My friend Jay Lake passed away this morning at 5:45.
He went into Hospice care last week. His significant other, Lisa Costello, continued to update the world through Facebook and his blog until the final entry early this morning.
This quote from Lisa, written a few days ago, brought tears to my eyes:
His energy level is extremely low, and visitors drain him terribly. I think it is this right now that is breaking my heart the most, how this most social and gregarious of men has been drained to the point where a simple conversation is exhausting.
I think that may be the best description of Jay I’ve ever heard: The most social and gregarious of men.
I met Jay through Wordos. For well over a year, I sat at the table with him every Tuesday night. His work (of which I’m not a true fan … I often fell back on the mantra, “Sorry. I’m not your reader.”) and his critique of my early efforts made a huge impact on my growth as a writer and the marketability of my work. Jay was the first person to suggest that I might want to try writing romance, that my style and voice felt like a natural fit for that genre … at least to him.
Goodbye, my friend. You will be missed.
