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RIP Anne McCaffrey and John Neville
Nov. 23rd, 2011 11:51 amOne of them I knew and the other was introduced to me in passing once. Both were greats in their field but were more than just what they were known for.
I read Dragonflight and Dragonquest when I was in my early teens. I love the world and the world building within it. I got the White Dragon for Christmas the year it was published. I read DragonSong, DragonSinger, and DragonDrums as they were published. I knew that if Anne’s name was on it, I was in for a good solid book. I first met Anne at some convention in the South and found her to be a very lovely person. We sat and listened as she told us tales of the publishing industry and other topics she knew like horses and fencing.
Fast forward a number of years later and I am working with Shelly Shapiro, Anne’s editor at Del Rey, and I get to help with the production of the YA version of Dragonflight with illustrations by Tony DiTerlizzi. I am quite proud of the final book. By this point Anne knew who I was and we had some good conversations about various topics.
Anne knew how to tell a story both written and orally. If books didn’t exist, Anne would have been that person in the village that all the kids go to to hear stories. She could get you laughing so hard your sides would hurt. I will always treasure my time with her.
John Neville and I crossed paths in New York. I don’t remember who introduced us to each other but we had a brief and polite chat standing backstage somewhere on Broadway. I was going to Yale at the time. About a year later the Adventures of Baron Munchausen hit the screen. I didn’t associate the suave gentleman that I met with the Baron until much later. Sort of wished I had met him later so I could tell him how much I enjoyed his performance.
He rebuilt the Stratford Festival which was going down the tubes but now is a powerhouse. He was an actor’s director and could pull some performances out of people that they didn’t even know they could do. He loved the theater with a passion.
I think I am going to put on Baron Muchausen while I work on some other stuff today. Caroline wants to read Dragonsong because it is at her reading level so I will be getting her a copy of that.
My sympathies are with both the McCaffrey family and the Neville family.
I am grateful that I did get to meet two such wonderful people.
I read Dragonflight and Dragonquest when I was in my early teens. I love the world and the world building within it. I got the White Dragon for Christmas the year it was published. I read DragonSong, DragonSinger, and DragonDrums as they were published. I knew that if Anne’s name was on it, I was in for a good solid book. I first met Anne at some convention in the South and found her to be a very lovely person. We sat and listened as she told us tales of the publishing industry and other topics she knew like horses and fencing.
Fast forward a number of years later and I am working with Shelly Shapiro, Anne’s editor at Del Rey, and I get to help with the production of the YA version of Dragonflight with illustrations by Tony DiTerlizzi. I am quite proud of the final book. By this point Anne knew who I was and we had some good conversations about various topics.
Anne knew how to tell a story both written and orally. If books didn’t exist, Anne would have been that person in the village that all the kids go to to hear stories. She could get you laughing so hard your sides would hurt. I will always treasure my time with her.
John Neville and I crossed paths in New York. I don’t remember who introduced us to each other but we had a brief and polite chat standing backstage somewhere on Broadway. I was going to Yale at the time. About a year later the Adventures of Baron Munchausen hit the screen. I didn’t associate the suave gentleman that I met with the Baron until much later. Sort of wished I had met him later so I could tell him how much I enjoyed his performance.
He rebuilt the Stratford Festival which was going down the tubes but now is a powerhouse. He was an actor’s director and could pull some performances out of people that they didn’t even know they could do. He loved the theater with a passion.
I think I am going to put on Baron Muchausen while I work on some other stuff today. Caroline wants to read Dragonsong because it is at her reading level so I will be getting her a copy of that.
My sympathies are with both the McCaffrey family and the Neville family.
I am grateful that I did get to meet two such wonderful people.
