Inkwell: Authors and Artists

    
Yeah, I couldn't get that interview, either.  I was disappointed.  I
went three or four separate times, too.  It just seemed to never want
to load.

I don't think I've seen it mentioned here (or anywhere else [maybe I
missed it]), but it seems the new Tori collection came out yesterday. 
*Tales of a Librarian*, it's called (which I like.  Are they tales by
this librarian, or about her).  It has the "Snow Cherries from France"
song on it (I know Neil's mentioned that, before).

I'm not going to mention 1602, not ever.  Because I think, if I do,
Glen might not buy anymore.

Glad to hear you're well, Holley.

And Erynn, did I congratulate you?  If not, I do so now.
  

    
?

These days, the only reason I go into the comic shop is to buy 1602. 
So, if no one mentions that it is out, I might miss it!
  

    
So Will, any further word on your novella, "Sage of Angels"?

I've realized I don't have RealAudio anymore, so if I get some time
alone in the office, I'll try to download that stupid evaluation
version and try the interview again.  Maybe that was my problem.

_Tales of a Librarian_ sounds like that game on _Whose Line Is It
Anyway?_ where they make up songs based on a randomly selected
occupation.

Ryan Stiles:  And who can forget that old Big Band Favorite, "Shhh!"?
  

    
Glenn: Heh, I only said it because the way you worded your post, it
sounded like you bought it precisely because no one mentioned.  I
worried that, if I did, you wouldn't any longer.  I've studiously
avoided doing so, and quite well (me, I'm waiting for the collection. 
I can't do the waiting thing.  I can only read Harry Potter because
it's so very long between the books).

Christy: Some word, sort of.  A (very) small publisher had asked for
it with plans to put it out... well, right about now, I s'pose.  But I
found the Glimmer Train Short Story Award for New Writers, and decided
I wanted to enter.  When I asked the small-publisher editor about the
options, she said, oh, no, pull it, absolutely, we kind of felt badly,
taking it, because we think you could do so much better.  So I withdrew
it from the small publisher and submitted a story, "For Cynthia," to
Glimmer Train.
In the meantime, I rewrote "Sage" completely, and submitted it (it's
now called "Sight of My Love") to Polyphony (4?).  Since I'll find out
if it's accepted after the Glimmer Train thing is decided, I figure it
can't conflict.
Plus novel queries to one agent and two editors.
Was it Tom Petty who said "The waiting is the hardest part?" If it
wasn't, it should have been.  It's a very Tom Petty thing to say, I
think.
And thanks for asking, Christy.
  

    
Says Neil:
< I have an idea of a kind of voice it might be interesting to write a
novel in (oddly enough, more or less the one I write a lot of this
blog in).>

It's also an interesting voice to write a <a
href=http://www.astonishingtales.com/php2/miscellany/webscreenplay/screenplay.php?f
ilename=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.neilgaiman.com%2Fjournal%2Fjournal.asp>screenplay</a>
in.
  

    
*sound of pounding feet running at door, door flies open, Pam peers
wildly in*

I   AM   A   FREE   WOMAN ! ! !

The Job That Wouldn't End has, at long last, ended.  Now... for three
blessed weeks of joblessness...

*blissful sigh*

*flops into the nearest comfy chair*

Wassup?  Sorry, I'm out of it lately.  Hope everybody's happy.
  

    
Isn't that a wonderful feeling? I will re-live the jovialness with you
vicariously!

When that happened to me last, I walked in the door, picked up my cats
one by one, and danced with them, telling them how happy I was. "I can
live like you for a while!" I said.

Have fun!
  

    
Congrats, Pam!!!

And Erynn, I don't think I ever congratulated YOU for getting your
play produced!  Do let us know how it goes, and have fun with the
stage-managing you'll be doing for that Christmas Eve play!  <sigh> It
would be great to be able to do things like that with *my* childhood
play-acting friends....
  

    
Oh, and Davey -- thanks for the clues on a hc _Goldfish_.  I don't
think I'll go for that $85 one from Cold Tonnage, but thanks for
offering to save me the postage.  (Was it ever hc in the US, I wonder,
or just in the UK?)

I thought it'd be nice to get a hardcover copy for my mom, who has
sort of started collecting Neil's books for children; she has
_Coraline_ and _Wolves_, both in hardback, and I thought it'd be cool
to keep it consistent.  But not at 85 smackers.  We're readers, not
collectors.
  

    
Nice post about  my current show.
http://www.oaklandtribune.com/Stories/0,1413,82%257E1804%257E1789856,00.html

Ok, off to the hospital. Another kidney stone seems to have gotten
stuck. I'm going in while it's 101 degrees and not 105 this time...
  

    
Aack. I hope everything turns out okay.
  

    


Holley Nowell writes:




Beams to Dan. and a Happy Thanksgiving to all. And beams to all of you for
safe travel during the holidays as well.
  

    
I thought that sounded ridiculous for a hardback GOLDFISH, and checked
bookfinder.com, and was shocked to find it was the cheapest hardback
of goldfish they had.

