Ages when I "discovered" my favorite authors

Andre Norton 

Age 10-11 "Warlock of the Witchworld"

My oldest big brother brought home a coverless used paperback copy. My introduction to adult Fantasy. Magic as personal, unique, familial legacy, and frightening. The rest is history... 

Lois Duncan

Age 12 "A Gift of Magic"

I lost a lot of Summertime as a kid because I was always stuck in Summer School(which is also a favorite 80s movie of mine. My first film showing a pregnant teen and the storyline NOT punishing her for that). I found this book on the school library spinner rack(found so many favorites over the years on the spinner rack). The cover was a touched-up photograph of an eerie-looking pre-teen white girl. Her eyes aglow while she sat crouched in an easy chair, her fingers digging into its arms while she stared at the viewer. Behind her was another photo of a younger girl seemingly floating in shades of blue. The story was as surreal and real as a story could get about a regular girl inheriting her matriarchal line's ability to telepathy, telekinesis, and prescience.

Anne McCaffrey 

Age 20 "The Rowan"

Now in the realm of far-future SF with a psychic woman protagonist(thanks to A Gift of Magic) I started to relish reading about. This title was the first in a family drama/space opera series. The protagonist is in blue clothing and seat on a seat likened to a throne, appearing as regal as any queen. An orphan, she is considered one of the most powerful psychics in human-inhabited space. She sits straight with her ankles crossed, her arms straight with her fingertips on her seat's arms. She is flanked by a smallish(serval-size?) snow leopard-like domesticated cat. More psychic abilities and alien-implied invasions of the galaxy. The first story where the protagonist and her intended get together, she gets pregnant, and they don't immediately marry(they marry in the second book when she's pregnant with their third child). That blew my mind and I appreciated this subplot point. 

Ursula K. le Guin

Age 23(?) "Catwings Returns"

I know I read this story late in my local library, not even realizing it was a series. It had cats with bird wings born to a regular black cat mama. The cats flying through a city felt very real to me and delighted me that another writer could make a story about a cat character that could fly. Disclaimer: My first character I made up as a kid was a brown and white cat with bat wings I called Cat the Bat.😊😄 I worked as a substitute teacher at the time.

It took two years, but...[*edited*]

It's been two years and four months since I finally completed my main character alien species, the Aturan. 

For those who haven't read my short stories yet, I have two short stories that appeared in Kyanite Press: The Journal of Speculative Fiction: THE HUMAN NETWORK and CATCHING FEELS.

To make a long story short(see what I did there?), my short story series takes place in a near-future New York City where an alien species known as Aturan live among us. Most of us don't know they exist because they are natural shape-shifters or polymorphs, to use a Star Trek term, and so can look like many other alien species, including us.

In April 2018, I started work on how these aliens would appear and was bored by the regular heteronormative binary that 'plagues' other aliens in other stories. Not only did I work on figuring out that my aliens defaulted as polysexual, but I wanted to use the term omnisexual, an ElfQuest series' term, to mean that my aliens were not only sexually and romantically attracted to other sexual identities and genders among their own, but that they could be romantically and/or sexually attracted to other aliens too.

Now in September 2020, I finally completed the last four identities. If you want to see them in their technicolor glory, head on over to my Instagram page: handdrawnbycarmenjr. I also have explanations for each of the identities but purposely remained vague. I want readers to learn more as they take in the stories. 

Lastly, I can count on one hand which science fiction writers heavily influenced me into writing complex alien characters. 

The first is Andre Norton. Her explanations on how aliens viewed and explained things to the humans in her novels and short fiction is nothing short of amazing. 

The next is Anne McCaffrey. She shows that aliens can often get along with humans and have their own senses of humor.

The next is C.J. Cherryh. I can't begin to tell you how often I read her stories over and over just to get a sense of her physical descriptions and biological explanations of aliens, their societies and even their history. Just the way they interact with humans and view things is something I rarely saw in most of the scifi I read.

