Locus, October 2014
Page 23
The dark years did not last forever, though. Things stabilized with the arrival of Kirby’s sister, Kay McCauley, who moved to New York and proved to be as splendid a representative as her brother was, as those of us who stayed the course soon realized. And Kirby came back strong. In 1994, when I sent him two hundred pages of a fantasy I had been working on for a few years, and asked him if he could maybe sell it for enough money to get me out of television, he chuckled and said he thought maybe he could. Turned out, it was 1976 all over again. Kirby sent the book all over New York, got six publishers to submit offers, and soon had two of them bidding each other up and up until… well, Bantam won, and I popped a bottle of champagne, bid farewell to television, and set to work on A Game of Thrones.
I don’t believe Kirby ever fully retired. In recent years, however, I heard from him less and less, as he left most of the day-to-day running of his agency to his sister Kay, who does it admirably. He no longer attended cons or other fannish events, though he kept saying that one of these years he wanted to return to the World Fantasy Convention, the convention he helped to found. Last year, when I was in New York, Kirby and Kay and Parris and I went out to City Island, to eat crabs and clams and fried shrimp in a seafood shack over the water. He was the same old Kirby, bright, charming, laughing, full of stories. We talked about Alfie Bester and H.P. Lovecraft and Robert E. Howard. It was a great dinner.
Kirby McCauley died last weekend, of renal failure associated with diabetes.
He was the best agent any writer could hope for. He made amazing deals for me, helped launch my career in 1976, and relaunched me in 1994 when I came back from the dead. Like Gatsby, he came out of the midwest to New York City, and made it his. At his height, he owned the city. He used to tell me tales of his trips to Paris with Stephen King on the Concorde, of his date with Mariel Hemingway.
But I will remember him best from the old days, the midnight room parties at Lunacon back when it was still at the old Commodore, eating greasy breakfasts with Howard Waldrop at MidAmericon in ’76, sleeping on his couch in his old apartment on 26th Street because I could not afford a hotel room in Manhattan… a lot of writers slept on Kirby’s couch in those days….
Hey, Kirbs. I miss you. Rest in peace.
–George R.R. Martin
Return to In This Issue listing.
EDITORIAL MATTERS
Jonathan and Sophie Strahan, Liza Groen Trombi
With the Worldcon and Hugo reports, well over a hundred photos to color balance for print, the voting breakdown, and slightly understaffed as usual, we’ve put ourselves through the gristmill this month. Staff were coming in to work while sick, staying late to get layout finished, and I’m once again up at 5:00 a.m. hoping to get editorial out of the way so when I get to work I can hit the ground running for deadline. The good news is, if you’re reading it, we finished!
GRAHAM JOYCE
In the instant I heard the news of Graham Joyce’s lymphoma diagnosis in 2012, I knew already too much would be taken from us – that those of us here in the US might only get to see him a few more times, that the number of books that we would have the great pleasure of reading by him would be mercilessly fewer than it ought to be. It was still a huge shock to hear of his sudden death. The last I had seen online, he’d had a surgery and was recovering. He was going to start taking a new drug. He sounded hopeful. He always sounded hopeful. He’s been one of my favorite authors to read since someone handed me Smoking Poppy in 2003. I went back immediately and read everything I could find by him. I was lucky enough to meet and become friends with him the next year in Arizona; he then became one of my favorite people, too.
If you read the appreciations by his friends and colleagues, you hear the chorus played over and over: how charismatic and happy he was, the stories he told, the twinkle in his eye and his ready laugh, his mischievous nature, his physicality, his cleverness… People loved to be around him, and he could carry a room with the stories he told, seemingly pulled from nowhere. Charles and I used to argue whether The Facts of Life or The Last Enchantment were his best works; if you haven’t read them, go now and find them. His writing infuses wonder into the every day worlds of ordinary people, making the simple and sometimes painful acts of living extraordinary, and revealing that even the most unlikely folk can have mystery and greatness hidden within. He was taken too early, this one, and we are so much lesser for it. My deepest sympathies to those who loved him.