On the other hand, abebooks.com suggests that Joe Koch has one for
sale for $10.99 -- his details are 
Contact: Joe Koch 
Address: 206 41st STREET, BROOKLYN, NY, U.S.A., 11232 
Homepage: www.abebooks.com/home/KOCHCOM 
E-mail: jkcom@broadviewnet.net 
Phone #: 718-768-8571 
Fax #: 718-768-8918 
  

    
Well, sure, he does NOW... and you're also the guy for whom bottles of
'54 Strathisla magically appear just as the '55 is about gone.
Christy, grab that book while it's there, it won't last.

Dan, I'm sorry you're having the opportunity to "do it better this
time." Ouch. Hope you're feeling better and home for Thanksgiving. Nice
to see good reviews of another production, too.

Happy Thanksgiving, All. I hope everyone has reasons for thankfulness.
I know I do. Hugs all 'round.
  

    
Ahhh, home. was released from the hospital a few hours ago. Just in
time for me to rest up for my show tonight!

god, what a life.
  

    
Oy, Thanksgiving in the hospital!  Poor Dan!  But congrats on the
great review!  (I didn't realize you were a puppeteer!)

Neil, thanks so much.  But Davey is spot on; it seems that $10.99 copy
was a blip that appeared just for you, and then was gone.  Sigh.
  

    
I suspect that Mike Ford is the funniest human I know.
  

    
He's good.  I gotta say.

Some friends and I are going down to GWU on Friday night to see a
program on the customs and arts of the Roma (Gypsies).  If I happen to
see Mini-Neil, er, Mike, there, I'll say hi.

Any locals have any suggestions on places to go for dinner, or
transportation tips beyond Foggy Bottom Metro that you think I should
know about?
  

    
> Mini-Neil, er, Mike

(Of course I mean Mike G., not the Mike we had just been discussing.)
  

    


Holley Nowell writes:


In the continuing grind story. I found an apartment to move to. Amusingly
enough it's the apartment complex immediately behind the condos I'm living in
now. My landlady decided she HAS to sell the condo so I'm definitely moving.
But I feel better now. I know THAT I'm moving. I know where I'm moving to.
Can figure out the exact expenses. Can get things going. It's the feeling of
being suspended in uncertainty I don't like.  What's really great is the
place I'm moving to has exactly the same floor plan as the condo I'm living
in. Well, slight differences. The kitchen is actually a bit larger and the
patio opens from the kitchen instead of the living room. The bedrooms are as
big and the living room/dining area is as big so I can actually fit the big
cabinet and the dining room set and all my furniture in there. Yay.
Furthermore, the rent is $245 less than where I am now. The utilities are an
extra $14 added to the rent which I add to the check to the complex rather
than having to put a deposit down for electricity and water etc. I can rent a
washer/dryer setup. But, pooh, will have to pay for cable now. Still. A great
deal. I COULD have gotten the townhouse for a little bit less than what I'm
paying now, but I don't think I can manage stairs these days. Besides, I
wanna save money to buy my own place in a couple of years and the lowered
rent will help out a lot. Sigh. But back to plain off-white walls and off-
white tiles and off-white carpet. Apartment fare. I've already set aside all
my craft and home improvement tapes for the things you can do to brighten up
apartments. You know, fabric on the walls using starch and rugs to brighten
up the floors and other things. I shall miss the rose door and rose wall
though. Dear me. But - hey - creative challenge. Some sense of security.
  

    
Good going, Holley!  It all sounds good, including the fact that you
won't have to move all that stuff very far -- and won't have to put it
into storage, either!

I hope you take lots of pictures of your rose wall and door.
  

    
Hrm, same floorplan, larger space, less rent, and a short move
distance. Very nicely done!

Well, due to small audiences, we've decided to cut the Wednesday and
thursday night shows. On one hand, I'm bummed. But for the most part,
I'm actually pretty relieved. I'm so tired and burnt out that having
those extra nights off feels like such a blessing. It's just a shame,
cause we're getting such good press. But trying to do a non-holiday
themed show at this time of year is just a hard sell, and trying to
book THIS many shows was poor planning. 

The fact that the children's show opened this week and is selling like
mad kind of confirms that theory, anyway. Kids shows around the
holidays do really well. Adult puppetry cabaret...not so much.

Ah well, i need to rest anyway. They're gonna go blow apart my kidney
stone in a little over a week, and I want to let the antibiotics do
their work before then.
  

    
I was gonna say.  This is a good time for you to get a break.
  

    


More from Holley:


> And now here's an actual funny thing and not so boring as my Moving Now
posts. If your daily newpaper gets Pardon My Planet and this link doesn't
work do look it up. Worth it for keeping.
>
>
http://www.chron.com/content/chronicle/comics/archive/showComick.hts?date=2003
1204&name=Pardon_My_Planet
>
> Dan, So nice the play is going very well. Perversely, If I came there
during the holidays, I'd so much rather see a play about anything BUT holiday
stuff because I get quickly overdosed on holiday fare and have often lamented
that it's hard to find things to watch from Thanksgiving to New Years on TV.
(Bah Humbug) Hope the stone removal goes ok.
  

    


Holley Nowell writes:




On Dec 2nd on Neil's Journal he posted a poem about hearses. I really liked
the line "Up ahead, can you see? We've stopped for Emily."

Which I noticed especially since I just finished a book of poetry by Emily
Dickinson and in it is her poem, and I paraphrase here because I don't have
the book in front of me now, I could not stop for Death so he kindly stopped
for me.