Monkeys and keyboards aside, one Random + CSS still doesn't make poop.

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A-AWESOME

IT'S ALREADY OUT. HOW DID I NOT KNOW THIS.

On the other hand, I was watching it going 'I really hope Lola gets to do more' and she doesn't even appear once. **sulks**

This entry was originally posted at http://shiegra.dreamwidth.org/56677.html. Please comment there using OpenID.

Nothing witty today. Am trying to catch up between studying for Bio Test.

Jenn

15:39 My new favorite label? Vaginal-Americans. HA! Shakesville, and the writers & commenters therein, totally rule. is.gd/4P64R #

16:21 delicious: Shakesville: Feminism 101: bit.ly/280ZNE #

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Today my mother had my grandmother's old room in the house cleaned out. I feel so vulnerable looking at it now as I did after she died. I used to keep the door always shut so that whenever I walked by, I didn't have to look.

I really tried hard not to burst into tears as the bed was disassembled and removed. It's still aches even if it's been weeks.

I have SATs tomorrow, and I'm really feeling antsy about it. Give me good luck, guys!

http://feeds.penny-arcade.com/~r/pa-mainsite/~3/frlk1_3rAxo/

Tycho: It's back! The ultimate in friction-free, ultra-lightweight charity engines is here, ready to transform the slightest movements of your finger into much-needed respite for young people. Here's what's up: We've got New Hospitals this year, a tender cross-section of facilities you've directed us to over the past year. Focus your Charity Beam on Dayton, Cleveland, Colorado Springs, Boise, Memphis, or (for Canadian readers) Victoria, Ottawa and St. John's. The Sponsors you see on the main page have gotten the ball rolling to the tune of two-hundred and sixty thousand dollars. Not a bad take before the thing even starts, huh? ...

http://journal.neilgaiman.com/2009/11/final-reminder-for-bookshops.html

A quick reminder (as I was just asked) that today is the day that the bookshop Graveyard Book party reports have to be in to Harper Collins. By 9 pm PST.

http://files.harpercollins.com/Mktg/HarperChildrens/PDF/GraveyardContest_rules.pdf are the rules and info for those who lost them.

Hi Mr. Gaiman,

I was disappointed today to read you won't be part of the judging for The Graveyard Book contests. My not-wealthy, middle-of-nowhere bookstore just sent in its entry, and something we're concerned about is the fairness of judging.

For example, independent bookstores like Powell's (I'm sure you know) easily have enough money and are in a convenient enough location to ask you to come at one time or another. Against stores like that, who were able to put more money into their parties, we stand little chance.

I don't think that it's a lost cause for us; we were very creative. I'm just nervous to know you won't be judging. Can you tell me whether you think the judges will take things like size and location of bookstores into account? It would make me sleep a little easier until the results are announced.

Tusen takk,
Allison

Well, per the rules, the judging is based on:

(i) Overall creativity of the Party, as demonstrated by the invitations, signage, decorations, activities, entertainment, and refreshments.
(ii) Customer attendance and response (i.e., enthusiasm, costumes, participation).
(iii) Ability to capture and represent the spirit of The Graveyard Book.
...specifically to reward creativity, and not the ability to outspend other shops. (That was also why the party had to actually be at the bookshop, and not at another location.)

I asked my editor, Elise Howard, and she said,

Gosh, yes. Here's what we think is happening. We are looking at all the entries. On Monday, we'll send you the best 11, from which you will choose the Grand Prize Winner. The rest will get the first-prize package. So the short answer is that you ARE helping to choose.

The longer answer is that we will be very fair and will consider creativity, which includes work done with available resources, along with pure execution. (Don't you think? We haven't done anything yet; still waiting for more entries to come in.)

...which means that

a) I was wrong and will be the ultimate judge, from the shortlist. (Damn.)

and

b) everyone's on a level playing field.

Does that help reassure you?

PS -- Widgett's Graveyard Book Dessert competition winners have been announced over at http://www.needcoffee.com/2009/11/06/graveyard-book-dessert-challenge-winners/.

