Inkwell: Authors and Artists

    
More from Jen:

Been thinking about the reading last night.  I think it would be great if 
other authors continued the guardian angel tour.  I for one would definitely 
see Jill Thompson (only 7 people, ha).  I think what would be really great 
would be for maybe two or three main people though.  Maybe get Scott McCloud 
to come and attempt to do an audience participation Carl strip.  I'm not 
quite sure of the logistics of that, but it could be interesting.  

Jen.

Does anyone else here get completely wired after seeing Neil read and go on a 
writing spree? 
  

    
Jen -- What a wonderful idea! My list would include Warren Ellis,
Grant Morrison and Garth Ennis who wrote the best Superman story
ever..that wasn't even told in a Supes comic.  I think it was HITMAN
issue #36 or something. Sharing the duty would certainly make it more
feasible.  Gotta keep those taps flowing over at the CBLDF. ;>

Scott - Thank you.  Since we last spoke, I took the plunge and ate
squid at a Korean BBQ on 34th St.  OK..so maybe I didn't know what it
was until I asked for a second helping. Arrgh! 
  

    
        Well, I've officially won the contest and gotten two free tickets to
the Portland show!  This is the first actual contest I've won since I
was nine or so, so I'm quite excited.  Since it was a short essay
contest, 50-100 words on free speech, I thought folks here might enjoy
reading the essay I submitted.

        There is, in America, too often a recourse to the First Amendment in
defense of free speech, as though it were the only source of such
defense.  The fact is that the Bill Of Rights was intended not as a
kindness to the American people by their government, but as a written
codification of certain rights intrinsic to any living human.  We do
not have free speech because we have the First Amendment, we have the
first Amendment because we are born with a right to free speech.  Were
the First Amendment repealed tomorrow, that right would not change.  It
cannot _be_ changed.  The right to free speech is unequivocally ours
to enjoy, ours to abuse, and ours to defend.
  

    
Congratulations!

And it is _not_ the first contest you've won since you were nine, Mr.
Skellington.
  

    
        Oh yeah.  Heh.  I guess I thought of that more as a competition.  At
any rate, the prizes always sucked.  This prize, on the other hand, is
really good.
  

    
Nice job!  I especially like: 
 "Were  the First Amendment repealed tomorrow, that right would not
change. It cannot _be_ changed.  The right to free speech is
unequivocally ours to enjoy, ours to abuse, and ours to defend."

Enjoy the show!
  

    
From Mary Roane:

-.N--Congratulations!  Great essay.  You have _no_ idea just how good a
prize you've won....
 
Jen--Yep.  I'm not a writer, but I was so wired I couldn't sit still
Monday night.  I kept wandering around my apartment, doing stuff.  It took
me until about 2:00 a.m. to settle down.  By the way, I was the red-haired
person in blue standing beside you when you gave Neil the duck.  I wasn't
at work on Monday to read the posts here, so I didn't recognize you
;-).  Is it just me, or will you never look at anthills the same way
again?........
 
Neil--as my opera friends say, "In bocca al lupo".  It's how they wish
each other luck--have a great show tonight.
 
Len--thanks for all the theatre news.  Have a great time tonight!  
 
I don't read comics much anymore, but I, too, confess to a fascination
with this new project of Stan's.  Veeerrry interestink.......
  

    <scribbled by castle Wed 18 Oct 00 18:21>
  

    

I scribbled 833 because I had already posted it.  Clearly I am a space
cadet of the highest order and starting to lose track of all the e-mails.  
Maybe some of you guys should consider joining the WELL and giving my
poor, tired, spaced-out brain a break!
  

    
Heh Streak!  Congrats on your essay and the tickets!  It was obviously
kismit!
  

    
Oh my god, what an amazing reading!  Too tired to write more; will
fill in blanks tomorrow.
  

    
Linda,

Guilt (well, and curiousity) is precisely what got me an account.  :p
  

    
Neil thank you for such a wonderful evening, it was a fitting end to
your charitable turn with the CBLDF.  And let me say that tonight's
excerpt of AMERICAN GODS was nothing short of phenomenal. I won't spoil
it for the others who haven't attended the readings yet, but waiting
for the finished product is going to be very difficult, and worth every
minute.  

