Random

People always ask writers where they get their ideas. It’s mostly an
indirect process, and often we don’t really know where we get our
ideas. But once in a while we do, or we can at least talk about works
that inspired us. For my current project, DOCTOR FATE, I went back to
re-read Roger Zelazny’s CREATURES OF LIGHT AND DARKNESS. Zelanzy was
a master of taking elements from mythology and twisting them into
science fiction settings, and CREATURES dove deeply into Egyptian
myth. He was an extraordinary wordsmith and a brilliant writer in
many ways I’ll never equal, but jealousy aside, it was a pleasure to
re-read his treatments of Thoth, Anubis and a host of the Egyptian
pantheon set in a far future.

Got a lovely note the other day via FB, in response to my usual query to people asking to “friend” me (“”Thanks, but can you tell me why you want to friend me?”).  The writer said she was a single mom, and fondly recalled me taking the time to send a letter back to her 14 year old daughter when she wrote in, talking of her aspirations to be an artist.  I had sent the girl some books on how to draw (things that would show up from time to time in my office and needed to find a better home).

Now the girl was about to graduate college, having continued to focus on art, and her mother said my encouragement had a lot to do with it.  I recall how good I felt about a couple of responses to letters I sent to comic  companies when I was young, so I can believe it, but it made my day to hear the story.