Inkwell: Authors and Artists

    
Kelly - don't worry. I'll swing by and visit your hobbit hole during
the day time. I plan to do lots of visiting of people this year.

Michalea- yclept - According to an online dictionary... it's "called,
named" and it quotes usages by Chaucer, Milton, and Lamb.

Michelle - sorry.. don't buy it. You haven't seemed remotely scary to
me the two times I've met you. Granted, you aren't stalking ME...

Will - I had the great pleasure of getting hijacked to see Izzard's
Circle when he was in SF. The Death Star cafeteria was funny, but it
was he stuff on the Buffet Body of Christ that caused me to lose it
completely. "Why not the Last Breakfast? This orange juice is my
plasma..."

Neil - oh my... well... I guess you would know... I mean, she's the
one stalking *you*... 

On an unrelated note... interesting little tidbit on the blogger about
meeting with A Director (the capitals were not unnoticed) in a secret
room... how long are we going to have to wait for something a little
less cloak and dagger information wise??

John - since I haven't said it yet... welcome!
  

    

I can _definately_ see the potential for Michelle to be scary when stalking.
Granted, I've only met her once, but I can see it.
I wonder if anyone is stalking her.
  

    

The Devil Bunny is thinking about it.
  

    
E-mail from Kathy Li:

Mike -- oh frabjous day! a novel *and* a collection!! I will now resolutely 
turn my face so that the wait shall not seem longer by too-close watching.

JaNell -- please don't feel jealous.  I'm sure it's mostly Ivy's story that 
intrigues Himself, not mine. In all honesty, I got the better of the swap 
as hers was an honest-to-god first-person truthful narrative that involved 
funny coincidences and the phrase "magic loins", whilst mine was merely 
YA-Harlan-being-Harlan story colored more interesting by being set at 
Neil's First Public Reading of His Stuff.  I had to throw in my 
Chris-Claremont-story-with-Mary-Gaiman-in-it as makeweight.
  

    
Kathy - you've not heard the best of my stories... some of which can't
be posted here, adults or no...

I have had Neil say to me, in reference to a 14ish girl in snakeskin
pants that did everything but actually lay down and spread her legs in
front of him, that "she seemed to have sunshine in her pants."
  

    
Madman - a few of us are considering stalking the Thingees, but
Michelle lives too far away.. ;)
  

    
Hi All 

 JaNell, I survived the MRI, know waiting to see if I get to be a
thowback 70's show, a.k.a. the Bionic Woman.

I personally think that Michele isn't scary,....just has the best job,
to one be able to afford to go to the lengths she does to "stalk" and
two to get the time off and still have a job to come home to.

I'm very pleased today, I got my first rejection letter. Yes, I do
know that it's not a nice thing but it wasn't a form letter and it
actually had something personal in it. Somebody read something I worte
and thought it had potential. Well, someone who wasn't a
relative/trying to get into my pants/or being nice to me because they
are my friend.

I've been lax in my on-line keeping up, working overtime, and trying
to catch up on my reading, I've got such a stack of stuf to read.

Neil~ rest is a good thing. I'm sorry that you got the heat wave,
hopefully you won't melt.


Jinx who has discovered that not only has she suddenly acquired three
kids, but two cats as well,.....:sigh: must go by tissues
  

    <scribbled>
  

    
Oddly enough, Jinxy, I'm working on a letter to you at this very
moment...
and please hand me some of those tissues.
  

    
John -- 

    Heh. Gencon has vastly grown in 25 years. It takes up the entire
Milwaukee Convention Center, plus rooms in several hotels.  There's
every kind of gaming imaginable going on there -- and then some. And as
for the 8 hour drive -- pfah. I drove it when I was living in DC, for
a total of 15 hours. This year I am wussing out and flying. 

  By the way, you wrote my favorite Star Trek novel of all time. :)


Neil -- you drag the coolest people here.

I'm outie. See you Monday.
  

    
No, Rani, Neil dragged the coolest people home.
They're probably still in his basement.
  

    
<untwists tongue>

Erhm... let's see, I've met Neil enough, and had a chance to ask
enough questions here, that I actually feel comfortable saying "Neil"
... but uh, I think I might have to stick to Mr. Ford for a bit more,
at least until the awe wears off a bit...

