Inkwell: Authors and Artists

    
E-mail from Kathy Li:

Blythe - I'm finding Herodatus to be an old dear of a gossip, and I love 
the fact that he's essentially writing six books at the same time, and 
merrily skipping from one to the other between paragraphs.  I tend to zone 
out when he goes on his beloved verifiable catalog inventories of weights 
and the Guinness Book of World Records bits, but I'll instantly tune in on 
the descriptions of "foreign customs", followed closely by oracular 
prophesies and the "I've heard multiple versions of this story, but I think 
*THIS* one's true" bits.  I don't know if I'll finish, as my attention 
*does* waver and there's a LOT of looking-up-bits-in-the-back, but I've 
just had fun with him meticulously describing two other theories of the 
Nile's flood patterns just so he can point out how stupid they are and how 
much more logical *his* solution to the puzzle is [snicker], so I've got 
hopes of finishing and being primed for Xenophon.

I just finished my first re-read of The Lymond Chronicles the day before I 
picked up AG, and I hit the bits where Philippa's getting tutored by Caxton 
and Dunnett mentions Xenophon as part of the curriculum.  (Which collided 
with that kid-reading part of my brain that remembered Hans Haupt in 
Marguerite Henry's WHITE STALLION OF LIPIZZA reading Xenophon's ART OF 
HORSEMANSHIP). I have these vague visions of stuttering with good brain 
seizure about Xenophon at the Dorothy Dunnett signing in September 
(embarrassment of riches, signing-wise in my neck of the woods).

Mary, Will - Ummm. Sorry. Forgot to mention. "Living With Dinosaurs" isn't 
available commercially.  It *was*, once, long ago, on Japanese laserdisc, 
but you'll have to rely either on a mega-muppet-fan, or the Odyssey channel 
which has aired it in the past year and might again.  A good substitute, 
though, is JIM HENSON'S THE STORYTELLER (the one with the Dog and John 
Hurt), which has four of its nine episodes out on VHS.  I recommend 
SAPSORROW, which is a reworking of Donkey-skin/Cinderella and has a cast 
that includes Saunders & French as the stepsisters, and is 
Minghella-authored. Of the Greek Myths (which aren't Minghella), the best 
of the four episodes was "Daedalus & Icarus" because John Wood was playing 
Minos to Derek Jacobi's Daedalus.
  

    

I just want to add that I was there when squeaks got her "kersplooey" but
only SHE got her "kersplooey" and no one else and we were all quite
dejected about it.  Although <freeform> claims that he heard it and
doesn't understand what all the fuss is about.
  

    
Kathy--Derek Jacobi.....<sigh> we've now cited *2* of my favorite
actors.  

I met Jacobi once.  He was almost as nice as Neil, and he'd just done
2 or 3 hours onstage as Alan Turing in "Breaking the Code".  Made me a
fan for life.  His Cyrano is still my favorite.

I can attest to the fact that Tara's photo is priceless.  A cute photo
of them both.

Debbie, who took the picture, has noticed, though, that when one has
one's picture made with Himself, one tends to grin  manacally. 
Certainly true of the shots on her rolls of film.  Anyone else noticed
this phenomenon? ;-)

Mary, who is desperately trying to be done with Hildegard, so she can
do something she's never done before--reread a book she just finished.
Guess which one?
  

    
They didn't add an apostrophe. They remmoved an apostrophe that should
have been there....
  

    
Neil!  Good to hear from you.  

Glad to see everyone is having such fun.  I'm kicking myself for not
living in your neck of the woods.

Angelina.
  

    
E-mail from Dax Pagan:

Adriana, yes, that's the correct spelling.  Again, nice meeting you and
your husband.

Suzanne- Well, SOMEONE had to 'start it', don't you think?  Would have
been awfully sad for everyone to sit around and NOT meet and wonder if
other 'names' we knew were there... I did think it funny after awhile
that none of us made any attempt (that I saw) to meet Mark, and you
didn't offer an introduction.  He was awfully absorbed in that book...

On the apostrophe error: pg 87, apparently, Neil had a 'stet' ignored in
the sign "WE ARE WORKING TO MAKE ONGOING IMPROVEMENT'S." 

Neil- Thank you again for everything.  Had a wonderful time at both
readings.  Asking Holly to sign by her 'dedication' in Mr. Punch
probably tops the list of "silly fan whims" I've ever indulged (the
previous night, as Neil stepped away from his table to go off with the
Vroman's staff for awhile, Holly jokingly asked if anyone wanted her to
sign anything... the next night, I thought it would be an amusing
novelty to take her up on it-- though I understand I'm not the first to
do so, which might comfort me slightly, though I still felt awfully
invasive in asking... anyway, she was very sweet, and appeared quite
proud of her signature, which was tremendously endearing).

