Introduction to Today I Remember
This story is a companion piece to “Today I Am Paul” (found later in this book). To see the connection, you’ll have to read my novel, Today I Am Carey, available from Baen Books.
My father, A. John Shoemaker, was good at so many things I’m bad at: construction, welding, electrical work, auto mechanics, camping … I could go on. And my worlds of writing and programming were equally foreign to him. But one thing I got from him was his love of the circus, sheer amazement at people doing what no person should be able to do.
And so, I was thrilled in my teens to discover the early works of Barry B. Longyear, whose first published stories told of a world settled by a circus troupe lost in the stars. Those stories made me a lifelong Longyear fan. He was the first author whom I saw develop from the start of his career, and he made me believe that maybe someday I could be a writer, too. I still aspire to live up to his standard.
So, this story is dedicated to the memory of my father, A. John Shoemaker, and to Barry B. Longyear. Life with the circus is one long uninterrupted deeeeelight!