I first “met” Vonda N. McIntyre online, circa 2011. She warmly welcomed me into the writers cooperative, Book View Café, which she had helped establish. It was such an honor getting to know this “big name” writer. Vonda’s 1978 novel, Dreamsnake, had won the Hugo, Nebula, Locus, and Pacific Northwest Booksellers award — at a time when successful young women writers of science fiction were far more rare than they are these days. She also won the 1998 Nebula Award with her novel The Moon and the Sun.

Vonda and I were both website geeks and before long we were working together to develop a new online store for Book View Café.

Eventually, I was very pleased to have the opportunity to meet Vonda in person, over a fine lunch at a shoreline restaurant in her native Seattle. I got to see her again at the Spokane Worldcon where she was guest of honor. Over the years, she’s been hugely supportive of me and my work, something I deeply appreciate.

Just this past week, horrible news arrived. Vonda has been diagnosed with inoperable metastatic pancreatic cancer. Grim, though not quite imminent, as she described it. There is time, and there are treatments to prolong the time and, I hope, to provide quality of life.

None of us knows if we will be here tomorrow, but most of us don’t have to face such a stern diagnosis. My heart goes out to Vonda, and it’s my hope that we will have her with us into the future, and that we will see her next novel before too long.

Find Vonda’s novels here at Book View Café, and while you’re there note the minimalism of her posted bio. That’s so Vonda N. McIntyre. 🙂

Posted on: Sunday, February 24th, 2019 at 1:07 pm
Categories: Meanderings, Reading.
Tags: Dreamsnake, Vonda N. McIntyre