And last is Octavia Butler. Yes, her aliens invading and changing humankind's destiny is nothing short of glorious. To see Black characters forging through and participating in said future is magnificent to read. And that she seamlessly weaves in racial injustice, oppression, and racism into the fabric of her hard-hitting stories is breathtaking.

Originally planned for posting on 2/1/2016

I don't know what took me so long to read my SFBC short story collection by deceased author Zenna Henderson! It's been a while since I read a short story that made me go to bed with a smile!

I wanted to write a blog about Henderson's "People" series. The closest I can think of to her work is Bradbury's "Martian Chronicles". That sort of homespun alien science fiction that often takes place in rural communities and their effects out on the United States countryside.

I had a plan to read many classic SF stuff, as well as to read the new stuff by people of color and women.

More on this wonderful late SF legend on a future post - With photos!

Another Facebook post

Saw this in my coffee table book "The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Fantasy" many years ago (right-hand picture).

At Miami Book Fair International in 2006, while at the CLMP's booth (Council of Literary Magazines and Presses), I found the short story collection (left-hand picture) by a press called Manic D. Press.

Bought @ Miami Book Fair Int'l 2006

I suddenly took to reading these short-short stories (some were as little as four-pages while others were up to the average 15-20 page short stories) and became mesmerized by this visual feast of words and creative imagery. The only time I read such beautiful stories - both grammatically and visually was when reading "The Arabian Nights".  

Ever since I began to read Lord Dunsany did research start to mention the countless authors both past and present owed to this man. What I learned was that the modern fantasy genre we credit to men such as J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis could not have happened without Dunsany. He preceded both men and had even the great poet Yeats as a contemporary write highly of him.

There can never explain so much of speculative fiction's debt to him. There wasn't any of the fantasy or science fiction tropes we now expect and take for granted. Lord Dunsany created the language that did not exist. He created the tropes no one had. I spoke that Dunsany was the science fiction/fantasy writer's Shakespeare. Perhaps I speak too hastily. Perhaps there are Dunsany scholars out there that could analyze better what I speak so effusively as a fan. And yet, many of the authors I mention have been quoted that Lord Dunsany influenced them, inspired their writings, made them into the literary powerhouses we now look back with admiration.

However, there is no doubt in me that without Lord Dunsany, there would be no C.S. Lewis, no Tolkien, no H.P. Lovecraft, no Fritz Leiber, no Garth Nix, no Katherine Kerr, no Diane Wynne Jones, no Charles de Lint, no Rowling, pretty much modern fantasy may not have developed into the genre it is without Lord Dunsany...



*If you have the Aldiko e-book app, most of his short story collections are FREE. Lord Dunsany's works are also available through public domain. 

Andre Norton as an undergrad course - PART 6 [PHOTOS]

My next post in honor of Andre Norton being taught within an undergraduate course at my college campus.

According to the Andre Norton Official Website, the artist for this book cover is by Laslo Gal, another favorite Ms. Norton book illustrator.

front cover 

Here is another book cover and story that has heavily influenced me. As a reader. As a writer. As an artist. Breed to Come was the second story I read after 'Warlock of the Witch World' (more on that title later:)). This story was a milestone in that it not only featured what I would later learn to be anthropomorphic characters, but the level of world-building was astounding. In a nutshell, this is what would be considered a Dystopian sf tale. This is millions of years after earth was ruined and abandoned by the human race, who took to the stars, leaving a wrecked planet, the animals, especially the cats, dogs and rats, have evolved into separate civilizations. The story starts with a feline character and Norton explains his biology as if his remains were examined by scientific forensics. It's an incredible spare kind of writing that just took my breath away with its precision details! As Furtig (cat protagonist) explains, he is about to partake in some sort of ceremony to determine if he will be chosen as a mate. Norton has a knack for dissecting complex cultural and social mores into an interesting journey for the reader.  

back cover

Furtig goes on a quest to figure out what his purpose is. But, this protagonist has another motive and so he decides to follow in the footsteps of a clan ancestor who pursued his quest for knowledge and was never heard from again. The story ebbs and flows. It picks up and slows down, especially by Ms. Norton's expositions on the landscape and what earth now looks like after millions of years of missing us. Of course, there is conflict and invaders touch down on earth to check it out as well. Furtig has to find his place in this new world and we the readers must figure out our place in this magnificent novel as well. 

