Sly Mongoose Name-Checks Old Codger

John DeNardo of SF Signal wrote to ask: "Did you know that Tobias Buckell has a character named Van VerMeer in his upcoming SLY MONGOOSE? He's a dotty, old hermit who lives on a floating platform while maintaining flying steampunk bird creatures (called Strandbeasts) that troll the skies of a planet with the poisonous atmosphere."To say this made me laugh convulsively would be an understatement. Heh. (Tobias confirms it's no coincidence.) Yep, that's me. I was born a dotty old hermit.