The Worlds of Anne McCaffrey

We have news to read, books to browse and plenty of information to keep you occupied during your visit!

If you’re looking for my personal stash of books that are currently for sale via WYSIWYG Books, look no further - just click here to visit the listings and find what you’re looking for.

You can also feel free to visit my favorite links, such as the website of Tania Opland and Mike Freeman, the wonderful musicians behind the Masterharper of Pern Teaching Songs CD and Songbook.

There’s lots more - please look around and enjoy!

Roland wrote:

Hello Anne,

Some years ago when I was in Ireland we had a long phone conversation about “Springfarm”, where I grew up, and the location for your book “The Lady”. A cousin of mine, who also grew up on the property, and our grandfather, apparently had a paranormal experience there in the 1920s. It involved the sighting of a coach and horses drawing up by the house. I wonder if, during the course of your researches, whether you encountered any reference to such a phenomenon?

Hope all goes well at “Dragonhold”!

Anne’s response:

To reply about Springfarm,

When I was trying to buy and got overbid past what I could financially handle, I never heard anything about phantom, or real, coaches. I did know that another house nearby had a real spook, a former owner, a clergyman who had suicided and in the bedroom could be seen and heard by his relative. The kids living in the house often heard him and would never go upstairs alone after dark.

When I settled up the Kilquade road into the 1st Dragonhold, I did have an experience, not with a ghost exactly, but on a clear night we would hear the odd tones of men speaking quietly around a fire and the stamp of their bridled horses tied up in picket. It sort of amused me, but Todd kept a baseball bat handy. Then one clear night in October, we heard a lot more movement and Todd went out the front door and my Jan (who is Lessa) went out the back, both having heard the same noises and deciding to check. They met halfway behind the house near the stables and they could still hear the noise. Todd decided that what we heard was Cromwell’s soldiers bivouacked below Altador, still in their seige. And sometime later the noises stopped entirely, so the enemies had left… again.

The current Dragonhold was built on so-far calm grounds but I never heard more from the Springfarm folk. So banshees, at any rate!

Anne McCaffrey

I had a great birthday party, not a large one, only those known as my usual suspects! But it was very nice, a buffet with some new recipes. Gigi made me an angel food cake which was just as I wanted. Although I did wear down early, it was fun while I lasted and Todd, who was my April Fool’s surprise, arrived on the first plane into Dublin from sunny California. He brought sun with him and it’s still with us.

I will be attending Dragon*Con come hell, high water or hurricane (soap your mouth out, McCaffrey) and Lea Day will be my minder. It’s always nice to have a Day around.

Ciao now,
Annie

We were saddened to hear of Sir Arthur C. Clarke’s recent passing. Anne sends her thoughts:

I met Sir Arthur Clarke at a Nebula Dinner, and found him very agreeable, especially after a drink or two when he began to relax. We have certainly lost one of the leaders of the genre and it will be interesting to see if some of his other ‘prophecies’ work on. He was definitely a great man.

Then there was the time I was checking into the hotel in Brighton for a Worldcon and someone grabbed me in a big hug. I heard Gigi, my daughter, demanding in an outraged tone, “Who is that hugging my mother?” Sir Arthur, of course, one of the highlights of my life, certainly. There were always times at a big con when you yearned to see more familiar faces.

We are certainly better for having him among us as long as we did. I hope the Hosannas were ringing when he knocked at the pearly gates.

Anne

Todd made an entry in honor of Sir Arthur, and Boing Boing has a link to Sir Arthur’s last interview, at IEEE Spectrum.

We’re pleased to announce something most of you already know: Anne McCaffrey and Todd McCaffrey will be attending this year’s Dragon*Con in Atlanta, Georgia on Labor Day weekend, August 29 through September 1, 2008. If you’d like more information about Dragon*Con, take a look at their website here.

Update: Charlotte Moore was kind enough to provide us with the links to the official site for Weyrfest, which is the Dragon*Con track centered on all things McCaffrey, as well as the Weyrfest LiveJournal community. Weyrfest has a great panel line-up every year, focusing not only on Anne’s Dragonriders of Pern series but also the many other worlds about which she’s written.

The response to our signed bookplates offer has been amazing! Thank you for your many, many kind emails and considerate requests.

