While Clarke wasn’t my first foray into sci-fi, he was the first author I really devoured, back in my early teens. The library was well-stocked with his works, and I tore into them: 2001, 2010, the Rama series, Childhood’s End…you get the idea. He really helped hook me on science fiction.
I’m still hooked, really. Writing it now, too. I’ve kept a little mental list of authors I’ll be sending copies of my first published work to, with a little note of thanks for nudging me to that point. The list really focuses on the authors that I enjoyed in my teens, and Clarke was at the top of the list.
This posting will have to serve as my thank-you, and my send-off to a guy who was, by all accounts, as classy a human being as you could hope for. Thanks, Mr. Clarke, for starting me down this strange little path.
. I bought the book because I figured that with my military background, a structured approach would be a good thing for me. I was right! I’ve been unlocking really fucking cool ideas and scribbling notes in a Moleskine for the last few days. 
