G7 said:
I swear Gabriel Dolorosa just jumped up like 15 votes or something during the past few hours.
He is a popular guy around these messageboards-- I went to sleep last night ahead of him by 11 votes and when I got up I was behind by 3! He's doing very well, and honestly, his sample chapter does indicate to me that he is uniquely qualified to novelize the War of the Burning Sky.
All the entries are great, in fact. Especially, to my tastes, Andy Goldman's, whose prose I find wonderfully uncluttered, subtle, and well-composed; the fact that he has not done as well in the voting as some others mystifies me.
These last few hours are nerve-wracking (These are the last few hours, right?) The worst part is, I have a dental appointment scheduled in the morning, so if I lose, I'll be contemplating my artistic failures as I have my teeth drilled-- and if I win, my enjoyment will be marred by the aforementioned dental work. Ah, such is life.
Best of luck to everyone. It has been a privilege to be featured alongside such luminary fiction.
EDIT: I just came back to vote. I assume all the other authors voted for themselves, but I made a pact with myself when all this started. I decided to wait right until the end before voting, and if it wasn't close or I didn't have a shot at winning, I was going to vote for Mr. Goldman, whose entry had some qualities I thought mine lacked. But it is close, and I do have a shot, and I don't know exactly when this poll ends... so I panicked and voted for myself.
Now I just wish I could stop clicking back on this page and go to sleep.