“I once read an Isaac Asimov novel where two parallel universes created energy by trading a tungsten particle back and forth between them, and then polygons started having sex. And that still made more sense than your book!”

It took a moment to get my brain back in gear and respond. “Wow. That was AWESOME! Hold on, I have to write that down.”

I know my daughter well enough that I wasn’t at all surprised when she didn’t appreciate the synopsis of my book. But the breathtaking majesty of the insult she hurled at me was stunning. She clearly put some planning into it. My first reaction was mixed shock and pride that she’d read The Gods Themselves. Followed by a misplaced sense of flattery at being compared to Asimov, even in this extremely negative context.

I’m sure she’s trying to help by thickening up my skin a little. This is how we show our love and support.

Ah, family. The killers of dreams.