Inkwell: Authors and Artists

    
Neil - congrats on the first draft.  :-)

Sean - I am 28% pure, and the last time I took the test I was 33%.  I
need to drop that more.  :-)  And my advice is to read Howl's Moving
Castle and find out for yourself, it's lots cooler that way.  "I know
now!"  That question got me curious and so I got that book and I read
it and now I have another author to collect.  :-)

Madman - I got Season of Mists in the mail today.  Thanks!  :-)

Jen
  

    
Man, I smile in posts a lot.
  

    

Jen- good! I hope it arrived in good condition.
  

    
Neil- Yes, your books/stories/comics being movies will be weird, but I
think they'll be okay cus you're still alive and hopefully have a lot
of creative control. As long as they don't cast Sly Stalone as sir
Galaad. But I can't see you having any of that...Terry Gilliam is
great! I just got some books in the mail yesterday and "Good Omens" was
one of them (No, I hadn't read it yet and no I don't know why not) and
I love it. I think he'll do a superb job and I can't think of anyone
better to do it. But, like most people, I do tend to like books better
because when you're watching something on a screen, you're living the
story from afar. And when you're reading, the characters are living and
breathing through you in your imagination; you're there.So, I'm
excited about the movies but I'm about ready to pee my pants awaiting
AG.

Dan and Polyamoury- I know you're not married to her or anything, but
this is funny because I think the idea is very different for women than
men. There was a pretty good reason that not many women throughout
history have had multiple husbands/partners. Aside from sexism. I mean,
really. How many women do you know that would actually WANT multiple
men/husbands? Most don't know what to do with the one they have.
(sitting around watching TV, not helping around the house ect..this is
in general of course) Men tend to have a different view. They're all
for spreading the seed, so to speak. A lot of girls I talk to think
they want a man and then when they get him...don't know what to do with
him and that's just one!Your Guarded Goddess must have her hands
full;) (Kidding) 
  

    
Erynn - ROTFL!!  She's an exceptional woman, to say the very least. 

As for the various projects.. I trust Gilliam to do something
spectacular with Good Omens, just because he's Terry Gilliam. I'm
*MOST* interested in Neil's film debut as director, though... (I'm
working from the understanding that you're directing Death, Neil...)
Actually... with Neil writing for comics, short story and poetry
collections, novels, television, radio drama, songs, (formerly)
journalism, being adapted for the stage, and now writing for screen and
soon to be directing.... doesn't this mean that he can take the title
"King of all media" away from Howard Stern?
  

    
30%
  

    
e-mail from Lisa Moretto:

Neil,
I'm one of the Borders managers. Just got back from Las Vegas last
night. I wanted you to know that we were able to get copies of your
uncorrected proof at our book expo during our convention.
It's brilliant! Well worth the wait!
I am about midway through. Shadow is about to take a Greyhound to
Lakeside as Mike Ainsel. I have no idea where the journey will go next.
 
Thank you for being a part of our convention. You were very entertaining
and kind!
Hope to see you in NY in June!
 
Lisa Moretto GM
Borders store #60
Manchester, CT
 
btw,
Being a Blur fan, I am a bit bummed to have read that they didn't make
the final edit.
  

    
Len-  not the same Warren Ellis.  It threw me for at first, too.  But
that would be a pretty intense double life to lead.
  

    
As soon as i got home I pulled out Smoke and Mirrors and flipped to
the final pages of Murder Mysteries... as you know, Neil, not a thing
was changed. (well, a word or two, but you know what I mean.)

I've read that story three or four times, and had managed to block out
the ending each time. Something in me didn't want to accept that our
narrator had done that...
And I LIKE dark endings... and still I blocked it, repeatedly.
  

    
Sean -- I wrote the answer, then I read Jenny B's post, and deleted
it. She's right, you know.

Michelle -- The new DC edition of Stardust is now out in paperback, O
collector of Stardusts.

Dan -- no, it's not changed. Go back and read the story in SMOKE AND
MIRRORS...

-- oops -- just read your post 759. As you see, it's all there --
Martha Soukup chided me because she felt it was all too obvious, but
mostly, for most readers, it's not. As a drama, I think things sink in
a little deeper. And I'm not sure it's a dark ending -- in some ways
it's rather hopeful.

Trev -- this is why I get very frustrated with them putting the things
up before they're finalised. It looks like Vromans is back on, as we
reconfigured LA in order to do Mysterious Galaxy in San Diego.

