At long last I get to utter the face-saving banality, “it’s an honor just to be nominated.” My novel Star Trek Mirror Universe: The Sorrows of Empire has been nominated for a Scribe Award, which honors excellence in the field of a movie/TV/game tie-in literature, in the Speculative Original category (in other words, an original narrative in the science fiction or fantasy genres).

Here’s the official press release from The International Association of Media Tie-in Writers (IAMTW), which sponsors and bestows the annual Scribe Awards:

The International Association of Media Tie-in Writers is proud to announce the 2011 Scribe Award nominees for excellence in licensed tie-in writing — novels based on TV shows, movies, and games – and this year’s Grandmaster, honoring career achievement in the field.

This year’s Grandmaster is Peter David, who has worked in television, film, books (fiction, non-fiction, and audio), short stories, and comic books. He’s the acclaimed author of over fifty novels, many of them New York Times bestsellers. His extraordinarily prolific output of consistently excellent books includes two dozen original Star Trek novels, three Babylon 5 novels and novelizations of such major motion pictures as Spider-Man, Iron Man, Fantastic Four, and The Hulk.

David is also one of the most successful and acclaimed comic book scripters in the business with popular runs on such titles as Supergirl, Star Trek, Wolverine and, in particular, his work on The Incredible Hulk franchise (in comics as well as books). His many awards include the prestigious Will Eisner Comic Industry Award. He lives in New York with his wife Kathleen and their three children.

Our 2011 Scribe Nominees are:

GENERAL ORIGINAL
CSI: SHOCK TREATMENT by Greg Cox
BURN NOTICE: THE GIVEAWAY by Tod Goldberg
MIKE HAMMER: THE BIG BANG by Max Allan Collins and Mickey Spillane
MURDER SHE WROTE: The Queen’s Jewels by Donald Bain
PSYCH: THE CALL OF THE MILD by William Rabkin
SAVING GRACE: TOUGH LOVE by Nancy Holder

SPECULATIVE ORIGINAL
GUILD WARS: GHOSTS OF ASCALON by Matt Forbeck and Jeff Grubb
STAR TREK: MIRROR UNIVERSE: THE SORROWS OF EMPIRE by David Mack
STAR WARS: FORCE UNLEASHED II by Sean Williams
SUPERNATURAL: HEART OF THE DRAGON by Keith R. A. DeCandido
WARHAMMER: BLOODBORN: ULRIKA THE VAMPIRE by Nathan Long

BEST ADAPTATION
FINAL CRISIS by Greg Cox
GOD OF WAR by Matthew Stover & Robert E. Vardeman
THE WOLFMAN by Jonathan Maberry

BEST YOUNG ADULT
ALPHA & OMEGA: THE JUNIOR NOVEL by Aaron Rosenberg
DUNGEONS & DRAGONS: ALDWYNS ACADEMY by Nathan Meyer
THUNDERBIRDS: SITUATION CRITICAL by Joan Marie Yerba

The Fifth Annual Scribe Awards will be given at a ceremony and panel discussion held during Comic Con International in San Diego in July 2011. Details will be announced soon.

As you can see, my book is up against some impressive competition in the Speculative Original category. I’m flattered to find my work on the short list; I extend my congratulations and best wishes to all my fellow nominees, and I thank the Scribe judges for their consideration.

Tune in again in late July to find out who the winners are!