I’ve only just finished proofreading my forthcoming anthology, Fantasy: The Very Best of 2005. It has a lot of terrific stories in it, but one of my favorites is Mary Rickert’s “Anyway”. I love her story “Cold Fires”, and was really disappointed I couldn’t get it into the previous annual, so was particularly pleased I could include one of her stories this year.

I first noticed Rickert’s short fiction in the pages of F&SF, where most of her short fiction has been published, and as one story after another has appeared, have become more and more impressed by what she’s doing. That’s why I was really excited to hear that Golden Gryphon were going to publish her first collection, Map of Dreams, later this year. It’s edited by Marty Halpern, who always does an amazing job on the books he works on (he’s one of the really underappreciated editors working around the place), and, having read many of the stories in the book, I’m sure Map of Dreams is going to be outstanding. What I would say to Coode Streeters is, go read her story “Anyway” over at SciFiction. If you like it, pre-order it with the publisher, an online retailer, or your favorite bookstore. Publishing first collections is always a tricky business, and this is one that really deserves your support.