Tomatoes

So I couldn't help but wonder if Kim Harrison is a little wiggly about the current salmonella-in-produce scandal.  For those of you who don't know, Kim writes The Hollows series, in which large numbers of humans were killed by a virus in tomatoes, exposing the Inderlanders (vampires, witches, pixies and the like) and forcing everyone to find a way to live together.  Turns out she's collecting photos of tomato-ban paraphernalia and will be posting them.

Kim earned my admiration for many reasons, not the least of which is she tells a great story.  Her Hollows world is rich and very detailed, and she creates very complex characters.  One of the things I really admire, though, is that she seems to have mastered the "this is how my world works" info-dump.  This is an especially crucial skill when dealing with alternate-history type stories, where the reader needs to know how the alternate universe is different from the real world fairly early in the story (i.e. if tomatoes are bad in your world, the reader should know well before your human character freaks out about them in chapter 7).  Kim manages to cover decades of history and quite a bit of difference in only a page and a half, giving the reader everything she needs to know and nothing less.  

Notice I did not say "everything there is to know."  Just enough - all the high points.  This is so difficult as a writer, and for her skill I offer a tip of the hat.