Where I Talk About Meeting Neil Gaiman, Driving In Miami, and The Love Of Stories

     

     The drive to Miami from Melbourne is never that bad until we actually get into Miami and then I'm just glade I have Mar as my pilot because the lady is great at directions. Even if she gets turned around on the maps she's following because they are off she gets us where we are going and since we aren't dipshits we leave early enough to give a buffer in case we do run into bumps along the way that hold us up.

     This blog entry will be photos for the most part with me writing comments along the way because if I just write a blog entry I'll be here all day and not get any work done my own stories talking about how much I admire Neil Gaiman.

     Also at the end I'll include my Twitter posts while going to the signing and while there. Don't worry, there weren't that many because on the way I was co-pilot and music picker and when we got there I was so nervous I couldn't even read.

     When we got there the line was already long as shit but the organizers, Books & Books, had it well organized and had friendly people working the lines. This was handled a whole lot better than when we went there for a Stephenie Meyer signing a few years ago. This picture doesn't even show half of the line though. Oh, a shit ton of Doctor Who shirts were to be seen.

     Here's another half half of the line. It's basically went all the way around the whole building. It was held at Temple Judea, a really nice place. We were only in line outside for about an hour before being seated in the cool inside for a good rest before things started.

     Brad Meltzer did the introducing duties. He was pretty funny. Later he would be the one who read the crowd sourced questions. I enjoy Q&A's handle like this inside of mics in the crowd. This way all the completely stupid questions are tossed to the side. I'm sorry but some people are just stupid.

     Then it was the main event. First Neil told the birth of the story that would become The Ocean At The End Of The Lane. It was a cool story about missing his wife and shows the journey can go from idea to finished product.

     After that he read a chapter from the book. Neil is one of the few writers who I love them reading their own books. The audios of him reading his books are some of my favorite audios ever. I can't wait to dive into The Ocean At The End Of The Lane tonight and also reread Books Of Magic since now it's blessed :)

     The Q&A was really entertaining with equal parts comedy and campfire storytelling. When Neil talks about Myth it reminds me why I read in the first place.

     Then the first group was called to get in line for the signing. See getting there early pays off. Mar's family were really late and but ended up getting to have photos taken beside him because it took so long and that's cool for them but if I had gotten to get that close I would have been crying like the young lady who got her books signed right before we did. No serious, I'm not making fun, I was close to that myself.

     Mar spent the time in line reading. A novel concept. Yep, yep, I said it. Though to be honest she was reading the ebook but that doesn't make for a good on theme picture.

     By this point I was so nervous I was starting to get a little sick. Yea, I was totally cool. Cool guy sucking in his gut, trying not to run away with a anxiety overload.

     They were prepared with lots and lots of markers and pens. I spotted a huge box behind everything after getting our books signed. For some reason this just caught my eye. The little things about what it takes to make a signing this big work smoothly.

     Mar getting her books signed and telling Neil about her library and some of her teens. See if you are nice to your librarian they may just mention you to a writer when they get to meet them.

     Mar gave him a Coraline that was made for him. He really liked it. I think this type of stuff like cos-playing has to be one of the coolest things that can happen to you as a writer.

     Neil signing my copy of Books Of Magic. It's my fourth copy because I've given two away and someone five fingered another. Yes that's a Mountain Dew bottle in my pocket. I could have used a Double Dew on this day. My nerves were shot people, I needed a push to just get me through without my anxiety in overdrive making me find a nice dark corner to crawl into.

     Mar as we were leaving. I took a moment to sit on the steps of the temple to eat my balled up Ron Weasley sandwich that I was too nervous to eat during things. Some people were eating inside but that just felt wrong to me. I didn't know the custom for eating in temples so I went outside.

     My blessed copy of Books Of Magic. Today while writing I'm going to watch Neverwhere and Mirror Mask and Star Dust and Coraline.

After Neil Gaiman Q&A, meeting him, and getting books signed, now watching Coraline. Tomorrow watching Neverwhere while writing.

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 Brian Williams ‏@hangofwednesday 16h

I got stuffs signed by Neil Gaiman. And I didnt pass out. Its a happy Brian day.

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 Brian Williams ‏@hangofwednesday 17h

http://twitpic.com/cytoom 

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 Brian Williams ‏@hangofwednesday 17h

Also in pure TMI fashion, I need to piss bad.

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 Brian Williams ‏@hangofwednesday 17h

In line to get books signed. The reading and Q&A were great.

