Also available at Fictionwise
HURRICANE!! came from
a chance conversation while I
was standing in line, waiting to get in to ConFrancisco. The guy ahead of
me was talking about the effects of hurricane Andrew, which had just
ravaged Florida. The connection with parasailing and sport jumping was
immediate. I wrote the outline for the story that very night, sitting in the
bathroom so I wouldn't disturb my wife's sleep.
This story required a lot of research, during which I discovered that not
much is known about the internal structure of hurricanes. I expected to
get a lot of comment from meteorologists and was surprised when the
only criticism I got was that I depicted kayakers as daredevils when
everyone knows that people who take a teeny little boat in white water
are usually conservative cautious types -- sure they are - HA!! I also
worried that someone might actually try to do what I described and put a
line in that the editor later removed: "This story is narrated by a
professional. DO NOT ATTEMPT THIS AT HOME!" This was the cover story
for that month.
In case you are interested, compare the opening of this story with that of