Inkwell: Authors and Artists

    
Jason, no. Alas. (He died three days before I finished it.)
  

    
Neil, I think it was before your time here, or at least before the Fabulous
Lorraine started being a Festie, but the director at the RenFest used to be
a man called Bobo. He was quite something. Dunno what he's doing today, but
if anyone would be able to handle a mouse circus, he would. (Although he'd
probably have about the same results saying, "Hey, guys, don't make me have
to Explain The Situation..." to them as he did with us.)

Has there been a Favorite Odd Interview Question for you so far? Something
that it turned out to be illuminating to have been asked, at any of the
various venues, offline or on?
  

    
At the Foyles Event, someone asked me what my Muse was like -- if I
could describe her. And that was fun. I'd never been asked and found
out as I answered. (I wish I had been listening to what i was saying,
and not just talking mind you.) 
  

    
so what does your Muse look like?
  

    
Harassed, I said. She never knows what she's going to have to come up
with next.
  

    
Well now, that's nice and pat. We want details man, details. Having
read you forever (even in graphic form before you were the darling of
the trendy SF set) I knew about the wild-eyed "what the heck is he
going to do with this inspiring idea" look she must have. 

I'd imagine your muse is a bit of a masochist...but only you could
confirm that. And add flesh to it and her.
  

    
I think she has a slightly hunted look, actually. 

On the stage I compared her to Steve King's muse, who, i said, spends
most of her time going "hey, Steve, you see that chair? you could do a
story about a chair THAT EATS PEOPLE!" 

I think my muse has tangled hair and a butterfly mind...
  

    
I've got a question.

If we were to hand Coraline to a 9 year old Neil Gaiman, what would he
think of it?
  

    
He'd be very accepting, I suspect, even if it did bother him that this
seemed to be taken from the inside of his head.

I'm not sure that it would stop him looking for Narnias, though.
  

    
Every wardrobe I checked (and there weren't many of them in the suburbs to
check) had a back to it.
  

    
Coraline book jacket is cover art at Salon for the weekend!  Whooop!

http://www.salon.com/books/feature/2002/09/21/kids/

Headline:  Kids lit grows up 

Deck:  "Inspired by Harry Potter, bestselling authors Michael Chabon,
Neil Gaiman, Carl Hiaasen and Isabel Allende are spearheading a
renaissance in books that enchant readers of all ages.
By Charles Taylor"
  

    
(pardon me for being so excited.  it was such a treat to see!)
  

    
*snort* Inspired by Harry Potter indeed...
  

    
Yeah. Johnny Come Lately is Harry Potter.
  

    
Hmmm, yeah, seems to me that publishers may be inspired by Harry
Potter sales, but good writers have never lacked the imagination to
want to write for kids, too.
  

    
And Gaiman and Pratchett and some of those other writers mentioned
have been writing books for minors for a while before Rawlings came
along.
  

    
The headline must have been written by someone other than the writer of the
piece (but that's usual anyway).  The piece makes it pretty clear it's the
publishers and agents that are inspired by Harry Potter, not the people
writing the books.  Harry Potter makes it more possible for an "adult"
writer to publish a kids' book.
  

    
Email from Christy:

Indeed, Coraline was started back when Harry Potter was barely a gleam in 
Rowling's eye....

Here's a question I've always wanted to ask you, Neil, and it seems 
appropriate to this topic:

What movie (or TV show) frightened you the most as a kid?

Thanks,
Christy
  

    
Christy -- hmm. Probably Dr Who, as a TV series. The movie that
frightened me most age 5-10, was the Wizard of Oz. The movie that
frightened me most age 10-13 was Son of Dracula -- the way Dracula
turned to smoke and oozed under doors horrified me. I'd always thought
you were okay if you shut and locked the door before then.
  

    
Coming in here way late, but got a reason: this weekend my daughter
showed me a brochure that listed books for kids with allergies, and I
noticed Neil's name on it. Neil, have you written a book for kids w/
allergies? Can you talk a little bit about it? I've been working on one
for my grandson (as well as for publication), so I'm curious. 

Truth be told, I tried my hand at children's books many years ago.
Wrote half a dozen stories, all were rejected by every publisher I sent
them to. So I'd also like to know how hard or easy it is to break into
the field. Now that I write so much about sex, it's probably quite
hopeless for me!
  

    
Marcy -- well, I've never written anything specifically for kids with
allergies; I wonder whether it was "The Day I Swapped My Dad For Two
Goldfish".

I don't think it's a very easy field to break into -- there's a sort
of "starting from scratch" quality you don't have in most other fields
or genres. I suspect because no-one in publishing goes into children's
books to make money -- they go in because they love children's books.

I doubt that having written about sex would count against you; on the
other hand, being a published author in another field doesn't count for
you, either.
  

    

May 9, 2009 interview with Neil:  
http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/film/article
6247618.ece

http://tinyurl.com/p8s29o