Saturday, September 10, 2005

In which the author realises that some analogies don't age...

After all the iterations of the iPod, and all the upgrades in iPod software, you'd think that by now it would occur to someone to give the alarm clock function a one-time-only setting. Instead, if you set the alarm, it will go off every day at that time, either waking you up (if it's on a cradle), or, more usually, simply turning itself on in a bag or a pocket and running the battery down. Which I mention on the off-chance that someone who might fix it is reading this blog. You never know.

I got home to find boxes of books waiting for me. I now have copies of ANANSI BOYS, in the UK and the US editions, and the UK audio CD package. Oddly enough, according to several happy messages receieved, some of you also have copies of Anansi Boys, courtesy of bookshops that haven't noticed that the strict onsale date is September 20th. (Bad Waterstones Dublin. Bad Bad er several people's local bookshops that I didn't get the names of.)

The UK and the US editions of the MirrorMask "Children's edition" (it's a bad name for the heavily illustrated novella, the nearest that Dave and I came to doing a novelisation) arrived and are exactly the same book, and also very different -- the UK edition is 10" (the same size as THE WOLVES IN THE WALLS) so the pictures are bigger. The US edition is 7" square, and is really charming for being smaller. (It's as if the UK one is a 10" single and the US edition is a 7" single, he explained, before realising that analogy is probably now officially meaningless.)


The Library of Congress National Book Festival schedule is now out: Saturday, Sept. 24, 2005, on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., between 7th and 14th streets from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. (rain or shine). The festival is free and open to the public. Fiction & Fantasy Pavilion 12:40-1:10 Book Signing 2-4


Time Out New York ran an interview, the content of which I linked to in the Dreaming in the last post. They also have a full-page photo of me in DreamHaven Books a couple of weeks ago, and, for the curious, since I was just sent it, here's a scan (I think the yellow blotches are just from the scan, not from the photo, and probably not from me)...

You can order your own copy through the TONY web site.

Over at it seems that eBay accidentally deleted the first round of writer auctions (Peter Straub and co) and have now reinstated them starting again from scratch, with new end dates, along with the second round. It will come as no surprise that Stephen King is now out in the lead...


If you're in Singapore then you can win a copy of ANANSI BOYS...


Hi, Neil, I'm in New York City and will be going to the Susanna Clarke conversation... Do I need to get a ticket or reservation for the signing at B&N for Anansi Boys? Sorry for the question if the information is already posted.. I just could not locate it.

Nope. No tickets or reservations for that one. I'd advise getting there early, though, if you can, and I'd warn you that it may be a long night.

Hi Neil, I just thought You might find this funny...or even interesting:,0,3349932.story Kay, Bonn, Germany

A bit of both, really. And mostly I wonder how the case will come out. After all,

In addition to seeking $2.6 million to cover 10 years of rent and damages, the owners' lawsuit asks a judge to decide whether there are ghosts in the building -- and if there are, whether they would meddle in the operation of the Chungs' sushi restaurant.

What would Wolff and Byrd say?


Hi Neil,

Thanks for including the address for SCBWI Houston book donations I posted in my blog!

Unfortunately, I just learned that they're overwhelmed with donations and have to put the book drive on hold (they also thank everyone who's contributed.)

Anyway, thanks again, and sorry the info became outdated so soon after I posted it!

All best,

Janni Simner


Regarding tickets for the Toronto signing: There are two available! My fiance and I are unable to attend (much to our vast disappointment) and so we'd like our tickets to go to other fans instead of being wasted. My friend Sarah is holding them for me right now, and can be contacted at by anyone who's interested. These are signing tickets, not the general admission ones. I figured your blog would be the best place to advertise!

Actually, it isn't the best place to advertise, otherwise the blog would turn over the next few months into a place for people needing to shift tickets for events, clogging up everything else. But I'm happy to post yours as a way of pointing people to the places that can be used to swap, sell, or otherwise dispose of or obtain tickets and things: is the forum/message board place of I met lots of the people who post there at Fiddler's Green last year and they are a fine, strange bunch. is the LiveJournal community, while over on usenet, is the haunt of the thingies: mad, bad and dangerous to gnaw.

All of these places will be good for those of you who have tickets to give to others, or to find other people going to the same events you are. Or to grumble that I never come and sign books in your country...

Neil I've been a big fan for a while, and in fact introduced my cousin to your work. I will be at your book signing at Borders in Bailey's Crossroads in Virginia on the 25th. My cousin, however, lives in Knoxville, TN, and is unable to attend. I know you've said we're generally allowed to bring two books to be signed, but are we allowed to buy two copies of Anansi Boys to be signed? Because my cousin really *really* wants a signed copy, and I was hoping to be able to get one for him.Thanks!-Mark

The rules for what other than Anansi Boys I'll sign will change from store to store, but, within reason, I'll always sign as many copies of Anansi Boys as you get, which allows people to buy copies as presents and suchlike.

YIPPEE you've mentioned more cities for mirrormask, and i was just logging on to say WAIT, its opening here too! Here being Salt Lake City... I saw it at sundance and at the time couldnt afford to also take my niece to the screening (who im slowly but surely converting to the gaiman world). So anyways, just a note to say, that when i emailed the local indy movie theatre and begged for them to bring mirrormask, my email gleefully brought me the response today that they already were, a Sept. 30th release... i will be there with bells on, and so will my niece... Congratulations, i cant wait to see it again. moons, stars, smiles -- Heather

That would be the Tower Theater, Salt Lake City. And yes, it's opening there on Sep 30th. I'm waiting for a full list of additions since the last one and will put it up as soon as I get it.

Hi Neil,While I was reading about the fabulously useful 2 pound laptop, I could not find any mention of what kind it was. Please satisfy a desperate geekgirl's curiosity.Gillian

It's a Panasonic CF-W4.

Here's the page about it -- -- from (who sold me mine). It was really just meant to be the travelling laptop, but I'm using it most of the time now, because it weighs nothing. (I've never had a computer that made people with iBooks jealous before. They don't start out jealous. That only happens when they pick it up.)