On a personal note, "Blueberry Girl" was a very moving piece, and even
though it was written for your new god-daughter, it is an uplifting
and inspirational poem for women of all ages. I sincerely hope you plan
to publish it sometime in the future. Many of us need to be reminded
of all the hopes, dreams and endless possibilities that accompanied our
birth. 

Glad to hear that all the various movie deals and whatnot are falling
in line.  You seemed really optimistic and excited, which is a rare
perspective when you're talking about Hollywood. 

As always, continued success.

Len - Congratulations on that prize winning essay, and truer words
could not be spoken.  Well done. 

   
  

    
Email from Michael Heck:

Hello everyone--

I just got home from the New York reading and it was unbelievable. Thank
you, Neil for reading Nicholas Was... although I don't think my positive
comments about it the other day had anything to do with it. For those of
you who weren't there we heard The Wolves in the Walls, Blueberry Girl,
and an unbelievable amount of American Gods (which I am now truly excited
about rather than just excited in the way I would be excited about
anything Neil put out).

I hope everyone reading this gets to go to a reading, I wouldn't miss it
for the world.

Congrats Neil on a amazing show.

--Mike
  

    
Ok... awake, at work, and able to respond coherently.

What an amazing reading!  

The reception beforehand was very nice-- an excellent venue, great
sushi and cheap(ish) booze.  Neil, you were right-- I found people to
talk to-- and it was great getting the chance to say hi to you.

A student of mine, who I told about the reading, joined me after the
reception... she was thrilled to be there, and bought Expo 2000...
she'll be a member of the CBLDF within the month. Heh heh heh...

I have to echo Rocky-- Blueberry Girl really ought to have a future
public life... IMHO, it should be published in picture-book format,
gorgeously illustrated.  I know so many parents and soon-to-be parents
who would love it.  It crosses genre lines-- it could be the first
Gaiman book in many homes. Maybe you could put the proceeds towards a
college fund or something.

Wolves in the Walls is BRILLIANT-- funny and true.  It is as silly and
good as the finest Pinkwater.

I once read "Shoggoth's Old Peculiar" to my wife on a long car trip,
and I know what a mouthful it can be.  Neil performed it wonderfully,
drawing out every bit of humor.  He may be the greatest reading author
since Dickens. (maybe better... I don't have first-hand experience of
Dickens.)

The story from American Gods was authentically New York-- Neil writes
about this city like a native (or rather, someone with a perfect eye
for detail who knows what it means to be a stranger here.)  It was so
bleak at first that I was dying for a little magic and respite-- and
when it came, it was a complete surprise.  Wonderful and deeply moving.

In short, it was an amazing night-- fulfilled and exceeded my
anticipation for the event.  And on the way home, I found a store
selling Old-Tyme Lime Rickey soda, which I haven't had in years.  Does
life get better?  

PS--Neil, I must ask-- do you get nervous at readings when you find
yourself approaching the sexy bits in your stories?
  

    
Rocky--
Thanks for the congrats, but I have to redirect them towards Streak...
he is prize winner.

[was that rude?  I didn't mean to be rude... I just don't want to take
credit for someone else's work.]
  

    

Ouch...sorry about that.  Was all tired and bleary-eyed last night but
also excited and wanted to get that post out.  

Streak --  Mea maxima culpa sweetie..and it doesn't  make my
congratutations any less heartfelt.

Len -- Tom's Diner in Brooklyn is well known for it's Cherry Lime
Ricky, and Gus the owner has been serving it up for over 50 years. 
Stepping into that place is like revisiting a fountain soda shop from
the 50's, complete with Amerian flags and numerous pots of plastic
flowers.  

[And no..pointing out my error wasn't rude..we must always give credit
where credit is due. So thank you.]




 
  

    
Ahh... is there any better name for an old-fashioned diner owner than
"Gus?"  Life can be so sweet.
  

