Journal

Wednesday, May 29, 2002
When I was at Book Expo in New York a few weeks ago I went looking for Gavin Grant and Kelly Link, and I found Gavin hiding out in a back room at the Booksense.com area, deep in the bowels of the Javitz Centre. "I'm glad you're here," he said, and produced a tape recorder. "Do you mind if I interview you? What would you like to talk about?"

I thought for a moment, and said, "Coraline, please," because no-one's really interviewed me much about Coraline, and it's fun to talk about. The interview is now up at BookSense.com

I suppose I could have talked about American Gods, but after last year I feel sort of interviewed out about it. I no longer know if the answers I give about American Gods are how I really feel or they're just the answers I give when asked the same set of questions.

Talking about American Gods, we seem to be hanging in there on all the paperback bestseller lists right now, up near the top of many of them.

Got some early copies of the Coraline CD today. If they give awards out for packaging, this will sweep them - it's so beautifully designed and put together, using lots of the Dave McKean artwork in the book. I listened to it tonight on the way to the airport, and loved the use of the Stephin Merritt/Gothic Archies song, which they've spread about, so one verse of it starts each CD, and the incidental music, which is haunting.

As for the reading.... well, it's okay, I guess. I kept listening to it and getting deeply grumpy with myself for sticking the stress on a weird word, or hesitating in the middle of a sentence for emphasis (or possibly just because I felt like it at the moment I read it) in a way that struck me as, a couple of times, practically Shatnerian. (And the trouble with having an English accent that's been in America too long is that I occasionally make some very strange vowel sounds indeed.) I listened to it and, all too often, just wanted to be allowed to record it again and make it better this time. But that's me.

It's $22.00 US and most of the online stores (and Booksense, who do it through your local bookstores) seem to be putting it out for $15-$18 ish.

Am off to Florida for a couple of days to see a friend and listen to some new music.