heh. I'm awaiting an email back, to give me Roz's current email addy. yahoo tried to a Spinal Tap-drummer on me a few months back and most of my addy list was devoured.

Dana, good grief, anytime at all is fine.

BTW, mild gloat: I just went down to get the mail and awaiting me via Priority was the complete manuscript of Marta Randall's new book, which I get to check over and do beta on. (gloat gloat gloat)

Because I don't read a lot of scifi, and Islands is still one of my favourites in the genre.

Deborah, Nic and Marty would definitely remember Camille who was too often an island of sanity amid a sea of yammerheads.

Marta Randall's new book

Ooooh. I loved that novel of hers, "Sword in Winter". If that's the right name. Glad to hear she's still writing.

I never expected to make connections with professional writers through fandom, and yet it's happening in weird ways. I'm 2 degrees from a number of people I really like. Very cool.

Consuela, it's mindblowing sometimes. OK, I'm a professional writer but there are writers out there that reduce me to simper-levels that nothing else can. And I found myself in conversation elsewhere with a very nice woman called Ayelet Waldman, who writes mysteries, and we were chatting away and it turns out she's married to MICHAEL CHABON!

I nearly plotzed. I mean, Wonder Boys Michael Chabon. Kavalier and Klay Michael Chabon. Freakin' PULITZER PRIZE FOR LITERATURE Michael Chabon.

Gibber blench drool. I turned into Twit Central for a minute or two and had to walk around the house to calm myself down.

edit: Marta R edited "Famous Flower of Serving Men" for me, the second one in the current series. Dragged the entire honking thing to Mexico with her and gave me an incredibly in-depth edit while she was on holiday. I owe her hugely, and am hooking her up with an agent friend.

Bwah, Deb. That's marvelous.

And I adored Kavalier and Clay as well. So. Much. Fun.

She's on Readerville, yes?

Three writers, ever, have reduced me to pulp: Mr. Chabon. Robertson Davies (he said something nice to me about Plainsong I swear to Jah, I fucking curtseyed). And John Crowley. The SF Chronicle review of "Aegypt" a few years back? I wrote that. And it was used on the cover.

gloatgloatgloatgloat

She's on Readerville, yes?

Yes indeed, but I didn't know it at that point; I'd come across "The Big Nap" and giggled myself sick, because it's a total charmer. Found her website, found out she was not only funny and smart but married to Michael Chabon, and developed Instantaneous Shyness.

I expect I'd make a thorough fool of myself should I chat with her again, damnit.

I never expected to make connections with professional writers through fandom, and yet it's happening in weird ways. I'm 2 degrees from a number of people I really like. Very cool.

I ran into my sister's father-in-law at a con (actually, at a couple). He's retired now, but man, that was a serious disconnect. I've known him since I was 8, before he wrote sci-fi at all.

Heh. I'm realizing that I'm only two degrees from a lot of writers. Which I knew, kinda, but is making me take a step back and go "whoa."

Yep. She's listed in the Temple University directory. So, Philly.

<perks up>

Neat. I wonder if I have any excuse to email her.