Andre Norton as an undergrad course - PART 5 [PHOTO]

Another Andre Norton book cover! According to the Andre Norton Official Website, the artist for this cover is Davis Meltzer.

As an artist, there are many things that inspire me, especially when it comes to book covers. Nowadays, some of these front covers are being digitally done and I find the artwork often uninspiring, which is sad to say the least. However, with some of my favorite stories, I have been fortunate to have favorite covers too. Here is another from Norton's Web of the Witch World, which I think is the second book in her long-running 'Witch World' (c) series. 

For some reason, it reminds me of a 1970s comic book cover, and the tale within is filled with powerful women, magic with science, inter-dimensional villains, and a protagonist from our planet who is still adjusting to the culture of this new world. It is a refreshing, exciting, sense of wonder tale. To read it multiple times is to find something new. Pure delight. 

Andre Norton as an undergrad course - Part 4 [PHOTOS]

Now, on to the Book Covers!!!
*Kermit the frog cheer*

As I said in an earlier posting, since finding out from some college students that my favorite, favorite author Andre Norton is being taught in an English course on-campus, I have decided to revisit my love and 'fangirling' of this amazing woman. 

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

In previous posts, I gave URLs on her newest official site and older homepage as hyperlinks in the post, re-posted a classic post on her, and just about ranted on the unfairness that while an undergrad, many folks didn't seem to know about her and now, as an employee on same campus, she is part of a college literature curriculum!

But, I am an artist first, and I judge books by their covers, and, for some reason, perhaps because Ms. Norton was prolific and was still writing and publishing almost to her death, her bibliography is varied, long, and epic in scope as her stories. Yet, it was the various artists that tried to capture her ideas that mesmerized, baffled, or even bewildered me.

Without further ado, on to the book covers! 

The first is Norton's The Zero Stone. The book is from my family's personal library. These are the Viking editions that my father acquired during the 1970s. According to the Andre Norton Official Website, the cover artist is Robin Jacques.

What struck me was the highly-detailed almost digital preciseness of the piece. Also, the illustrator captured a pivotal scene. Do you see the detailing? I used my Chromebook's webcam to take this picture so I apologize if it's not clear enough. 

 Not only is this one of Norton's more zippier-reads (the action is not breakneck but it does breeze by during the action scenes), but my biggest regret is that I removed the dust jacket! It annoyed me and so I took it off the book! What can I say? I was 11-12 at the time. I regret it now. I still regret it. I know better. 

Still, what was on the dust jacket is what's on the actual binding as well as the front and backcover. I've seen other editions where this gorgeous illustration was on dust jacket only, so, I lucked out.

Andre Norton as undergrad studies - PART 3

I got that last rant out of my system. Now, on to more serious topics.

There are plenty of reasons to enjoy Ms. Norton. I will give the list on why I adore her.

 1. Her protagonists are often outcasts/pariahs/lepers in her/his respective community/society/world/planet.
2. This outcast often does not know what is in store for them. Then, in the middle of their woes, their destiny arrives!
3. Norton appears to have used more disabled characters than other fictional authors. Also, because her character is disabled, doesn't default them to 'bad guy/bad girl'.
4. The disability stays with the character. Whether it's in a Norton science fiction or fantasy, the disability is often a boon.
5. The disability is also not glorified but is unpleasant for the protagonist. Norton's literary descriptions of how a real-life or fictional disability can affect the character in profound ways - by their internal monologues, their physical or 'magical' limitations, she as a writer appeared to have a good grasp on portraying a disability in a realistic way. However, by the middle of the story, he/she finds out how the 'disability' helps on the quest or in the middle of a conflict.
6. Norton likes 'furries', and the protagonist will often be accompanied by either a recognizable creature (cat or dog), or, a creature native to that particular planet/dimension/world.
7. Said 'furry companion' will often be more intelligent than the protagonist and often dispels the reader's ideas about 'pets'.
8. There are clues, riddles, puzzles to solve, ancient languages to decipher. Some of Norton's best stories (Most are) read as crime thrillers or murder mysteries.
9. Her novels, short story collections, series, and shared worlds are equally populated genderwise. That means she has just as much female protagonists as her male protagonists.
10. Norton appears to like shape-shifting, polymorphism, and out-of-body-experiences.
11. The woman got me more obsessed about psychic phenomenon! In many of her stories when the protag and 'furry' companion were 'linked', it was often through telepathy.
12. Norton's villains were not the Van Dyke-mustache-twirling types. Often, they simply were philosophically/politically/socially/genetically opposed to the protagonist. And if there was 'evil', it was a forgotten source of power left on some ancient abandoned world.

