Meet William H. Drinkard, Author of Elom

Recently, it was my privilege and pleasure to have a long and pleasant lunch with William H. Drinkard, a fellow Alabama native whose first novel, Elom, is coming out from Tor this coming March 2008 with another gorgeous cover illustration from Stephan Martiniere. Bill first came to my attention via the OmegaCon website, where he is listed as a guest, though I realized later that I'd already seen his cover art on Tor art director Irene Gallo's blog.

Elom is described as being Clan of The Cave Bear meets Close Encounters of the Third Kind. When I read that the novel concerned a meeting between aliens and prehistorical humans, I had to meet him - since the notion that there is a "pre-history" is still a hotly debated issue round these parts. I've got no idea what Bill's writing is like, but after 3 1/2 hours of conversation, I know he's a kindred spirit where the purpose and relevance of science fiction is concerned, so I certainly am eager to find out. What's more, he's a hell of a nice guy, who has a lot to say, and is - I'm sure - bringing an interesting perspective to our field. And, hey, it's a gorgeous hardcover, so we should all pick it up in March and encourage this sort of radical thinking before someone burns him for witchcraft.

Bill himself is a self-described life long SF addict, as well as a collector of Pre-Colombian Art. He's had a varied career, including stints in politics and as Chairman of the Alabama Historical Commission. He doesn't have a website yet, though I expect one is right around the corner. He's already working on a new book, Fair Chance, about the possibilities of alien life.

Meanwhile, here's what David Drake (pictured left with Bill at DragonCon 07) has to say about Elom: "Engaging characters in a story told with the feel of a myth passed down by word of mouth."

And look - mammoths!!