No, I wasn’t there, but I had a certain interest in goings on.
As it turns out, I did not win a Howie. The Special Award: UnNon-Professional category was won by Strange Horizons. This is entirely appropriate. They have been doing awesome stuff online for 10 years; Clarkesworld has only just started its 5th year. Had I been a judge, I would have given the award to them too.
I was pretty pleased with the other winners as well, though I was always going to be a bit sad over Best Novel. Fond as I am of The City and The City, I also love Finch and The Red Tree. It would have been particularly awesome for CaitlÃn to win.
Also, thanks to Jonathan Oliver of Solaris, I have solved a mystery. There has been some confusion over my apparently being listed as attending the convention. It wasn’t me, it was someone else with the same name.
So, for avoidance of confusion, I hereby note that I am not engaged to be married to James Maxey, though I’m sure he’s a lovely and talented guy. As to the other Cheryl, I apologize profusely if some people were unspeakably rude to you at the convention under the impression that you were me. I’m not normally a big fan of the changing your name when you get married thing, but in your case it may well be wisest thing to do.
I also note that I am not, nor ever have been, married to a professional soccer player.
I saw the other Cheryl Morgan, and while she was blond, she was not definitely not you.
In case you were unsure.
Good. I’m not blond. Hopefully that will help her.
Sorry – you look blond in some of your photographs, and not having actually met you it’s hard to know that you aren’t. Even from your profile pic I’d be hard-pressed to decide if you were blond or a redhead, since the whole photo has a ruddy cast.
The hair color goes back and fore depending on how recently it has been attended to. I am pretty sure that these days my natural color is gray.
I’m positive my natural color should be purple. Except for this minor detail of government day job…
Phew! I knew I never saw you, so if you’d turned out actually to have been there, that would be Beyond Weird. Thanks for clearing that up!
I saw the other Cheryl Morgan in passing and no way could anyone think she was you, she is shorter and darker, to me anyway.