You heard it here first: Starting in the January 2008 issue, Muse‘s Q&A page will have two new question-answerers slaving away to requite your curiosity.
The new columnists are Ruth Flanagan and Andy Soth. Ruth is a science writer turned middle-school teacher. Andy is a TV producer, all-round jolly good fellow, and, not coincidentally, Ruth’s husband. They’re old buddies of Robert’s, and — well, we’d better get them on the blog to let them tell you for themselves.
Q. Why the change?
A. In a word, time. In three words, too little time. Rosanne’s day job and other activities were getting so demanding that she was having trouble keeping up with the column, as much as she enjoyed it. Pondering what to do next, Robert immediately thought of Ruth. He’d been a fan of articles she had written for magazines like Discover and New Scientist back in the Pleistocene Epoch and later had great fun working as her editor at Earth. Robert called and asked if she’d like to join the Great Muse Adventure. “Sure!” she said. “Can Andy help, too?” “Tell you what,” Robert said: “You two write the column together for a year, while I take a vacation.” And so far, everybody is living happily ever after. (Of course, technically the year hasn’t started yet, but never mind.)
We’ll haul Ruth and Andy over to MuseBlog soon to say hi and generally get an idea of what they’re in for. Meanwhile, if there are any questions… Yes? You, in the back?
welcome! *pies* do they know what that mean? *pies* let us let them be the fifth and sixth GAPAs! *pies* we can always use six GAPAs. *pies* make Nak one too. *pies* one more, and i’ll be done *pies*
1-As tmfa says, will they be GAPAs?
But still, cool.
(2) No plans for that yet. GAPAhood is pretty demanding.
1- You’re right: we can always use more GAPAs. But I’ll have to explain their absence in my Muse fanfic. The only explanation I can come up with is somewhat morbid.
Oh well, it’ll be a small price to pay to see another name [waxes poetic] in verdant green, and suffixed with the noble title of Administrator, parading bravely amidst parentheses *is pied*[/waxes poetic]
(4) Again, Ruth and Andy don’t plan to get sucked into the blog. To tell the truth, they’re a little scared of this place. (Rightly so, I must say.)
Of course, that could change.
4- why do you say that? they could be in muse or urania.
Oh. Didn’t see post 3.
Well, give them our heartiest greetings and welcomes to the Muse masthead, with a special flamablamaberry pie from
he who is the Hero of the Great Flavor Pie War, President Supreme of the Aeolian Independent Republic in Muserland, Grand Admiral of the Hydropastrican Navy, Captain of the Black-footed Ferret and the Zommer Vaycayshun in the Service of Museica, Prime Muser of the Province of Crraw, High Pilot of the City of Crubyon, Ober-Pwner of the Tupisodaloric Groves, Sub-chairman of the MuseBlog Zoology Board (gnomes and HPBs a specialty),just plain old PC/Sir Ozlips/Oob.5- come on, let the kokonspiracy extend
5-Gee, wonder why. xD
Bu-wha-uh-EEK! New Q&A people?? Robert and Rosanne GONE?!?!?!? ::faints::
Ah, well, I guess I’ll have to get used to it. Welcome to Muse, and the blog, Ruth and Andy!!
::welcome pies::
Note to Ruth and Andy: Good luck not getting sucked into the blog!
Oh. Wow.
*splutter* But- but-
These peoples better be good. *glare* Or else.
So I guess y’all are gonna need your ceremonius pies. Here ya go. *welcome pies*
And those were my two best key limes. So make sure it’s splattered all over before you lick it off.
We won’t be gone. We will still be HERE, pieing and being pied. And answering the occasional question too (on MuseBlog)– though now we won’t have any scary deadlines hovering. W00t!
13-Does that mean you’ll be able to GAPA even more?
(12) As for Ruth and Andy: Oh, they’re good, all right. And thoroughly Muse-literate. I made sure of that.
i feel like agabadawhada’s name…at least, those are approximately the noises i’m making right now.
still…i guess that’ll be cool…but robert, you’d better come back! and rosanne, i hope you do too eventually….
but i guess you will still be here
but still
ARRGH
tell the newbies to come be pied or else. *pies andy and ruth*
how do you even make good nicknames from andy and ruth? this is going to be difficult…
*wakes from nap*
*stretches*
*yawns*
*looks up from hammock*
Sorry, I can’t hear you. I’m on vacation.
*falls asleep again*
15-Did you make them read every single Muse in existance?
16-Meh, we’ll come up with something. “Teh Andanator”…DUN DUN DUN. Wait, that would actually make it longer.
17-*pies with a wake-up* pie*
*ingredients in a wake-up pie-alarm clock, pepper, loud music (in many different forms…mp3s, crushed instruments, music boxes, etc), coffee, powerade, pecans, etc
So you’re not doing the Q&A anymore? *ghasp*
I’m sure the new people will be great, though.
But will you still be invovled in Muse?
*faints*
Wait- you’re NOT WRITING Q&A FOR A YYEEEEAAARR?
WAAAAAHHHH!
At least you’re not quitting FOREVER, though. And these people sound pretty cool.
