MABFAN NEWSLETTER # 7 (February 1998)

Michael A. Burstein's "Friends Across the Net" Newsletter

HEADLINE: No Neb Nom, Nomi Notes

Hello everyone! Nomi and I have had a busy month of February, what with helping to run Boskone 35 in the middle of everything else. The convention seemed to go really well; at least, a lot of people told us they had a great time, including friends of our who had never been to a convention before.

Last issue, I mentioned that people had requested more frequent updates, and no one objected when I asked, so here's a new issue, the very next month after the last issue. I'm afraid the major news for this issue is sad news, though. As I noted in the headline, my novelette "Broken Symmetry," which was on the preliminary ballot for the 1997 Nebula Award, did not make it to the final ballot. I just found this out today, and I'd been waiting for the news so I could share it with everyone. It's too bad the news wasn't what I was hoping.

On the other hand, "Broken Symmetry" is still eligible for this year's Hugo Award, and the readers of ANALOG may have ranked it high in the Analytical Laboratory Award. And the Stoker preliminary ballot, which should have my story "The Spider in the Hairdo" on it, hasn't even been sent out yet. So nothing is completely ruled out yet.

Except for the Nebula Award.

_SOON TO BE PUBLISHED_

_ANALOG_ editor Stanley Schmidt was a Special Guest at Boskone 35, and I got him to tell me when my next stories are scheduled. I'll be reminding everyone again once the issues actually hit the newsstands, but for right now here's the schedule.

The June 1998 issue, the first one in the new, slightly larger format, will carry my short story "Cosmic Corkscrew." I've hinted to people about this one before; let me just say now that the plot concerns a certain young SF writer who uses a time machine to meet Isaac Asimov the day before Asimov submits his first story to _ASTOUNDING_. If you were ever a fan of Asimov, you'll probably like this one.

The July/August 1998 double issue will carry "In Space, No One Can Hear." This story grew out of my friendship with Ron Galiazzo, who teaches American Sign Language at the school where I teach Physics. It's about a Deaf man who saves a civilian space shuttle through his knowledge of sign language.

As for "Absent Friends," the first sequel to "Broken Symmetry," well, as soon as I know, you'll know.

_UPCOMING APPEARANCES_

For those of you looking for Nomi and me, we'll be at the following conventions:

* Lunacon (Rye Brook, NY, March 20-22)

* Readercon (Westborough, MA, July 10-12)

* Bucconeer (Baltimore, MD, August 5-9)

Also, I'll be speaking at MIT on the night of April 15th as part of the Media in Transition series (check out http://media- in-transition.mit.edu for more information), and I may be the featured author for the evening at the Burlington (Mass.) Public Library the night of April 6th. More information as I get it.

_ADMINISTRATIVA_

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-- Michael A. Burstein