Thomas R.
Bewildering Stories biography
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Why Thomas R.? Why not just do the whole name? Well it’s like this. The writer I felt most influenced by was Cordwainer Smith. For the SF world he seemed somewhat mysterious. Later I learned his job and other things just made that a necessity. Still the idea of being a bit mysterious I liked. Not that there’s much mysterious left to me. Besides listing my last name would actually be a disappointment I feel. It is in fact a rather common one.
So here’s the story so far.
I am the fifth of sixth children. And in this case, yes we are Catholic. I have a degree in history from a small Midwestern college that shall remain nameless. I took a year of Chinese and almost a year of French. I speak or read neither, or I can read maybe a sentence in both. Take your pick. As for pets I’ve had fish and finches. I currently have no pets and am quite happy with that.
My favorite author is Asimov. I like that he was consistent. His best stuff is not the best I’ve ever read, but his worst stuff I always found pleasurable. He could also be quite good, when he was on his game. However he is in no way an influence. I couldn’t write like him if I wanted, and at times I’ve wanted. According to a test I took the writer I most resemble is Stapledon, but as I submitted works here before I ever read him it seems unlikely he is an influence. Except second-hand through writers like Clarke and Baxter. I guess Cordwainer is the biggest influence though. Than there are many stories or novels by many writers that had some influence. Perhaps literally from Adams to Zindell.
In music I like 80’s music fairly well. It’s what I grew up with after all. I also like a good deal of Jazz. Perhaps especially some of the early ones like Louis Armstrong and Count Basie. Billie Holliday too, but she’s more Blues I guess. In more recent musicians I’ve discovered I like Norah Jones, much to my chagrin. In adulthood I decided to focus on obscure music, believing it’s better to support people who likely aren’t millionaires. So I have some Tannu Tuvan throat singing, Russian Orthodox chant, the music of the last castrate (hilariously bad by my reckoning), Marit Peters, Pygmy ballads, etc. However there are also a few other popular musicians or groups I like: Tori Amos, Sarah MacLachlan, REM, U2, and such. They Might be Giants might be straddling somewhere in between those two things. Oh and I want to play the dulcimer someday. I just need two things, a dulcimer and an ability to play instruments.
This is fast becoming a laundry list, so I’ll wrap up with perhaps the most noteworthy stuff. I am a little over three feet tall and have brittle bone disease or Osteogenesis imperfecta. I once hoped to be the world’s shortest SF writer, but I imagine I’m not. I have been published in Issue 56 of Antipodean under the name Trevor Robinson and here. I am currently seeking my Masters in History.
Copyright © 2003 by Thomas R.
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