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Ardath Mayhar
Apr. 27th, 2008 04:12 pmThere has never been a time in my memory when I did not know Ardath. She has always been there. Her sons tell me that they met me when I was 6 months old. Most of my life I saw their family about twice a year, either them traveling to us or my family traveling to them. Knowing my mother, probably one of each a year.
Ardath came to a nearby city this weekend, and I spent some time with her. She doesn't travel much anymore, so this was a rare chance to see her when she is coming my direction. She was in town being named author emeritus for the scifi Nebula awards. I asked what this got her, and it sounds like a free trip, a hotel room, and a chance to hang out with her buddies.
There has been something that has bewildered me for a long time. Ardath is in her late 70s, she has written so many books... I have 36 different books by her, and I'm pretty sure I don't have them all. I'm only counting the novels, not compilations or books containing her short stories or poetry. Yep, very prolific. The thing that has always bewildered me is...If she is so well published, why isn't she more famous?
Yesterday as I sat chatting with her, she mentioned a conversation with her son that involved her son telling her something like, "If I had behaved that way toward you, you would have [beat me silly]." I immediately had the image of the two of them together. Ardath looks like a sweet grandmother. She barely comes up to my shoulder, and I am strictly average height for a woman. Her son is between 5'10" and 6'2", healthy, muscular and very solid. He towers over his mother. And he cowers in fear that she would beat the crap out of him if he misbehaved? ...You betcha. I totally believe it.
Ardath came to a nearby city this weekend, and I spent some time with her. She doesn't travel much anymore, so this was a rare chance to see her when she is coming my direction. She was in town being named author emeritus for the scifi Nebula awards. I asked what this got her, and it sounds like a free trip, a hotel room, and a chance to hang out with her buddies.
There has been something that has bewildered me for a long time. Ardath is in her late 70s, she has written so many books... I have 36 different books by her, and I'm pretty sure I don't have them all. I'm only counting the novels, not compilations or books containing her short stories or poetry. Yep, very prolific. The thing that has always bewildered me is...If she is so well published, why isn't she more famous?
Yesterday as I sat chatting with her, she mentioned a conversation with her son that involved her son telling her something like, "If I had behaved that way toward you, you would have [beat me silly]." I immediately had the image of the two of them together. Ardath looks like a sweet grandmother. She barely comes up to my shoulder, and I am strictly average height for a woman. Her son is between 5'10" and 6'2", healthy, muscular and very solid. He towers over his mother. And he cowers in fear that she would beat the crap out of him if he misbehaved? ...You betcha. I totally believe it.
