Etchings For Dennison

As mentioned in my last post about Mr. Matheson, I truly think that Dennis Etchison is my mentor. I read THE DARK COUNTRY when it first came out in 1984 and I was working in Evanston at a law firm, the Kroch's & Brentano's being my local lunch haunt. To this day, I do not know why I made an expensive purchase, but I devoured the book, thinking on how the hell this guy knew what voices I heard in my head. His next collection, BLOOD KISS, was a gift to me but the lips in the middle illustration are for another story at another time. We are good friends and there's a photo of Dennis and I at Arcana in St. Paul circa 1993 and the top photo he sent me for Christmas, for some inescapable reason. Possibly this is where he goes to write. Your guess is as good as mine....Wayne

I Am Legend

After THE MAN WITH THE GOLDEN ARM and TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD, the above book is next on the list. During the week, we had several gloomy days of sticky rain, perfect weather for what is essentially a quick read. (I have a newer edition that includes other short fiction, the Gold Medal edition I have will disintegrate on contact with the air and is signed by Mr. Matheson. I last read this book about fifteen years ago, and I've come to realize that, even though I credit Dennis Etchison as my mentor, I have learned to craft my later work the way Matheson lays down his words, each paragraph a brick, each sentence the cement. I'll never write a damn thing as good as this man, but re-reading this book has made me realize that, at the very least, I have gotten better when it comes to stories I write that needed telling. After this book, for those who care about my list of favorites, I'd go with Jack Finney's INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS. Robert Neville and Miles Bennell have a lot in common....Wayne