Anyhow, yes, Peter David had written my favourite Trek novel up til
the time I read "How Much For Just The Planet?" ...  :-)   In fact, I
tend to reread the book every few months, just for the fun of it. (And
I just told my Other, in the kitchen "hey, guess which author just
showed up... John M. Ford; he wrote HMFJTP, remember?" "Oooh.. Ilen!"
...) I tend to give the book around to folks to read, "... this is the
best Trek novel! I know you don't like Star Trek, read it anyhow!
You'll love it..." and they always do. 

Er. Yes. 'Scuz me while I go all fangirl...


Neil... just read your blogger with much amusement. Some 14 years
back, I was Very Sick one summer, and confined indoors, mostly to the
couch. Unfortunately, this happened to be the same summer my little
sister (who was about 7 at the time) developed a passionate love for
The Sound of Music. She watched it at _least_ once a day; I'm sad to
say often three or more times. All summer long. Every single day. I kid
you not. ... to this day, my father and I both wince and run from the
room whenever the movie comes on. We avoided the broadway play like the
plague.

Sadly, I still know every song. I probably still know every line of
the movie, too.

Oh, and with a last name of "Hills" ... well, you can imagine all the
jokes, I'm sure.    :-)


-Kelly

Oh... all, re: Burning Man ... hovel it will definately be... we've
just downgraded our tent/camp ideas to something very simple, as moving
and Yosemite has cost us both an arm and a leg. Oh well... where you
stay isn't so important the first year, just getting there is the
point.
  

    
     Rani -- oh, I've been to several Milwaukee GenCons, though not
for several years.  I can no longer drive, none of the local usual
suspects was available for a ride, and we've got a trip coming up in a
couple of weeks anyway, so more travel expense wasn't on.
     While this isn't a criticism of the convention or anyone
attending it, roleplaying with people I don't know fairly well doesn't
interest me, and as an Academy member I already get the early poop on
the Swell New Products, so the main attraction is seeing friends in the
business.
     Having asked Kelly, here goes again: which Trek book?

     Kelly -- ah.  Thank you.  The response to that book has always
been gratifying, since the editor (long gone and to remain nameless)
loathed it, shat on the ms. to the best of his ability (including
telling Paramount to short the print run, which probably cost them half
a million bucks in lost sales when the chains ran out early), and then
didn't actually do any editorial work.
      But I digress, and this isn't even my topic.

      Robert Wise, who directed THE SOUND OF MONEY (and is really a
good director, honest; he did DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL and the first,
good, version of THE HAUNTING, as well as almost all of WEST SIDE
STORY) tells a story about filming the title number, out in the waving
grass and the warbling Andrews.  The grass was waving because of the
camera helicopter, which was a spanky new jet model.  The pilot was
apparently more used to lower-powered camera ships.  Every time he flew
over Julie, the downwash flattened her.
      As Neil said, she's a trouper.
  

    
<stepping up to the plate> I've sorta already stalked Neil (both
concerts, seven hours, trying to be at the Strand and B&N and Sushi
restaurants with the hope of 'just running into him'... er.  Now I'm
incriminating myself.  Consider me shutting up), so now I'll step up
and be the official Michelle stalker.  Yeah!  I've listened to Lost
Causes enough, and have checked her website, and all.  And plus, no
offense Neil, but Michelle's far more attractive...

Re-read "Chain Home, Low," last night, just to refresh my memory as to
who you were, John (can I call you John, or is it Mike?  Call me
Will...).  I'll have to keep an eye out for the Trek book (though, man,
I just don't like STAR TREK.  Sci-fi just never works for me).

Dan- I don't think he did that buffet bit in NYC, but I loved "I'll
kill you with this tray."  "What, you can't use the force?"  "Of course
I can use the force.  But I won't.  I'll use this tray."  He's just
brilliant, and I can't wait to see Circle on HBO (when *are* they
airing it?  I mean, somebody really has to get on the ball over there).
 The list of people that can put me into temporary utter fanboy
catatonia is short, but Eddie is among them (you know, I went into it
when I met Neil, until I actually talked to him, and he a] was just
Neil, and b] seemed almost as excited to meet me as I was to meet him. 
I say seemed because it just couldn't have been possible, but
still...).

The Julie Andrews flattening story reminds me of the penguins/air
force story.  I don't know where it happens, but the pilots noticed
that the penguins eyes would follow the planes, so they'd buzz low
left, and all the penguin heads would go left.  They'd buzz low right
and the penguin heads would go right.  Then the pilots would fly
straight at the penguins, and the heads would go up, up, up, and then
five hundred penguins (or as many were watching) would fall on their
backs.