    
Btw, did of of you NYC folk notice in Tuesday's edition that the NEW
YORK DAILY NEWS misspelled Neil's surname incorrectly [Gaimon], and
also credited him with drawing SANDMAN? 

Hmm..so what, no comic book readers on the editorial staff? 

Tsk..tsk.. ;)
  

    
More from Randi:

Rocky - wrt NY Post. Nope.  Surprised they are covering something that
doesn't start with the word "base" and end with the world "ball" this week
;)

(and she already saw me do my happy Rocky-is-back dance, so I don't have to
try to recreate it here in ascii)

Len - wrt: authentic NY.  Indeed. Why does it take a non-native to point out
the details that are so completely recognizable to the natives that we could
not explain them if we tried?

Neil - I was trying to explain what the long bit from _American Gods_ was
like to a friend when I got home.  And I was going on about regardless of
who or what the characters are, they think like people you've known, they
feel like you, and even when they do horribly silly things you know in your
heart that they make some semblance of sense.  So he asked if it was like
"Dream Hunters".  And I said no, it's a completely different sort of story,
and explained about setting and voices and whatnot.  So he reminded me that
when I got home from the reading of Dream Hunters last year, I had said
almost exactly the same things about *that* story - it's only now that I was
talking about all the trappings.

And thinking on it, I realize I probably had.  Regardless of what medium you
choose to tell your stories in, it's the characters in your stories that
keep me listening, and making me feel like they are true.

So the point is (and Martha said it far better about a thousand posts back,
when she was talking about similarities in the stories), _American Gods_ can
be best described as sounding like a story written by Neil Gaiman.  

And that, put simply, rocks. 

Thanks for doing a New York stop on this tour.

congrats,
randi  
  

    
Let's see -- starting with 789, Jen was indeed carrying a rubber duck.
And she gave it to me and I told Luna I had it in the dressing room
and she should ask for it in the interval, but it didn't happen. I'll
give it to someone to give her in Portland or LA and trust in the
thingies.

Scott -- thanks for the Pape tip. His Cabells are very fine, and vary
from the pure humour of SILVER STALLION to the moving fine art of
DOMNEI. 

Jim Vadeboncoeur is a very nice man, too, and a terrific book dealer,
even if his name is impossible to spell.


Kafclown -- you should probably read MR PUNCH first -- it's around on
Amazon, or your local bookshop or comic store can order it for you. The
hardback is long out of print and, as Martha says, expensive. But the
paperback shouldn't be that bad.

PRELUDES AND NOCTURNES is the first Sandman series. It may or may not
be the best place to start -- it's all uphill after that, anyway.

Linda -- I'm glad you've started reading them.

Mike -- *you* were the one in the glasses?

Amanda -- looking forward to checking out the art...

The food -- in both restaurants -- was very good, and it never stopped
coming. I shall be fat by the end of the LA reading.

martha -- hurrah that you are coming to Portland. Shall I read the
introduction to your book in your honour?

Reg -- I had a very pleasant meeting with some Marvel guys today. I
had to explain to them that my agent had made me promise never to
business with Marvel comics ever again, following their, heck, why
mince words, criminal approach to publishing the ALICE COOPER book. 
(creative work with figures on the comic -- trying to hide sales of
over 300,000 copies, -- and approximately 17,000 collected editions
unable to accounted for, foreign editions I'd sign that they would deny
existed etc.) I don't think they are dead yet -- one of the Marvel
guys I met was Joe Quesada, who I like and I think is smart and, as
these things go, honest, and is now editor in chief.

Rocky -- I saw you in the front row and at the meet&greet and never
got to chat. 

Mary Roane -- you're welcome.

Madman -- Grant ran the scripts by me, and I pointed out some things
that they might want to change (the 'Sandman' thing was one of them).
As far as I know, none of the changes were made. Dan Raspler, the
editor of JLA, for whatever reasons, also didn't give me any credit of
any kind in the issues (contractually, DC is meant to), and was
astonishingly rude about it when I phoned him to ask about it.  And
was, I heard, quite surprised when, the next time he asked to use the
characters, I said no. 