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 Brian Williams ‏@hangofwednesday 19h

http://twitpic.com/cyte0b 

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 Brian Williams ‏@hangofwednesday 19h

Brad Metzer(sp) is introing him.

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 Brian Williams ‏@hangofwednesday 19h

Mar is the best with directions. Miami isnt the easist place to find places but shes a pro.

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 Brian Williams ‏@hangofwednesday 19h

Sitting for a bit before things start is good after dealing with Miami traffic.

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 Brian Williams ‏@hangofwednesday 20h

Inside now seated in the cool air waiting for talk to begin.

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 Brian Williams ‏@hangofwednesday 20h

Waiting in long line, in hot sun, to see Neil Gaiman. Best day ever :)

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 Brian Williams ‏@hangofwednesday 22h

There is traffic and then there is dipshit traffic. I'm among the stupid and dangerous right now.

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 Brian Williams ‏@hangofwednesday 23h

Me"Stop looking at penis clouds while driving!"

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 Brian Williams ‏@hangofwednesday 23 Jun

After I had a coughing fit. Mar"You choke on nothing." Me"Air went down the wrong way."

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 Brian Williams ‏@hangofwednesday 23 Jun

Anxiety, fear, and stress. Not just how I am when I go to a book signing to see a writer I admire.

Where I Talk About Meeting Neil Gaiman, Driving In Miami, and The Love Of Stories

Max Brooks at FIT

     There was a event scheduled at one of the local colleges, not far from we live that was said to be a speaking event with the writer Max Brooks from The Zombie Survival Guide fame. Mar really liked his book and we thought cool but for a week or more no one could get answers from the student event organizers about if you had to pay, was he going to sign books, or anything until the day of the event when they said it was going to be free but first come seating to students. Then they said it was free to students but $20 dollars to everyone else. Then it was free to all and they couldn't understand why all this same day confusion was causing issues with people.
     Only a school with this much entitlement and this much money would go back and worth on money issues like this like it doesn't mean anything. I know many people who wanted to come but didn't want to drive a long way not knowing firmly if they could get in. The official website of the student organization running the event, on the college website, hadn't been updated in months.
     Come on. If you don't know anything about putting on an event study the press releases and materials and procedures others have used in putting on their event to learn how to do things yourself. Hey, sorta what you are there for.
     You know, in a college.
     Being a self-publisher I have to do a lot of things writers normally don't do like creating covers and publicity and the like, but the one way I can tell you how no one will take you serious, its not NOT making mistakes, mistakes are understanding when you are not a trained professional in something, it's acting like they don't matter.
     We decided to go since it wasn't that far from where we live and when we got there we got more confusion and people acting like not having answers wasn't that big a deal. I ranted about this last night during the event on my Twitter if you want to check it out but it went short of like this "Do students get in first? "Doesn't matter, it's not going to be full up." "Will he be signing?" "Probably" "Will there be a limitations on what he will sign?" ".....vacant look..."
     The event wasn't advertised much even though they were bragging about all the places they put ads. Hell the night before a local theater was sold out with probably double the sale wanting to get in to a showing of the season premiere of the Walking Dead but nothing was said there as far as I know.
     We wouldn't have even known about it if our local comic book store hadn't reposted something about it on Facebook {these people should study our local comic shop, they know how to do events.}
     That being said none of use were surprised when in a community that loves zombies- we have zombie walks, zombie proms, and all sorts of zombie fun this event wasn't even close to half full, in a small venue, and the people we talked to when we got there weren't expecting it to be?
     We actually overheard some of them talking about how much it cost to get him and laughing. Goes back to that entitlement word I used. And we deal with these people all the time living near the college campus.
     I've helped run events, I really hope these people don't go into this sort of things as a career because as I said on my Twitter, when your student event looks clearly to be a student event you failed.

     But lets get to Max Brooks. He was very funny throughout. Very entertaining. I'm really glade we got to see him and he handled  the trolls that were only there to get get noticed or for credit with a blade sharp tongue. I had heard before that he was cool to hear speak but this was way better than I was thinking going in.

See, not many people at all. A shame.

Couldn't get good stage pics. They had the lights turned up too high for a already well lighted venue.

Mar and her sister Trill got copies of The Zombie Survival Guide signed and photos with him. I wish this event wasn't such a clusterfuck or I would have picked up a copy of the G.I. Joe book he wrote and gotten that signed also.

*If you like the blood splatter effect on those photos I learned how to do it watching this You Tube video. Might be of good use for people doing Halloween stuff this month.

Max Brooks at FIT