Book Signing Adventures: Neil Gaiman

Oh how fortune throws a good hand every so often.

Neil Gaiman is on his very last book signing tour. Why? Because it’s now getting to the point that there are so many people that all he ends up doing is signing for hours and hours and hours. He stated that in San Fran (I believe) He was signing until 3am! (I’m sorry, but authors shouldn’t have sign for that long!)

When I first saw the tour dates, it stated that Seattle was sold out – BOOO! BUT, by a lucky rare chance I caught a last minute wave of final tickets! I was seriously considering driving four hours away to Vancouver, BC because they still had tickets available.

Anyways! I was super excited, I mean this was an evening with Neil Gaiman! Hosted through the University Bookstore as a part of the 2013 Clarion West Writers Workshop readings at Seattle Town Hall. I was one lucky girl to be a part of a huge crowd entertained by Gaiman.

First he did a reading from his latest book, The Ocean at the End of the Lane.

He then did a short Q & A with some questions such as, “Christian Bale or Adam West? Which is your favourite batman?”, “What’s one thing you’d like your readers to know?” Gaiman’s answer: “I’d like my readers to know how to read.”

The favourite question of the evening was, “Will Neil ever do a spread for Playgirl?” Gaiman’s answer, “I’m 52!”.

Another good one, “If you were a God, what kind of God would you be?”

Gaiman stated he’d be the God of extended deadlines. Very well said!

After the Q & A Gaiman did another reading of a short story inspired from one of his earlier works, and it was just delightful!

Then, the signing began.

Sigh. Gaiman is SUCH a trooper. I had gotten to the event just as it was scheduled to start, meaning I missed out on snagging a prime seat. Instead I was in the group of last 50 people to get items signed.

There was a long queue.

Once you made it to the lobby though, there was a last chance to buy any of Gaiman’s books from the beautiful display.

There was also the Seattle Town Hall poem to read too:

I believe he started signing just before 9pm, by the time I got to meet him it was 12:20pm.

He is lovely. So kind, sweet and engaging. I was very nervous and tried not to say much because I was tired, which mean he must surely be more tired and he still had a load of more people to sign things for.

I shook his hand, thanked him for a lovely evening and then went on my way.

I had him sign just his name on his new book and personalise my second attempt at buying and reading Neverwhere. He wrote, ‘Ashley, Mind the Gap!’

Oh Neil, if only you know how well I can mind that gap.

I will treasure them forever.

If you have the chance to meet Neil, DO IT, opportunities like this are rare and take advantage! Gaiman knows how to put on a show and he’s delightful to listen to and learn from.

THANK YOU Neil for coming to Seattle! Thank you so much for doing a last signing tour and giving every fan your time! It’s greatly appreciated and YOU’RE AWESOME! @neilhimself

For those in Seattle, there are four more evenings of science fiction and fantasy from Clarion. Please check out their site and go. They’re on Tuesdays at 7pm.

Ashleyisee

June Reads

Jun15

Goals this month are to read some adult fiction! Long awaited grown up books that I would STILL have have patience to be published in the UK. My reviews for the following will be on my Goodreads account.

11//22/63 by Steven King

Dead Ever After by Charlaine Harris (Sookie Stackhouse mystery #13)

Seawitch by Kat Richardson (Greywalker #7)

The Last Runaway by Tracy Chevailer

I’m still working through my huge pile of YA from last month’s library haul but I also have been approved for the following:

The Island by Jen Minkman (ARC)

Demonic Dora – The Demon Diaries by Claire Chilton (ARC)

Happy Birthday to Me by Brian Rowe (ARC)

Skin by Donna Jo Napoli (ARC)

I wish I could read faster, every time I go to the library all I want to do is check out more books. Sigh, how the time will come!

What is one book that you’re reading this month?

My Publishing Intern Adventures – Crimson Publishing

Jun13

Interning is a way of life in the publishing industry. You want to work in publishing? Well, get out there and start interning!

I just wanted to quickly share one of my interning experiences in London. I’ve done an overall of three internships, each was unique in it’s own way.

My latest internship was at Crimson Publishing, an independent education publisher that also releases a lot of other business start ups, parenting and British heritage and culture books.

For four weeks I was paid minimum wage (SEE! They DO pay sometimes! Totally win!), working four days a week to update their annual title HEAP. It’s a reference book used by student who have completed, or are going to complete their A-levels. It shows which uni’s around the UK accept what grades. It’s a fantastic guide to use when revising for the exams.

During those four weeks I fact checked notes from the editor of the book. I updated changes through Crimson’s HEAP database, with the updates going live on the website. We had a pretty tight deadline so I have to get through amounts of pages and chapters in a set timeframe, learning to prioritise ad make sure I hit my targets in order for the book to be published on time. I learned Crimson’s House Style, always a great thing understand a publisher’s house rules for copy.

I got to know members of the sales team as that’s who I was sitting with, and it was great to see how the inside ‘works’ for a medium sized publisher.

I really enjoyed my time at Crimson. I learned so much and it was a joy to work on a project that was completed in the selected timeframe. Culturally, I learned so much about the demographic of England, as well as their education system, that it was only unavoidable that I feel more in love with the country.

I’m so grateful for being chosen for such a great opportunity. It wasn’t what most editorial interns dream of doing, but I am also happy to learn whatever I can. Each publisher is different and no matter what one is doing, it’s the skills and contacts learned that make mostly every internship totally worth it.

If you’re in London and looking to begin working in publishing, check out the SYP’s latest panel discussion on Your Rights as an Intern!

Happy 1st Blog Anniversary!

Jun2

Today is my 1 year anniversary for Through a Seattle/London Looking Glass! One year ago today I started writing about books and book events and I wanted to say a huge THANK YOU to all my readers, likers and passer-byers!

Thanks for comments, likes, reblogs and post suggestions. You’re best and I hope to continue to to bring you exciting Young Adult reads, publishing events and all around literary awesomeness!

Love,

Ashleyisee

May Reads

May11

May is going to be a busy month! I have gone a bit overboard with my local library, but I love the access of long awaited books that are now at my fingertips! This month I’ll be reading some completed or soon to be completed series along with freshly published books from my earlier posts!

It’s lot and it’s probably going to spill over to June, but I’m really excited to have so many options.

Which do you prefer? Freshly published books? Or a completed series?

Until next time,

Ashleyisee

The Windup Girl, by Paolo Bacigalupi

May7

Another reblog special this week! I love discovering new books through others!

Blogging for a Good Book

Blister rust. Cibiscosis. Genehack weevil. Plant and human diseases mutate quickly in the 23rd century, where genehacking by the powerful calorie companies runs the economy. Staying ahead of the plagues can cause otherwise honorable people to justify acts they would never believe they were capable of committing. Major cities, including New York and Mumbai, were drowned as the planet heated; the capital city in Thailand is protected by levees and pumps. Fossil fuels were mostly spent out generations ago. Most power is now human- or beast-created and stored in springs; computers are driven by treadle; radios are hand-cranked. Bicycles, ships, and dirigibles provide transportation.

Anderson Lake manages the SpringLife kink-spring factory in the capital city of Thailand. Megadonts, huge beasts of burden that have been genehacked from elephants, power the factory. SpringLife kink-springs, when finally manufactured, should hold and disperse many more joules than regular springs. This huge factory, with…

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