This morning, I noticed that the new edition of Clarkesworld had Neil Clarke's announcement of the 2022 Reader Poll finalists as his Editor's Note. I clicked through and was absolutely delighted to discover that I'm a finalist for Best Novelette of 2022. You can vote for the winner here.
This means an incredible amount to me - your debut story will quite often get a fair amount of attention (everyone loves a new writer arriving on the scene!) but subsequent stories can sometimes feel a little like they're dropping into a vast bucket of amazing stories and ideas. And let me tell you, the current field of short SF and fantasy writers is incredible. It's tough to stand out in a landscape like this one.
I've been aware for a while that this story has garnered a few fans - I've had comments on Twitter and Mastodon from readers who have found it months after publication, discussed it in reading groups and even posted about it to Reddit.
I think this is one of the huge advantages of online magazines, where archives can stay accessible for months and years after a story comes out, with many, many chances for new readers to come across a story and enjoy it.
If you read and enjoyed Carapace, I would be really chuffed if you voted in the final poll. Just head to this link to cast your vote. The poll closes on February 15th 2023.