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Brave new world for GA and beyond...
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Started by Cat-Man_America,

61 posts in this topic

sfcityduck

sfcityduck

Posted
Posted (edited)

Cat,

I saw an item in the press about your wife's passing a week or so ago.  I met you and your wife very briefly once at an SDCC, at Veryzyl's booth or some panel or other (not one she was on).  But, I have read your casual references to her in many posts, and it is obvious that you had a very happy marriage. So my heart aches for you.  Words are insufficient to offer any comfort.  I am glad that you have supportive friends and you know that this board is always a place where you can turn for distraction, entertainment, and an escape.

For the benefit of the board, I'm going to republish Publisher's Weekly's obituary for your wife.  She was clearly a remarkable and accomplished person.  I enjoy juvenile fiction (starting with Lloyd's Alexander's Prydain series when I was in fact a juvenile and then discovering series like the Hunger Games, etc. which are often quite an enjoyable escape) and, of course fantasy.  So since I learned who you and your wife were years ago, I've had on my list to read one of your wife's books.  Out of respect to you and your obvious great love of her, I'm bumping that up to the top of my list.  I am sure that her work will be enjoyed and of influence for many many years.  From Publisher's Weekly:

 

Quote

 

Bestselling author Roxanne Longstreet Conrad, better known by her pen name Rachel Caine, who wrote the YA series The Morganville Vampires, and The Great Library, in addition to thriller and sci-fi titles for adults, died on November 1 following a battle with soft tissue sarcoma. She was 58.

Conrad was born Roxanne Longstreet on April 27, 1962 in White Sands, N.M. and grew up in West Texas. She first began writing fiction when she was a teenager and recalled those days in an interview for the Unbound Worlds website. “I remember two things: one was getting super frustrated with a TV show… and wanting the story to come out differently,” she said. “The other thing that happened was a teacher assigned us a classroom exercise, to write a story around a sentence prompt. ‘The clock struck twelve and everything changed.’ ” Conrad remembered crafting a tale of two gunfighter characters in an old Western town who ended up drawing wands in a wizard’s duel instead of pistols. From those experiences, she knew she had discovered a true passion.

Though Conrad continued to create stories at a steady clip, she did not believe her writing could turn into a career. She earned a B.A. in accounting from Texas Tech University in 1985, with a minor in music, and segued into the corporate world. In addition to accounting, Conrad worked in web and graphic design, corporate communications, and was a professional musician. She continued writing all the while and in 1990 published her first novel for adults, Stormriders, as Roxanne Longstreet. The following year, she met fantasy artist Cat Conrad when they both attended a convention known as Justice-Con in Dallas. The couple married, and in a moving post that Cat Conrad shared on social media, he noted that they were together for 29 years.

 

In 2003 Conrad launched her urban fantasy Weather Wardens series for adults, the first major work under her pen name Rachel Caine. Her work blossomed at a brisk pace and she kicked off her 15-volume Morganville Vampires series in 2006. It wasn’t until 2010 that Caine left her day job and officially became a full-time writer. By 2015 Caine saw the publication of her Great Library series, which imagines an alternate world where the Great Library of Alexandria has survived and becomes a great power. And in 2017 the bestselling thriller series for adults, Stillhouse Lake, was released. In addition to her multiple series, Caine wrote stand-alone titles and anthologies, too, producing more than 60 published works in total.

Caine’s literary agent Lucienne Diver paid tribute to her client and friend on social media. “Roxanne is-was-and-ever-will-be one of those rare people every bit as amazing as she was talented,” Diver wrote. “She put others first. Not just when it was convenient. Not just when she had nothing better to do or felt there might be something in it for her. During even her hardest times, including this latest, life-ending battle with cancer, she was an activist, an ally, a philanthropist, an author uplifting other voices…. She left her mark on all who knew her. We are all richer for having her in our world, and I won’t say poorer for her having left it, because she leaves behind her legacy that will always be with us.”

Sara Simpson-Weiss, Caine’s longtime assistant and close friend, posted about the author’s relentless work pace, as well as her great compassion. “She would pick the writing back up whenever there was a lag in her line, which was rare. She would write in her hotel room until the very last second to make it to a panel or signing. I’ve watched her write on planes and in airports. I’ve watched her churn out four books a year for almost 11 years now. I’ve watched her donate books to classrooms around the world. I’ve watched her fund classroom materials, fund other people’s bills, and basically swoop in to save the day for anyone who needed it, regardless of if she actually knew that person. I’ve watched her champion indie bookstores, debut writers, and more. She is absolutely the most hardworking, genuine, and compassionate person I have ever known, and being her assistant and friend for the past decade has made me a better person in every possible way.”

 

 

Edited by sfcityduck
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Get Marwood & I

Get Marwood & I

Posted
Posted

We don't know each other but from one collector to another, one human to another, I'm sorry to hear this Cat-Man. My thoughts are with you tonight and with and all those who have posted here who have lost their loved ones. 

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Hollywood1892

Hollywood1892

Posted
Posted
7 hours ago, Cat-Man_America said:

I’m posting this in the GA forum rather Ilhan General ...because I rarely post there... nor in personal notices ...because those rarely reach enough attention to inform those curious about a board member’s change of habits. That said, this isn’t a plea for sympathy nor a shout out to those beyond the small circle of friends I’ve contacted over the last two weeks.  This post isn’t a reflection on anyone who hasn’t been contacted directly.  It’s just that in this moment of grief and tragedy I needed to limit contacts to a small group with whom my wife and I frequently associated at conventions and conferences.

For this reason I’m revealing for those who didn’t know us other than Cat & Rox or vise versa that my wife of 28 years passed away on Nov. 1st of a sarcoma following a year’s long bout with this rare cancer.  In the writing world Rox was known as Rachel Caine, best selling author of numerous book series that effectively numbered over 60 novels, including those she wrote under her own name and several established pseudonyms.  

To say this has been rough would be a gross understatement.  This would be rough without the social isolation of a pandemic and the chaos of other divisions over a variety of issues.  But life is what it is to forgive a quote from a less than reliable source for such pearls of wisdom.

Since Nov. 1st my posts here have been reduced to a trickle.  I didn’t want to stop posting altogether as the questions raised would’ve invariably led to posting this before I was prepared to deal with responses to it.  For those who know me, feel free to PM, post in this thread or email me.  If my responses seem slow, please bear with me as I’m a meticulous writer and not nearly as fast on responding as my multi-tasking wife had been.  Fortunately, I have friends and her personal assistant helping with the necessary adjustments.  I’m not writing off board activity nor my many friends and acquaintances made here and through conventions over the years.

Numerous authors who knew and associated with Rox professionally have been reaching out and I feel obliged to make sure that their grief and outreach is addressed first.  So, please bear with my less frequent visits.  Trust me, it isn’t anything personal.  I’d also urge mods to resist moving this ...at least for awhile... so folks here have the opportunity to take in what has happened.  

Finally, I’ll post a classic GA comic here so that at the very least it’ll fit the criteria of a GA post...

d0ab9706-67fc-4c94-aa57-707a9b2e02cf_zpsv3zqjgm8.jpg.82156dc508a2c3655dd9fc8eeb60b71d.jpg

image_6483441.thumb.JPG.df1bba76f7b8db063f8211ff0389539a.JPG

Rox (Rachel Caine) and I during happier times at a New Orleans writer’s event, & another rarity, ...champagne instead of ale! (thumbsu

:tink:

May she rest in peace brother!

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