LONCON 3
So many things… I left the office right at deadline last month to go straight to the San Francisco airport and fly to London with Francesca. Via Copenhagen, which was filled with overly symmetrical blond people who were all very friendly. We took a car straight to the Aloft Hotel, and then made our way out to the Tachyon apartment for their party, where we found many folks including Gary K. Wolfe & Stacie Hanes, Rani Graff, Didi Chanoch, Yael Achmon, Joshua Bilmes, Cheryl Morgan, Katya Pendill, Ellen Klages, and more. A great start. We hit the ground running on Thursday, loading into the dealers’ room, and completely dodging the crazy registration lines. The con had everyone, program participants and all, going through a central registration line (sometimes up to an hour and a half wait, and thousands of people at its height, wrapped all the way around the building and up the stairs), so Fran and I picked up our dealer passes and our press passes (no lines), and vowed to come back later for registration. Much later. We had a great spot in the dealers’ room next to Twelfth Planet, and got things set up quickly. Jet lag made the first couple of days a blur, but I did get in time with most of the UK publishers; conducted interviews with Lauren Beukes, Simon Ings, Hannu Rajaniemi, and more; had some lovely dinners; saw a few agents; and made it out to the publisher parties. I also got to see my high school best friend, Abi Sutherland, who is a Making Light moderator, and her family, who all live in Holland these days, so it was a particular treat to get to spend some time with her.
Alex, Abi, and Fiona Sutherland; Liza Groen Trombi, John Clute; Francesca Myman, Alisa Krasnostein
The pre-Hugo reception this year was held in a riverfront room of the ExCeL. Not entirely glamorous, but everyone was pleased to see that David Tennant and the Game of Thrones folks showed up and made all the other Hugo nominees geek out a little extra. There were hot hors d’oeuvres and a no-host bar, and an outside patio for mingling, and then the well-dressed nominees and guests were herded back into the large auditorium for the main event. After all the awards were handed out and photos were taken, we were all reherded to the Hugo Losers’ party (which really required chaperonage to find, being through some large empty rooms and down a long hallway, etc.). There were more finger foods and a bar, and the results of the Hugo voting, which normally I love to examine right away. Sadly, I didn’t stay long so can’t report on much about the party; I lost my cool and had to leave after watching some particularly embarrassing and disrespectful treatment of the Hugo Awards by a couple of our Hollywood guests. After the con was finished, I went to a couple more meetings with publishers in town, hit some sights with Jonathan Strahan and his lovely daughter Sophie, and finally flew home exhausted.
LOCUS AUCTION
As a fundraiser, the Locus Science Fiction Foundation will be auctioning off some of the collectible items Charles Brown gathered in his many travels this October 11-13, 2014, at Clars Auction House in Oakland;
d they will be up soon. See ad on p. 49 for more details.
THIS ISSUE/NEXT ISSUE
It was a doozy, I tell ya. Many thanks to the hard work and late nights put in by Francesca, Tim, and Kirsten to get this mess of an issue together and laid out. As I write this, we’re trying to figure out if we’ll make it to the printer on time; I am, as ever, optimistic. But in order to get it done, I need to finish this editorial, so I’ll wrap up now. More thanks to all the people who helped us at Loncon 3 with the Locus table: Caren Gussoff, Rebecca Swart Fowler, Amy Sisson, Adrienne Martini, and Caitlin Herington. Also to Alisa Krasnostein for being a charming table neighbor, and Tachyon for assistance with shipping the magazine. To Farah for organizing the memorial bench for Charles, and answering our innumerable questions. To all the photographers who sent in photos, IDs, etc.
Our next issue has planned interviews with Linda Nagata and Hannu Rajaniemi, and all of our usual news, reviews, and articles. Next con up for me is World Fantasy. See you there!
–Liza Groen Trombi
Subscribe, or renew your subscription, at www.locusmag.com today.
Help Locus expand its readership: tell a friend about our free digital samples, available at www.locusmag.com/Magazine/DigitalSamples.html, and join us on twitter by following @locusmag and @locuschat
Mention Locus in your blog, website, or favorite form of social media.
Please consider donating to the Locus Science Fiction Foundation, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization dedicated to the promotion and preservation of science fiction, fantasy, and horror. Donations support Locus magazine as well as a variety of related SFnal projects. For more information, and to
make donations through Paypal, please visit our new website at www.lsff.net.
Return to In This Issue listing.
CORRECTIONS
In September 2014’s ‘‘People and Publishing’’, we listed The Network: A Scientific Novel as by Nick ‘‘Canas’’, instead of Nick Kanas.
Return to In This Issue listing.
