OK, let me bite the bullet here.
What kind of story can you write for an anthology dedicated
to the memory of Terry Pratchett? How do you honour a person that meant so much
to you, a person that educated you, soothed you, made you laugh out loud and made
you hide a little inner smile when there was nothing else to smile about in
your life?
Should you write a sad story, given the fact that he’s
barely gone for several weeks now? Something about death and mourning, maybe? Should
you, instead, given his positive take on life and death and, literally,
everything, write some humorous, lighthearted piece?
I was torn for a bit. Then I thought it doesn’t have to be
one or the other – it just has to point to something meaningful in Sir Terry’s life
and career. So I thought of his role as an influencer and I decided to go for
that. My character – who is in very little ways Terry Pratchett – shares with
him the depth of the universe he once created and the impact his books had on
the most unexpected people. Then I recalled the moment when I found out about
Sir Terry’s death, and I thought something like “Nah, this is just a trick. I
bet he simply found a way to escape our reality and now he’s enjoying life in some
nice neighbourhood of Ankh-Morpork!”
Without any more spoilers… I put the two together, added a
teaspoon of salt and stirred thoroughly, and I came up with “The Prime Factor”.
Which, I hope, lives up to its purpose.
This being said, I’m hugely excited to be part of this
project of Laura and Sorin, and I know I’m in good company. I wish the best of
luck to everyone that’s still working on their stories, and I can’t wait to read
every single one of them.
Cris
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