There are… interesting whispers and things floating around the Internets in places that are rightfully private. I’m not at liberty to reveal what those whispers are saying, but I can say this much: the announcement of the Hugo nominations on April 4 should be interesting indeed, and will potentially kick Sad Puppies Three into the final phase of encouraging everyone who’s eligible to read the nominated works if they haven’t already read them, and then make sure they vote. Word is that the Hugo committee had to sort through more nomination ballots than ever before, which means that competition for the actual award is likely to be stiff.
Those who waded through the various vote counts and phases will remember that the ballot system used (preferential voting) is one explicitly designed to find the consensus candidate. What that means is that those who wish to end Puppy-Related Sadness need to make sure they rank all the candidates – otherwise we’ll see a repeat of last year where even though one nominee led the ballot after the first round of counting, that person was in last place by the final tally (this happens with preferential voting. Unless one of the candidates is an uncontroversial stand-out winner, the one who offends the fewest people will be the one left standing. Which is fine when you’re after a politician who’s going to have to make deals with other people, but rather less appropriate for an award that says it’s for the “best”. If it was called “least offensive”, that would be a different issue. But I digress…)
In any case, there will be Sad Puppies to be made happy, the awards will happen in three months or so, and the puppies will be forgotten for a while.
Or will they…
…
…
Nope. They won’t. Because in a fit of even greater insanity than usual, yours truly, Kate the Impaler of the Evil Legion of Evil, will be picking up the banner for Sad Puppies 4 and running with it. I even promised not to impale anyone with it (it’s such a pretty flag, and getting blood and… stuff… all over it would make those poor sad puppies even more sad. Even the Evil Legion of Evil has standards, you know. We’re completely against letting Sad Puppies stay sad. We want them to be happy).
There won’t be much action from Sad Puppies 4 for quite some time, but rest assured I will be lurking in the shadows looking for worthy candidates for the campaign to End Puppy-Related Sadness. When the time is right, announcements will be made and campaigning will begin in earnest. In the meantime, I shall rub my hands together and practice my evil cackle.
Mad Genius Club 
48 responses to “Carefully on tip-toe stealing”
My short work recommendation – “Tuesdays with Molakesh the Destroyer”, by Megan Grey, Fireside Magazine. It wasn’t eligible this year, but will be next. The best demon-related fiction I think I’ve ever read.
“Molakesh the Destroyer moved into the house next door the summer I turned fifteen.”
I thought “Tuesdays” WAS in the list this year? I read it, referred by a post on Larry Correia’s site. Yeah, it’s really a great work; who could have thought that Molakesh the Destroyer could generate warm fuzzies?
It was written last year, but not officially published until this year. Thus the confusion over the eligibility year.
With a title and an opening like that I really have to read this.
I read it and thought it was wonderful.
I LOVED Tuesdays with Molakesh.
Once again, Sci Phi Journal for it’s proper category, now that it’ll be eligible for next year.
Oh, and a great big “Thank you!” to Kate, for jumping on the grenade, err, I mean, volunteering herself for next year.
I fully intend to have a great deal of fun in the process. Of course, some might quibble with my definition of “fun”…
The secret is to sharpen the *other* end of the staff. That way, your banner stays all nice and clean…
Good luck, Kate. That’s a mighty big target you’re painting on your back. Fortunately you’ve got us to guard it.
And of course, the Hugo nominations mean we’re due for another Clamps attack. Better brace yourself.
All the better to draw fire with, my dear. I have my asbestos undies all primed and ready.
I strongly favor branding Sad Puppies 4 as Sad PuppieShi. With an icon showing four puppy skeletons in black ropes.
I’d say in honor of Pterry, except that my interest in the terrible pun long predates his passing.
(giggling) I think perhaps saving that one for a pure Pterry tribute might be wise. There will be more than enough terrible punnage for Sad Puppies 4 as it is.
So we’ve had Sad puppies, Rabid puppies will we get Chest Puppies next year?
The SJW’s will go mad! er.
Do it Kate do it.
“Sweater Puppies: It’s Cold Outside”. I condemn myself…
Oh god. It’s a damn good thing I don’t have a puppy. Or the campaign logo would be a close-up of me in my corset with puppy strategically placed in the cushioned zone. People would be gouging their eyes out – which isn’t the idea.
You realize that you just solicited a large number of offers of a free puppy?
You’re supposed to keep ‘the puppies’ properly reined in the bustier, aren’t you? I’m sure they’re quite lovely.
*runs away!*
Hmm… I saw Kate’s comment previously, but it coming up again made me think – it needs not just one, but a whole group of the ladies (and maybe a token man, just for the lulz) posed that way. Since it’s hard to get everyone together, they could all be photographed separately, and photoshopped together.