PHOTO LIST
Paul Park (LT)
Kameron Hurley (LT)
Graham Joyce (BG)
Zombie Campbell Nominees (GGP)
Jonathan Carroll (BG)
John Scalzi (LT)
William Gibson (LT)
Elizabeth Bear (LT)
Graham Joyce (BG)
Graham Joyce (BG)
Graham Joyce (BG)
Darren Nash, Peter Crowther, Graham Joyce, Paula Guran, John Berlyne (F/PC)
Paul Park (LT)
Edward Bryant (LT)
Ursula K. Le Guin (AB)
Salman Rushdie (FCC/DSB)
Ben Winters (F/MTY)
Nisi Shawl (BC)
Lou Anders (FM)
Arthur C. Clarke (CNB)
Lee Harris, Irene Gallo, Carl Engle-Laird (F)
Jim Burns (FM)
2014 British Fantasy Awards Winners (F)
Kameron Hurley (F)
ExCeL Center (FM)
Iain M. Banks (F)
John Clute (FM)
Malcolm Edwards (LT)
Chris Foss (FM)
Jeanne Gomoll (FM)
Robin Hobb (BG)
Bryan Talbot (FM)
Fan Village (FM)
Betsy Wollheim, Sheila Gilbert (FM)
Emma & Peter Newman, Courtney & Connie Willis, Cordelia Willis (FM)
Allison Soskice & Brian Aldiss, Francesca Myman (FM)
John Ladwig, Elise Matthesen, Kate Yule, David D. Levine, Sarah Goodman (FM)
Gregory Benford & Elizabeth Malartre (FM)
Candas Jane Dorsey & Timothy J. Anderson (FM)
John Harris, Omar Khan (FM)
Tansy Rayner Roberts, Amal El-Mohtar (FM)
Keffy Kehrli, Nene Ormes (FM)
Clare Coney & Peter Nicholls (DGH)
Simon Taylor, Crystal Huff (FM)
Gord Doctorow, Poesy Doctorow, Cory Doctorow, Roz Doctorow, Alice Taylor (FM)
Cynthia Geno, Leslie Johnston, Vivian Perry, Debbie Bretschneider (FM)
Jeremy Zerfoss, Jukke Halme (FM)
Shahid Mahmud, Rodney Somerstein (FM)
Gili Bar-Hillel, Rina Weisman (FM)
Alvaro Zinos-Amaro & Rebecca Swart Fowler, Karen Haber & Robert Silverberg (FM)
Justin Landon, Myke Cole, Mallory O’Meara (FM)
Patrick Rothfuss, Sam Bradbury (FM)
Freda Warrington, Cheri Douglass (FM)
Matthew Hughes, Gordon Van Gelder, Andy Duncan, Ellen Datlow, David G. Hartwell (FM)
John Clute, Christopher Priest (FM)
Siobhan Carroll, Madeline Robins, John R. Douglas (FM)
Mur Lafferty, Fiona Van Verth, Jim Van Verth (FM)
Robin Hobb (FM)
The Wasp Factory (FM)
Darwin’s Pigeons (FM)
Peter Crowther, Ellen Datlow, Michael Swanwick (LT)
Tom Easton, David G. Hartwell (FM)
Barry Goldblatt, Justin Ackroyd (FM)
Vicki & Don Glover (FM)
Seanan McGuire, Michelle “Vixy” Dockrey (FM)
Beefeaters, Hugos (FM)
Ann Leckie (FM)
Charles Stross (FM)
Mary Robinette Kowal (FM)
John Chu (FM)
Malcolm Edwards, Gillian Redfearn (FM)
Catherynne M. Valente, David Tennant, Heath Miller (FM)
Karen Haber, George R.R. Martin, Robert Silverberg (FM)
Liza Groen Trombi, Liz Gorinsky, Miriam Weinberg (FM)
Antonia Pugliese, James Bacon (FM)
Alice Lawson, Steve Cooper (GGP)
Will Frank, David Gallaher, Ben Yalow, Dave McCarty, Vincent Docherty (GGP)
Beefeaters, Geoff Ryman, Justina Robson (FM)
Eamonn Clarke, Neil Clarke (FM)
Mike Underwood, Paul Cornell, Adam Christopher, Jimmy Broxton (FM)
Jukka Halme, Jeff & Ann VanderMeer, Amy Sundberg (FM)
Eemeli Aro, Beth Welsh, Galen Dara (FM)
Sally Harding , Thomas Olde Heuvelt, Vincent Docherty (FM)
