Colleen Thomas Memorial Thread

[dr_mabeuse]

The loss of Colleen requires more than just a notice. I thought maybe it might be good to have a place for us to remember Colleen and do our grieving and reminiscing together and share the things she left us.

I just read the news not 10 minutes ago, but I know I'm going to be working it through for some time. Like most of you, I never met her, never spoke to her personally, but God, what a terrible loss of a wonderful friend and extraordinary person.

Colly was one of the pillars that held this place up, one of those people whose posts I always read. She was unstintingly generous, smart as well as wise, gracious and kind and compassionate, and so prodigiously talented. And all this while fighting off her poor health and crippling migraines.

There's not many people you can describe as "noble" or "honorable" these days, but she was one. Not many people you think of as being dignified and sexy and fun all at the same time, but she was those too.

If we'd ever wanted to pick someone who epitomized the very best of all that goes on in Literotica and the AH in particular, she would have been the one. If she had a fault, it was her modesty. She should have been published, and she would have been if not for that.

For those of us who knew her, the loss is immeasurable. For those who never had the chance to know her, the loss is immeasurable too. This place will never be the same.

God bless, Colly, and thank you for everything. It was an honor to know you, and you will be missed so very much.

 

[impressive]

http://english.literotica.com/stories/memberpage.php?uid=85086&page=submissions

 

[carsonshepherd]

Colly always helped anyone who asked. She was so knowledgeable and educated about so many things and shared her knowledge generously. She was such a talented writer. She encouraged me to seek help for a problem I thought I could handle on my own, before it got overwhelming.
I'll never forget you, Colly.

 

[neonlyte]

Colleen emitomised the human spirit. She spoke her mind... and she spoke her heart. She fought for her beliefs and the principles she lived by, and never judged others if they failed to meet the standards by which she lived her live. She was first in line to help others, unstinting in her effort to impart wisdom and knowledge. Incisive in arguement and dilligent in backing arguement with fact.

Colleen was an example to us all, she set a standard to which many aspire, in her writing, in her unquenchable zest for life, in the love she bestowed upon friends... and foes. She reached beyond the illness and pain that blighted her life to bring happiness and joy to those with whom she shared her life, and we are fortunate that she chose to spend some of her time with each of us.

You are a good person, it was a privilege to know you for this brief span, my heart goes out to your friends and loved ones. Rest now...

 

[TxRad]

I'm sitting here in shock with burning eyes......

I'll miss you very much Colly.....

I hope there is good diving where you are....

 

[Nirvanadragones]

http://english.literotica.com/stories/memberpage.php?uid=85086&page=submissions

Look at that!! Who else has been able to accomplish that? Colly is one of the best writers this site will ever be honoured to have.

Blessed be, Sweet

 

[Guest]

Dr M said it all, so perfectly.

Colly was one of the very best people I have ever had the good fortune to know. I already miss her terribly, but her kindness (and pure sexiness) will live on in me forever.

She helped me through some tough times, and was always willing to talk. We shared a laugh, we flirted, we wrote together, and I will never forget her genuine shock and amazement when I invited her to be a guest author on my site. It was me who was honoured when she accepted my invitation, but she made me feel like it should be the other way around. Her modesty knew no bounds, and I was forever trying to encourage her to submit some of her stuff for publication. She never believed her stories were good enough. It is such a loss that we couldn't persuade her, but her wonderful writings will live on, forever.

As will she.

 

[Nirvanadragones]

A Colly Quote: " I guess I have always been a story teller. I still consider myself more of a storyteller than an author. I like to build stories and explore them"

 

[duddle146]

Her Generosity will be long remembered.

The loss of Colleen requires more than just a notice. I thought maybe it might be good to have a place for us to remember Colleen and do our grieving and reminiscing together and share the things she left us.

I just read the news not 10 minutes ago, but I know I'm going to be working it through for some time. Like most of you, I never met her, never spoke to her personally, but God, what a terrible loss of a wonderful friend and extraordinary person.

Colly was one of the pillars that held this place up, one of those people whose posts I always read. She was unstintingly generous, smart as well as wise, gracious and kind and compassionate, and so prodigiously talented. And all this while fighting off her poor health and crippling migraines.

There's not many people you can describe as "noble" or "honorable" these days, but she was one. Not many people you think of as being dignified and sexy and fun all at the same time, but she was those too.

If we'd ever wanted to pick someone who epitomized the very best of all that goes on in Literotica and the AH in particular, she would have been the one. If she had a fault, it was her modesty. She should have been published, and she would have been if not for that.

For those of us who knew her, the loss is immeasurable. For those who never had the chance to know her, the loss is immeasurable too. This place will never be the same.

God bless, Colly, and thank you for everything. It was an honor to know you, and you will be missed so very much.