Erynn -- once you sign the contract (in the case of the Sandman stuff,
since I signed the contract in 1987) you have no creative control. If
the producer and director of Chivalry want to cast Sly Stallone as
Galaad, that's up to them; and if the producers and director of Books
of Magic cast Whoopie Goldberg as Timothina Hunter, that's their call.
I trust Terry Gilliam on Good Omens, but I trust him to make a Terry
Gilliam film.

The reason I enjoy comics and prose so much is the writer really does
have creative control. 

Dan -- I'm contracted to direct it; if I don't wind up directing it,
and they make it, they have to pay me the difference between the script
at the rates I did it for them (more or less free) and my rates as a
screenwriter (obscenely expensive).

Lisa -- I got a phone call at 11:30 on Monday morning saying the books
had been found, and I was enormously relieved. I hope they all have
print-outs of the last chapter in.

I had a great time at the Borders thing, and was pleased that nobody
really minded me getting up on stage with a mike and just rambling at
them for half an hour.

If I could have justified to myself paying $200 for the Blur quote (La
la la la la, I want to go to magic America/With all the Magic People)
I would. But at about $12 a "La" it just seemed too high. (If the
publisher was paying the permissions, as they sometimes do, I'd
probably have kept it in. My original title for the book in my head in
1998 was Magic America.)
  

    
Well, lots of smart people didn't get the stuff I thought was way too
obvious in the story.  So--

It's hardly that I'm too smart.  Gene Wolfe has confused me more than a few
times.
  

    
Email from JaNell:

Neil - speaking of table napkins, while you were doodling on one at Tomo's
(ConCat), did you hear my husband pipe up with (Think Sat. Night Live
skit, little boy in bathtub): "Well, you know my name is Ne-il, and I like
to do drarwrings...are you looking at me bum?" >From down the table, one
of the Thingees yelled out, "That's not NICE." I still laugh about that.

Linda-Re:x-rated gnomes-if you don't know what to ask for, then you're not
old enough for it.

Re: Plushies-One of my friends, back in the late 80's, used to have a
fantasy of attending conventions as a Teddy Bear and giving everyone
hugs...
  

    
Dan - On polyamory. If you *really* want my personal opinions based on
my personal experiences, send me an email. On Murder Mysteries. It
took until the second reading before I 'got it', and even then, if I
set it down a while, I forgot until I was halfway through re-reading it
again. 

Walker - And what's wrong with mentioning the Peeps? It's not like I
described the straw's role in the relationship. 'Sides, you weren't
even there. It's much more painful to remember the incident. ;)

re: sloppy journalism - Two things caused me to drop my major in
journalism (well, three, but 'dropping college' wasn't
journalism-specific): 1) Poor research resulting in incorrect output
that others might believe becoming a standard in a lot of press and 2)
the fact that the journalism department at U of O was diminished to
such an extent that the only remaining aspect was all-important
'advertising', which sickened me as much as it fascinated me, but it
was not something I was into at all. 

Neil - Already called Lee's to make sure they set aside a copy of it
for me. *sigh*... I had to pick Stardust to collect, didn't I? btw, I
rather like the concept of "$12 per 'la'" :)

Erynn - there's nothing wrong with abundant smileys. :D

squeaks, 10% pure... man, last time it was 33%... I'm all corrupted!
  

    
JaNell - I have an ex-boyfriend named Simon who rather loathes that
song.

squeaks, who is rather used to the Beatles song by now.
  

    
I feel I ought to mention that the mysterious film I described turns
out to be Esper's MANIAC
http://www.tvguide.com/movies/database/ShowMovie.asp?MI=6213

and that it wasn't sloppy journalism (which I automatically expect)
but horrendously sloppy academic work (which mostly I don't).

g'night
  

    
neil - as i was trying to find contact information for allen spiegel
fine arts on the computer earlier today , i somehow came across an
interview you did where you mention a few different gk chesterton
essays . ' on cheese ' and ' what he had in his pockets ' are all i'm
able to recall . so i'm wondering , would you know of any
nottoohardtofind books in which these or any other stand-out essays by
chesterton are printed ? i haven't read many essays by him , but have
been trying to get all is grist : a book of essays for a while now .
i've ordered it from several different places and all of them end up
being out of stock . i've been told that this is a pretty good
collection .

also , might you know of a way to get a hold of allen spiegel fine
arts ? i've found two different addresses , and two different
disconnected phone numbers . 




sean - i'm hoping that stuart murdoch is still recording that album .
maybe two or three years back the band used to answer all your letters
very quickly , and he once mentioned that he had plans to do his own
thing . but if you haven't heard the stuart murdoch demos (i believe
they're actually him and stuart david) they're incredible and really
would make one quite eager for such a release .
  

