Month: March 2005

Letter from Marie

Letter from Marie

Dear Todd –

At my rich ol’ age of 70 I have been a fan of your mom’s for years, read all her books on Pern and other series as well as her very first ones. They are keers on my library shelves. I just dropped your ‘mom’an E-mail from her site which is up and going again giving you high praise for your first written alone book and for her work on all her books which I’ve enjoyed. My husband used to say when he saw a new Anne McCaffery “Oh good heavens, it’s bread and water for dinner for the next 72 hours” he knew I wouldn’t come up for air, much less cook until I’d finished the book. Now I want to tell you what a great job you did on Dragonsblood. I just finished it and it was as if Anne were writing it herself. You are truely a Pern writer. I knew when I saw the work the two of you did on Dragon’s Kin and your writing of Dragonholder that you were a ‘given’ as a Pern writer. I am so glad that ‘mom’ decided to let you walk on and in her special world of Pern.!

I am eagerly awaiting your next venture onto that world, wither it be a dule writing or one of your own I’ll read it. Great going and best wishes for a long and fruitful career as a Pern writer. How wonderful to have a son that can carry on the legacy when needed.

Sincerely yours,
Marie

Dear Marie,

It’s funny that your husband should say that — whenever Mum was really into a book, we’d discover ourselves making our own meals (and this is before microwaves!).

I’m glad that you liked Dragonsblood, it’s good to know that I pass muster with such a discerning and dedicated fan!

Mum and I are working on Dragon’s Fire and then it’s on to Dragon’s Harp (or Heart, we haven’t figured which), so it’ll be a while before I return to deal with the aftermath of Dragonsblood. Still, with your kind words, I’ll find it easier to work!

Cheers,
Todd


Letter from Hope

Letter from Hope

Todd,

I read Dragonsblood and really loved it. However, it left me with a question your mum has dealt with in a roundabout way. Dragons, being the constantly, marvelously adaptable creatures they are, wouldn’t a plague as described in Dragonsblood “turn on” an urge for hatchlings to re-impress? I wondered about this, since there would be so many dragonless riders. However, the new generation should go to the young searched riders. Ah, youth!

It just presents an interesting paradox in my mind.

Thanks,

-Hope

Hope,

You know, I don’t know. There’s a danger with having genes be too malleable and responsive — it produces such things as auto-immune diseases. I don’t think that hatchlings would find previously impressed riders as “tasty” as fresh, new candidates. Also, I don’t know if it’d be fair to those old impressed riders. Brekke certainly seemed to think so, as did Lytol — and they should know.

Cheers,
Todd


Letter from Helen

Letter from Helen

Dear Todd,

I wrote to you earlier in the week but that was before I had read any of the letters you had received…after doing this, I realize that everything I’d said had already been said far more eloquently!

I still haven’t finished Dragonsblood as I continue to pace myself so that I can savour the world of Pern and it’s wonderful characters – I really don’t want the book to end! Dragonsblood continues to be awesome and has had me in many more tears as I’ve read further – you connect your reader to your characters so much it’s as though we are forming bonds of our own with them. You have made me want to reread the entire series again but I am so frustrated that there aren’t enough hours in the day to read everything I would like to read!

As I said earlier, Anne McCaffrey is truly my favourite author and ‘Dragonflight’ was my introduction to sci-fi/fantasy which has now been my genre of preference for almost 20 years…I have every single one of her books and nowadays they are all hardbacks as I can’t wait for them to be released as paperbacks – furthermore, they are all ordered from amazon US as I can’t wait for them to come out in Australia! And I have adopted this for your books as well, all of which I have in hardback and purchased from the US!

I realize that Anne must have been such an influence in your life but what shines through your books is your own talent – you truly are gifted as a story teller and I look forward to reading all of your future publications. Thank you so much for continuing the Pern series in such a faithful, brilliant way.

Hoping you and your mother are both well and wishing you both many more turns of happy writing!

Warm regards,
Helen

P.S. I read in one of the letters that you recommended the ‘Alien Taste’ quartet by Wen Spencer and I’m just wondering whether you could advise me on whether Book 2 ‘Tainted Trail’ will be reprinted? I have been frustrated to find that the other 3 books in this series are available yet amazon UK & US, Barnes & Noble all indicate Book 2 is out of print but available 2nd hand ‘from US$60-90’ or ‘for 110 pounds’ from the UK and these prices have left me utterly stunned! I found the Roc Publications site but there seemed to be no email address to contact them and ask them whether they would be reprinting this book and I’ve run out of ideas…the series sounds wonderful and I would dearly love to get hold of it…

P.P.S. Also, I was wondering whether you had ever read Gayle Greeno’s cat series ‘The Ghattis Tale’ which is a double trilogy and absolutely wonderful…as well as Tara K. Harper’s ‘Wolfwalker’ series, the earlier books of which are also great.

Dear Helen,

Well, I’ll try to get Dragon’s Fire finished quickly so that you won’t have to wait too long for another Pern book. I’m glad that you liked Dragonsblood. I think you’ll find that it answers a number of questions that were left unanswered in the previous books.

I’m glad you like Dragonsblood and that you’ll want to read more of my books (even the non-Pern ones?).

At a booksigning the other day, I asked a local bookseller if they could still get “Tainted Trail” and they said yes, so I’m hoping that it’s not out of print. However, that’s the extent of my knowledge. Your best bet on that is to contact the publisher directly.

I haven’t read “The Ghattis Tale” nor “Wolfwalker”, I’ll keep them in mind! Right now I’m reading mostly non-fiction, although I did just read “Freefall” by Judith and Garfield Reeves-Stevens, and “We Few” by David Weber and John Ringo — and enjoyed them both.

Cheers
Todd


Letter from Dave

Letter from Dave

Given your literary upbringing and current full time job, I’m wondering if you knew Andre Norton. As a child I devoured C.S. Lewis, Lloyd Alexander, and Tolkien. A teacher friend of the family recommended some other authors I might enjoy, including Andre Norton, Anne McCaffrey, and Madeline L’Engle. I didn’t realize it then, but those recommendations helped balance the genders of my favorite writers and most importantly got me into Pern. It is no coincidence that one of the best pieces of advice I ever received mentioned Anne McCaffrey and Andre Norton together. Farewell to the Grand Dame of SF&F.

Dave

Hi Dave,

I was an avid reader of Andre Norton’s books. After Heinlein, she was the next author I gravitated to in my tweens. She was a marvelous, sweet lady and the godmother of the White Dragon — Ruth was her suggestion.

She’ll be missed.

— Todd