Brian M. Thomsen, a Tor Books consulting editor and an author, died last Sunday in his home in Brooklyn, N.Y. He was 49.
Thomsen wrote more than 60 short stories and articles, two fantasy novels and such nonfiction works as Ireland's Most Wanted, The Awful Truths and Man of Two Worlds. His latest works were Oval Office Occult: A Book of White House Weirdness, a collection of true stories about U.S. presidents and their encounters with occult phenomena, and Pasta Fazool for the Wiseguy's Soul, an homage to the Chicken Soup for the Soul series and wiseguy films (both published by Andrews & McMeel).
Thomsen dropped out of a Ph.D. program in English to enter publishing. He was one of the founding editors of Warner/Popular Library's Questar imprint and later ran the fantasy line at TSR.
Tor added: "Brian was incredibly intelligent, good-humored, and passionate about his craft. He is survived by his wife, Donna, and many, many friends and admirers."