At Book Soup: Didn't see many of the people I met the previous night
(except Carrie and Trevor- hi), but I was there with a group of
Tori-to-Neil fans I became friends with in line at Book Soup two years
ago during the Stardust tour.  We've continued to meet since then in
pairs and threes, but this was the first time we were all reunited
together as a group.  A good time was had by all.

Something new I learned from Neil at the signing that I haven't read
anywhere else yet: The animated series based upon TDISMDFTGoldfish is
titled 'Me and My Big Ideas' (I think that's what you said, Neil...
please correct me if I'm misremembering...), and is going ahead, with
Neil's bible and Dave's designs in their hands...

Anxious to start reading the new book (restrained buying it before
Vroman's).  And I'm happily 'giving the gift of Neil'... a Mr. Punch
paperback for a friend who's read Sandman but somehow never got a copy
of Punch- his birthday is in August, so I'll ask Dave McKean to
sign/sketch for it in San Diego next month, as well...  And paperback
copies (love that size) of Smoke and Mirrors for my mom and my
girlfriend, both of whom I suspect will love the stories and decide they
want more...
  

    
Yes, Neil, welcome back! Without you here, I've been forced to tease
people randomly, and it's just not nearly as satisfying...
  

    

Now this will get interesting, with the hang-out scene here and the more
structured book interview/conversation over there... in Topic 116

what a great idea.
  

    
Martha- I actually said 'Wow' for three reasons way back there.
1. your post was longer than two sentences.
2. you hung out with Neil and saw pictures and fun stuff.
3. er, um, you'll find out soon, I think....

JaNell- There's nothing wrong with living in a David Lynch town.( I
feel as though I'm currently living in an Italian Lychy-like area of
sorts) And there's certainly nothing wrong with teasing people
randomly. Although, yeah, you seem to have more fun with Neil. 

Erynn, who quit smoking this morning (yes, again) and is feeling quite
like a Viking.
  

    
Dax -
Aaah, I'm notorious for "giving the gift of Neil" ... the conversation
seems to go something like this:

Me: Oh, you like
<fantasy/scifi/religion/philosophy/humour/pickupabookonceeverybluemoon>?

Have you read Good Omens? Amazingly funny, by two Brits - reads great
with To Reign In Hell and Job: A Comedy of Justice, and maybe Waiting
For The Galacitc Bus, too.

Them: Uh, no?

Me: What?! Oh, hang on... I have a copy in my
<purse/bookshelf/car/bagofholding>, you *must* read this...

Them: Uh, thanks. I'll give it back...

Me: No worries! I have another half dozen waiting to be given away at
home!


... yup. *chuckles*

Anyhow, I seem to have mastered the concept of reading the journal
_before_ coming here, proving you can teach a blonde new tricks...  ;-)
So the thought of the moment, re: journal is this: Neil, it's hard not
to be nice to you when you're so very nice to us!

Cheery morning,
-Kelly
  

    
Erynn - can't help it, Neil almost begs for me to tease him by being
so absolutely unreactive - it's just the little kid in me yelling,
"lookit me, lookit me!". I suppose if I ever saw him laugh at at
something I said, or ask me any question at all about myself, I'd feel
satisfied and leave him be...

Kelly -  on "the gift of Neil"... I've started getting copies of
Charles de Lint books just to loan out, I love his stuff so much... 
  

    
I heard the kersplooie... Neil doesn't whisper very quietly

*grin*
  

    

I am honored to say that I also was able to hear the kersplooie. With
apologies to Neil and Michelle, who might have prefered it to be a private
moment.
It was very endearing, though- her leaning over the table, him leaning up to
her ear, whispering sweet "kersplooie" into it.
  

    

Clearly then, I'm going deef.
  

    
E-mail from Kathy Li:

Mary--Wow.  You got to meet Jacobi!!  And so =cool= that he was nice to 
you!  I once got autographs at the stage door from Ben Kingsley and Alan 
Howard (a WAITING FOR GODOT I'll never forget), and both were standoffish 
and in a hurry to get away. It is not, after all, part of the job 
description to be friendly to fans.

