Michael Shea R.I.P.

[OSJ]

I'm saddened to report that my dear friend of over thirty years and one of the finest fantasists in the English language, Michael Shea died suddenly on the 16th. Michael is perhaps best known for his Nifft the Lean novels and his short stories such as "The Autopsy", "Fat Face", and "Angel of Death".  I'm really at a loss for words, our friendship goes back to when I wrote him a fan letter in 1984 wanting to publish something by him, and we went on to work together on many projects over the years. Michael and Linda visited us in Seattle frequently and we always meant to get down to their neck of the woods and tour wine country in Cali. If you've never read anything by Michael Shea, do yourself a favor and find something now, anything, he was one of the best of us all and he will be greatly missed. On a personal note, I'll miss my friend terribly.