I don’t plan to make a habit of posting every review my work receives. It could very quickly become boring for my readers, and it would raise other questions: how would I decide which reviews to post? Some sort of professional standard? Would I ignore bad reviews? Besides, reviews and reader responses tend to leave me feeling gawkish and confused, and this blog doesn’t need a regular feature where I digitally shuffle my feet and fail to make eye contact.

However, I’m making an exception: my friend Pam Rentz (watch for her first published story in Asimov’s August issue!) e-mailed me today to congratulate me on my story being mentioned in Locus Magazine. Now, in case you don’t know, Locus is (in the words of the Independent, “the news organ of choice for the American science-fiction community.” Any sort of mindful, professional creature would already have subscribed to it, and Pam thought this would be old news to me. Luckily I know mindful, professional people like Pam. (I’m also thinking of embarking on a subscription-fest, so perhaps this time tomorrow I’ll be a sober, thoughtful Locus subscriber.)

Anyway, Locus is quite important, and so is Gardner Dozois, the editor and writer who now reviews their short fiction in a column called “Gardnerspace”. This double-scoop of prestige is why I’m breaking my review radio silence in order to report that in the March 2010 issue of Locus, he said “Conditional Love” was “excellent.” “…this is a moving, compassionate story with a killer twist in its tail.”

Now you are duly informed of the facts: firstly, that I won’t be posting about my reviews here on a regular basis, and secondly, that I can be shocked out of that position on extraordinary occasions such as this. Thirdly, Gardner Dozois liked my story! Fourthly, I’m a doofus for not subscribing to Locus. I’m glad we could clear these matters up.

P.S. I do not believe in the prognosticative powers of fortune cookies. No matter how accurate they may be.

P.S.2. Maybe I should dig up a May 2008 issue and see what the reviewer they had then thought of “Burgerdroid”? Maybe someone would have told me if it was exciting — but then again, I don’t think I’d met Pam then.