In honor of Andre Norton being taught at my campus, I will have another post on the Grand Dame of Science Fiction/Fantasy!
And some pics from my collection! Take care!

[Part 4 coming up]

Andre Norton as undergrad studies - PART 2

Ok, remember that I learned from two students they are being taught about ANDRE NORTON? Both students are taking the same instructor/professor.

Here's my question...
WHERE WAS I WHEN THIS WAS BEING TAUGHT?
The answer: the 'Grand Dame' wasn't taught when I was a student back when the college was a community college! Back then, most folks didn't know what I was talking about when I mentioned her!

Both my students (one for this semester and one from a previous semester) had to do RESEARCH Papers on her! One student interviewed me! My student I tutored asked me out of the blue about Norton. This is how I figured out something was amiss.

Now, I was told about the author's new website. I would have still been going to the fan-made one had my students not made me aware of what their teacher told them to use as citation!
CITATION. Andre Norton is being CITED?

I know, I know. This post is becoming one heavy rant, but, I can't help it. I feel like Charlie in Roald Dahl's "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" when he fears he didn't get the golden ticket! But he did! He did!

And what did I get? Well, I did get the chance to rant about my favorite late author on-the-job.
*Sigh* Why oh why wasn't she a college course when I was a student?
[Part 3 coming up]

Andre Norton Post re-posted***

[Post originally on Dec. 26, 2012]
*There is a brand-spanking-new official website for Ms. Norton. http://www.andre-norton-books.com/
*There is a new post about Ms. Norton. Link is previous post to this *Andre Norton as an undergrad studies*.
Another blog post where I mentioned her is here when discussing one of the famous spec fiction anthologies she co-edited.

When the stifling of summer changes to the cool breezes of fall and becomes the set cold of winter, I get nostalgic.

I mentioned in the last post that since I am in Second-draft mode, I am taking a more inward analysis about myself as a writer. What do I mean?

Because I keep a library in my bedroom as well as the family library in the den (sun room), this puts me in a unique position: I often have immediate or near immediate access to the books and stories that helped to shape my reading and writing persona.

Let me tell you about a lady who named herself Andre Norton.

From site: http://wishestrumpet.com

Andre Norton was born Mary Alice Norton but legally changed her name to Andre Norton because she began to publish at a time (mid-1930s) when women writing SF were very likely to have their works snubbed by the 'male establishment'.

(For more of this phenomenal writer's bio - go to her official site - created by fans, no less! ANDRE NORTON ORG:: Main Index)

She was incredibly prolific, and her space adventures involving youth, strong female protagonists, won her many readers and lifelong fans.

Originally a librarian, she seemed to know what middle-schoolers-to-high-schoolers-to-young adults were thinking, what they worried about.
Whether it was coming to grips with new found abilities, or feeling an outcast because of said abilities, Andre Norton's stories seemed to touch upon very real pre-adolescent and adolescent feelings even in fantastical settings!

After a used, tattered, coverless paperback was handed to me at 11, "Warlock of the Witch World", my imagination was lit on fire. Later, I took down every hardcover title we had on the family bookcase, snatching them for my bedroom library.

I knew then, this was the author for me!

