So I say to a room full of my family, “You’ve all heard of Dan Simmons, right?” None had. “Come on, the Hyperion series, Hugo winner blah blah.” I am blanked. I’m chuffed because Dan has accepted my facebook friendship and sent me a personal message, not that he knows me from a speck of interstellar dust but my opportunity to brag falls on deaf ears. Do other SF writers and readers have this problem with family and friends?
Yes Geoff, I do. I had emails from several very well known writers recently and told some of my family and friends, only to receive completely blank expressions in return – and the occasional, ‘Who?’ I despair sometimes, I really do…