The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, Inc. (SFWA) has announced the finalists for the 56th Annual Nebula Award. The awards will be presented in a virtual ceremony on Saturday, June 5, 2021.

I’m a member of SFWA, and that means I can vote. The novels tend to get the attention, so I like to focus on the short fiction because the works are short, which means I can finish my reading by the April 30 deadline, and because fewer people vote, which means my opinions matter more.

For me, a winning work either pushes the storytelling in a new direction, or it executes the craft with noteworthy skill. I faced tough choices with this year’s short stories. They’re all good.

• “Badass Moms in the Zombie Apocalypse” by Rae Carson (Uncanny 1-2/20). A woman gives birth in the midst of a zombie apocalypse. Well paced and vivid.

• “Advanced Word Problems in Portal Math” by Aimee Picchi (Daily Science Fiction 1/3/20). In this flash fiction piece, a girl who loves math but not her life seeks a way out. Clever, entertaining, with a wisp of righteous anger.

• “My Country Is a Ghost” by Eugenia Triantafyllou (Uncanny 1-2/20). People who immigrate leave behind ghosts: their memories and culture. Lyrical writing.

• “The Eight-Thousanders” by Jason Sanford (Asimov’s 9-10/20). While climbing Mount Everest, a man meets a vampire — but it’s much more than that, a study in morality, abuse, and responsibility.

• “Open House on Haunted Hill” by John Wiswell (Diabolical Plots 6/15/20). A haunted house wants a family and will do everything it can to make those people happy. Sweet without being sentimental.

• “A Guide for Working Breeds” by Vina Jie-Min Prasad (Made to Order: Robots and Revolution, Solaris). Two robots with mismatched personalities find ways to help each other.

I’d have liked to vote for all these stories, but I could only vote for one. I chose “A Guide for Working Breeds” because of the strong voices of its protagonists, the oblique but effective way it tells the story, and because I’m a fan of Vina Jie-Min Prasad.

But damn, these stories are all good. Follow the links and enjoy!

What was it like to write about a fictional pandemic during a real pandemic?

I answer that question in an essay published Tuesday at TorForgeBlog.com.

My just-published novel, Immunity Index, has this dedication:

To Mike. You’re in here.

Mike is my brother. He lives in Wausau, Wisconsin, and he helped me with some questions about the setting. Today is his birthday.

He appears obliquely on Page 158:

…wearing a purple T-shirt that said cancer survivor. … “I got this shirt from a neighbor. He was handing them out.…”

Mike is a cancer survivor and has quite a few purple survivor T-shirts from American Cancer Society events. He would be glad to share them with neighbors if there were a sudden need for purple clothing, so I sneaked him in, doing a good deed.

I’ll be reading a short story live at the Gumbo Fiction Salon on Thursday, May 13, which begins at 6:30 p.m. CDT. My story is about a princess who rescues dragons and battles the ultimate evil.

The show will start at 7 p.m., but it opens a half hour early for socializing and open mic sign-up. You can sign up for a 10-minute reading slot. More information is at the Facebook event page: https://www.facebook.com/events/924025898432787/

It will take place on Zoom: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83277758999, Meeting ID: 832 7775 8999, Passcode: MayGumbo

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Meanwhile, at the Tiny Bookcase, you can hear me read a flash fiction story. The Tiny Bookcase is a short story writing and interview podcast. In each episode, the hosts, Nico and Ben, and the guest write a story using a shared prompt, then read it. The prompt in this episode was “rebooting” and the stories were intense and fun. Mine is about a woman who cursed the sea, so the sea cursed her.

Listen to it here: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1129067/8485183

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If you prefer to do your own reading, here’s some text related to my most recent novel, Immunity Index:

• At Uncanny Magazine, my guest blog post details “Five Reasons Not to Bring Back Woolly Mammoths.”

• Nerds of a Feather, Flock Together interviews me about Immunity Index.

My next novel, Immunity Index, goes on sale May 4. It will have two virtual book launches.

Tuesday, May 4th, 7 to 9 p.m., @ Volumes Bookcafe. With Seanan McGuire!

Yes, award-winning author Seanan McGuire and I will talk about the novel, answer questions, and we’ll all have a lot of fun.

Tickets for this online event are free, but you can purchase a signed copy of Immunity Index as a ticket add-on. Sign up here:

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/sue-burke-with-seanan-mcguire-tickets-151551290991

Volumes Bookcafe is a Chicago neighborhood independent bookstore café founded by two sisters who aimed to create a warm and inviting community space for book lovers of all ages.

Wednesday, May 5, @ A Room of One’s Own, 6 to 7 p.m.

Special guest will be Kit Rocha, the writing duo of Donna Harren and Bree Bridges, authors of the Mercenary Librarians series. A Room of One’s Own is a local, independent, feminist bookstore in Madison, Wisconsin, where much of Immunity Index takes place. Register here:

https://www.roomofonesown.com/event/virtual-conversation-sue-burke-author-immunity-index-and-kit-rocha

Room offers a wide selection of current and classic fiction, nonfiction, graphic novels, local interest titles, gifts, toys, and greeting cards. It also has strong children’s and young adult, women’s studies, and LGBTQ fiction and nonfiction sections.