"Spider Robinson - C2 - Timetravellers Strictly Cash" - читать интересную книгу автора (Robinson Spider)

But the year I went freelance my annual income went from around ten thousand to around one
thousand, and the next year it took a sharp drop-it speedily became apparent that I would have to
live somewhere much less expensive than Suffolk County, Long Island. I chose the woods of Nova
Scotia's great North Mountain, and eventually made that province my home. I haven't been back to
Long Island but three or four quick visits since the flrst book of Callahan's stories was closed
up. Each time I wormed another yarn out of Jake; each time I sold the results to a magazine (and
my financial agreement with Jake is none of your business, thanks)-but the total wordage as of
last week was only 28,000, somewhat less than half a book.
That's where matters stood when Jim Baen, then editor of Ace Books, and my old chum,
called up to remind me that it has been along time since I contracted to supply a second
Callahan's book.
(Hell, it's been a long time since the deadline.)
I had failed, you see, to anticipate just how popular Callahan's Place would become.
Crosstisne Saloon was published almost four years ago; here I sit at my desk wearing a Callahan's
Place t-shirt (not my doing-an Ann Arbor entrepreneur saw a profit in them). On the desk is a
Callahan's Christmas card (again, private enterprise), three different lyric sheets for songs
written about the Place, and cassettes containing two more. Also on the desk is a copy of the new
hardcover edition of Saloon (available from Ridley Enslow, 60 Crescent Place, Short Hills, NJ
07078), which exists because the paperback was named a Best Book For Young Adults in 1977 by the
American Library Association. Funny stories almost never get nominated for Hugos, but "Dog Day
Evening," herein reprinted, is one of about five to make it in the last ten years. In 1978 The
Sydney (Australia) Science Fiction Foundation awarded me the Pat Terry Memorial Award for Hunwrous
Writing, for the Callahan stories. (It is one of the most practical awards I know: a silver-plated
beer mug.) Television and movie rights to the book have been optioned, radio rights are being
negotiated, I understand a tunnel in Boston has been named after Callahan...
In short, Baen had reason to believe he could sell another Callahan book. Furthermore, in
law, he owned one, half paid for, "Where," he inquired politely, "is it?"
I explained the situation, and assured him that a trip to Long Island was simply not
possible any time in the forseeable future.
He assured me that a trip to Sing Sing was inevitable If I didn't deliver.
So we compromised.
Herein be four stories from Callahan's Place. Herein also be four non-Callahan stories,
all written within the last year (NOT, in other words, out-takes from my other story collection,
Antimony [currently available from Dell books] but newer, even better stuff.) Finally, this book
contains three non-fiction pieces, two at the request of Jim Baen, and one on my own initiative.
The two Baen insisted on were the very first book review column I ever wrote (for reasons to be
discussed later) and an essay I wrote for his superb bookazine Destinies concerning Robert A
Heinlein. The one I threw in is a speech I made at the 1978 Minneapolis Science Fiction Convention
concerning the nature and value of fandom.
Put it all together, wrap it up with commentary, and it approaches 80,000 words, a pretty
good-sized book, of which I find I am inordinately proud.
Now, there will, someday, be a "second Callahan book," comprised exclusively of Jake's
yarns. Those contained in this book will form less than half of it. If you want to wait for it, by
all means, do so.
But one thing that would hasten the day of its arrival would be for this book to make a
bundle of money.



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