A NOTE FROM THE PUBLISHER
William Campbell Gault (1910–1995) was an American writer. He wrote under his own name, as well as (among others) the pseudonyms Roney Scott, Larry Sternig, and Will Duke. He is probably best remembered for his sports fiction, particularly the young-readers’ novels he began publishing in the early 1960s. Damon Knight, noted science fiction critic and one-time editor for Popular Publications, wrote the following about Gault’s sports fiction:
I liked the characterization in those stories; I liked the description; I liked the fist fights; I liked the love interest. I liked everything about them, except what they were all about.
Gault was also an acclaimed mystery writer. He won the 1953 Edgar Award for Best First Novel for his crime fiction debut book, Don’t Cry for Me (1952). He won the Shamus Award for Best P.I. Paperback Original in 1983 for The Cana Diversion and was awarded The Eye in 1984 for Lifetime Achievement, both by The Private Eye Writers of America. In 1991, he was presented Bouchercon’s Lifetime Achievement Award. Bill Pronzini, creator of the Nameless Detective series, called him “a legend in his own time.” Ross MacDonald wrote, “[Gault] knows that writing well is the best revenge.”
He was not limited to sports and mysteries, though—he also wrote a substantial body of science fiction. (Admittedly, he did mix crime and sports into his science fiction!) I believe this volume is the largest collection of his fantastic work ever produced.
Enjoy!
—John Betancourt
Publisher, Wildside Press LLC
www.wildsidepress.com
ABOUT THE SERIES
Over the last few years, our MEGAPACK™ ebook series has grown to be our most popular endeavor. (Maybe it helps that we sometimes offer them as premiums to our mailing list!) One question we keep getting asked is, “Who’s the editor?”
The MEGAPACK™ ebook series (except where specifically credited) are a group effort. Everyone at Wildside works on them. This includes John Betancourt (me), Carla Coupe, Steve Coupe, Shawn Garrett, Helen McGee, Sam Cooper, Bonner Menking, Colin Azariah-Kribbs, A.E. Warren, and many of Wildside’s authors…who often suggest stories to include (and not just their own!)
RECOMMEND A FAVORITE STORY?
Do you know a great classic science fiction story, or have a favorite author whom you believe is perfect for the MEGAPACK™ ebook series? We’d love your suggestions! You can post them on our message board at http://movies.ning.com/forum (there is an area for Wildside Press comments).
Note: we only consider stories that have already been professionally published. This is not a market for new works.
TYPOS
Unfortunately, as hard as we try, a few typos do slip through. We update our ebooks periodically, so make sure you have the current version (or download a fresh copy if it’s been sitting in your ebook reader for months.) It may have already been updated.
If you spot a new typo, please let us know. We’ll fix it for everyone. You can email the publisher at wildsidepress@yahoo.com or use the message boards above.