Since I couldn't make it to Japan (very pregnant wife + international travel = bad idea), I sent an acceptance speech to be read by my friend and fellow nominee Paul Melko, with no expectation that he'd actually have read the thing aloud. Here's what I said:

If my friend Paul Melko is reading this to you, it means my little alternate-universe love story about movies has somehow incredibly won the Hugo Award, which probably means we've slipped into an alternate reality of our own. But that's okay with me, since it's clearly the best of all possible worlds.

I'd like to thank all the readers who gave me their votes, and all the readers who didn't, too, because you voted, and that means you still care about the importance and wonder of short science fiction. My story is about a guy who loves movies more than anything else, but for me, that consuming love has always been for SF and fantasy literature. It means a lot to have the appreciation of others who feel the same way.

Paul tells me it seemed to translate well...

Melko's account of the experience is here, and he was kind enough to post photos here. Damn, that's the best looking Hugo ever!

So, in all seriousness, let me say I'm honored and delighted and so very pleased people liked my story. Michael Swanwick had a journal entry recently recounting some advice William Gibson gave him after Swanwick won a Nebula: "Now that you’ve got a Nebula, you need never want one again. That 'Nebula-Award winner' tag will follow you around for the rest of your life like a little puppy. They can’t take it away from you for bad behavior. Winning twenty more won’t make it any larger." So there you go. I'm a Hugo winner now and forever, something I didn't really expect to happen ever, and even in my dreams I figured if I ever did win, it would be sometime in the dim distant future. I'm stunned and thrilled and thoroughly satisfied. (Though if you guys want to give me more of 'em in the future, I won't say no.)

Congratulations to all the other winners, too. I wish I could be there in Japan to celebrate, but I'll celebrate just as hard as I can here in Oakland, believe me.