So, I drove and drove and drove, got to dinner with Chip Delany & friends (and Holly, who now has a lip-ring "It looks very... interesting," I said, thus proving myself a dad, but I'm getting used to it) about half an hour late because the Mini's GPS system didn't know about rush hour traffic, had a wonderful meal, then on to Temple, where I did a reading (a poem, "The Day The Saucers Came", and a short story, "How to Talk to Girls At Parties") for, Chip told me this morning, about seven hundred people, then answered questions, and then signed stuff for people (one thing per person, and I was still there until eleven thirty).
Then I stayed at the Chestnut Hill Hotel (http://www.chestnuthillhotel.com/) which was lovely, had a lovely breakfast with Michael, the manager and his wife Susan.
My wanderings are not yet over.
Driving the new Mini, a convertible Mini Cooper S, is really fun, and I feel like I'm getting to know it. (A brief review -- it handles well, is nippy and fun to drive, although the suspension isn't as good as my last Mini's, and I have to be a lot smarter about packing it as it it's harder to get things in and out. Limited rear visibility. I suspect that I'll keep the back seats permanently down unless I need them up. And if you try driving with the top down in this weather, even with the seat warmer on and the heat blasting, you freeze.)
Neil,I really like your little sketch of the seven-legged spider you did for Anansi Boys, and I think it would look lovely as a tattoo. I thought it might be good of me, however, to ask your permission first.Pretty please? Sarah
You don't have to ask, and of course.
Hey Neil I was trawling IMDB today, and saw attached to your name a "Books of Magic" movie announced for 2006. I was wondering if you could confirm/deny it, and expand upon the non-existent information listed there.Is it (assuming it is hapening) just the 4 part comic originally published, or will it also feature story arc(s) from the Reiber and Gross comics? And in the hopes of avoiding another Earthsea, have you or the other authors got creative control over the script?Thanks, Sam
The first few Books of Magic Film scripts I saw, by Matt Greenberg, back in 2000, were faithful to the spirit if not the letter of the comics, and I was involved in reading the scripts and giving feedback. The last script I saw, a year or two ago, by someone else, bore no resemblance to any of the comics, although it wasn't actually a bad script for what it was, and I found myself just hoping when I read it that they'd change the name of the film and rename their "Tim Hunter" character, so that it didn't upset people who actually wanted to see a Books of Magic film. I don't know if anything's happening on it at all at present -- it's been a long time since they sent me a script. But then, it's a film, and anything could happen. No, we don't have creative control -- DC Comics properties are owned by DC Comics, and the rights were sold to Warners. (But honestly, when you sell film rights you are always facing the possibility that someone is going to make something that's at best "loosely inspired by" what you wrote.)