I’ve been honored to be on the Saint Louis Literary Award Campus Read Committee for the last four years. The annual award dates to 1967 and past winners include Joan Didion, John Updike, Zadie Smith, Margaret Atwood and Arundhati Roy. The 2023 award winner is the legendary Neil Gaiman. The night before the award ceremony there was an informal reception. Neil was very generous with his time and talked with everyone who wanted to visit. Many selfies were taken and pleasantries exchanged.

When my turn arrived, I told him that we were going to dedicate the third book of the Dire Skies series to himself, Terry Pratchett, Susanna Clarke, Ursula Le Guin, J.R.R. Tolkien, etc., all writers who inspired Ross and I to pick up our (virtual) fountain pens to conjure stories and worlds. When I mentioned that I had turned to writing after forty years of being a musician, (we are the same age), he said he wasn’t surprised. “Musicians often make good writers because they can hear the music in a sentence.” Day, month and year made!

Posted on: April 14, 2023, by : T.C.