Author David Eddings burns down his office

We all make stupid mistakes, right? But sometimes a simple lapse in judgment can be devastating. Would you, for instance, toss a lighted match onto a pool of gasoline inside your garage in order to see whether it’s still flammable? No? That’s ridiculous? A little crazy? You may be right, but that’s essentially what science fiction author David Eddings did last week, and the ensuing blaze destroyed his garage and office. Talk about the anti-fantasy of a fantasy author. The poor guy. You can read more about his unwise error, and then sit back and wait for the 2007 version of Esquire’s Dubious Achievement Awards (2006 awards here). We suspect that Mr. Eddings might make that list of unfortunate events.