    
I took the Neil Gaiman purity test and I think it puts far too much
weight on physically owning the books. Between trying to get better
scores on that test and the L. Ron Hubbard purity test, I'm running out
of shelf space.
  

    
Ok-- decided on a fave from 69 Love Songs vol. 1:  The Book of Love.

So today I start the Middle School Spring Play, which will come from
improvisations on stories from(no surprise)The Arabian Nights.  I did
the same thing last year with the Orpheus story (but I gave the kids
Ovid, I'm afraid, not Neil.)  This year I'm more ambitious and I'm
interested in how I can intertwine the stories in the manner of Into
the Woods.

As was discussed ad nauseum earlier, the Arabian Nights is talmudic in
length and complexity, though the Irwin Companion is helping. (btw,
Neil-- I got my copy of the Arabian Nightmare from half.com yesterday.)
 Still having some trouble deciding what stories to do... def. want to
do Ali Baba, not sure about Aladdin.  I _love_ the Talking Bird story
but it's 50 pages long!

So here we go.  Thanks again, all, for Arabian Nights input.
  

    
Email from Sean Michaels:

Jenny/Neil - Well of -course- I've read Howls, but unfortunately (or
perhaps fortunately [sorry Mr. Gaiman sir]), I was a Diana Wynne Jones fan
long before I was a Neil Gaiman, and thus the itty-bitty details of Howl's
Moving Castle are all mixed in with Castle in the Air, the Dalemark
Quartet, the Chrestomanci books, etc etc. Needless to say I must have
missed whatever connection there was. I suppose unless one of you deigns
to help me out I'll have to pull out my old Howl paperback when I go home
in May, read it anew, visit the library, and withdraw/reread Stardust, all
while in the midst of indulging in Gormenghast and brushing up on LotR in
preparation for the -real- "Episode 1" come December. Phew, isnt life
hard?

Er, OR someone could email me the 'link' (if they're afraid of spoiling it
for others) -- sea@nme.com -- so that I'll have more time to read the NEW
(in n. america) DWJ....

Sean, who is typing this w/ one hand just before he goes off to the
hospital as he has broken (?) his wrist.

PS - Finished the Iain M. Banks -- "Look to Winward". TERRIFIC. Perhaps
his best Culture novel to date. If you dont know him, read him!
  

    
Email from Mary Roane:

Hey, y'all!

Just a quick e-mail to say I'm not dead.  I got laid off, got rehired, and
had my rent raised $175 in the last few weeks, so I've been a little busy
(still am, come to think of it....) I'll be quiet, since himself just
crashed ;-)

Michelle-sorry to hear about the diagnosis.  Sending you lots of get-well
thoughts!  (I'd say "warm fuzzies", but given the recent topic.....;-) )

Len--every time lately that I've thought "crap, it's 2 a.m. and I just
*have* to post", you've said what I would say.  Do I owe you a fee for
this service?  Good call on "Truly, Madly, Deeply".  It's one of my
favorite films.  Oh, and congratulations on finishing the class.  Do we
have to refer to you as Mixmaster Len from now on?  ( After I finished my
Masters, I had a mad whim to be referred to as Master Roane.  Three years
of no sleep & more ass-kissing than you can imagine will do that to a
girl)

Neil--good morning!  And congratulations to you, too, on the draft of
Death.  I was wondering how all that dialogue writing was coming along.
Question:  How have you learned about directing for the camera?  Do you
compulsively watch"All That Jazz"? ( Preferred way for my grad school) Do
you have friends who do it & give you tips?  I'm just curious because I've
had a course on directing for the stage (not my bag--I've never been so
nervous in my life)  and I would be thoroughly intimidated by directing
for the camera.  I don't know much about the mechanics of it (how do you
know how much light you've got left?) . I realize there are courses you
can take, but I was wondering how you did it.

                      Mary Roane (parenthetical queen, reading "Born With
the Dead" by Robert Silverberg--depressing!)
  