What a sadness must have descended upon all of us upon being told of her untimely passing. Recalling her generosity I once sent her an E mail expressing my admiration for her writing technique. A day or so later I received a sweet note along with some guidelines for a particular type of writing I was trying. Such a Sweet Person. Colly, you'll be missed.

 

[Aurora Black]

I don't know what else I can say that I haven't already said in the other thread, but I'll try.

Colly was one of the sweetest people that I've had the pleasure to meet, on or offline. I was in awe of her tremendous talent and quick wit, and I still am. She was never smug or conceited about how educated she was, never made anyone feel inferior. She talked to everyone like an equal. She was always willing to help me out whenever I had a writing problem, she had a brilliant mind and heart, and she was very passionate in what she believed was right. I will miss her very much, and mourn the loss of her.

 

[Roxanne Appleby]

Colleen Thomas was the Dean of Literotica writers.

Colleen Thomas was the Dean of Literotica writers. As Stephen King is to spooky fiction, or Tom Clancy to military techno-thrillers, so Colleen Thomas was among Lit's erotica writers. We have lost our Dean, and I don't know if anyone will ever replace her.

Colleen inspired and impressed me mostly right here, in the arena of discourse. We both came from a center-right point of view, but in fact rarely engaged the same political threads. She dove more into topical political issues, while I engage more on the political philosophy side.

Maybe she preferred the topical issues because facts and figures play a greater role there, and no one could beat Colly when facts and figures were involved. "Facts are stubborn things" might have been her watchword. She was as tenacious as a bulldog in challenging inaccurate or sloppy information, and when she was around everyone was extra cautious about using figures or making statements they could not back up with perfect certainty! Colly had a stupendous depth of knowledge regarding history and geopolitics. Plus military history and technology – I swear the woman must have had a stack of Janes' on her bedside table!

But all that is secondary, because the most important thing about Colleen Thomas was her never-failing graciousness and civility. No matter how hot the debate, when all about her were losing their heads and verging on flames, Colly was the soul of patience and temperance. She made us all better people, because when she was engaged, or once she had weighed in, you felt like a churl if you didn't raise the tone of your own discourse.

I am abrasive, brash and confrontational. These are character flaws. Colleen inspired me to be better, and just as important, provided a fine model of how to do it.

I only knew her for less than a year, but will miss her deeply. There are PMs from her in my mailbox that I never deleted because I was proud to have received them, and proud to be her friend. They will remain as poignant mementos.

 

[dr_mabeuse]

There are memories too.

I was just thinking about Colly the other day. Hadn't seen her around lately so I assumed she was working on something, but I was thinking about a story I've been working in which I'm fudging some technical details about tattooing, details I don't know and am too lazy to find out. I was thinking about how Colly would look down her nose at that. She never fudged anything, but researched things to death.

I remember when we finally got Colly to post a story to the Story Discussion Board for analysis. She was very reluctant, thinking her stuff wasn't good enough.

I don't recall the title, but it was a beautifully crafted story about a resistance fighter in WWII, and at one point she cripples some german tank and shoots the 7 or so Nazi's who try to escape.

I said, "Wait a minute. I've seen my share of war movies, and I don't think any German tanks had 7 soldiers inside."

Colly sent me back a note - very civil and reasonable - in which she told me more about that type of German tank than I think the Germans knew themselves, all the way down to where the escape hatches were and how the tank was used in infantry assaults.

That's how I learned about Colleen and history.

In threads Colly could be something like a tank herself. She didn't get nasty, didn't get personal. She just rolled over you with facts and logic. She was one of the few people I've met who was more interested in establishing the truth in an argument than she was in winning it. She was always graceful and gracious, and she was almost always right.

Most of all I remember the random PM from her. She knew I had problems of my own and would just ask me how I was doing and wish me well.

It's something I should do more myself.

 

[Guest]

Colly was the AH.

Kind and caring, talented and prodigious, brilliant and learned. She was what most of us wish to be.

I will treasure her comments on writing. When I confessed to her once I was a bit embarrassed about the quality of my first Lit submissions she told me not to redo them. Otherwise how else would I realize how far I had progressed as a writer?

She wrote a story for me (about me) which I adore. I was humbled and honored, and the story is incredible. Yet during the process she sent countless emails to me, hoping that I would find it adequate.

Colly helped me through tough times, too. We exchanged many PMs following the death of my brother. When I couldn't seem to write anything except for this dark and horrible murderous story which repelled me, she told me to finish the story anyway. She said finish it, write it out, all of it, then put it away somewhere. Hide it under a rock if I must, but it was important for my mental health to get those awful emotions out of me. And maybe then I could write something else again.

She was right about that, too, of course.

She always was.

 

[zeb1094]

I have no words...

