Author, Editor, and More
Eric Flint burst on the scene in 1997 with the publication of Mother of Demons,
but as we all know, it's never really that easy. Long before Mother of Demons was
published, Eric worked at his craft, publishing the short story "Entropy and the
Strangler" in 1993 and even before that the groundbreaking "Trade and Politics
in Barotseland During the Kololo Period" in the Journal of African History.
And that's an important thing about Eric. While many authors do their
research and cram it into their novels, Eric understands his research. He
has a deep and abiding interest in history and understands the way things
connect together. This is evident in his writing, whether the multi-volume
series that began with 1632 or his stand-alone novels. And while other authors
feel the need to mine the popular eras, like the American Civil War or World War
II, Eric examines the periods that slipped through the cracks, Belisarius’s
Italy, the Thirty Years War, or the War of 1812, and he makes them interesting
to an American reading public notorious for not knowing, or caring about,
history.
Eric's interest in history also extends to science fiction. Once he made a
name for himself, he turned his attention to those who had inspired him.
Thanks to Eric, you can find reprints of the works of James Schmitz, Murray
Leinster, Christopher Anvil, and more. He worked with Baen Books to ensure
that their stories and novels would be made available to readers in inexpensive
mass market paperbacks (check out the Dealers' Room for them, as well as Eric's
own books).
Jim Baen published many of Eric's early (and later) novels and the two men
discovered that they shared a vision for the future of electronic publishing.
This has resulted in the Baen Free Library and the ability for many readers to
discover Eric's books for free on the internet. As Eric and Jim predicted,
reading books for free as pixels wound up turning into hard sales figures as
readers wanted to either purchase the published version of the book or pay to
get the electronic version of the next book a little earlier.
Baen also provided Eric with the opportunity to become an editor, both for the
"Grantville Gazette," which allows other authors to play in his alternative
Thirty Years War, and more recently as one of the editors of Jim Baen's
Universe, an on-line magazine. Along with the Baen Free Library, Jim Baen's
Universe is one way in which Eric has helped the internet change the face of
science fiction publishing.
David Drake, Dave Freer, David Weber, Mercedes Lackey, Ryk Spoor, Sarah Hoyt,
Mike Resnick, K.D. Wentworth, Andrew Dennis, Virginia DeMarce, Mike Spehar,
David Carrico, and Richard Roach. What do all of these people have in common
besides writing SF? They've all collaborated with Eric. Their styles and
interests may be different from each other, but Eric is able to work with all of
them to turn out novels that are enticing and exciting.
However, Eric wasn't always the erudite science fiction author and editor who is
acting as Toastmaster at WindyCon 35. Before turning his attention to the
worlds of what if, he earned a Master's Degree in African history and worked as
a machinist and labor organizer. During that time, he also found Lucille
(not a guitar), to whom he has been married for longer than I've known him.
You'll find Eric around WindyCon. The easiest place to find him is on
panels, but you'll also be able to find him in the bar (he is an editor, after
all), or in the Dealers Room, or, well, just about anywhere. Go up to him
and introduce yourself. Ask him a question, perhaps about history, or
publishing, or politics, and then let his wisdom (and opinions) wash over you
like a Lake Michigan seiche.
—Oliver Fage