I began writing speculative fiction decades ago. Many of my stories, even those most bizarre from impossible realms, have roots in reality. Some of them are my retellings of personal stories told to me by my late relatives, family friends, and their relatives. Yesteryear stories about unusual experiences and whimsical twists of fortune, war stories of hope and survival, speak of universal human values and must be remembered. Sometimes, a story is entirely an abstract fantasy, but set in a landscape I experienced.
I do not consciously write genre fiction, such as fantasy, science fiction, horror, romance, crime fiction, or other well-defined conventions. Writing is like painting with words, very personal — I use any medium and palette of emotional colors to drive the reader's imagination. Some of my stories are well-received after the second revision; others still need polishing to merit acceptance.
Bartholomew Lamb is the pen name of a Polish-American/Canadian mathematician and emerging writer who lives in Texas.
A word of explanation is in order as to why I need to write fiction under my pen name. The answer is straightforward: I already have numerous technical publications and, for practical reasons, I wish to keep the two types of writing separate.
So, why Bartholomew Lamb?
If Vincent Damon Furnier could be Alice Cooper, and if Amantine Lucile Aurore Dupin de Francueil could be George Sand, I see no problem in dressing my alter ego as Bartholomew Lamb.
A friend of mine insisted that my adopted name had to be Lamb to commemorate her favorite English teacher from high school. I had no choice here—she threatened not to read my stories unless my pen name included Lamb in one way or another. Simply, I had no choice. Once we had agreed on the Lamb, the first name was the natural choice, since St. Bartholomew was skinned alive, and the name is widely popular in Christendom.
As the chances of becoming a martyr in the field of literature are incredibly high, my pen name seems adequate. Thus, without much coloration, I am a child of the furrow and expect to be skinned alive in the forum for written fiction; however, unlike a sacrificial lamb, I hope to survive in the end.
You are welcome to drop me a line or two. I’ll try my best to write back soon, and if not soon, then eventually. Thank you for stopping by.