Jen -- absolutely. Frankly I'd love to see Scott go on the road and
just talk about comics as a chalk talk. I told Peter David to do
something when he came backstage in NY.

Streak -- congratulations! And a great essay.

Linda -- you know, a lot of them *are* joining the Well....

Rocky -- I never really did plan to publish Blueberry Girl. It was
just a poem for Tori and the Blueberry, and I only read it the first
time because Sheila asked so very nicely, and I read it in New York
because several questioners asked, and I had it on the table.

I'm not sure about reading it again, after this tour is over, either.
Let me think about it.

Mike -- thanks for the kind words...

Len -- glad you enjoyed the American Gods section so much. I thought
it might be fun to choose something harsher than normal, as the first
half of the show, more by accident than design, was mostly funny.

I had half a second's qualm on the sex in the story last night, only
because 8 year old Jordan was in the audience. But then I thought, sod
it, she's up well after her bedtime and she got a whole story of her
own.


As long as the audience is appropriate, I don't blink. I did a reading
in a bar in Norway, and as it was a bar and I figured everyone there
was old enough, I got to read the first interlude of American Gods,
which is nothing but sex. It was fun.

I get all embarrassed while I'm doing the actual writing. Once the
words are down on the paper, they're just fun.

(Talking about which, I finally came up with all the funny answers and
the serious ones to the "can I be your love slave?" questions and
variants, several hours later. Which will be useful if they come up
again -- although I don't remember them before. But they rather
blindsided me -- and the number of them.)

Randi -- one of the things I've tried to do in American Gods is to
make all the different geographies feel right.

And you are very welcome. Both of the bits of American Gods I read
were, of course, atypical. Not sure which chapter I'll read in Portland
-- I'm thinking of actually reading an extract from the body of the
novel, rather than one of the self-contained stories, or the first
chapter.

I had a great time. Was yours the question with the malzbergian
answer? (Or to put it simply, I'd be much too embarassed to say
anything at all.)
  

    
A brief request -- any of you who've been to the Chicago or the New
York readings:

Get the word out. Tell people you liked them, and how much --
particularly tell people in LA or who can go to LA. Spread the word, or
post reviews to mailings lists and newsgroups and whatevers.

Between Ticketmaster, and having to change the venue from a sold out
300 seater to a not-sold-out-at-all 600 seat theatre, I'm really
concerned that the place will be half empty. And it's the last one of
the tour, and it's the last tour, and I really want it to go out with a
bang.

The new theatre also means there are more premium seats available in
LA. -- they were also sold out for a while there.

I'm really really pleased with how the first two gigs have gone. I'm
sure Portland will be fine (and it's being filmed for posterity as
well). LA's the wild card, so please, help spread the word.
  

    
I was going to mention that there's a bunch of fun stuff that the
CBLDF are auctioning on e-bay right now. Check out item 470588310 on
e-bay, and then look at the CBLDF's other auctions (I'd put up a direct
link, but as I write this e-bay is down for maintenance.) 

And I just got a cheering e-mail from Israel: Stardust was awarded the
top award for Fantasy novel published in Hebrew this year. They made a
point of telling, proudly,t hat it beat out the Harry Potters. It's
called the Geffen  -- the award, that is.
  

    
Stardust beats Harry Potter in Israel?  Woo-hoo!  Or, to be more
linguistically appropriate, mazel tov!

I was standing next to Jordan while leaving the reading; I thanked her
for her excellent taste in stories.

And word to LA will be sent.

This is a non-sequitor:  I teach English in High School, and this
year, at my request, my supervisor ordered me 60 copies of Something
Wicked This Way Comes.  It's so satisfying to teach that book in the
middle of October-- there's a real synergy between the environments
inside AND outside my the book.
  

    
Well, I would enjoy being indulged with the full reading of your Martha
poem!, even if it puzzled the audience.  (Finally having got the galleys to
a book I'm about to be in, I can show you what Joyce Carol Oates said about
me, but it's not as poetical.)

How cool about Stardust in Hebrew!  You must have had a translator who did
the work justice.