Mollie Wogg & Ramez Naam (FM)
Ginjer Buchanan & John R. Douglas (FM)
Andrew Tremblay & Kevin Roche, Ben Yalow, Glenn Glazer (FM)
Kathleen Ann Goonan, Edward James (FM)
Marc Gascoigne, Lee Harris (FM)
Ginjer Buchanan (FM)
Ellen Datlow FM)
Aidan Moher (FM)
Stefan Rudnicki (FM)
Vincent Docherty (FM)
George R.R. Martin (FM)
Matthieu Larqué & Aliette de Bodard and child (FM)
Shannon Pritchett & Vylar Kaftan (FM)
Sheila Williams, Andrea Duffy (FM)
Jed Hartman & Mary Anne Mohanraj (FM)
Feorag NicBhride & Charles Stross (FM)
Gary K. Wolfe, Joe Monti (FM)
Jonathan Strahan, Sophie Strahan, Alisa Krasnostein (FM)
Meg Frank, Mark Oshiro, Johnny Chen, Jesi Pershing, Sunil Patel, Will Frank, Keri O’Brien (FM)
Retro Hugo Awards Winners & Others (DC)
Geoff Ryman, Pat Cadigan, Steve Morris, Tricia Sullivan, Ian McDonald (FM)
Shana Worthen, Farah Mendlesohn (FM)
Joe & Gay Haldeman (FM)
Jonathan Oliver, Jay Caselburg, Glen Mehn, Rani Graff (FM)
Gregory Manchess, Scott Edelman, Irene Gallo, Chris Gerwel (FM)
Betsy Mitchell, Anne Groell (LT)
Tim Holman, Kim Stanley Robinson (LT)
Wesley Chu, Melissa Frain, Whitney Ross, Patty Garcia (FM)
David Langford, David Pringle (DGH)
Will Frank, Sunil Patel (FM)
Glyn Morgan, Andrew Ferguson (LT)
Jamie Cowen, Adrian Selby, Anne Clarke (FM)
Tobias Buckell, Adam Rakunas (FM)
Gareth L. Powell, Simon Morden, Joshua Bilmes, Joseph Zieja (FM)
Laura Lam, Elizabeth Bear & Scott Lynch (FM)
David Moore, Adrian Tchaikovsky (FM)
Delia Sherman, Jane Johnson, Ellen Kushner (FM)
Jonathan Wright, John Courtenay Grimwood, Cheryl Morgan, Johnanna Vainikainen-Uusitalo, Sarah Pinborough (FM)
Stephen Jones & Mandy Slater, Amanda Foubister (FM)
Bragelonne Editorial Staff (FM)
Michaiah Huw Evans, Helen Marshall, Daryl Gregory (FM)
Caren Gussoff, Nigel Goodwin, J.Y. Yang, Allison Solano, Georgina Kamsika (FM)
Vivian Cheung, Adam Christopher, Nick Landau, Jack Campbell, Daryl Gregory, Kim Newman, Jim Burns, Steve Saffel (FM)
Filthy Pierre (FM)
Marcus Gipps, Stephen Baxer (FM)
Eddie Schneider & Carolina Valdez Miller (FM)
Gail Carriger, Peter V. Brett (FM)
Micaiah Huw Evans, Suzanne Tompkins (FM)
Brad Templeton, Kathryn Myronuk (FM)
Jo Walton, Ada Palmer (FM)
Ken MacLeod, John Berlyne (FM)
Jonathan Strahan, Kate Elliott (FM)
Farah Mendlesohn, Bella Pagan (FM)
Peter Crowther, Stephane Marsan, Jo Fletcher (FM)
Yael Achmon, Katherine Pendill, Didi Chanoch, Rani Graff (FM)
Patrick Nielsen Hayden, Cory Doctorow, Teresa Nielsen Hayden (FM)
Pierre Pevel, Emmanuel Beiramar (LT)
Kendra Leigh Speedling, James Patrick Kelly, E. Lily Yu, Siobhan Carroll (FM)
Gaie Sebold, David Gullen, Marcus Gipps (FM)
Sumit Paul-Choudhury, Lavie Tidhar (LT)
Chris Beckett, Jetse de Vries (FM)
Emily Lunn, Den Patrick, Sophie Calder, Simon Spanton (FM)
Cat Sparks, Janeen Webb, Gillian Polack (FM)
Kaja & Phil Foglio (FM)
Yasmin Jaunbocus, Eleanor Ashfield, Natasha Bardon (FM)
Tara Smith, John Picacio (FM)