As I write this, fellow author and mentor Tom Piccirilli is recovering from brain cancer surgery. In this business, it gets lonely. As a writer, you put your heart and soul into a piece of work, and that should be enough, but then there are guys like Pic, that go above and beyond for their fans. I started out as a fan, devouring every piece of his work I could find. The books, the limited editions, the short stories. Pic transported me to another world with his words and stories. Again, that should've been enough, but he's one of the great ones.
A few years back, I worked up the nerve to email him and tell him how much I enjoyed his work. To my surprise, he wrote me back. He was humble, a down to earth guy. Since then, occasionally, I've emailed him as a writer, not a fan, and he's been extremely gracious with advice and encouragement. He even read something I wrote one time and it was an honor that he even took the time out of his busy schedule to do so.
Pic, as a person, is a stand up guy. He pays it forward. He helps out upcoming writers, such as myself, and countless others. I don't think he'll ever realize just how much his words of encouragement help other struggling authors out there.
I've never met Pic in person yet, but I want to someday. I'm sure he'd be just the same as he is online and in emails. Personable, eager to talk shop, and offer great advice. There's simply not enough guys like him in this business.
When I heard he was going into surgery, I immediately jumped at the chance to donate to help with his recovery. Why? Because he has given so much to us fans, and he's one of the good guys.
Below, you'll find some links to his work and his fundraising page. Please consider donating something to help. He's been there for us, now it's time for us to be there for him.
Get well, soon, Pic!
these links were compiled by Brian Keene, another one of the good guys, so thanks to him for putting all this in one easy to find spot.
http://www.briankeene.com/?p=12584
No comments:
Post a Comment