Discovered
I haven’t been posting recently, in part because I’ve been busy with Authors’ Month activities.
I’ve been a full-time, professional writer for, oh god, 27 years. I’ve been on the bestseller lists of the Times both of
This year I was discovered by my home state,
For the most part,
After twenty-six years of benign neglect, I’ve suddenly been Discovered, and for no reason that I can see. And I’ve not just been Discovered by one group, but by several. For the past month I’ve been giving lectures in libraries and classrooms, been interviewed on television (okay, it was public access), appeared on panel discussions, and taught a writing workshop. (I overprepared, and gave my students a six-week Clarion course in 150 minutes. By the time I was done, they looked as if I’d bashed them over the head with an 800-page manuscript.)
In the middle of all this came the annual Jack Williamson Lecture in Portales, four days of concentrated fun, and far too much food.
It’s interesting being on the map after all this time. I’ve met a lot of new people, I’ve caught up with others I haven’t seen since I got booted out of college, and I got a nice check from the Albuquerque Tricentennial Commission, the first time I’ve ever taken government money for being a writer. I’ve done my best to be entertaining at wine-and-cheese parties. I’ve got a pocket full of business cards and bits of paper with scribbled phone numbers and email addresses. I’ve even sold some books.
Though I have to admit that it would be fun to have a side chapel in the Tony Hillerman cathedral.
6 Comments:
Hey, it couldn't have happened to a nicer person, big guy! Glad to see you're getting some recognition.
It's great to hear that things are picking up for you. Personally I've been recommending your work to people for years. You've been one of my favorites for much longer than most. I would imagine that your new popularity will lead to a growth in popularity for your older work. :)
Of course this growth in popularity is strictly a New Mexico thing, and is among people who probably won't ever be found reading a science fiction novel.
Personally I'm hoping it leads to more government money. If the oil companies with their record profits can qualify for a subsidy, why can't I?
You've always been a star to me, Walter... 8-).
Best of all, you've been discovered while you're still alive! So much more helpful than being discovered too late! Congratulations and all that.
It's impossible to overstate how small-time this discovery is, but I'll take what I can get.
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