Signed for about 300 people, which meant it wasn't quite such a marathon as normally (I think many local people had got their books signed at the Book Festival instead) and I walked away when it was done, instead of lurching and staggering.
Over at Time.com they've posted about the first third of the interview with me and Joss Whedon. http://www.time.com/time/arts/article/0,8599,1109313-1,00.html It's not the most accurate transcription you'll ever read. But it's fun, and has significantly more content than the article that came with it.
Here's a St Louis review of ANANSI BOYS.
Here's a Toronto Star ANANSI BOYS review.
The Canadian National Post review isn't up on line yet, but Rob Wiersema, who reviewed it, has it up on his LiveJournal at http://www.livejournal.com/users/willietheshakes/22418.html.
(At the risk of repetition, Lucy Anne over at http://www.holycow.com/dreaming/ is keeping much better track of all this than I am. She's posting lots more press articles, interviews and such.)
The eBay First Amendment Project Auction ended -- I think it worked. Lots of money raised, and a gravestone in THE GRAVEYARD BOOK went for $3,383.
At Coode Street, Mr Strahan comments on a short story I've written called Sunbird, which will be out in a couple of weeks in an anthology. He's spot-on about it being a Lafferty. The anthology it will be appearing in is called A book of noisy outlaws, unfriendly blobs, and some other things that aren't as scary, maybe, depending on how you feel about lost lands, stray cell phones, creatures from the sky, parents who disappear in peru, a man named lars farf, and one other story we couldn't quite finish, so maybe you could help us out although I could swear that evil marauders and purple blobs used to be in the title somewhere.
(The story, which I blogged here about writing, was my daughter Holly's very late 18th Birthday Present, but she did not mind it being published because it will do good things for 826NY -- http://www.826nyc.org/.)
(And a quick google gave a link to the introduction by Mr Lemony Snicket himself, reposted at http://www.livejournal.com/users/literaticat/103560.html).
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I thought you'd like to know(and all your fans), that according to www.cinemamontreal.com, Mirrormask will be opening in Montreal on the 30th of september. Unfortunatly they dont say where.Good luck on your signing tour!Maxime
That's great, if it's true.
Hi Neil!
I was in DC for the March on Washington yesterday, but had to stop by the Book Festival (hey, even the Bush administration does something right once in a while). I was completely awestruck by your line, and took a picture of it:
http://www.dpsinfo.com/images/fan/other/050924neilsline.jpg
This was at about 1:45, before you'd gotten there. I was estimating 400-500 then - the line snaked up and back at least four times. At that point, you had more people than John Irving and David McCullough combined, though they'd both been signing for a while, and you hadn't arrived yet. I did get to hear George Margin talk, and he was delightful as usual.
So, did all the writers in attendance really get to have brunch with the First Lady? What was that like?
Laurie Mann
AwardWeb
http://www.awardweb.info
It was a White House breakfast. Some of the writers went, some of the writers elected not to go, and this particular writer was scheduled to be on a plane down from Boston while the breakfast was happening so was never able to even wonder whether he would go or not.
Hi Neil!I'm so excited to see that you're coming to Vroman's next weekend. I was looking up the details on the signing, however, and I was a bit upset to find that there will be no posed photos taken. Is this a choice of the bookstore, or is it your agent's, to move things along? Either way, I was a bit disappointed. Also, are you planning on reading at all from the new book? The signing takes place outside... which is weird in the first place. Ah well... looking forward to it anyway!Thanks!elise, CA
Actually the not posing for photographs thing has been my call. You can take any photos you like of me scribbling, you can take photos of you next to me, if you're lucky I'll try and look up when it's time for the flash to go off, but these days everyone has a camera/cameraphone, and while it doesn't add a long time to each signing, if you multiply it by hundreds of people, it can add a few hours to the signing line. (Also, the continual flashes were starting to hurt my eyes.)
(Having said that, tonight Borders put a staff member onto fulltime camera duty, and it went smooth as clockwork.)
As far as I know I'll be doing a reading, yes.
It should be interesting doing the reading outside. Last time I was at that Vromans, for Stardust I think, they decided that fire regulations meant that only a hundred people could hear the reading. So 100 people were at the reading bit while another 300 stood outside for an extra hour, in a long line snaking round the building. Then the sprinklers went off, soaking most of the line. Who were wet but good-humoured when I started to sign their books... (And some of their books were pretty wet too.)
Neil, Just wanted to let you know that the ign comic website is currently taking votes for the greatest comic scribes of today. The field is down to the final eight, and you Mr. Gaiman are one of them. Any of your fans or readers who want to vote you into the final four and beyond can go to: http://comics.ign.com/articles/646/646667p11.html
Currently you are leading Grant Morrison by almost ten percent. I wish you the best of luck (as I have been voting for you) but in the next round it looks like you could be going head to head with Alan Moore. I am completely torn, since I also have undying affection for the great bearded one. Hope the book tour is going well. Steve
Well, I'd vote for Alan if I were you -- he's a much better comics writer than I am.
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Monday's signing will be in Austin, Texas, at 7.00pm Book People -- http://www.bookpeople.com/coe_example.html?EventID=2944