This one had NOTHING to do with me at all. But lor' the winning desserts look tasty...

http://feeds.penny-arcade.com/~r/pa-mainsite/~3/r4ZxTLeOzH4/

Tycho: We spent quite a bit of time trying to determine how we felt about the Dragon Age situation described in today's comic - a character appears in your camp who offers a questline that is only available in downloadable content. The character is literally a salesman. Is this an act of abominable evil? Or is the mass of this evil sufficient to unfold itself - like a Popple - into a creature capable of love? The very moment that the Collector's Edition became available for purchase, I did so. You might imagine that, having done an eight page project for ...

http://garfieldminusgarfield.net/post/234949167

http://feeds.penny-arcade.com/~r/pa-mainsite/~3/ONSwXKyBKR8/

New Comic: A Truly Fascinating Phenomenon

http://journal.neilgaiman.com/2009/11/note-to-self-nights-are-for-sleeping.html

Still trying to get back onto a diurnal schedule. (And, I should add, failing.)
And, of course, although I posted it before, it bears repeating that you can watch the film that Steven-Charles Jaffe made of the "Dark and Silly Night" comic Gahan and I did for art spiegelman and Francoise Mouly's Little Lit at the New Yorker site, or here:



And if I'd been here for Hallowe'en I would have posted it here then. Which reminds me, The Graveyard Book party season is over. Over thirty independent bookshops had Graveyard Book parties (The ABA's Bookselling This Week reports on thirteen of the parties -- and the shops -- at http://news.bookweb.org/7149.html.) The very best one of all will get me in their shop doing a signing in December and, looking at these thirteen, I am very glad I am not any kind of a judge for the awards.

My only hope is that the shop that wins will be somewhere warm. But most of the places on the party map will be just as cold by December as my house. (Vague and only climate-based relief that HarperCollins said No to Alaska in the rules mingles with vague and selfish disappointment that they also said No to Hawaii.)

It looks like the CBS Sunday Morning profile on me is going out this Sunday, the 8th, 9:00-10:30 AM, ET. According to this website:

Correspondent Serena Altschul visits author Neil Gaiman -- the tender-hearted master of the macabre -- whose books, including Coraline and The Graveyard Book have topped best-seller lists for 25 years.

.. which left me wanting to go "I am NOT a tender-hearted master of the macabre, I am in fact VERY SCARY INDEED," but I suspect I would convince nobody.

Thrilled to see that Odd and the Frost Giants was listed as one of Amazon.com's Best Books of 2009. While I was in China The Graveyard Book was listed as one of the ALA's teens top ten for 2009 as well, an award voted on by over 11,000 teens. (And I made it onto the list with lots of other good people.)

Also, Fragile Things was awarded the French 2010 Les Grands Prix de l’Imaginaire Award for translated short fiction. My thanks to the judges, but mostly to the translator, who in this case is the incredibly talented Michel Pagel. If I ever look good, do well, sell books or am popular in a foreign country, it's because of the translators, and they never get enough thanks or acclaim. And I think I'll post the cover here, because I never have.

You're welcome. I think this link has everything for sale in the auction: http://shop.ebay.co.uk/scrawldog/m.html?_nkw=&_armrs=1&_from=&_ipg=&_trksid=p3686

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15:23 PetSmart Voluntarily Recalls Dentley’s Beef Hooves: bit.ly/IBBl (via @FDArecalls) #

15:24 Dear @barackObama - More transparency on ACTA! EFF & others sign group letter eff.org/r.4b3 #acta (via @EFF) #

15:34 Secret copyright treaty leaks. It's bad. Very bad. - Boing Boing bit.ly/SEerS (via @boingboing) #

16:19 RT: @rowanf: The Terrible Bargain We Have Regretfully Struck tinyurl.com/krfna4 #women #misogyny // THIS (via @lysana) #

17:22 delicious: Shakesville: The Terrible Bargain We Have Regretfully Struck bit.ly/2g8O3C #

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writes ben in snohomish, washington: “we visit my aunt the same amount we visit the rest of our extended family, but for some reason she takes it personally that we don’t do so daily. she took the occasion of my son’s 11th birthday to take a shot at us.”

related: my condolences on your birthday

Post is up a little bit early. I have classes tomorrow and yeah, I'm hoping that you all are having fun and driving your characters through the paces.

Jenn

And the figurehead has a good question:

So, internets, if you were sailing from Mumbai to Gdansk what would be your route:
Arabian Sea, Suez Canal, Mediterranean, English Channel and then what? Do you go left around the big island between Sweden and Denmark or do you go right around the big island through Denmark? For preferences, I'd like the route to be on the Copenhagen side because seeing the little mermaid statue would be most cool and in keeping with the theme of the virtual journey.

I agree. I think we should navigate by the coolest route. But what does the navigator say?

What we did in Mumbai