I am incredibly sad to hear today that Jay Lake has passed away. He was a force unto himself, full of incredible energy and talent. He was a good person with a good heart, and I wish I had more time to get to know him.

Back when I was still doing my One Word Interviews, he sent in this response to the word “Spark.”

SPARK
Rushing from the primordial darkness, spark was what God got when She said, “Luke’s Fiat.” Spark, and fire, and ice, and earth, and air, and all the vengeful writhing business of life, love, fiction and the inner light that drives us all to be better than ourselves. Spark is creation.
– Jay Lake

His response still makes me smile. Spark will always remind me of Jay Lake and of creation: creation of imagination, creation of fiction, creation of friendship, and creation of life…

Dear Jay, you will be missed. Rest in peace.