My pal, Michael Livingston, was invited to give a speech inducting Robert Jordan into the South Carolina Academy of Authors.

Here’s the text of that speech.

Now, honestly, I’m waiting for Brandon Sanderson to finish up Jordan’s Wheel of Time series before I get back into it.  I read the first…mmm…six?  Seven?  before I gave up.  I’m not a fan of Jordan’s style, but there can be no real discussion of the Fantasy genre without mentioning him.  I don’t know that Jordan revolutionized the genre so much as rekindled it.  The Wheel of Time series is the progenitor of the now-cliche Big Fat Fantasy series.

So many fantasy writers writing now were touched by Jordan in some way or another.  Some of them– myself, for example– dislike the stylistic indulgences that he engaged in.  (How much imagery is needed?  I mean, really…)

In any case, my purpose in mentioning this is to actually spotlight Michael.  Because, in a fit of sheer…stupidity, I accepted Mike’s challenge to see who could finish their novel first.  Lee Kontis is also in on the gambit.  Michael is, I’ve said it before– the smartest guy I know.  He’s also a darn fine wordslinger.  Lee is a fine writer herself– anyone familiar with the Dark Hunter series will tell you so.

I’m so screwed.  Thank goodness it’s only my pride on the line.