“Cool” doesn’t begin to describe how cool they are.
WHHHHHHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAATTTT?!?!?!?!?!?!?!
Either way, they sound uber pwnsm.
Have a nice “vacation from the most awesome mag on the face of the planet!”
Oh my gosh! *sobs* R&R won’t be writing the column anymore? *shrieks* *drops down dead* *is resurrected*
Oh well. I’m sure Ruth and Andy are wonderful. Give them some pies from me.
Cat’s Meow (14): Yes, more time for GAPAing. And lolling around. Lots of lolling.
When I told Ramona (supah editah ladeh, as Kiki the Great calls her) I’d be leaving the Q&A column at the end of the year, she asked if I’d be interested in writing an article from time to time. I said yes. But right now I have a lot of lolling to catch up on — so don’t expect to see any Muse articles from me for quite a while!
You guys are leaving? what? both of you?? i haven’t even met you yet and you’re leaving? but i always look forward to seeing you in muse! well, i understand. it’s just i’ll miss you both very much. *tries to adjust* well, you’ll always be in my heart. at least you’re still GAPAing. good luck to ruth and andy! it’ll be nice to “meet” them.
speaking of muse, in the last issue (i was too lazy to check the others) there was someone canadian in the whole “credits/contents” page. that’s all i had to say. does anyone else read the copyright laws at the beggining of books or is that just me?
*pies Ruth and Andy* welcome!
Robert, are you and Rosanne going to stay somewhat involved with the magazine then?
Somewhat, after we catch up on our sleep. Among other things, you may have noticed that I’m on the masthead as a member of the magazine’s Board of Advisors (not that anyone in the world ever takes my advice). *grumbles*
*resumes nap*
Oh my, thank you all for the welcome pies. I am only too aware of the high standard we will have to live up to. The good news for all is Robert and Rosanne’s continued GAPAing.
We are well acquainted with the deep devotion Muse inspires, having seen it in our daughter’s reaction to its arrival in our mailbox. First a dance of joy, then sequestering herself in her room until each morsel is consumed, followed three days later with “Did a new Muse come today?” repeated daily until the next issue arrives.
Robert did a good job of laying out Ruth’s vitae before she left the drudgery of science writing for the glamour of middle school teaching.
Yes, I am a public television producer and I get to report from time to time on science and technology among other topics. I am also a masters degree student in a science communication program, so I’m naturally quite enthused about taking this on.
Here’s wishing Robert a pleasant respite from Q&As and thanks for his confidence in us.
ooh, a muser daughter. tell her to come a-blogging
28-*ahem* The mag of life, the universe, and pie-throwing?
But… but…
I’ll miss you.
Hello Andy and Ruth, though. *pies*
And yes, have your daughter come visit us ^^
(30) Well, yes: they did listen to me about the magazine’s subtitle. It took them long enough, though.
(31) Look at it this way: in the magazine, you see me and Rosanne on average every (52 weeks/year divided by 9 issues/year = ) 5.78 weeks. On the blog you can see us almost every day if you want to. And Andy and Ruth really are great, as are their children (one Muser, one Muser-in-training).
32- Muser-in-training… Ask? Click?
25- ROMANA! ROMANA, not RAMONA! dur.
sorry, explosion of correction there. but yeah.
The GAPAs aren’t doing Q&A anymore? Is the world going to end now?
I suppose the new people are all right… it won’t be the same without you, Robert-gapa and Roseanne-gapa.
Welcome to the magazine, Ruth and Andy. After the initial shock (see above in my post), I have decided that you’ll do a good job. We of the blog can be intimidating, but I’ll try to not be too scary. And tell your daughter to come join us here.
Lastly, *pi*. 3.14159265358979323846264338327950…
Andy (29): Welcome to MuseBlog! ::pies:: Tell your daughter to come to the blog!
I was really sad at first. I kind of just sat at the computer playing tetris for a few minutes, which is the unproductive thing I do when I’m sad or feeling like being unproductive. But now, I’ve kind of come to accept it and think that Ruth and Andy will do a flamablamablous job. Yay Ruth and Andy! (And yay for Robert and Rosanne’s free time!)
::pies for all::
(35) Rosanne and I will still do online Q&As, though, just to keep in shape.
Q. Is the world going to end now?
A. Probably not now, and almost certainly not because of Mostly Harmless people like us.
IBCF sends greetings to our new Q&A columnists: WELCOME TO MUSEBLOG!!!
*pies*
29-Welcome to Muse Blog. Don’t be scared of us, we’re actually quite normal.
Well, as far as bunny-worshipping/hating, RRRing, Novel-writing, world-dominating tweens/teens go.
Hey, since nobody answered this on the Ask the GAPAs thread, here’s a question for you to answer!
248. Purple Panda �|� November 2nd, 2007 at 12:18 pm
I have a science question: How do glow-in-the-dark things work? I was thinking about that last night when I was looking at the hands on my watch which are glow-in-the-dark. Is it some sort of charged particle or element or something, which makes it glow? How does it glow just because it has been exposed to light?
I also asked a question, but I don’t remember if it got answered or not, since I left about that time.
