This little bundle of tentacled evil arrived in the mail from Sylvia Spruck Wrigley and totally made my day.
Sylvia was both an inspiration and the namesake for the main character of “Explaining Cthulhu to Grandma” (and its sequel, which is patiently awaiting its chance at an editor’s desk right now). And now I have a visual aid to help explain Cthulhu to grandmas everywhere and, more importantly, to oversee any and all future live readings, of which several will be coming up before the end of this year. The plush Cthulhu (Pthulhu?) will grace mortals with its presence at WorldCon this weekend.
In a few short days I’ll be attending my very first WorldCon in San Antonio, and I’m absolutely stoked. I look forward to meeting many online friends face to face, as well as some of the authors I grew up reading, who are partially responsible for my love of the genre. I didn’t get to be on any panels at this con — after all, they’ve got nearly the entire SF/F community to pick from — so I’ll be roaming and trying to take it all in. I am co-running one of the Writer Workshops and have several meetings set up, but this trip is definitely more about experiencing as much of what WorldCon has to offer as possible.
And although I have few responsibilities at this convention, I do have one duty to discharge which is beyond awesome. My friend Ken Liu, who is nominated for a Hugo award in the Short Story category this year but is unable to attend himself, has named me as his designated acceptor at the Hugo ceremony. This means that, if Ken wins, I will go up on stage and accept the award on his behalf. I’m both incredibly honored and stoked to do this. Regardless of the outcome, I’ll get to sit at the front during the ceremony, attend the afterparty, and hold a Hugo (at least during the practice run on Sunday afternoon).
My wife and I even went out and bought a new suit for me to wear to the event. It’s Hugo Boss. No other brand would do. Although I’m sure no one else will notice, wearing a Hugo Boss suit to the Hugos was way too amusing for me to pass up.
In other news, I have several sales to report. Buzzy Magazine accepted “In the Wake of the Storm” — my urban fantasy story which takes place in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy. Cast of Wonders will podcast both You Bet and Nuclear Family. You Bet should come out in October while Nuclear Family is scheduled around Christmas.
And, just today, Stupefying Stories Showcase published The Storyteller — a flash fantasy story.
If you are going to WorldCon, please find me and say hi! You will get to meet Pthulhu, and — if you run into me on Sunday — you will get to see me wearing a suit, which — I assure you — is an even more exceptional occurrence than running into an Elder God.
Posted by Alex Shvartsman 
Alex Shvartsman's Speculative Fiction 