Kurt R. A. Giambastiani

* Kurt, I hope you don't mind me posting this, but there are fans out there that may want to know. Feel free to let me know if you want me pull or edit the post. *

Kurt R. A. Giambastiani, author of the Fallen Cloud Saga, recently suffered a mild stroke. He is recovering and doing well, with only some damage to his sight.

Kurt (also known as "k" or "KRAG") recently removed his Timepaths blog. It was because of a new post here that I began to worry his account had been hacked. After getting an email back from, a rogue hacker became the least of my worries.

In the years I've known Kurt, he's always been a great person to talk to. He's very knowledgeable and has traveled the world. Living in the Seattle area, he personified the "artsy" type by writing. He has numerous works available to read, from poetry to short stories and from essays to novels.

Of his novels, the Fallen Cloud Saga is the most widely known and easily found. Without giving too much away, it's essentially the story of Custer's son living with the Plains Indians and eventually attacking Custer (who becomes President). The catch to this alternate history story is the Indians travel and attack on dinosaurs. I only ask that you don't knock it until you read it.

Aside from that, he's also written the Ploughman Chronicles, a duology set in ancient (circa 880 AD) Europe. This set was a bit of an odd one for me as I had never read or heard about ley lines. And if you're interested in something shorter to read, something to give you a taste, check out Carp. That did a number on my head.

So, in the end, I'm sad to hear Kurt has had a rough time recently. He's always been a great author and all-around nice guy to deal with. I've asked for and received signed copies and book plates from him without delay or grumbling.

Kurt, I hope you feel better. You do have family, friends, and fans out there that care about you. Just let someone know if you need anything.

PS - For you fans out there, Kurt said he is still planning on writing Fallen Cloud V.