I don’t know how many of you know I’ve been nominated/a finalist for half a dozen awards or so over my career. My very first book was a finalist for the Mythopoeic, and Soul of Fire AND A Death In Gascony were finalists for a Colorado Book Award.
This is why I didn’t get too excited when I heard that I was a finalist to the Prometheus. Oh, it was an honor — sure. But looking at the list of other finalists I counted myself as the least likely to win. In my head, I knew who would win, and who the second and third would be, and I was prepared to be gracious.
Imagine my very great shock upon receiving an email informing me that: The winner of the Best Novel award is Darkship Thieves, by Sarah Hoyt (Baen Books). The Hall of Fame award was won by Animal Farm, a short novel written by George Orwell in 1945. Sarah Hoyt will receive a plaque and a one-ounce gold coin, while a smaller gold coin and a plaque will be presented to Orwell’s estate.
I didn’t really believe it until I found it here http://www.lfs.org/releases.htm and my name added to the list of winners in Wikipedia.
I am honored and humbled. I’ve told you all — many times — that I don’t write to send a message. It is nonetheless impossible for any author to divorce himself/herself from his/her deepest beliefs while creating a world. And it should be obvious to anyone who has read my blog for any time that individual liberty is possibly my most cherished value. So it tends to be the most cherished value of my characters — at least the good ones!
I will have more coherent things to say about this, later — for now I’m glad it won, and I’m glad THIS book — dedicated to Robert A. Heinlein — won. I view this win as proof he — through his books — done brought me up right.
Update for those who prefer electronic books — electronic versions of Darkship Thieves are available directly from the publisher: http://www.webscription.net/p-1102-darkship-thieves.aspx They are non-drm and in all the most common formats, including Kindle. (Thank you to Francis Turner for the link!)
*Crossposted at Classical Values.*
UPDATE: ‘lanched. Welcome Instapundit Readers. This is an author blog with occasional outbreaks of relevancy. I’m particularly fond of yesterday’s post, but feel free to poke around wherever you wish.
According To Hoyt 
Congratulations! Well-deserved — and you’re in good company!
All the best,
Gray
Thank you, Gray.
Mazal Tov.
You know, Ori, those were the first words I heard after my citizenship ceremony. 🙂
Congratulations! Well deserved though…
Thank you Francis.
YEAH!!!
Congratulations, Sarah. Most assuredly *very* well-deserved!
Woo-hoo! Congratulations!
Dancing rodents and feline citations 🙂
I knew you – and DarkShip Thieves – could win it.
Congratulations! I knew it was the most deserving of nominees, but how often does that result in a winner? Valeria Victrix, rather appropriately I think, sends her congratulations.
Congratulations. That’s wonderful news!
Sarah – I really enjoyed Soul of Fire. Maybe you could nudge your publisher about making Darkship Thieves available on Kindle? (After three decades of buying paper books, my wife kept asking which ones I wanted to keep. The answer “all of them” stopped working some time ago.)
Roscoe, it is available for the kindle, just not on Amazon. Go to Baen.com and follow link to webscriptions. Guys? Any of the barflies out here want to post the link? I’ll put it in an update on my post. (Sarah who has a blinding allergy headache and can’t find her own… er… with two hands, a seeing eye dog and a echo-locator.)
Thanks for your help. I do need to get out more.
http://www.webscription.net/p-1102-darkship-thieves.aspx
PS and the genius behind Daybyday cartoon is also a fan – my gob is totally smacked
Congratulations! Go for the Hugo and Nebula with next volume.
Outstanding news!!!
My congratulations seem gratuitous at this point but are proffered nonetheless. To paraphrase John Dillinger, that award AND gold coin will get you further than the award alone. And yet, I be confident that “Prometheus Award Winning Author” will go nicely on your book covers, author bios and business cards.
You are awesome. SO thrilled for you.
… got to the end of the post, and a cat teleported into my lap as I reached for the keyboard …
Conga-rats, Sarah! I am not at all surprised. I *devoured* DST, at the cost of considerable lost sleep one night. (NOT complaining – the trip was worth every yawn the next day, and more,)
Now, as my marksmanship instructor back in my military high school always said after a bulls-eye: “Very nice. Nine more like that and I’ll think about being impressed.” 😉
Congratulations, Sarah. I tweeted your win!
Thank you Rowena.
YAY!!!
Congrats Sarah!
About bloody time! At last an award to someone who deserves it.
Thank you Dave.