S.B. Divya's Blog, page 5

The first 3 months of 2020 have certainly been a wild ride, what with a major pandemic being foremost on everyone’s mind. I was supposed to go on the JoCo cruise this year, but I forfeit the trip over COVID-19 concerns. Luckily I had plenty of work to cheer me up, including edits for my debut novel, Machinehood, and my first time editing an anthology, for Escape Pod’s 15th anniversary.

At the end of January, I was able to announce that I’ve signed a deal with Saga Press for the publication of...

In January, 2010, I was dealing with a 3 month old baby and returning to full-time engineering work as a new mother. The furthest thing from my mind was writing fiction. That dream deferred (since college) took on a sense of urgency, though, as I found my time split between work, baby, and household. I needed to make time for myself.

After a failed attempt at NaNoWriMo in 2011 (I hit 40k words before norovirus took me down), I spent a year getting increasingly depressed. Finally, after seeing...

Format: Panel 1 Nov 2019, Friday 15:00 - 15:55, Marquis 1-3 (Marriott Los Angeles Airport Hotel)

From faster-than-light drives to mad inventors, fantasy is filled with science that borders on magic. The Millennium Falcon works mostly because Han Solo and R2-D2 are really wizards of technology. Miyazaki's films feature dreams of flying, brought into reality by improbable airplanes built by chil...

Happy to announce that my first short story collection is out today from Hachette India. It contains almost all of my short stories published so far, including my novella Runtime, plus an original story not found anywhere else.

On sale throughout the Indian subcontinent! Here’s the Amazon link: https://www.amazon.in/Contingency-Plans-Apocalypse-Possible-Situations/dp/9388322436

After a twenty year absence, I attended San Diego Comic Con this year. I went on a professional badge, though not in a professional capacity - no author or editor related events - and I had a fantastic time. In the weeks leading up to the con, I kept hearing about the crowds and the traffic, but neither overwhelmed me. I mostly navigated by foot or taxi, catching cabs well outside the pedestrian traffic in downtown. The biggest change from my last time here was the am...

I've had an eventful first quarter this year, including a couple of interviews, a new short story in Analog Magazine, reprints, translations, and my first time at WonderCon in Anaheim, CA. I'm also please to say that Contingency Plans for the Apocalypse appeared on the Locus Poll for Best Short Story in 2018. If you enjoyed it, please cast your vote!

A brand new short story, "Soft We Wake," appeared in Analog Magazine's Jan/Feb 2019 issue. They don't have a version online, but yo...

It's time to start thinking about nominations for your favorite science fiction and fantasy awards. Although self-promotion is perennially awkward, I ask that you please consider my two short stories published in 2018 for your nominations. Both are eligible in the short story category.

Also, as the Co-editor of Escape Pod, I would appreciate your consideration of original short stories published at our podcast magazine and Escape Pod itself for the Hugo Award category of Best Semiprozine.

Cont...

I just read the news, and it looks like Brett Kavanaugh will be the newest member of the US Supreme Court. Regardless of how he dispenses justice - and I’m not particularly optimistic about that point - the greater damage to the nation the message it sends to the abused women who rose up to support his accuser, Christine Blasey Ford. That their words will never be sufficient. That a wealthy white man’s entitlement is always greater than theirs.

The repercussions of this will have long-lasting...

The 76th World Science Fiction Convention starts on Thursday, August 16. I'll be there with a packed schedule. Here's where you can find me, though if you want to guarantee time to chat, sign up for my Kaffeeklatsch:

From Dystopia to Utopia (and back again)
Format: Panel
16 Aug 2018, Thursday 14:00 - 15:00, 210C (San Jose Convention Center)

Kaffeeklatsch: SB Divya
17 Aug 2018, Friday 13:00 - 14:00, 211B1 (San Jose Convention Center)

Stress Management for Creative People
17 Aug 2018, Friday 3:00 -...

In case you missed it, I have a new science fiction short story (quite short, but not flash) out on tor.com: Loss of Signal. It's free to read online!

Here's a preview:

When the doors drifted open like wings, when I trained my cameras to the star-flecked blackness, when the metal arms released me from their embrace: that was the moment my first dream came true.

I checked it off the list.

“You’re clear of the shuttle, Toby. Begin translunar injection.”

Mission control’s voice sounded in my ear, but...