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That Riddler Secret Origins page was the first comics art page I'd written I ever bought, from Bernie Mirault, back in 1988ish. It's now my son Mike's, because he loves it even more than I do, although it's currently sitting in the office on display waiting for Mike to discover where he's going to live and work for the next few years.
The Addams picture on the office wall is a print (the boiling oil on carol singers cartoon was an original he never sold, according to the rather drippy and disappointing Addams biography I'm currently reading, which means it will probably go up on the wall of the Charles Addams secret gallery just by the men's toilets in the New York Library if you wait long enough) [Edit, no an evil ex-wife got it from him in a divorce settlement], and was a triple gift from my gang of assistants, Lorraine and Cat Mihos (who helps out when I'm in LA) and Malena (my undead zombie assistant on 13 Nights of Fright).
(I do have a Charles Addams original, though -- you can see it at http://www.neilgaiman.com/journal/2005/10/addams-thing.asp)
The other painting on the wall, for the people who wondered, is a Bill Sienkiewicz Judge Dredd cover (there's a picture of it at http://www.2000adonline.com/functions/cover.php?Comic=graphicnovels&choice=dredd18).
Dear Neil,
Could you please tell me what the name of the movie/TV show is that you included the clip for on Halloween? I'm a couple of years older than Holly, and I could swear that it's something I used to watch as well--something that I remember loving. It's driving me crazy that I can't remember the name of it, although I can tell you that it was shown each year on HBO during the mid-80s.
Best,
Jenny Rappaport
it was....
I Just want to say I am glad someone else in the world enjoyed watching The Worst Witch 18 years ago. My sister and I would watch it every year. About 3 years ago she procured this on DVD and we laughed at how cheesy it is, and, I think, worried those who had never heard of it that we forced to watch it on our tstaes in movies. Especially in the world of Harry Potter, Mildred Hubble will always have a sepcial place in the heart of my family. Thanks for the holiday memories
...
Just read your post on having writers create a will for their literary estate. This is a site for the rest of their estate and their life.
http://nolo.com/
Thanks for advocating for DIY when dealing with (most parts of) American law.
jim bruce
Truth to tell, I'm not actually the world's biggest advocate for DIY law things, not after watching a nice old curmudgeon with a DIY attitude to the law, all of which he'd got from helpful websites, get himself sent to prison by a judge and prosecutor who really all just wanted to send him home. But nolo.com is a terrific website.
Mr. Gaiman (and all little minions who will peruse this between myself and Himself),
One huge appeal of being a writer (merely an aspiration of mine, which may or may not convalesce into a sustaining career) is that I am under the impression that if one has a laptop, or pen and notebook, then the exact location on the planet is unimportant, since writing can be done anywhere. I worry I am perhaps incorrect in assuming the nomadic possibilities of being an, ahem, novelist, if you will, as it only very recently occurred to me that perhaps a writer is constrained in location by his or her choice in a publishing company, and editor, and the countless other behind-the-scenes people of which I am unaware. Do you feel you are limited in your whereabouts due to necessary proximity to those folks that assist in turning your ideas into something devourable by the devout masses? Alternatively, would managing everything via e-mail from any location that struck your fancy be plausible?
Sincerely,
Rachel Harbin
Michigan, USA
If you're going to write novels (if you're going to write most things) nobody cares where you go to write, and nobody cares where you live, not as long as you can get and receive mail. Nobody cares what you wear while you write or what time of day or night you do your writing. What they care about is how well and interestingly you write, how much you make them want to turn the pages, how much they want to find out what happens next.
Worry about what goes on the page, not about which country or which coffeehouse you're writing in.
Hi Neil,
I've been out scouring bookshops looking for a copy of Fragile things but the bookshops know nothing. Is there a set release date for it in Australia or should i just order through Amazon so i don't have to wait.
Sarah
The details of the Australian edition of Fragile Things are at http://www.hha.com.au/books/0755334124.html. Rumour says it may arrive in your shops on November 9th.
If it was me, I would simply contact Justin Ackroyd at http://www.slowglass.com.au/ ("Australia's largest science fiction, fantasy and horror mail order bookstore" says the webpage. Also Justin's a good bloke.)
(Although you get some fine things in Australia before the rest of the world does -- wonderful Margo Lanagan collections, for example.)
What is "Interworld"? I've heard about "M is for Magic" but not "Interworld" - both showing a pub date of 7/2007. Enlighten us. Thanks
I'll tell you all about the mysterious Interworld, which is a HarperChildren's book by me and Michael Reaves, sometime in the next couple of weeks.
Hi Neil!...I was wondering if you had any words of wisdom for those of your fans who are delving into the wilds of NaNoWriMo in November?Thanks!!
Well, first of all, I want to wish all of you doing NaNoWriMo the best of luck. (And I meant to mention the new site for young people and teachers who want to try writing a novel in a month -- http://ywp.nanowrimo.org//modules/cjaycontent/index.php?id=34).
No real worlds of wisdom, though. Write something you'd want to read. Make your daily word count, if you can, but the world won't end if you don't. Surprise yourself. Make magic. Remember that none of the rules you've been told apply when it's just you and a blank sheet of paper. And when you're creating characters, write people you would want to spend time with -- even the nasty ones.