I *love* that image.  And I don't like THE SOUND OF MUSIC.
  

    
John -- HMFJTP of course. Tho I have also liked your "Final
Reflection" when I was in my Star Trek phase years ago. As for "gaming
with people I don't know fairly well" can be a pain I will admit;
however, I play Amber ala Roger Zelazny with a group of people that
always show up, year after year. I shall stop geeking about Gencon now,
really. Honest. 

JaNell -- Re: 761. umm, why does that both frighten and amuse me? :)
Also, ever wonder what Neil's little voices are telling him?

Hugs all. See you Monday.
  

    
Will--okay, so my future offspring's teddy bears and ragdolls are in
peril, but the Twain Joan *is* here, and it *will* be mailed, as soon
as I get paid and can afford a) an envelope and b) stamps. Long story,
mostly involving a new bookshelf and new bloomers that hit me unawares
in the area of my pocketbook last week.... Yes, bloomers. See note re:
30lbs of period costume below...

John M. Ford--There are not words to express how much I adore your
Trek novels. Okay, maybe there are words, but they're stuff like "more
than dark chocolate" "Oh my God" and "Kai the writer!" _The Final
Reflection_ makes me happyhappy, and I currently own 4 used copeis of
_How Much..._ for lending purposes. (I think I was in college, and got
an email one day from a Certain Writer that said I had to read "the
Trek book with the songs in it", and boy oh boy was  I glad I did) 

Oh, and every time the maids of honour at Bristol Ren Faire (where I
work 9 week-ends every summer because wearing 30 lbs of period costume
for 12+ hours in Wisconsin in August really is more fun than it sounds)
sing "Amy Dudley's falling down, falling down, falling down... Amy
Dudley's falling down, Poor Poor Amy!" I think of you...
  

    
     Will -- "sf just never works" -- well, calling PLANET sf is
stretching the definition.  (The other Trek definitely is, but there
are people who claim that's the difference between it and most Trek.) 
And, of course, probably less than half my stuff is sf even by extruded
definition.  The latest novel sure isn't.

     Tara -- thank you.  Trying to think of something more useful to
say, but it's been kind of a morning.  Time later.
  

    
Were supposed to say useful things here? 

Damn, I'm in trouble. 
  

    
Rani asked: "Also, ever wonder what Neil's little voices are telling
him?"
Yes, I do, especially at this particular point in time...

Will - but Trek is like the Cure; not everyone loves it, or even likes
it a lot, but pretty much everyone can find something in there to
enjoy.
  

    
Mike's latest novel (that I'm aware of), "The Last Hot Time," is
kind of an extension of the "Bordertown" elf/rock n roll punk
world created by Terri Windling and contributed to by Will Shetterly,
Ellen Kushner, Emma Bull, Steve Brust, and Mike, himself.
There's a sample chapter at http://www.tor.com/sampleHotTime.html (plug).
  
I also suspect that "Doc Hallownight," the protagonist of the
new novel, may have some roots in "Doc Hollywood," a Michael J. Fox
movie of the mid-90s. (This last is speculation on my part.)
  

    
Argh, another compilation series, Lenny? ... sigh, I hope it has a
better print run than Liavek did - I'd still love to own all five of
those books, and for less than $80/ea ...

HMFJTP (or, Planet, cuz it IS easier) ... is about as far from sci-fi
as, uhm, *think* ... well, I mean, yes, it IS Star Trek, but it's
really much more a comedy/opera/improv
sport/fiction/mystery/cameo-filled ... uh, just read the book!  :-)

-Kelly, who should be working but is really anxiously waiting to hear
if she just got the job she interviewed for over at The Evil Empire...
  

    
     While LAST HOT TIME began as a novella for the Borderlands
series, the novel is not set in that background (though a couple of
borrowed minor characters were kept).  I've never published anything
for Borderlands.  (And before someone brings it up, I was never a
Scribbly, either.)
     And while I'm aware of the Michael J. Fox picture, I haven't seen
it, and there's no deliberate connection there.  If there's a pun (and
that's all it is, not a Key Reference), it's on Doc Holliday, the
dentist who found his real calling was playing poker and shooting
people.
  

    
erm, I'd address this, but I don't know how--- should we call you
John, or Mike, Mr. Ford?  I think I've seen people use both...
  

    
Ishmael.
  

    

Milo.  Milo Chevrolet.