I can go and look at an entry like this one -- http://www.neilgaiman.com/journal/2002/04/you-know-if-i-wasnt-completely-tired.asp -- and remind myself how incredibly fortunate I sometimes am. That was the night I got to eat ice-cream with Jerry Juhl, and talk Muppet history and everything. He was an incredibly nice, funny, wise man, and we corresponded by email afterwards, a little, and I sent him books.
Mark Evanier's journal at http://www.newsfromme.com/ is one of the best blogs on the web, an ongoing and informative commentary on comics and showbiz and Vegas and some politics, not to mention Mark's occasional tribulations with places that should be selling him things to eat or use but don't. He also keeps up entries on those who died recently, with personal n otes and memories. I think this is the first time I've gone there and learned that someone I knew had died: http://www.newsfromme.com/archives/2005_09_28.html#010384
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Jane Morpeth, from Headline Books, has a request for anyone in the UK or Ireland who was planning on waiting until I get to the UK in November to buy your copy an ANANSI BOYS, and it's this. Please don't wait. Buy it now. She says,
I don't suppose you could mention on the blog that it is crucial your readers go and buy their copies THIS week, up to and including Saturday... Cheeky I know, but after last week's position with 4 days' sale we are only a few hundred copies away from the top ten, so any sales this week rather than later would be enormously helpful...
Which means, I think, don't worry about whether getting your copy now will be a problem for signing lines in N ovember -- we'll make sure that it's okay. Just get the copy, buy all Xmas presents now, etc, and make Jane Morpeth a happy editor.
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And I keep meaning to mention that ANANSI BOYS in the US has gone back to press -- you should be able to tell the first printing apart from any later ones, as the first printing has black binding and purple endpapers, while later printings will have purple casing (what's under the dustjacket) and black endpapers and a different coloured Spider embossing.