Journal

Saturday, December 25, 2004

reasons to be cheerful

Woken up by Maddy and Holly and taken downstairs, installed on a sofa, and it was time for presents. I think my favourite moment was watching Mike open his Godfather-Horse's-Head Pillow. (The Godfather's his favourite movie.) The whole family got me a dowager mermaid from Weeki Wachee Springs, which I'll have to find a place for, and is rather wonderful. Maddy got high-heeled shoes with skull-and-crossbones on them, and totters around several inches taller than she was this morning. (Actually, the scary thing is that she doesn't totter. She strides, struts and glides.)

My best Christmas news was learning yesterday that Will Eisner, having had open heart surgery -- a quadruple bypass operation no less -- is recovering at a rate that would surprise anyone who didn't know Will. (If you don't know who Will is, or just wish to learn more about him, click on http://www.willeisner.com/ and learn.) Will's been inspiring me since I was 16. When, in my early 20s, I decided that I was now going to write comics, I went out and bought a copy of Will Eisner's Comics and Sequential Art, and used it as my textbook. He's the man the Eisner awards are named after, and is a genial genius who never stops working. He's forgotten more about comics than I'll ever know. I'm utterly proud to call him, and his wife Ann, my friends.

I'll be sending Will a Get Well thing (and for any of his friends who need to know [and Will has an astonishing number of friends around the world] or just any of you who want to send him well-wishes, cards, or things, Dennis Kitchen tells me that the address to send anything to is Will Eisner Studios, Inc., 8333 West McNab Road, Suite 131, Tamarac FL 33321).

Anyway.

No sign of my luggage yet, in case you were wondering. And I have just been told that I am needed downstairs to make cranberry sauce. I'm still writing the book -- did about 1200 words yesterday and wishing that I was a bit closer to the end. I've promised myself that I'll finsh the first draft by the end of the year, and it's going to be tight.