It seemed predestined when, in Seventh Grade, an English teacher I didn't like very much, but who had recognized my gift for storytelling, gave me Ms. Norton's address while the author lived in Florida.
I never followed through, and later, health and other reasons caused my role model to migrate to Tennessee.
I can tell you I eventually did connect with Ms. Norton, wrote to her, but by then, she was growing feeble and unable to receive books to autograph, but I still have and cherish the card and letter I received from her.
It is one of my regrets that I didn't interact more with this great author while she lived in Florida at the behest of my teacher.
I would've had a longer relationship with someone I admired for so long and to tell her how much she influenced and inspired me to become the writer I am now.

Thank You, Ms. Norton, THANK YOU

Andre Norton as undergrad studies

Life is not fair sometimes. No, I mean, really unfair. Back in the almost-mid to mid-90s, I was an awkward 17-19 year old traipsing around Miami Dade Community. I was withdrawn, bookish, and by then, highly steeped into the science fiction and fantasy genres. I couldn't get enough of it and, except for a few friends and fellow art-majors, I pretty much kept to myself.

By now, I was reading Andre Norton, a living-legend sf/f author who had almost consistently published since the mid-30s. She was prolific. She churned out novels, short stories, series, and shared worlds. Her worst was better than other writers' best and I loved her books to pieces. For some reason, her works weren't often re-edited into newer editions, so, many of her stories were out-of-print. In fact, I familiarized myself with the local used bookstore in my neighborhood. It was one of only a handful where I could find Ms. Norton's works.

I have another post that I will link with this because I waxed eternal about her in it, but, I will say this: Andre Norton stories were ahead of their times in terms of style and gender-equality. Half her books had female protagonists just as the other half were male. Her writing in sci-fi was just as exemplary as her fantasy writings. She has influenced many of the speculative fiction authors over the generations. She continues long after her death.

And while I was an awkward new college student reading battered copies of her books, now in my late 30s, my community college now a 4-year, I still read her.

But there's a catch.

Ms. Norton is now being TAUGHT at my college campus...
[Part 2 in another post]

This blog post originally appeared on 12/26/12 *Sent to a new blog post*

[Post originally on Dec. 26, 2012]
*There is a brand-spanking-new official website for Ms. Norton. http://www.andre-norton-books.com/

When the stifling of summer changes to the cool breezes of fall and becomes the set cold of winter, I get nostalgic.

I mentioned in the last post that since I am in Second-draft mode, I am taking a more inward analysis about myself as a writer. What do I mean?

Because I keep a library in my bedroom as well as the family library in the den (sun room), this puts me in a unique position: I often have immediate or near immediate access to the books and stories that helped to shape my reading and writing persona.

Let me tell you about a lady who named herself Andre Norton.


[PHOTO REMOVED - PLACED ON RE-POSTED POST]

Andre Norton was born Mary Alice Norton but legally changed her name to Andre Norton because she began to publish at a time (mid-1930s) when women writing SF were very likely to have their works snubbed by the 'male establishment'.
(For more of this phenomenal writer's bio - go to her official site - created by fans, no less! ANDRE NORTON ORG:: Main Index)
She was incredibly prolific, and her space adventures involving youth, strong female protagonists, won her many readers and lifelong fans.

Originally a librarian, she seemed to know what middle-schoolers-to-high-schoolers-to-young adults were thinking, what they worried about.
Whether it was coming to grips with new found abilities, or feeling an outcast because of said abilities, Andre Norton's stories seemed to touch upon very real pre-adolescent and adolescent feelings even in fantastical settings!

After a used, tattered, coverless paperback was handed to me at 11, "Warlock of the Witch World", my imagination was lit on fire. Later, I took down every hardcover title we had on the family bookcase, snatching them for my bedroom library.

I knew then, this was the author for me!

