THANK YOU, LAcon V — what a week! Sunday night, I won the 2026 Hugo Award for Best Professional Artist. Had a dream last month that Martha Wells and I won Hugos and then we blasted off with friends, late-night style, to Disneyland. Midnight alcohol-soaked hijinks ensued. Apologies to Haunted Mansion and the Millennium Falcon.
So at Sunday night’s ceremony, I insisted she and I sit near each other. Turned out that the Lotería Karma was STROOOONG. I sat with Thomas Ha, Team Hugo! Girl, and Martha + the entire Murderbot Squad — and we all won. 👀 Post-awards, we did not commit whisky-drenched mayhem in the Land of Walt. The Karma is strong, but best to chill while we were way ahead.
After the Hugos, the place I most wanted to be was with the Brotherhood without Banners. Per tradition, before entering their party, I handed my Hugo off to them and the homies all took personal photographs with it. Some photos are publicly consumable. Some will generate FBI files. But those are my people, and we shared the victory together. This was the BWB’s 25th Anniversary, and Lodey, Stego, Mr. and Mrs. X, and so many more were toasted in tribute.
Grateful for so many people, but especially Cody Jimenez, Mary G. Thompson, Vincent Di Fate, Erik Kluth, Scott Zrubek, Liza Groen Trombi, Francesca Myman, Tammy Coxen, Helen Montgomery, Elizabeth Klein-Lebbink and so many more. I know I’m forgetting a bunch. Apologies.
CONGRATULATIONS to my fellow Hugo Award Finalists and Winners, and especially those in the Best Professional Artist and Best Graphic Story categories. Shoutout to GRRM and Parris, as always. ♥ And proud to share that Best Graphic Story Hugo nomination with Leigh Bardugo for our book, THE INVISIBLE PARADE. I’m stoked for Spooky Season. The rocket was shipped from Anaheim, and I can’t wait for it to land home this week.
