And I Am Officially Done

The short lists for the Cybils were announced today. Though I plan to keep mentioning Cybils' titles from time to time because I feel as if I'd be abandoning them if I didn't, my official duties are done.

I'm very happy to say that there are some authors on this list I hadn't heard of before. I don't know whether or not they are well known to others, but I like to think that we're bringing some well-deserved attention to some newer writers.

We also have a couple of well-known authors on the list. These people may be well known because they're so good.

As I've said before, I like to involve myself in intense experiences, so I loved being a panelist for the Cybils. As with most of the intense experiences I immerse myself in, I'm quite worn out now. But I definitely got a lot from the experience.

For instance, I've done some thinking about allegory. I've discussed series/serials at length with the other scifi/fantasy panelists. I've also talked with the other panelists about post-apocalyptic fiction. I've been exposed to some great writers I'd never heard of (Philip Reeve, for instance), and some great writers I'd heard of but never read (Tamora Pierce, Jonathan Stroud, and Catherine Fisher).

All of this can only enhance my work.

And speaking of my work, a few weeks after the reading period began, I was driving along in my car thinking about all the fantasy I'd been reading. From there, I recalled a book I'd started years ago, not long after I finished college. I suddenly realized that something I'd done in that unfinished manuscript could be used in the book I began when I was working on the Novel in a Year project. I'll try to get started on that again sometime in the new year.

So, it's been great.