Thanks for the link to the CBLDF auction. Very wonderful stuff there, of course for one of the best causes there is. However, I must admit to being somewhat puzzled by the text describing one of the Walker prints. Here I see a rather lovely portrait of you, evidently originally intended as the author "photo" for "Murder Mysteries," but apparently "rejected by Gaiman for vanity's sake." I don't suppose you'll want to answer this publicly if they did indeed choose the right word, but I must say that you've never struck me as a particularly vain individual...quite the opposite, in fact. So was it rejected truly for vanity, or did someone perhaps intend to say "modesty's sake" instead? Might I also be so bold as to ask why it was rejected in any case?
Many thanks are always due for all the wonderful reading you've provided me with over the years, and of course I'd also like to thank you for all your efforts in the journal and this FAQ. Congratulations on the film!
Happy Holidays,
Catnip
Actually, it wasn't done for Murder Mysteries, but as one of the illustrations George Walker proposed some years ago when he did my Christmas Card (well, print) for me. It was "A WRITER'S PRAYER". I thought that sending people a piece of writing accompanied by a picture of me would have been a bit much, so I went with one of George's other pieces of art. Not sure where "vanity's sake" comes into it. But then, according to an authority, "all is vanity", so I'm sure it's in there somewhere.
Forgot to say that I told Emma Freud, when was in the UK, how much I loved her dad's book GRIMBLE (as mentioned earlier on this journal), and she told me there were about six Grimble stories in all, written to be read aloud on the UK children's TV show Jackanory, four that had never been collected and published at all. We chatted about the J.K. Rowling quote on Grimble, listing her three favourite children's books ("The third is Grimble, by Clement Freud. Grimble is one of funniest books I've ever read, and Grimble himself, who is a small boy, is a fabulous character. I'd love to see a Grimble film. As far as I know, these last two fine pieces of literature are out of print, so if any publishers ever read this, could you please dust them off and put them back in print so other people can read them?") I told Emma I'd add getting Grimble into print to my list of things That Need To Be Done.