Dear Mr. Hawks:
I feel uncomfortable typing those last two words — “Mr. Hawks,” that is — because it provides the faint hope that I might be channeling Howard’s great spirit or addressing an eccentric falconer. But I have received your message. I have my considerable doubts about whether you are indeed the John Twelve Hawks who lives off the grid. For if you are aware of my work, surely this runs counter to your secular manifesto? Or is this all the secular marketing whipped up by others? Whatever the case, if you are who you say you are, I accept your proposal, although I’m sure both of us have plenty of time left to live. If you wish to follow through with your idea, then you can send me another message at some future point with additional details and I will confirm it all here. Rest assured, as a man of my word, I shall not reveal your secret identity. Although I must confess that I was highly amused by the envelope and the postmark. You have friends in very interesting places, sir.
Very truly yours,
Edward Champion
[UPDATE: It appears that Jeff VanderMeer was also contacted by "John Twelve Hawks." I received the same letterhead, same envelope, same postmark. Matt Staggs offers additional speculation.]
The Call by Yannick Murphy: The always interesting author of Here They Come and Signed, Mata Hari returns with a novel that whips up a worldview from a rather quirky set of limitations: namely, the call logs that a veterinarian maintains as his son is unexpectedly put into a coma and an unforgiving economy denies him work. What emerges is a surprisingly optimistic, often funny, and very moving account on how one family uses acceptance and forgiveness as a way to atone for hard knocks. (
Birds of Paradise by Diana Abu-Jaber: Forget Franzen and Eugenides. If you're looking for a social novel that counts, Diana Abu-Jaber is the author you're looking for. Building from the free-form exploration of consciousness and identity in Crescent and the gripping procedural structure of Origin, Abu-Jaber's latest novel is her finest, equally fluent with gutterpunk culture and smarmy real estate men. It has been suggested by The Washington Post's Ron Charles that you will likely gain some pounds while reading this novel. This is certainly true. Abu-Jaber's description of food is so precise that it often made me want to do more cooking. But I very much admired the way in which Abu-Jaber presents all her characters as unwitting victims of rough capitalism, which permits them some dignity even as they perform terrible acts.
The Last of the Live Nude Girls by Sheila McClear: This memoir isn't so much about the decline of the Times Square peepshow, as it is about one young woman's efforts to pull herself up by by her bootstraps when presented with few economic options. Filled with self-introspective candor and a quiet dignity, McClear's story is one that might befall any of us in these volatile times. While McClear does get back on her feet, her book leads one contemplating the terrible fates of other young women now moving to New York and falling into deadlier vocations. (
You did have your fingers crossed when you promised not to reveal xii Hs I.D., no?
In perfect honestly, I’ve always thought he was probably Martin Clark. Makes some sense when you think about it.
And in perfect honesty, too.
It seems unlikely that the real John Twelve Hawks would come out of his veil of relatively safe anonymity to contact both you and Jeff VanderMeer over the course of a week. But what do I know?
Then, that’s the danger of being utterly anonymous: There’s always the danger of legions of people claiming to be you with little danger of repercussion.
Maybe we should all choose a day to “be” John Twelve Hawks.
John has hardly remained separate from the SFF community. In fact, he has reached out to numerous people in the past, whether through proxy or via email or snail mail or via telephone. I’ve spoken with him several times. Colleen Lindsay, who handled publicity for The Dark River was often in contact with him.
Just want to keep the facts clear, to hopefully fend off any baloney conspiracy theories.