Tag Archives: birthday

Happy Birthday, Kristine Kathryn Rusch

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Kristine Kathryn Rusch Photo stolen from the ISFDB, who got it from Amazon

Today is Kristine Kathryn Rusch’s birthday.  Where I come from, it isn’t polite to ask a lady her age, so I’m not going to say what year she was born. And, yes, she’s very much alive and still writing, so this is another exception to my informal policy of birthday posts for writers who are no longer with us.

I’m hoping Kris is with us for a long time. She writes science fiction, fantasy, horror, and mystery, and she’s outstanding at all of them. She also writes romance, but I’ve not read much of her work in that field because it’s genre I’ve never really been able to get into. I have enjoyed the few romance stories she’s written that have been in some of the Fiction River volumes, so if you like romance, by all means check out her work.

Kris is a consummate pro who writes consistently. I met her and her husband Dean Wesley Smith at (I think) a Galaxy Fair in Dallas back in 19[redacted]. She asked the audience at a panel if they had written. When most of the audience raised their hands, she added “today”. Most of the hands went down. That’s the kind of professionalism I’m talking about.

Kris has been writing a business blog for several years now, with new posts appearing every Thursday.  Here’s today’s post on book promotions. If you’re a writer, you’ll want to check it out. All of her business posts are on her site for free, or if you want to read them in book form, they are available, just check the sidebar on her website.

Normally, I would review a story by the author who is the subject of a birthday post, but my son is graduating tomorrow morning (outside, at the football stadium). I have to get the house cleaned for incoming family and go to work this afternoon. So I’m going to leave you with an encouragement to read something of Kris’s and an anecdote.

Kris was editing F&SF when I met her, and I started submitting stories.  (I stopped when my advisor suggested I change the genre in which I was writing to “dissertation”.)  Although she never bought one(and looking back, I can’t blame her), I do have several personal rejection letters from her, not simply form rejections.

Happy birthday, Kris! May there be many more.

Lester del Rey, Fantasist

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Judy Lynn and Lester Del Rey at Minicon 8 (1974)

Today, June 2, is the birthday of Lester del Rey (1915-1993). He and his wife Judy-Lynn founded the Del Rey imprint at Ballantine. I never had the privilege of meeting Lester, and I wish I had.

Del Rey wrote both science fiction and fantasy (my science fiction birthday post is here), but I think fantasy was more his first love. I was at a convention years ago when I heard someone (I didn’t know the man, and I have no idea who he was at this late date) say he’d seen a list of things that would result in a successful fantasy line. The gentleman said these things would lead to a successful fantasy line, and that he disagreed with everyone one of them.  If anyone knows what this list is and where I can find it, I would appreciate your letting me know. Continue reading →

Three by Wellman

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Manly Wade Wellman

Today, May 21, marks the birth of Manly Wade Wellman (1903-1986). Wellman is best remembered for his stories of the John the Balladeer, set in the Appalachian mountains. But he wrote a lot of other things, as well.

I first discovered Wellman’s short stories in the pages of The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction.  He had a number of  stories published there in the late 1970’s and early 1980’s. Someone who had had a subscription had sold an almost complete run to the local second hand bookstore when I was in high school. Wellman’s stories were among the first I read when I picked up an issue with his name on the cover.

If you haven’t figured it out by now, Wellman is a favorite around these here parts, so in honor of his birth, in addition to raising a glass in his honor later this evening, I’m going to look at three of his stories that feature the same  character, Sergeant Jaeger. Continue reading →

A Visit to Redbeard’s Place

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Gene Wolfe

The Retro Hugo post I was too tired to write last night will have to wait another day, because today, May 7, is Gene Wolfe’s birthday. The more I read Gene Wolfe (1931-2019), the more I appreciate him as a writer.

Tonight’s story is “Redbeard”.  It’s a short tale, not really fantasy unless you count reference to a haunted house, the Redbeard place. It’s certainly not science fiction.  It’s definitely horror, with a bit of noir thrown in for good measure. It was devilish fun. Continue reading →

Jane Rice’s “The Idol of the Flies”

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Today’s (April 30) birthday post looks at story by someone who should not exist. Jane Rice(1913-2003) wrote fantasy and horror for the pulps, primarily Unknown.  As all right-thinking people know, women weren’t allowed to write for the pulps.  They were kept out by chauvinistic such as John W. Campbell, Jr., the editor of Astounding and, well, Unknown. Just goes to show what  some right-thinking people don’t know.

“The Idol of the Flies” is probably Jane Rice’s best known story.  I had not read it until a few minutes ago.

There’s a subgenre about evil children, Jterome Bixby’s “It’s a Wonderful Life” being a prime example. This story falls firmly into that category.

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Two Wrote Adventure

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Rafael Sabatini

Today, April 29, marks the birth of two of the most prolific and popular writers of adventure stories in the early 20th Century.  Rafael Sabatini (1875-1950) and H. Bedford-Jones (1887-1949).  I haven’t had time to read anything by either man today.  It’s also Jack Williamson’s birthday, and I did manage to read one of his stories.

Both Sabatini and Bedford-Jones published in Adventure magazine, one of the top fiction publications of the day, and one of the highest-paying.

Fortunately the works of both men are in print.  Sabatini is best remembered for his pirate novels, such as Captain Blood and The Sea Hawk.

H. Bedford-Jones

I’ve read a bit more Sabatini than I have Bedford-Jones, so I don’t know where to tell you to start. Altus Press has been reprinting his work for a while now, and there are plenty of titles to choose from.

I’ve been reading some stragiht historical adventure lately and want to read more.  These are two authors I to move higher in the queue.

 

Two Shorts by Frank Belknap Long

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Frank Belknap Long

Frank Belknap Long (1901-1994) was born on this date, April 27.  A correspondent of Lovecraft, Long was a prolific author in the 1920s, 30s, and 40s. He wrote science fiction as well as weird fantasy and horror.  His quality varied quite a bit, which is to to be expected when an author is that prolific.When he was good, he was very good.  Case in point, “The Hounds of Tindalos” is, in my opinion, one of the best Mythos stories ever written.  You may not agree, but that’s okay. It’s a free country. You can be wrong if you want to.

Let’s look at two of his shorter works.  Time has been tight today, or I would have reviewed a longer piece, such as “The Horror From the Hills.”  Maybe some other time.

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H. L. Gold’s “Trouble With Water”

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H. L. Gold

Okay, I’m going to violate one of my unwritten rules and post two items today.  In addition to being A. E. van Vogt’s birthday, it’s also Horace L. Gold’s birthday.  Born on April 26 in 1914, Gold passed away in 1996.

Although best remembered as the editor of Galaxy during the 1950s, Gold was also a successful writer of fiction in the 1930s and 40s.  While not one to the top tier, Gold’s fiction tended to the humorous.

“Trouble With Water” is probably his best known story.  I started to post this on Futures Past and Present because Gold was a science fiction editor.  But this is a fantasy story  (even if it was reprinted in Isaac Asimov Presents the Great SF Stories 1: 1939, where I first read it). Continue reading →