In August two more people I knew died. Both were writers: J. Neil Schulman and Brad Linaweaver. Although I knew Neil, we butted heads a couple of times over the years. However Brad was a friend, and once again I’m shaken by the unexpected death of someone who died far too young. I started to write an appreciation of Brad, but the task proved difficult. He was a friend, a mentor, a spark. It’s still weird to think they’re both gone.