If you’re here, by now you probably know I sold my novella The Pauper Prince and the Eucalyptus Jinn to the incredible Ellen Datlow at Tor.com.

Like many milestones, though, this couldn’t have happened without the help, guidance, and critique of several people. My teachers at Clarion West (John Clute, Elizabeth Hand, Neil Gaiman, Joe Hill, Samuel R Delany, Margo Lanagan, and Ellen)–all taught me several important lessons about what I was trying to do and who I was. John sparked the idea that eventually would become the axle for the story and Chip’s emphasis on setting and the potency it brings to fiction really made the novella memorable for readers who liked it. However, the fact that the story exists really owes a lot to Ted Chiang, his work, and what he talked to us about at Clarion West.

Ted is a marvel. One of the greatest SF writers of all time, Ted has changed the way many in the field think about SF, its operative values, and the limits to which story and ideas can be pushed. During his talk he gave us in Seattle he said certain things which cemented my idea of what kind of writer I wanted to be. I will leave that post for another day, but suffice it to say that were it not for him, it is likely I wouldn’t be writing SF at all. So thank you, Ted. (For purposes of this discussion, I’m keeping New Weird and Horror apart from SF).

Onto the wonderful critters. A massive thank you to the fantastic Shannon Peavey who made me enter the 2013 Codex Novella contest (where I got tons of feedback), read the novella and provided me with incredible feedback and encouragement. The Codex Writers group’s critique was vital in fixing major loopholes in the novella (especially Trina Marie Phillips who gave me extensive line notes and suggestions for trimming).

I’m grateful to E. Lily Yu whose offhand comment led to the realization of some major imagery in the story. The ever helpful and uber-intelligent Vince Haig gently nudged me in the right direction any time I lost my way. Nicole Idar, Hugo Xiong, and Henry Lien aided me in cutting much of the chaff out of the story  and my critique partners Erinn Kemper, Sheila Cail, Hasnain Akram, Noorulain Noor, Peter Hannah and Mari Mitchell were awesome, kind, and insightful with their critique as always (esp. on days that I was down). Noor and Peter’s extensive edits and encouragement came in handy when I was about to throw the first draft away.

Thank you, Mary Moira, for helping me with a lot of research and fact-checking. Thank you, Diana Pho, for asking to look at the novella and offering valuable suggestions re: the character’s drive.

Last, a heartfelt thank you to Ellen who was gentle and kind with her edits and didn’t give up on the story when I wanted to. Here’s to hoping I don’t disappoint her with the final product and that her faith in the novella is vindicated.

Tentative date of publication for The Pauper Prince and the Eucalyptus Jinn at Tor.com is April 22nd, 2015. See you guys then!