Just that Colly was always nice to everyone no matter their views. She was a great debater and a knowledgable poster in the political thread. She had a pasion in her soul that came out in her posts.

Colly, I will miss you.

 

[Guest]

More memories...

The first NaNoWriMo I thrust upon the AH (in 2003), I tried to persuade her to join in and write a novel, she replied, "Not me! I can't do something like that!" I tried arguing with her that she could indeed do it, and standing on her head at that, but my attempts at persuasion failed.

She became our "main cheerleader" and cheered each and every one of us along the way in 2003.

The following year, I thrust NaNoWriMo down the throats of the AH again, and this time I told Colly that she just had to join us, and luckily others badgered her as well. She was adamant that she "couldn't write a novel" and we all knew that was bullshit, but she agreed to "give it a shot".

NaNoWriMo, for those of you who don't know is National Novel Writer's Month, and the aim is to write a 50,000 word novel in 30 days. Quite an ask, for anyone to do, but I just knew that Colly could do it.

Come the 1st of November she, like all of us, was chomping at the bit to start, and by God, did she!?

Colly, the woman who had said to me time and time again, "But I can't write a novel, I'm not like you, I haven't got the discipline, blah-de-blah", completed the 50,000 words in something like 6 days, and knocked the socks off everyone!

She went on to fully complete that novel (and an amazing piece of work it is, too), and also went on to write more.

WE all knew she had unending talent, and she was beginning to believe it herself.

 

[Aurora Black]

She was a wild, wicked slip of a girl. She burned too bright for this world. - Emily Brontë, Wuthering Heights.

 

[Guest]

 

[Aurora Black]

I admired and respected Colly a great deal, and I am immensely grateful that I told her so before she disappeared from our lives forever.

 

[Pure]

Colly--

She was a very strong presence at Literotica, in AH and in other forums including Story Discussion Circle.

I was fortunate to exchange a number of PMs with her, and was always impressed with her spirit.

As many of you know, her circumstances were highly constrained, and her health was not good. Nonetheless her output is abundant and of exceptional quality.

One of her first stories I read was about the young woman soldier and sniper, Anneika, in "Cold Reception." Colly had drawn on her extensive knowledge of guns and ammunition, ammunition clips and so on.

I remember also a story about a young woman befriended by a hobo in the railway trains, "The Long Way Home," and I found she had researched hobos, and related gangs.

Most recently she shared a story she was working on, about a cross dressing western bandido-- a feisty woman passing as a man. Colly had all the Western information, the slang, vocabulary and colloquialisms. I hope the story sees the light of day.

Her politics differed from some of us, but all of us came to respect almost the last remaining liberal [small "l"] republican around these parts. Of course, she was 'conservative,' in her designation, but that actually *meant something* as regards individual liberty in the face of government censorship and repression. She defended sexual minorities against bigotry and government intrusions as carried out by the 'religious right.'

She never sold out her party, but always spoke against a 'social conservatism' or religiosity which would enforce puritanical moral values. A true lover of liberty, she never became simply a flack for the party in power, and who called it to the judgment bar.

Her spirit is what most impressive. She fought the fight to the last breath, even in the most difficult of circumstances. She bore a lot of pain, and retained her stoic courage, without complaining about her lot. It's clear that she continued to think, research, and write till almost her last day.

 

[TheEarl]

From my journal:

I've just found out that a friend of mine is dead.

We met on a writing website that I'm a member of. It's kinda a close-knit community and, although she wasn't one of my closest friends on there, I've known her for several years.

Colleen was sweet, kind, ascerbically witty and very rarely lost her temper, even under extreme provocation. She believed in the sanctity of debate and knew a hell of a lot about a hell of a lot without ever seeming pretentious or egotistical. I didn't speak to her as often as some people on the board, but she caught my attention every time our paths crossed and I'm sobbing my heart out to think that that won't happen again.

The worst of it all is that I never met her face to face. I never even told her my real name. It wouldn't've made a jot of difference to our friendship, but I really wish I had.

<tears>

The Earl

 

[minsue]

I can't do any justice yet, it's still too fresh and cutting. Like so many, I loved Colly. I love her still.

Be at peace, beautiful.

 

[Joe Wordsworth]

She understood me.

 

[Evil Alpaca]

Whe was a muse in more ways than one.
She showed not only how writing COULD be done in many cases out it SHOULD be done. I always looked forward to her next story. I think it may be time to reread her classics.

 

[McKenna]

She amazed me with her ability to debate without making it personal.

She touched me with her random PM's just to ask how I was doing, or to compliment me on an avatar or something I'd written in the forums.

Her attention to detail was admirable; her sincerity was unequalled.

In a nutshell, Colly had class that never wavered.

 

[TheEarl]

Colly writing about death in dark science fiction

The Earl