It seemed predestined when, in Seventh Grade, an English teacher I didn't like very much, but who had recognized my gift for storytelling, gave me Ms. Norton's address while the author lived in Florida.
I never followed through, and later, health and other reasons caused my role model to migrate to Tennessee.
I can tell you I eventually did connect with Ms. Norton, wrote to her, but by then, she was growing feeble and unable to receive books to autograph, but I still have and cherish the card and letter I received from her.
It is one of my regrets that I didn't interact more with this great author while she lived in Florida at the behest of my teacher.
I would've had a longer relationship with someone I admired for so long and to tell her how much she influenced and inspired me to become the writer I am now.

Thank You, Ms. Norton, THANK YOU 

More on Martin Greenberg - Part 2

Here is a continuation of my tribute to Editor Martin H. Greenberg and what he did for the genres of science fiction and fantasy. Here are just three of the Daw (publisher) books I have in my home library. 

"Wizard Fantastic" has at least four of my favorite short stories of all time! 

The last "Cat Fantastic" before my dear Andre Norton passed away.

Another title from the "Elf Fantastic" line. 

There are more Greenberg anthologies to upload. In the meantime, view my part 1 blog post about the incredible editor of genre anthologies, Martin H. Greenberg.

http://inprettyprint.blogspot.com/2014/09/rip-martin-h-greenberg-editor.html

R.I.P. Martin H. Greenberg... Editor Extraordinaire

[Blogger's note: in this article, Here There Be Links! Click, if you dare]

Just learned tonight on Twitter that an editor I hold responsible for increasing and cementing my interest in the short story had died *three years ago*!

Martin H. Greenberg was his name, and if you were like me, in the 1990s on up, into speculative fiction AND a lover of the short story, you probably read any of his countless anthologies. That is, by himself or in a collaboration.

For instance, his "Cat Fantastic" series that he co-edited with one of my favorite authors Andre Norton.

I discovered the Cat Fantastic books in 11th grade when our high school had a book fair. I have been drawn to cats all my life. I often read cat-themed books, such as Andre Norton's "Breed To Come" and Tad Williams' "Tailchaser's Song" and that pretty much set me up.

Fast forward nine years later, and I published my first short story.

What does becoming a short story author have to do with Martin H. Greenberg? Well, school, especially in middle and high, English classes encouraged and commanded that the student read a variety of writing styles, the only way to be well-read in such a short time as a semester meant reading an English textbook anthology.

We have all read them, regardless of when we attended school. It is usually the thickest text we have in our book bag, and it will have samples of Shakespeare to Henry James to Virginia Woolf to James Joyce to Phyllis Wheatley. Yet, these stories could either touch us, enlighten us, or fill us with boredom.

The anthology is usually how many readers are introduced to new writers or get re-acquainted with old writers.

So, by the time I found that fateful book at my high school's book fair, I was already inundated by a public school system that had trained me to do much of my reading through short stories and by a variety of them, according to each anthology's theme.

There is a debt to be paid. One that I can never give to Mr. Martin H. Greenberg. I did not have a chance to speak with him, nor had I ever the inkling to communicate with him. What I did was keep buying the anthologies he edited.

Cat Fantastic II introduced me to many of the authors I now read, and to the further possibilities that exist within speculative fiction. I believe reading this anthology and others in the Cat Fantastic series made me a better reader, helped to mold me into a discriminating reader, and inspired me to become a writer and a better one at that.

So Thank You, Mr. Greenberg. I owe you much.

Science Fiction discovery

"Andre Norton" (c) Rudysbooks.com

NOTE: Originally written in June 25, 2002. Changes are in brackets.

(c) Herbsandheirlooms.com

SF discovered me in sixth grade with [Ms.] Andre Norton's "Warlock of the Witch World".










I later read the entire series of Bruce Coville's "My Teacher is an Alien". Man, I loved those books! It really opened my mind to what I liked about aliens!

"My Teacher is an Alien" series (c) Gizmodo.com

"Bruce Coville" (c) Stephen D. Cannerelli

Earlier, from 4th grade, I wrote a series on my own version of [the] Superman [story], a tale that continued into my first years [in] Community College.

Later, [...] I am now in my mid-[thirties], I decided to discard much of what I thought were my best ideas and reinvented myself, changing ideas into concrete stories.