"Every bon mot to ever spill from my fingertips is due to reading lots and lots of P.J. O'Rourke and Florence King"I've been fortunate, in my recent and accidental quasi-career as a gunwriter, to meet and even befriend a number of the biggest influences on that part of my life: Massad Ayoob, Frank W. James, Pat Rogers, and others.
But the two biggest influences on my writing style, period? I've never contacted either of them. However...
Miss King made no secret in any of her writings that she enjoyed receiving correspondence from her readers and was religious about answering it. I had always meant to write to thank her for all the hours of enjoyment, to say nothing of the education in the craft, which I'd received from her works over the years. I'd always meant to write that letter.
And now I can't.
I'm not one for New Year's Resolutions. I think they're poppycock for the weak-willed and if people want to do something, then there's no point in waiting for a certain page of the calendar to turn to do that thing. But this year? This year I'm going to strive to not be such a lousy correspondent.
.