That’s great.
Ooooooo…
Kate,
You’re only doing SP4 because you are a privileged American cis male. If you were a right thinking (i.e. left thinking) Cosmopolitan Manhattanite who went to the right schools and surrounded yourself with other SJW’s, then you would know how RONG you are for doing this.
/s
Making note… I have a feeling there are people already groaning and others already cheering. 🙂
The Usual Suspects have been very quiet of late. They won’t be for long.
The Usual Suspects are starting to make the Usual Suspicious Noises.
KKR has a looong piece about the trouble of in-fighting. I kinda sympathize, but as one of the commenters at PG’s place points out, the vast majority of readers 1) don’t know, 2) don’t care, and 3) want us to keep writing and publishing the good stuff. http://kriswrites.com/2015/03/25/business-musings-controlling-the-creatives/#sthash.hPYZKyYx.dpbs
And Within Temptation is great for writing attempted assassinations to. (Started the next WWI novel today. Next Colplatschki book is in cover design and starting edits. And it might be Hugo eligible, although I’m not certain it’s Hugo quality.)
Yup, and yup. I swear, Within Temptation is writing theme music for my characters (and no, I am not revealing which character each song attaches to).
Kate, do you really feel your evil cackle needs more practice?
I understand it’s reached the pinnacle of bowel—>water conversion speed as it is. Well past spine-tingling.
Are you aiming for brain liquefying?
If she is, and it works, will we be able to tell in all cases? (In most cases, probably, but in a few . . .)
Hm.
I’m going to guess the pre-liquefied would start boiling. So the steam would give it away.
You’ll just have to catch me in the right mood at Ravencon or Libertycon this year and judge for yourselves… Although those in the know assure me my evil giggle is even worse.
Please — please! For the love of cute and fuzzy things with wet noses, not the giggle!!
We have the technology — how about a podcast of both? Maybe a minute of evil cackling, and a minute of evil giggling, so that we can hear for ourselves? Come on, you know you want to share 🙂
hehehehee. Oh, they are never going to know what hit them…
Not until after they pick what’s left of themselves up from the steamrollered ground, no.
I hate it when life intervenes with my job, which is reviewing the most fantastic books in the world. I filled in with a review of Leslie Fish’s “Folk Songs for Solar Sailors,” an altogether worthy endeavor, and yesterday I reviewed the Hi-Point .45 ACP carbine as an alternative to the 12 gauge for home defense, but it’s not the same, is it?
FEAR NOT, my friends, for I HAVE RETURNED!!!! And in bold fashion, for I have reviewed “The Lawyers of Mars,” by Pam Uphoff! It’s amusing, and you don’t have to be from Mars to enjoy it!
On my blog, and on Amazon.
awesome!
Great!
*blips over to your blog to read the gun review*
…I was going to read and noticed the line about popcorn. I’ll have to try make some kettle corn this weekend.
From Twitter:
“Nick Mamatas @NMamatas
· 15h 15 hours ago
Sad Puppies 3 had a slow start. It was frantic denunciations from the left that brought in the big right-wing bloggers and made it work.”
and
“@NMamatas
· 15h 15 hours ago
Next time, when some dastardly plan is obviously failing, let it fail. Morons.”
I’ve got a *good* feeling about this. 🙂
I’ve been watching for announcements on the Sad Puppies since before the slate was announced, and I didn’t see much in the way of frantic denunciations from the left.
Do you have any examples?
Mamatas is the one mentioning denunciations, but provides no examples.
The closest I’ve found is this: http://nielsenhayden.com/makinglight/archives/016177.html#016177
But that is just mentioning rumors. Keep in mind, it’s still not official yet. Final results haven’t been announced.
For “frantic denunciations from the left” to be what “brought in the big right-wing bloggers,” the denunciatons in question would presumably have to pre-date Breitbart’s article on Sad Puppies, which came out, what, Feb 5?
So the Making Light piece couldn’t be what Nick means. Any other ideas? Because I’m coming up empty.
If we haven’t heard anything yet, any post-announcement denunciations would pretty much have to be bigger, by definition. So far that doesn’t seem a high bar to get over.
Mike Glyer on File 770, posted his denunciation on February 2nd. Does that help?
Really? I kinda felt the denunciations were tepid compared to last year. Kinda in a “if we leave them alone, they’ll go away” mode.
As for a good feeling, I’d agree. Already heard a rumor or two that’s promising. However, I’m going to stick with my prediction of two Sad Puppies noms per category. I hope one is Kratman, though. The head explosions at Space Battles should be entertaining.
Spacebattles? You mean the Tom Kratman Fanclub, right? They read all his works . . .
As for denunciations: we ain’t heard nothing yet.