    
Oh hallo.  I am new.  I haven't taken the Neil Purity test but I think
I'm about as Grade A Virgin Pure as I can get.  I would like to join
your little web oasis, if I may.  I will think of smart things to say
and EVERYTHING!  

thank you.
  

    
Hi Adriana!
  

    
Sorry about the delay on these. Harper Collins were waiting for the
last couple to be finalised. These are all the US signings from the
June-July tour. They don't include the Canadian signings, or the UK
signings. (If your city, or state, or area of the country isn't on
here, it's not my fault. I don't pick 'em. If you can get your local
bookstore to wail piteously enough to Harper Collins, we might be able
to get them on the American Gods in Paperback/Coraline tour next May,
if there is one.)

...

NEIL GAIMAN’S TOUR DATES 




6/19/01 6:00 PM         New York, NY
                        
Border’s World Trade Center
Church & Vesey Sts.
New York City 10048
(212) 839-8049

6/20/01 8:00 PM         Huntington, NY          

Book Revue
313 New York Avenue
Huntington, NY 11743
(631) 271-1442

6/21/01 7:00 PM         Champaign/Savoy, IL     

        Pages For All Ages
        1201 Savoy Plaza
        Savoy, IL 61874
        (217) 351-7243

6/22/01 1:00 PM         Evanston, IL    

Stars Our Destination 
705 Main St.
Evanston, IL  60202
(847) 570-5925

6/22/01 8:00 PM         Skokie, IL                      

        Barnes & Noble
        55 Old Orchard Center,
        Skokie, IL 60077
        (847) 676-2230

6/23/01 1:00 PM         Lexington, KY           

        Joseph-Beth Booksellers
        Lexington Green
        161 Lexington Green Circle
        Lexington, KY 40503
        (859) 271-5330

6/23/01 7:00 PM         Dayton, OH                      

Books & Co.
350 E. Stroop St.
Dayton, OH  45429
(937) 297-6356

6/24/01 1:00 PM         Cleveland, OH           

Joseph-Beth Booksellers
The Shops at Shaker Square
13217 Shaker Square
Cleveland, OH  44120
(216) 751-3300

6/25/01 4:00 PM         Seattle, WA                     

Third Place Booksellers
17171 Bothell Way N.E.
Lake Forest Park, WA  98155
(206)366-3333

6/25/01 7:00 PM         Seattle, WA                     

University Booksellers
Keane Hall, Room 130
University of Washington Campus
Seattle, WA 98155
(206) 545-4363

6/26/01 7:30 PM         Menlo Park, CA          

        Kepler’s Books
        1010 El Camino Real
        Menlo Park, CA 94025
        (650) 324-4321

6/27/01 1:00 PM         San Francisco, CA               

The Booksmith
                1644 Haight St.
                San Francisco, CA 94117
                (415) 863-8688

6/27/01 7:30 PM         Berkeley, CA                    

        Cody’s Booksellers
        2454 Telegraph Ave.
        Berkeley, CA 94704
        1-800-704-4336

6/28/01 12:30 PM                San Diego, CA           

        Mysterious Galaxy
        7051 Clairemont Mesa Boulevard
        San Diego, CA 92111
        1-800-704-4336

6/28/01 7:00 PM         Los Angeles, CA 

Vroman’s Books
3405 Lake Avenue
Pasadena, CA 91101
1-800-769-BOOK

6/29/01 8:00 PM         Los Angeles, CA         

        Book Soup
        8818 Sunset Boulevard
        West Hollywood, CA  90069
        (310) 659-3110
        1-800-764-BOOK 

7/1/01  2:00 PM         Minneapolis, MN 

        DreamHaven
        912 W. Lake St.
        Minneapolis, MN 55408
        (612) 823-6161

7/2/01  7:00 PM         Rosedale, MN                    

        Barnes & Noble
        2100 N. Snelling Ave.
        Rosedale, MN  55113
        (651) 639-9256
  

    
Feel very free to cut and paste the above post and spread it anywhere
that people might want to see it.

...

Mary, I think the thing that gave me the hubris to want to direct
wasn't anything other than dissatisfaction with directors I've worked
with, and the distinct feeling of "I could do better than that", and
"that wasn't what I'd meant!" And with something as close and personal
as Death, I'd rather like it to be me that does it.
  

    

Nice tour itinerary!