On the other hand, Jeremy Brett let me burble at him and gave me a kiss on 
the cheek (I got lost *twice* on the Tube getting back home.<g>) and was 
almost as nice as Neil.  And Juliet Stevenson *was* as nice as Neil, and 
invited me into her dressing room (she had to get a pen to sign my program, 
and you will be glad to hear the dressing room was a COMPLETE mess--she 
really *is* exactly like Nina!) and chatted with me, asking me if I was an 
actress (startling me considerably, until I realized this was in L.A.), and 
made me feel that it was only because she needed to rehearse a scene before 
the evening performance that she had to leave.  Was also considerably eased 
in spirit about being an encroaching fangirl upon reading in the L.A. Times 
that Anne Bancroft had visited Stevenson's dressing room at some point 
during the play's run. <g>

Dax--that wasn't a silly fan whim!  That was A Very Good Idea!  I only wish 
you could have brought my copy of TABOO with "Holly's Story" with you.  Ah, 
well, I still have Sky McCloud's autograph in my UNDERSTANDING COMICS... :-)

Neil--Happy winging homewards!  And may you get 24-hour room service, 
copious time to sleep, time to write while riding trains, and no 
boxes-of-books-to-be-signed-in-the-hotel-room on the UK and Canada tours.
  

    
Tara, did you ever find that Bilibin book?
  

    
Kathy--Oh, now you've done it.  You said The Name.  I would never in a
million years have been able to say 2 words to Ben Kingsley.  He's a
deity.  An absolute genius.  You are sooo lucky to have seen him live. 
I'm dying to see Sexy Beast, 'cause he's finally getting the reviews
he deserves.

Great Juliet Stephenson story! You are *so* lucky!

Mary (off to house-sit)   
  

    
*twaps herself in the head and muttering about apostrophes* I really
do need to take notes since my memory is now utterly shot.

Dax --  Did mean to introduce Mark, may have... I'm really horrible at
introducing folks.  Usually forget until almost the end and then
usually manage to do so.  One of the reasons Mark had his nose in the
book was that he was in a foul mood. On Friday, he mentioned that he
didn't have the slightest idea as to why he was such a grump at the
reading.  He even expressed enjoyment at going -- which I couldn't get
out of him on Friday.  He's a strange boy but I loves him lots.

Did get to meet Adriana's husband and he seems a nice fellow as well. 
I was a bit flustered and then thought I'd lost Mark... Hopefully, we
all be able to meet again, properly this time without one of us running
off.

Right.  Best get back to work!

Suzanne
  

    
Is anybody else from here going to the signing at Dreamhaven Books tomorrow,
in Minneapolis?

Elizabeth-who-works-there, who recently moved in next door to me and is
therefore subject to this sort of request, has agreed to put up a sheet
saying "Are you from the WELL? Sign in here!" She thought it sounded pretty
cool, although when I told her about the standing on a chair and shouting
method, she rather liked that one too.

She also mentioned that she was torn between the desire for a huge crowd who
will buy vast quantities of books and stuff, and a moderate-sized signing so
that Neil can get home and get some sleep.

(Oh, and she said that she's sold a number of copies of Martha's books
lately, and that the Flash Girls' new CD is "just flyin' outta here.")
  

    
Happiness!! 

I have received my birthday present and I am happily reading it as we
speak. (Heh heh. Todd, my best friend, asked me what I wanted for my
birthday. I pointed him to my amazon wish list. There I had put
American Gods with the note attached "*makes cute noises* Todd, buy me
this." It worked perfectly.)

I shall be huddling up in a corner tomorrow to read it. A perfect way
to spend a Sunday. 
  

    
Too tired to post a sensible thing in 116, so this is a hasty,
frazzled hullo, and an apology for not typing anything much for a
while. Soon, I guess...

n -- off to sleep in his own bed.
  

    
Good--when Neil is too exhausted to post in 116, it gives me more time to
make my own brain work in this hot, hot, hot place.  (NPR said Vegas was 109
at 6:30 p.m.  It was well after midnight before it started cooling last
night.)
  

    
(also, of course, he really needs to be asleep in his own little bed.  his
hand is probably making signing motions in his sleep.)
  

    
And finally, a place in the Well of my very own!  Thanks to everyone
who made me feel welcome enough to stay...

Think I'll take a nice cup of tea...I only like my cider hard. :) Or,
conversely, hot and full of wine.  Does it then cease to be cider? 

I'm just not sure I could remain civil to people, day after day, far
from my own bed.  Here's to Neil, who is not only civil, but meltingly
kind.

Rebecca, who no longer must trouble the middle-person to post.  
  

    
Oh Neil.. the fact that you even took the time to pop in quickly
before going to your much needed rest is more than any of us would ask
of you.

I think I can speak for us all when I say, "sleep deeply and have
restorative dreams"

On a side note.. I met a rather nice girl on the BART train today who
was reading a Harry Potter book and I may have convinced her to get
American Gods now, rather than wait for the paperback. Her name was
Seven, which I thought was quite charming.