My first teacher in this biz was Fred Saberhagen. Back when I was in high school he was part of a mentorship program that let kids with ambitions to be something or other actually see what it looked like in practice. I wanted to be a writer. I got to work with Fred.

I went up to his house every Saturday. I’d drop off what I’d written, and he’d tell me what was wrong with it. That sounds harsh. He was encouraging, he was tough, he wanted me to make it. My first book came out last year, dedicated to him. My kid sat on his lap.

Fred Saberhagen died after a long illness on the 29th of June, 2007. I’m told his family will announce a date for a memorial service later in the year. In lieu of flowers, donations should be made to Doctors Without Borders, Catholic Relief, SFWA Emergency Medical Fund, or John 23rd Catholic Church in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Thanks, Fred. Good work. We’ll miss you.