Letters to the Editor

I wrote a few letters to the editor back in my younger days, and two of them were published.

My first letter appeared in the June 1984 issue of Isaac Asimov's Science Fiction magazine. Asimov was my principal idol during my teenage years, and I subscribed to his magazine for about a decade. Needless to say I was (and still am!) very excited to see my letter in his 'zine and to know that he had read and responded to it.


I also had a letter published in the December 1984 issue of DC's Star Trek comic book.

My Star Wars Adaptation

When I was in grade five (Sept 1977 through June 1978) I tried my hand at an adaptation of Star Wars. Outside of school work, I believe this was the first piece of fiction that I had ever written. I'm unclear as to the extent to which I had been exposed to Star Wars at that point -- I may have seen the film once, I may have read the Lucas novelization and perhaps I had some trading cards, but that would have been about it. This could account for some of the astonishing discrepancies between my version and the original!

Oh, did I mention that I did the artwork as well? Saint Threepio was one of my creative additions. (Actually, I think that is supposed to be a shot from a blaster above his head.) I also love the "My best" tag, which I suppose was literally true since it was also my first.


My Mom asked the secretary at my school to type up the manuscript for me. I suspect the secretary may have originated some of the typos -- it looks like I made a pass through with Liquid Paper and a pen to correct some of the more flagrant offenders. Here are a couple of sample pages, including the spine-tingling climax.


Did I mention that my art skills leave a little to be desired?

After a year or so gap I re-launched my "writing career" in the latter half of 1979. Initially for my own enjoyment, I eventually submitted a few of my stories to Isaac Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine in the early 1980s. I didn't make a sale, but I do have fond memories of the experience.

IDIC Latch Hook Rug

On the spectrum of Star Trek fanaticism, at my most fervent I was probably no more than an 8 on a scale of 10. Yet, on occasion, I have taken actions which in hindsight can only be attributed to a crazy hardcore Trekkie. One such example is a piece of original art which I created during the Summer of 1983. This piece has been in the hands of a private collector (i.e. hidden in my basement) for 25 years but today it is, for the first time ever, available for all to see.

Behold! The IDIC latch hook rug!


I have a note in my diary indicating that I completed this masterpiece between 20 June and 23 June 1983.