If things had gone the way the were supposed to, instead of writing this post, I would be at Howard Days enjoying a nice dinner, listening to Roy Thomas giving his Guest of Honor speech, and wondering if I would win all my bids in the silent auction. But as you are probably aware, nothing this year has gone the way it was supposed to. Continue reading
Lin Carter was born on June 9, 1930. He passed away in 1988. I’m not going to review any of his fiction for this birthday post. It’s been one of those days. I’m going to try to read something by Keith Laumer for Futures Past and Present.
Lin Carter
Today I want to discuss what was arguably his greatest contribution to the field of fantasy. No, I’m not talking about his involvement with L. Sprague de Camp and the Conan revival of the 1960s. I mean, of course, the Ballantine Adult Fantasy series.
BENE NOTE: If you want to do a web search, type “Ballantine Fantasy” in your search engine. Don’t say “Ballantine Adult Fantasy” unless you want to set off all kinds of bells and whistles. Especially at work. Continue reading
Today I want to look at two writers who did much to advance the field of science fiction. John W. Campbell, Jr. (1910-1971) is best remembered as an editor, but before he became an editor, he was first a writer. Kate Wilhelm was one of the strongest female voices in science fiction. Her work should not be forgotten. Continue reading
Today, June 7, marks the birth of three women who wrote in the field of the fantastic and are primarily known for their short stories, at least among fans of the weird tale. This post will be a little different than the usual birthday post in that I won’t be reviewing any of their stories. I spent the afternoon trying to video myself doing labs for this week’s classes.
First is Amelia B. Edwards. (1831-1892) Best known for “The Phantom Coach”, Mrs. Edwards wrote enough stories of the supernatural to fill a collection.
Irish writer Elizabeth Bowen (1899-1973) wrote a number of what would be called mainstream or literary novels today, but she was also a note author of ghost stories. You would expect that, with her being Irish. Robert Aickman thought highly of her work.
Kit Reed‘s (1932-2017) work was primarily science fiction, with much of it published in F&SF. Although it’s been enough years that details have faded from memory, I read her collection Other Stories and…The Attack of the Giant Baby either in high school or as an undergrad and enjoyed it quite a bit.
I apologize for not presenting an example of each lady’s work, but I did want to post something today if for no other reason than to counter the nonsense that women didn’t write science fiction and fantasy before the 21st Century. All three of these women were highly regarded when they were actively writing. Check their work out if you get a chance.
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.
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