of all eligible entries, check out the Canadian SF Works Database. You can nominate 3 works in each category.

If you would like to nominate me for a “Best Short Form Work in English,” consider checking out my eligible short story, “Paid in Full,” published in Asimov’s Science Fiction, vol. 31 #10-11, the 2007 October/November issue. You can read the full text here.

Or, have a look at THE PHANTOM OF THE SPACE OPERA, a live performance at the August, 2007 Conversion in Calgary, which is eligible for “Best Work in English, Other.” A DVD of the performance is available, and it will be uploaded onto YouTube by early January for general viewing.

Posted on

Sale to Analog!


Sometimes the news comes thick and fast. I was thrilled a week ago to receive a letter from Stan Schmidt, editor of Analog Science Fiction and Fact, telling me he was buying my latest short story. I had the good fortune to meet Stan a year ago at Worldcon in Los Angeles when I was invited to the Analog / Asimov party as one of the new contributors to Asimov’s. Asked if I had a story for him, I was able to say it was in the mail. Alas, “Tomorrow and Tomorrow” was too “bleak” for Stan–hey, I’m Canadian!–but it was subsequently picked up by Holly Phillips for Tesseracts Eleven, which will be out later this month.

So, I sent Stan “The Right Chemistry,” a short, funny piece that made him laugh out loud, but wasn’t what his readers expect science fiction to be. I had been reading Analog all along, of course, but I got out all my old copies and re-read the short stories, trying to analyze what the commonalities might be. Then I wrote “Back” specifically for Stan, and put it in the mail.

Months passed.

One night I came home from work and checked the mail. There was an envelope in my own handwriting, and I thought, “Oh, which one rejected me?” I only had two stories out in circulation at the time. I opened the flap and saw the “Analog” letterhead and thought, “Stan had that story a long time; I really was hoping he was going to buy it.” Oh, well. Then I read the letter. His first three words were “I’m buying BACK!” Needless to say, I had to jump up and down a few times before reading
the rest of the letter. He had a couple of edits for me, which I sent off within the week.

Ahh. Good times.

Posted on

News & Notables


“Paid in Full,” my story about strange ways of repaying debts, will be coming out in the next issue of Asimov’s. Watch for it in the October-November double issue, on news stands soon.

I was thrilled this summer to be asked to be a final judge for the Robyn Herrington Memorial Short Story Contest at Con-Version in Calgary. The pre-judges have narrowed the field to five speculative short stories, and the final judging will occur on the Sunday morning of the convention.

My fellow judges are Danita Maslan, author of Rogue Harvest, and Rebecca Bradley, author of the Gil Trilogy, including Lady in Gil, Scion’s Lady and Lady Pain. She also co-wrote Temutma with Stewart Sloan.

Another excitement for me, personally, was to direct the spoof, “Phantom of the Space Opera,” a ninety-minute musical written and performed by the IFWA Players. This is the story of Captain Quirk and the crew of the USS Insipid, who meet an omniscient and omnipotent being from beyond known time and space who is searching for talent aboard our heroes’ ship. We had so much fun producing the show that we made a DVD of it this fall, and hope soon to have it up on YouTube for others to view. It will be eligible for an Aurora Award this spring in the category of “Best Work in English – Other”.

Hope to see you all in Calgary for Conversion, August 17 – 19!

Posted on

Sale to Tesseracts Eleven!


“Tomorrow and Tomorrow” is a post-apocalyptic story about a family that finds themselves self-sufficient in terms of their energy and food needs, yet facing their ultimate demise. A mother and her children struggle with, and face, their own cultural prejudices to create hope for the future.

Proudly powered by WordPress