Thursday: “‘Afraid? Why should I be afraid?’ He smiled at us sweetly. ‘You see, I am the ghost.’” Mary Brown. Context? From Pigs Don’t Fly. A very oddly assorted group of travelers has sheltered from a storm in a haunted castle, and just met the ghost—who is fond of stories.

Friday: “There are some things even a vampire has a little trouble recovering from.” Mercedes Lackey. Context? From “Satanic, versus,” in Werehunter. This is a short story with Di Tregarde attending a Romance Writers of the World Halloween party. Andre has just been thrown through the wall by a “tall, dark and handsome” figure conjured up by the guest of honor. (Andre’s a vampire, but he doesn’t sparkle and is very  polite.)

Saturday: “Don’t get stewed. He may want to know where the electrons are kept.” George E. Smith. Context? (WWII era.) From “QRM Interplanetarty,” originally published in Astounding Science Fiction around 1942 and later republished as the first story in Venus Equilateral. The “he” is a businessman sent to make the first communications satellite (manned) more profitable—but he doesn’t understand anything about how it works. Parts of the science are very outdated; the human interactions are not. I might add that the introduction, written by Arthur C. Clarke who came up with the idea of geostationary satellites, gives Smith the credit for the idea of using satellites as communication relays. (The copy I have is older than the one I linked to, and lacks the last two stories.)

Sunday: “You can’t know. You can only believe—or not.” C.S. Lewis. Context? From The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (the book, not the movie.) The Lady (the retired star’s daughter) is speaking to the travelers, who are doubtful about eating the food spread at Aslan’s Table.

Monday: “Because it is knowledge, and all knowledge should be preserved for the future.” Andre Norton. Context? From Dread Companion, as Kilda tries to get Bartarre to add to her history of their strange experience.

Tuesday: “We will not accept, will not resign ourselves, will not permit, will not believe.” Sherri Tepper. Context? From Marianne, the Magus and the Manticore. Almost a mantra of the movement protesting the Manticore.

Wednesday: “Roi had known too many orders in his life.” Bowling. Context? From Homecoming. Lai is trying to get Roi to relate to him, and not having much luck.

Next week I’ll go single-author again, and not even genre fiction. Instead, I’ll tweet quotations from Jane Austin.