Unfortunately, as some of you already know, we have been unable to send a signed bookplate to every person who requested one. We hope you all understand that Anne’s signing stamina is limited and we are so glad that we could send out as many as we did!

Because the response has been so incredible, we’ve decided to limit the number of bookplates we send out. From now on we’ll send out 20 signed bookplates each month. You may of course continue to send in requests, and we’ll take the first twenty we receive each month and fill them. Thank you for understanding our situation!

Although it was necessary to limit the bookplates we send out, you should know that we’ve been delighted with the excitement and enthusiasm we’ve received from fans over the signed bookplates. You are all decidedly heart-warming, and we love hearing from you. Thank you from Anne and her family (and the rest of us)!

Albacon has asked Anne and Todd to attend as Guests of Honor for October 10-12, 2008! From the information sent to us, memberships will be $35 until March 31. From their website:

Albacon is a weekend gathering of fans and creators of Science Fiction or Fantasy, including literature, movies, games, and other mediums. Join us for three days of panel discussions, interviews, films, games, readings, autographs, an art show, dealers room, debates, conversation, socializing, and such with people who share your interests!

They have several other guests listed, as well as an art show and program item for kids. If you’ll be anywhere near Albany in October (and even if you won’t), take a look!

For those of you also following Todd, he and Random House have set up an online book signing with The Signed Page on January 9th for Dragon Harper. This is a great way to get your hands on a copy signed or personalized by Todd, at cover price, without having a local signing in your area (or traveling to one).

If you’d like more information, here’s a direct link to the Dragon Harper page. Thanks to Shawn Speakman for reminding us!

“NOW is the time for all good citizens to come to the aid of the country.” Before it falls apart or makes any more enemies.

When you are casting your vote this November, remember what Great and Envied Americans were. You need a leader this time who has policies so he can effect to repair domestic needs and dealing fairly with our allies. John Edwards has such a domestic policy (read it for yourself on his website). See also that he will effect a program which will repair our own great works of art and commerce before there are more bridges falling into troubled waters.

We need a president who is level-headed with a good history of action in the Senate or Congress: who will not churlishly cast aside treaties entered into by previous leaders because he didn’t believe in their necessity at the time of their promulgation. We need a president who has a good track record in dealing with the everyday problems of running one of the biggest countries in the world.

We need someone who is foresighted, since we have also been plundering our own planet until it’s sliding down into an abyss from which we will not be able to save ourselves without immediate and honest efforts to reduce the the grave problems of pollution. And we don’t have anywhere else to go to!

We need a huge amount of repair to restore the battered Middle Class which is the support of any government and has been bereft of many normal resources and aids, not the least of which is hospital care and medical advice as and when required. We need a strong enough leader to endure the calumny and dispute that will arise for such far-reaching alterations. But America has already abandoned many of the once shining values we should hold dear, and allowed others to be disregarded.

John Edwards has spoken broadly about our national and international problems, and has the fortitude and personality to see his programs not only begun, but rectifying the immense problems anyone will face on taking up the leadership of America. He is definitely my choice for president and I have no political axe to grind — only to see America strong, determined and united, and as proud of everything she does as she used to be.

NOW is the time for all good men and women to come to the aid of their country.

Sincerely yours,

Anne McCaffrey
Radcliffe ‘47 cum laude, SFWA Grand Master 2005, S-F Hall of Fame 2006,
Recipient of 22 awards for writing, and best seller on the New York Times.

Robert dropped us a message from Fantasy Book Critic to let us know that thanks to Joe Scalora at Del Rey / Ballantine, he’s hosting a giveaway for three copies of Dragon Harper. Todd also mentioned it in his blog here, and the giveaway ends on January 3rd — so you might want to take a look!

Fantasy Book Critic.

We’ve been getting tons and tons of mail asking about the upcoming Pern film. Some of you haven’t seen the press release, which is here, but you have reminded us that there hasn’t been a lot of public discussion about it since then. Everyone (including us) would like to see a movie of the highest quality brought to the screen, as quickly as possible! We have a great deal of faith in Copperheart Entertainment who, at this moment, are in discussions with talent and financiers.

As soon as we can say more, we most definitely will. We promise!