Tanya Huff
"Born in Halifax, Nova Scotia: Although I haven't actually lived "down east" since just before my fourth birthday, I still consider myself a Maritimer. I think it's something to do with being born in sight of the ocean. Or possibly with the fact that almost no one admits to being from Ontario…
Raised, for the most part, in Kingston, Ontario. It was the late sixties, early to mid seventies. Enough said for those of us who lived through it-and those who didn't seem to be getting another chance to fall off platform shoes.
Spent three years in the Canadian Naval Reserve: I was a cook. They'd just opened it up to women and I figured it would be the first trade that would send women to sea. I was right. Unfortunately it happened a year after I left. No tattoos.
Received a degree in RADIO AND TELEVISION ARTS (B.A.A.) from Ryerson Polytechnical Institute: The year I graduated was the year that the CBC laid off 750 employees in Toronto alone. We were competing for jobs with people who had up to five years experience. The cat threw up on my degree.
Spent eight years working at Bakka, North America's oldest surviving science fiction book store: Change Of Hobbit in California was actually a very little bit older but unfortunately it was a casualty of the recession in '91. During those eight years, while working full-time, I wrote seven books (the first seven, except for the original draft of CHILD), and nine short stories.
In 1992, after living in downtown Toronto, a city of nearly three million, for thirteen years, I moved with two large cats, one small psychotic cat, and my partner out to a rented house in the middle of nowhere. In the years since, we've purchased the house, buried two of the original cats, replaced them with three more felines and, unintentionally, acquired a Chihuahua. You're probably wondering how two reasonably intelligent adults can unintentionally acquire a Chihuahua. Please don't ask.
I love living in the country, writing full-time, anything by Charles de Lint, Xena, Hercules, and email. I dislike telephones, electric blankets, and bathroom renovations.
I always expect catastrophe; as a result, I'm usually pleasantly surprised."
Huff lives with her wife, Fiona Patton.
“Peter." The fine hair along her spine rising, Vicky could feel the power in a name. This is who you are, it said. Come back to us.”
“What do they do for a village idiot when you're here?”
“When they finally allowed the horses to slow to a walk, Vree dropped out of the saddle to stretch her legs. *We're going to forget how to get anywhere on our own two feet. Gonna end up looking like fat-assed officers.*Vree arched her back, rocked forward, then arched it again, working the stiffness out of her shoulders. *Giving the pounding it's taking, if my ass is getting fat, it's in self-defense.*”
“Large men in black plate mail with red cloaks and plumes don't sneak worth a damn.”
“Once a man began thinking with his body, intelligent decisions came few and far between.”
“Most people don't care who's in charge as long as someone is.”
“What goes on between a man and his missus is nobody's business; especially where desert toppin's involved.”
“But I am a knight of the Round Table," he protested, weakly. "I am a protector of the realm, a slayer of evil, I defeat all those who raise their swords in opposition to Arthur, King of all Britain." "Trust me, kid, women prefer a man who can cook.”
“Trains aren't a problem.""You turn into mist?""No, I step out of the way.”
“He read disappointment at his response and wondered if she realized that she expected a certain amount of effusive sympathy from the people she told. Rejecting that sympathy made her feel strong, compensating for what she perceived as her weakness. He suspected that the disease was the first time she hadn't been able to make everything come out all right through the sheer determination that it would be.”
“Oh, for fuck's sake; sometimes a raccoon is just a raccoon!”
“Better the comfort of a lie than the absurdity of the truth.”
“The world tilted slightly sideways. 'I think I need to sit down.' The floor seemed like the best option. It was close and he'd already proved that he could hit it. His legs folded.”
“It took him forever to get to downtown Vancouver although Tony had to admit that saving the world by public transportation was a particularly Canadian way to do things.”
“I'm sorry."About what?"He shrugged, made uncomfortable by the question."I'm not sure. It's a Canadian thing.”
“Dexter thrust a pamphlet into Samuel's hand. "Greenstreet Mission. We're doing a Christmas dinner. You can get a meal and hear the word of God."Samuel smiled in relief. This, finally, he understood. "Which word?""What?""Well, God's said a lot of words, you know, and a word like 'it' or 'the' wouldn't be worth hearing again but its always fun listening to Him try and say aluminum.”
“What are you on, Samuel?"This was easier, he glanced down. "Laminate.”
“I tell you what I won't put up with. You chose how to behave.”
“Toronto's already ass-deep in cockroaches and conservatives; what's one more lower life-form?”
“Empty words show an empty mind, and silence speaks most eloquently of all.”
“A quick check on the platoon showed everyone more or less enjoying the flight."Whatever it is you're eating, Ressk, swallow it before we land," [said Staff Sergeant Kerr]."No problem, Staff.""More like whoever he's eating," Binti muttered beside him."You ought to count your fingers," he suggested. "You're too serley stupid to notice one missing.""Maybe you ought to gren sa talamec to.""That's enough, people."When the Confederation first started integrating the di'Taykan and the Krai into what was predominantly a human military system, xenopsychologists among the elder races expected a number of problems. For the most part, those expectations fell short. After having dealt with the Mictok and the H'san, none of the younger races - all bipedal mammals - had any difficulty with each other's appearance. Cultural differences were absorbed into the prevailing military culture and the remaining problems were dealt with in the age-old military tradition of learning to say "up yours" in the other races' languages. The "us against them" mentality of war made for strange bedfellows.”
“Bards were terrible at keeping secrets. They insisted on putting them to music.”
“Claire "The Elysian Fields Guest House? Why didn't he just call it the Vestibule to Hell?"Dean "Because that would be bad for business?"From Summon the Keeper”
“Violence is never the answer but sometimes, like with cockroaches, it is the only possible response.”
“Isn't that just like a man. 450-fucking-years-old and he's still thinking with his balls!”