Inkwell: Authors and Artists

    
We'll all take as given that it was gracious, warm, witty and incisive.
  

    
e-mail from Jouni:

Neil- Mr Bobo's Mouse Orchestra? Now THAT'S cute!

But what the hell is garrulous?

Oh, and talking about meeting ones hero, I just got couple of pictures my
friend took in Finncon (that's when Neil still had The HAIR) and VIVIDLY
remembered how fanboyish (Now there's a proper word!) I acted... but Neil
acted very well, and did the most amazing drawing of Mr Punch for me
(although it was his second signing of the day and there was about zillion
people before me in the line...) and smiled and said polite things to
everybody...

Too bad I don't have a web-page where to post the photos.

Michelle- Great Gorey-photos. Do you (or anybody) know any good web pages
where I could find Gorey illustrations?

Jouni
  

    
Does anyone know a website with good, detailed Irish maps or addresses
and directions on it?

(I'm staring at a set of directions that are rather on the lines of
"now you head into the town and turn left at the town square, not that
it's a town square but it's got a supermarket in it, so you turn left
and cross over a bridge and a couple of dykes and then you'll come to a
road on your left, if it's not on the right, and up a muddy track for
a few miles...")

...
  

    
For a Flash version of Irish street maps, go to the Dublin Interactive
Street Map (http://dublin.local.ie/general/interactive/).

Or try Multimap
http://uk2.multimap.com/map/places.cgi?client=M6&quicksearch=ireland

Jade
  

    
Neil!  Those sound like directions you'd give!
  

    
There's also a list of map links on this page:

http://goireland.miningco.com/travel/goireland/cs/mapsofireland/index.htm

Sort of depends on where you are how lucky you'll be.
  

    
re:directions - that's better than the ones I got when I was hoofing
it around Europe. Never again without a car (or at least a bicycle)! :)
Best of luck to you.

And for anyone who can answer (prompted by a phone conversation
earlier today) - 
   Duke - Duchess
   King - Queen
   Lord - Lady
   Earl - ????? <help?>

squeaks, who actually hugged her car today
  

    
Thanks so much for the maps.

Michelle -- that's in Neverwhere, you know... 
  

    
Countess.
  

    
(Wouldn't it be some preposterous dawnlike hour in Ireland?)
  

    
Michelle -- no it's not. I left out the bit about the Earl's wife in
the end.
  

    
If it's now 4:41pm in HK, 3:41am EST, it should be... 8:41am in
Ireland.

Which is a preposterous dawnlike hour in my book, unless you have to
go to work at 9am in the morning.

Happy writing, Neil!

-- Mimi
  

    
Earl - Arlene?

Re: Ireland-- [editorial note-- what follows is stupid, but it's what
I think of when I think of Ireland.  This is particularly sad
considering the fact that I was an Irish Lit major.] 

I did a term abroad in Galway; when my friend Paul visited me, we
would take long walks in the countryside and practice KEENING and
BEMOANING (we'd both seen a lot of plays about the potato blight and
such things):

He:  Oooooooooooooooooooooh, it's terrible.
Me:  It is.  Oooooooooooooooooh, it's horrible.
He:  It is.  Ooooooooooooooooo, it's terrible.
Me:  It is.  Etc.
Repeat until bored.

You'd be surprised how long you can do this with a friend; it takes on
a hypnotic, mantra-like quality.

We also made up a little song about Smee, from Peter Pan.  It was a
waltz:

     Smee, Smee, Smee of the ball
     Our little Smee is the best Smee of all
     Smee, Smee, he's not very tall,
     And that's why we call him Smee.

Neil, please feel free to avail yourself of either of these rewarding
activities as you stroll through the Irish countryside.
  

    
I'm leaving this afternoon. If the computer has enough charge I'll
rewrite all the answers and replies and comments to the last umpteen
messages, while I'm on the plane.  I may or may not be able to get
online from where I am.
  

    
So (still confused) what's the answer? Countess? I thought that was
the feminine of 'Count' exclusively. 

If we don't see you online soon, have a wonderful trip (well, even if
we do see you online soon, have a wonderful trip).

squeaks, who is understanding the benefits of mega-doses of caffeine
on an empty stomach a little more than she'd like. jitttttttterry.
  

    

I dunno the feminine of Earl. Maybe just "Earl"?
  

    
An earl is a count.
  

    
        Wouldn't "That Rich Lady Who Thinks She's So Big" work?
  

    
e-mail from Jouni:

Michelle -

Duke - Duchess
King - Queen
Lord - Lady
Earl - ????? <help?>

Err... Earless?... Early?... Earlier?... Her Earlessness?

His Graphic Designerness Jouni the Last (but not the least)
  

    
More e-mail from Jouni:

Neil- Hmm... you know what? You should collect the best "left-overs" from
your stories and publish them. These's propably great things that just
didn't make it to the final draft.

Happy writing!

Jouni
  

    
E-mail from Mary Roane:

O.K., guilty secret.   Whenever any of you are traveling, I always ask
St. Brendan to keep an eye on you.  I'm of Irish descent, and I've always
figured that any mick who could get 11 other monks & himself across the
North Atlantic in a corracle *and back* could take care of any little
travel dramas we might think up.  So happy traveling, Neil.
 
Len--knew there was something I liked about you :-)  
 
Bill--you rule!   You should now contact abebooks & ask for commission,
since I just blew waaay too much money on first editions of Neilbooks
(yaay!  I finally replaced my first edition hardcover of "Neverwhere"
that Neil had signed for me at the first reading of his that I ever went
to.  I loaned it out & it never came back.  Now if I can just talk him
into signing it next time he comes through.......;-p  )
 
I've been to Ireland twice & I don't know how anyone could concentrate on
their writing in that most beautiful place.  Even the rain is beautiful. 
And the sunny days.....well, let's just say they're worth the wait.
 
                                Mary (who's reading "e"  by Matt Beaumont
& laughing immoderately) 
  

    
I say "countess" and nobody believes me.  Okay, fine.
  

    

<soukup> says the feminine of Earl is Countess.
<gorey> says Earl = Count.
Who am I to argue? I believe you, Martha.
  

    
re: Earls - thank you. As for not believing you, Martha, I was only a
little confused by Neil's response following yours, which had nothing
to do with your response, exactly, only it sounded at first like it
might have. Sorry.

Mary - Even the rain is pretty there just as long as you're not on
foot in it for 5 miles, along dirt/mud paths as well as the paved ones,
carrying a pack of clothes that started out wet to begin with, wearing
shoes that, while exceedingly comfortable when dry, suck when soaked;
all the while arguing with your traveling companion. Or maybe it *was*
pretty, but I was a little distracted. 

squeaks, who really loved Ireland, just not the lack of transport.
  

    
(I looked it up in the New York Public Library Desk Reference just to be
sure.)