By now, most of you, if you're mystery folks, probably know that MWA just announced that the 2008 Grand Master is Bill Pronzini. I assume this because I assume that if you read this blog, and you're interested in crime fiction, you read other blogs/mailing lists and have seen the news.

Just in case you're not caught up, this is the swell news of the week. And I keep diong my Kermit imitation ("Kermit the Forg here.") where he would get all excited over the guest host on the Muppet Show and just sort of wag back and forth yelling

YYYYYAAAAAAAYYYYY! at the top of Jim Henson's lungs, or whatever.

So YAAAAAAAAYYYYYY! and about time too.

NOT that they haven't had great GMs before this. I mean god, Marcia (Muller) got it in 2005 and I thought "'bout time) on that one too. But regarding Mr. Pronzini, who has been writing for us for over 35 years, who not only has given us "Nameless" novels, but has edited anthologies, co-written with great authors like Muller and others, but he's also the guy who brought us GUN IN CHEEK, SON OF GUN IN CHEEK and who doesn't think those are worthy of GM honors alone.

Okay so I'm not serious, but I am about this. Bill Pronzini is one of the well, what, coolest? nicest? most interesting? best? guys I've had the privilege of knowing. And I've known him longer that just about anyone else in the genre. I met him after moving to the bay area in 1976. Well before I went to a Bouchercon, or had really found mystery fandom, but our social circles crossed over a lot - he knew my husband - and we'd see each other at a party, or at the Magic Cellar or I know longer remember. He was running the NoCal MWA chapter back then - it was a welcoming group for non-writer/fans and I was a member for a while. Bill was one of the first people I called when I learned that my (then ex) husband had died - not that I wanted to depress him, but because I knew it would matter and I knew he would not want to know from reading the paper.

One of my fun jobs came when i worked on Bouchercon in '94 where Marcia was our guest of honor, and I'd call her occasioanlly and Bill would join in from the background. I got giggles the day he asked if he had to wear a tie to the banquet (my reply was something like "Tell him he doesn't have to wear a SHIRT if he doesn't want to.")(Bill had an allergy to fancy dress, as I recalled. I don't know if it was from military service or just hating getting dressed up but he did.) And I was sitting next to Bill at that convention when Marcia won the Best Novel Anthony. His reaction, which I was lucky to witness (and I bet he still doesn't realized I saw) (which is really okay), showed such a strong measure of generosity and love - well, I'm glad I was there to see it.

i don't get to talk with them often or see them, but when we do talk, it's one of those no-time-has-passed conversations. I'm so very very glad that MWA did this - it wouldn't have been right to wait any longer. I mean you look at the list at
http://mysterywriters.org/pages/awards/grand-master.htm
and you see who you think should have been left out, chosen sooner, left til later - we will all have those. But this one, there's NO question of how right it is.

Hot DAMN, i'm happy.

YYYYYYAAAAAAAAYYYYYYYYY!!!!!!!!!