RIP, Ann Crispin
Posted on September 6, 2013 Posted by John Scalzi 26 Comments
Over at Making Light, Jim Macdonald notes that science fiction writer and Writer Beware co-founder Ann Crispin passed away this morning.
I knew Ann both before being SFWA president and while I was in the position. No one I know worked harder than she and WB co-head Victoria Strauss did to make sure that writers were aware of scams and shady characters out there in the world. She was also a heck of a writer, and a hell of a good person.
She will be deeply missed. Many good thoughts to her family, particularly her husband Michael Capobianco, who is also one of the most decent people it’s been my honor to know.
A sad day for science fiction, and for writers.
Reblogged this on Note To Self and commented:
We have lost so many good people this year. RIP, madam. <3
Splinter of the Minds Eye got me reading the Star Wars novelizations more than 20 years ago. So sad to hear that she is now gone. Safe voyages, Ann.
There are two Science Fiction novels I read at about 9-years-old that made me a lifelong fan. One was “A Fall of Moondust.’ The other was “Splinter in the Mind’s Eye.” Almost failed a reading assignment in 7th grade because my diorama was just a bunch or Star Wars figures. Sorry to see another of the good one’s go.
Wasn’t Splinter written by Alan Dean Foster? Crispin wrote the Han Solo trilogy.
It was. Mistakes happen. No worries. Ann did write several Star Wars novels, I would note.
ACK! Correction; I read the Han Solo trilogy, which was written by her. And I realize that she wrote the “V” novelization as well.
Oh, most definitely mistakes happen – and it seems I generally cause them. I wasn’t trying to be nitpicky, more musing out loud/in print without Googling first. I realize that Crispin wrote far more than that set of Star Wars novels, but since I claimed Solo as my boyfriend at the grand old age of 10, those books came to mind first.
To quote T’Pau: I grieve with thee.
A sad loss to her friends and the field. She will be deeply missed.
Very saddened to hear the news.
[Deleted for being off-topic. Come on, dude. Sense of propriety, etc – JS]
She wrote the Starbridge series. One of the first series I bought for my Kindle. She also wrote 4 of my all time favorite Trek books. The ” Yesterday ” series and Sarek. I will miss her so much.
I’m off to buy all the rest of her books.
Think of your best friend, the chubby girl who carry off outrageous style, the one who always said what she thought, the one who threw herself 110% into everything she did. That was Ann. Whether it was biting into a hot pepper just as an important publisher asked her a question, dishing about best-selling authors (and let me tell you, girlfriend could dish!), or woofing at Michael to warn him that he was in the doghouse over something he did, she always made me laugh. I could count on her being a 100% honest with me–do you know how rare that is? I am grieved by her loss, and grieve for Michael and Jason.
Your blog’s title caused me to do a double-take when I did a Google search for Ann Crispin posts…
RIP, Ann Crispin | Whatever
I…uh…wat ಠ_ಠ
http://imgur.com/Q6s43Xj
Thank you, Ann Crispin, for the best Trek novel that I have ever read. Second place goes to Q’s autobiography, of course, but your books were a rather obvious cut above the usual cliched low-budget sci-fi paperback fare.
Furthermore, thank you for Writer Beware. If I ever get around to publishing that novel draft that I have hanging around the deep, dark, defunct-MMORPG-file-filled recesses of my ancient, clunky computer, I will consult your list of real and fake publishers with zealous dedication.
You did many great things for the world–many more than most people ever get to do. Thank you.
I was very saddened to hear of Ann Crispin’s passing. I started reading her books because of her first collaboration with Andre Norton, GRYPHON’S EYRIE. Then I read her Starbridge series, and wondered how I’d missed the Star Trek books and devoured all of those, and went on to everything else . . . I never reviewed any of her work, which I now wish I’d done (they’d have all gotten four or five stars from me, and I can be a really tough judge), but I recommended her books to others and I most especially recommended Writer Beware to other writers.
I had very few direct online interactions with Ann Crispin, but I always had the sense that she had a lively, bubbly personality and was the type of person who set the pace — others had to keep up with her, not the other way around. She was obviously ethical, principled, deeply committed to helping other writers (something I truly appreciated), and I wish I had been able to meet her at a convention or otherwise because she was a truly remarkable individual.
The world has lost by her passing. But we gained by having her here at all. My condolences to her husband, her family, her best friend Victoria Strauss, and all her fans. She will definitely be missed.
I was 9 when V came out, and it was my first sci-fi obsession. I’m pretty sure the novelization was the first thing I was allowed to check out from the adult side of the library, and I devoured all the other tie-in novels as well. Even if that had been her only accomplishment, I would remember Ann Crispin fondly – but of course, it wasn’t. It’s a sad day indeed.
Oh no… She did Gryphon’s Eyrie? That was my favorite of the series, too. Not that I didn’t love Andre Norton, but that one just seemed to have some wonderful synergy… Hmm, maybe a trip to the library is in order, I’d like to read that one again…
Having read most of what she wrote, it’s sad to see her go.
I honestly did not know she was married to Michael Capobianco. My thoughts are with him and their family.
Sad to see so many great leave us.
My condolences to those who knew her; all the people I know who did say she was a person of the most excellent sort. Her work on WB leaves us all in her debt; no site has done more to protect writers from scam artists.
A sad day. Also, death to cancer and all its works and all its pomps, forever and ever.
Condolences to all who knew her.
May you have strength now,
Peace soon,
And love always.
Sadness.
At least she knew how much she meant to everyone.
I fell in love with her Starbridge series, and loved her Star Trek books. I would continuously check to see if something new came out. It was very sad to hear that she was struggling with cancer and now that she has passed on. One of a kind, and will be missed! Thank you Ann for all of the memories.
Aw, damn. Just saw this. Ann was one of my favorite people in the sf world.
This just totally sucks. She had such a great impact on the field. We’ve lost too many authors the last few years to disease. I hope her family is getting all the support they need.
This is a great loss.