How do seedless watermelon grow if they don’t have any seeds?
39- It depends on what you see as “normal.” *maniacal laughter*
Okay, I’m done. *leaves* 
42-Hence the second part of the phrase, lol. I’m sure there’s more to add on to the list, but I can’t think of any right now.
~:idea:’s Meow (I should change my name to that. =o)
HPB’s meow? Ooh. I thought they bit.
Oh. Well, I guess they will do well. But, but, Muse won’t be the same! No offence to Andy and Ruth, but, I dunno. It’s a change. I know I’ll still get to talk to, and visit with Robert and Rosanne here on the blog, but I always enjoied reading their Q+A articles. After the first kokonvention I came home and read them all through again.
Well, welcome Andy and Ruth, and your kids, if they join MB, which we all hope they will. *pies*
Fine, how about…
Bunny’s Bite? Lol (Oops, I’m getting sort of off-topic here)
Uh…-tries to keep this on-topic. So, Andy (and Ruth, when she comes) what kinds of things are you interested in?
What things am I interested in? I’d say a lot. I’m a believer in knowledge for knowledge’s sake. What I like about being a journalist is getting to learn a little about a lot of different things, and the challenge of presenting what I’ve learned in an engaging way.
On the other hand, I may not be so interested in knowing a lot about a little and may be ill-suited for this world of increased specialization. I see this in my graduate program as students devote themselves to knowing everything about one particular aspect of one specific portion of one dimension of one small theory. It strikes me as cutting the pie thinner and thinner.
I, like a lot of musers, just want the whole pie. And then another, and another.
(wonders if the new GAPAs are reading this yet…) hello! don’t let the other MBers scare u! they are just a little overenthusiastic and a little pie-crazy……..
Well, it will be interesting to see how this turns out.
Hi there.
hey! pie crazy isn’t a bad thing. *pies*
No welcome pie for you, Ms. Lee. If I read the signs aright, you’ve been on the MuseBlog since July 23, 2006. As you average only one appearance every three months or so, however, a welcome-back pie might be appropriate.
Welcome Andy and Ruth! *pies* And Robert and Rosanne, I’ll definitely miss reading your Q and A in the magazine, but at least you’ll still be here.
29- wlecome aboard! *pies* you seem quite muserly. let’s be friends
40- phosphors…. something something…. mabe i should have payed attention in science last year
51- wow. you amaze me! someday i will be just like you i hope.
*pies Andy and Ruth*
Welcome.
*goes back to doing homework, like always*
is roseanna taking of this year, or will in 2009 it be R&R: Robert and Ruth.
wow, 2009. long way off.
I thought that in 2009 we’d turn it over to Queenie J. and Prarilius Canix.
R&R bugs me, because it also stands for Romance and Relationships. It seems to me like it’s saying that the blog’s turning into R&R, or something. I don’t know. You can just ignore me, I know that I have a strange mind. Don’t bother telling me. I’ll go open a door for you, or pick up that scrap of paper.
56- are to joking or note? it is tough to tell with you.
47-Awesome. ^_^ Well, nice to meet you.
56-That would be sweet.
56-what, nothing for poor ebeth? she’s very good at emailing random people.
47-that’s what my dad always says when people ask how he knows something…”i’m a copy editor, i know a little bit of everything”
56- When I graduate from college, I might come over and try to get a job with Muse, but probably not before.
What, exactly, are the duties of Q&Aers?
58-Of course he’s serious. Why wouldn’t he be?
Actually, I think that MuseBloggers should help write the Q&A column, because we is all very intelligent.
Robert (56): Yes! That would be Flamablamablous!!!!!
I want to work for Muse when I “grow up,” because that would be the froodiest thing I can ever think of. Unfortunately it seems very unlikely to me, but oh well, I can dream. If I can’t get a job at Muse, I want to be a book editor. Or some other kind of editor. I really haven’t decided yet.
When I ‘grow up’ I’d like to do something similar to what Terri Windling and Sharyn November do. I’d like to do something involving editing fantasy or YA fantasy and being able to commision short stories for collections.
Bah! Who cares if they’re afraid of this place?! Once “Mostly Harmless” is complete, no one will be able to escape! RESISTANCE is MUSELESS!!!!!!!! Mwahaha!!!
*pies Ruth and Andy unmercifully*
*takes pity on the poor souls and wipes their faces*
Oh, I would love to work for Muse, but…wait a minute! I want to be a journalist, anyway! I’m getting a minor in Spanish and a major in Journalism, so I’ll be bilingual, and therefore, really cool, so, oh, baby, this is great!!!!!!! And I just used a lot of commas…
Hmm, I don’t really know what I want to do when I grow up. I’m not sure that I would get a job as a writer, although I’ve often been told I should. I had a wonderful idea today, but it’s way off topic.
I want to be either a journalist or a Muse writer. -gasp- Or maybe even both!
67-What is it?
heh. guess who got an email from Mr. Soth? me! guess why! because someone (whos name starts with a K and ends with an X) is getting her question answered in muse!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I’m impressed. good work on you’re first Q and A!