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Who remembers their first exposure to science fiction?

I have always been a voracious reader. When I was a little girl, my local library had a special exception for me. Children under 12 could only check out 5 books at a time. They let me have 15, so I wouldn't have to come in every couple of days (I was lucky, my grandmother worked there!). By the time I was 9 or 10 I had read most all of the books in the "little kids" section and began to look in the adolescent section. There, I found the book that set my main reading interests for life.

Who else could it be but Robert Heinlein?!! "Have Spacesuit Will Travel", to be precise! I was in love. From then on, every time I went to the library, his name was the first one I looked for.

When I was old enough to buy my own books, for many years I never bought anything other than SciFi (or Fantasy, once I came across Andre Norton). I waited with breath held for each new Heinlein book. I've read them all, many times, and cried like an idiot when he died. I wish I could have met him.

Now that I'm all grown up (hey, who says???) I'll read just about anything that looks interesting, except westerns and romance, but SciFi and Fantasy are still my favorites, and the first aisle I head to at the book store. I also have quite a few other favorite authors by now , but I'll never forget that dear Robert was my first love. There will never be another quite like him!