A Tribute to a Writer - and a Lady

As if I'm not miserable enough today with a nasty case of a head cold (watery/itchy eyes, nose leakin' like a maple tree when the sap runs, headache, the miserable stuff), I find out one of my favorites sci - fi fantasy authors, Anne McCaffery, died.

I was in my teens when her 'Dragon Riders of Pern' series came to my attention. I've been collectin' the volumes ever since. There was somethin' about the great flyin' dragons that made me wish to be able to Impress one. I didn't care if gold or green (the female dragons), but the idea of always havin' a mental connection to someone who unconditionally loves you was a deep desire for a social outcast like myself.

Ms. McCaffrey's other series that always impressed me was her 'Crystal Singer' series. The adventures of Killashandra Ree, a music student who turned failure into triumph has always intrigued me, and is always fresh with each readin'. There are only three books in the series, as opposed to the 14 in the Pern series.

For all her awards and notoriety, Ms. McCaffrey always seemed to have a level head on her shoulders. I never met her, but her advice about writin' and readin' has always been a motto for me.

The world is a little less for her havin' left it; and I can't help but wonder how many dragons went 'between' when she died. At least we can rest assured that Pern will live on under the watchful eye of her son, Todd. Over the last few years, Todd has written a few of the novels with his mother, and I truly believe that he will guard and keep Pern in his mother's vision.