Monday, September 13, 2010

Rest in Peace, Johanna Stapleton


If you read my blog and follow my adventures, you might have heard me talk about the translated editions of my books and that I had a team of translators. Johanna Stapleton was actually one of the first I worked with. I can't even remember how we "met" online, but she was living in France at the time and had just received a degree in translating. She translated a French edition of the Dirt #1 comic and did a couple of chapters of The Red Church, which we'd sent with a publisher before deciding to simply release an e-book version.

I'd dropped her an email to check on her progress and got a note from her parents, letting me know she had died suddenly and quite unexpectedly of a pulmonary embolism. I am not sure of her age but I had the impression she was in her upper 20s. Very sad. She was actually moving with her husband about two hours away and there was the chance we could meet in person to work on the books. She was a vibrant, literate person excited about the future and her loss makes the world a lesser place. Johanna, I hope you are now in the biggest, most joyful story of all.

###

6 comments:

Monster A Go-Go said...

Zowie, Scott! That is awful and so tragic. It just another reminder of how fragile and fleeting life is. I'm glad your lives crossed paths---if not physically. At least you got to know her a little over email/phone/etc. I'm sure both your lives were better because of it.

Cheers!

Bookhound78 said...

Very sad news. :(

-Neal

Brenda Wallace said...

So sorry, Scott.

Rabid Fox said...

Terrible news. My condolences to her family and friends.

author Christa Polkinhorn said...

What a shock. I'm so sorry.
Christa

Jeff said...

Life is so fragile!!