The Girl Who Was Birthday

One of the first things Alison Tyler did, when I'd only recently made her acquaintance, was give me a birthday present. You see, she had blogged that if one was having a birthday in the coming month (which I was), and one wrote in and told her so, then one had a chance of getting a free copy of The Happy Birthday Book of Erotica. I'd had my eye on that anthology already ... and though I don't believe in Destiny, I do believe in saying "yes, please!" to free primo smut.

And that's the kind of person Alison Tyler is: the kind of person who gives birthday presents to random strangers and randy acquaintances.

But with Alison, you don't stay a stranger or acquaintance for long. As a supremely accomplished and internationally legendary writer/editor, Alison has a massive vocabulary; but judging by the warm and wonderful way she treats others, she evidently keeps coming back to the word friend. Is she your editor? Then she's your friend. Do you visit her blog? She's your friend. Do you write or make or do things that interest and delight her, when she finds them on your own blog or website? Alison is your friend. You lucky bastard.

And she's the kind of friend who makes you feel that any day—or every day—is your birthday. She doesn't need a calendar to celebrate you: one day you just wake up to see that she's publicly praised you or playfully poked you or picturesquely pointed to you.

Alison Tyler is a walking wellspring of bonus birthdays.

There's a 1 in 30 chance that today is Alison's birthday—her literal, official, says-so-on-her-birth-certificate day of birth. We've arbitrarily chosen today for her surprise party ... because what's a little arbitrariness? Between friends.


Happy Birthday, Alison "Birthday Girl" Tyler!