Some of you may know that in my spare time I write and edit science fiction and fantasy. I wish I could do more of it, but unfortunately, writing for the non-fiction market and editing Control makes me a far better living than I could make writing what I truly love. The fact is, most of the people writing science fiction and fantasy simply can't make a living at it, despite the love and care and craft they bring to the art-- and despite loyal fans. Most of us have day jobs.
Many engineers and automation professionals, just like many technology industry pros-- geeks all-- love science fiction and fantasy, whether stories, novels, movies, video games or role-playing games. Just look at the large range of actual devices and products that have been developed because a young engineer was a Star Trek fan, or a Heinlein fan as a child. Wireless communicators, personal computers, laptops, netbooks, bluetooth headsets, cellphones, noninvasive diagnostic monitoring-- all of those things were once science fiction, now reality.
Since I read _Have Space Suit Will Travel_ in about 1960, I have had more enjoyment from reading science fiction and fantasy, and writing it, than any other vertical endeavor. The shape of my personal world is much like a mashup of Future History, Middle Earth, Liad, Barsoom, Manticore, Dune, 1632, The Federation (several of them) and many many more.
Today is the day we've established to say thank you. The idea was thought up by Sharon Lee, herself a fine science fiction AND fantasy writer, on her blog: http://rolanni.livejournal.com. She called it Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Day.
If you can, go buy a new science fiction or fantasy book or a video and say thank you in a way that really counts. Happy Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Day!
