Subject: some questions for you...

Date: 18-Nov-94 at 04:39

From: David Gerrold,

> Has your interaction with fans, for example, at conventions, affected your work?

Yes. In general, for the better. Every so often a fan will ask a question that is so insightful and so profound that it's like getting a slap upside the head. It really forces a shift in thinking and that results in a better or even a different story. That's the reason I love going to conventions. I keep listening for those kinds of questions.

Is there a particular incident that stands out?

There are too many to remember. I particularly like the story about "nurse Enterprise" who gave a child in an iron lung a tribble and told her that she had to do her breathing exercises to keep the tribble alive. I'm told that tribble got passed from child to child for a long time.

Overall, I've always been impressed with the mutual goodwill and supportiveness of the fannish community and how it leaks out to the rest of the world too.

authors: Heinlein, Sturgeon, Clarke, Bester, Dickens, Twain, Kipling, and Victor Hugo.

films: War of the Worlds, Forbidden Planet, Invasion of the Body Snatchers, Them, King Kong, Beast From 20,000 Fathoms, The Thing From Another World.

> Who would you most like to be trapped in a lift with?

Superman.

> Who would you most DISlike to be trapped in a lift with?

Luxwana Troi.

> What would you pack for space? (Is there a food, beverage, book, teddy bear, etc that you couldn't do without?)

Beethoven. And Coca-Cola. No vegemite.

> What is the most important think (sic) you would like to get from your work?

The most important THINK? I assume this was a typo, but it's a great one. I would like to think that my work has contributed in some way to the quality of other people's lives.

> What is the special satisfaction of your work? Aside from the royalty checks, I know that I am doing something that no one else can do as well. I write the best David Gerrold novels in the world; no one else can make that statement. Maybe that's a little immodest, but every storyteller is unique. I feel good about my stories because I know that they are the best that I can do.

Official website: www.gerrold.com