Author Archives: Autumn

In Which She Gets All The Fangirly Squealing Out Of Her System

After convincing myself that I was professional and could handle this interview (have I mentioned that I’ve never formally interviewed anyone? I’m usually the one being interviewed, which is why I thought there were other people who could have handled it better) I knew I wouldn’t melt into a fangirly puddle of goo when I shook Neil Gaiman’s hand. I’ve met and worked with enough big-name authors to know they’re just real people.

(But none as big as Neil! squeals the inner fangirl. Shut up, says my professional side.)

So after I got home and put Liam to bed last night, I casually wrote the journal post revealing what the Cool Assignment had been, and just as casually entered updated my Facebook status to Autumn is home again after having tea with Neil Gaiman.

I have escaped the fangirlyness! I thought.

But Tamu just sent me this message:

I put this on your Facebook Wall because you are teh Awesomest(est): http://twitter.com/neilhimself/status/1174685697

Inner Fangirl: OMG, Neil Gaiman totally mentioned me by name on Twitter!

*headdesk*

I suspect I will publish a post of interview outtakes here — you know, all the stuff that doesn’t need to be included in the animation-specific interview to be posted at fps. Stuff like about our families and other books and things. And yes, I will cobble together a what-it-was-like post over the day, too, because everyone wants to know.

In Which She Reveals The Even Cooler Assignment; Or, Hangin’ Out With The Dream King

Well, I’m home from having tea with Neil Gaiman.

No, I’m not kidding. Well, we both had tea, but not at the same time.

He wins the Nicest Man Alive award, hands down. I have never had someone who only just met me stare into my eyes that intently while he spoke to me, nor felt so at ease with that someone. Thank the gods for recording devices, because I couldn’t have taken notes to save my life.

I have a twenty-minute private interview to transcribe tomorrow. And yes, there will be a longer post here detailing the experience, too. Watch for the interview to be posted at fps by the end of the week!

Embargo Lifted: Coraline Film Review

Coraline Onesheet, © 2008 LAIKA, Inc. All rights reserved.

Yes, Gentle Readers, today the press embargo has been lifted, and I can finally share last week’s Cool Thing with you.

Last Wednesday I went to the press screening of Coraline, the first stop-motion film presented entirely in 3D. Based on the Hugo-award-winning novella by Neil Gaiman, the film was absolutely spectacular in every aspect. I went as an agent of Frames Per Second Magazine, the online magazine devoted to animation in all forms, and today my review of the film is up at the fps site.

The short form? It was freaking amazing. Jaw-dropping. You know how pretty much every major animated feature pushes the envelope? This one pushed an entire mail truck.

But you can read why I was so impressed in more detail over at fps. Enjoy!

—

Coraline
Release Date: February 6th 2009 (nationwide)
Director: Henry Selick (The Nightmare Before Christmas)
Writers: Henry Selick; based on the book by Neil Gaiman
Studio: Laika Entertainment

Hat Wiktory!

I have finally — finally! — finished Bodhifox‘s hat. It sat alone and feeling unloved for two weeks. I finished the second earflap at Ceri’s house on Saturday (to where I gratefully escaped from my House of Sick Persons, feeling temporarily better myself: I did my hair! I put makeup on! I left the house! When you’re sick you feel like this will never happen again, so it was a big deal.) I’d have done the i-cord and tassel there too and been finished two days earlier, but I discovered that I hadn’t brought along the tiny remaining ball of bronze yarn. (Argh!)

So this morning, the first thing I did after checking e-mail was to look up the instructions how to knit an i-cord (how beautifully simple, I may knit nothing but i-cords when I need to relax), then make the tassel, and attach the betasselled i-cord to the hat. Et viola (as Fox himself would say)! One Jayne Cobb style hat, done in Ravenclaw colours!

Here it is, perched on my metronome and stuffed with a tote bag, looking slightly wonky:

I’d wanted to line it for warmth, but it’s late enough in winter that I’m just going to send it as-is and let him decide if it needs lining. So now I will pack it up and get it out to the post office in the next couple of days.

Happy Imbolc, Fox!

Imbolc Poetry Web 2009!

Every year on February 2 a web of poetry winds its way through the Internet in honour of Brighid, the Celtic goddess associated with inspiration and poets. This year’s invitation is here, reproduced on blogs and journals across the world; the original blogger who began the annual tradition says of it, “Why? Some poetry is warming. It cracks the ice in the heart of the Earth to remind her that spring is just around the corner. Or … if you live south of the equator, choose poetry to cool the heart of the Earth so as to remind her fall is coming.” The blog that first introduced me to the poetry web and reminds me of it annually is Pandora’s Ephemera Ephemerae.

Brid is the goddess to whom I am sworn, and that’s probably not a surprise for those who know how much music, writing, and art mean to me. I figured she would be much too obvious and so I looked everywhere else when starting on my spiritual path, until I realised that Brid was bashing me on the head with the proverbial Divine clue by four. I love participating in this poetry web every year. The idea of poems, pictures in words that capture something emotional that prose handles very differently, twining throughout the Internet enchants me.

This is my poetry offering this year.

    It was a hard thing to undo this knot.
    The rainbow shines but only in the thought
    Of him that looks. Yet not in that alone,
    For who makes rainbows by invention?
    And many standing round a waterfall
    See one bow each, yet not the same to all,
    But each a hand’s breadth further than the next.
    The sun on falling waters writes the text
    Which yet is in the eye or in the thought.
    It was a hard thing to undo this knot.

    ~1862, Gerard Manley Hopkins
    “It was a hard thing to undo this knot”

Do you have a poem you’d like to share? A favourite? Something that speaks to your soul right now for some reason? Or perhaps something you’ve written yourself? Take the invitation and spread it far and wide, with joy. For the web of poetry to be connected in cyberspace as well as the world and our hearts, all I ask is that you link back to this post and to the original invitation to help others find it. If you post a poem, leave a comment here with a link to it (if you can, yes, I know there are issues with the comment box not being available off and on), and leave a comment with a link to it at the other poetry posts you read today, too, in order to help weave the web. Enjoy exploring the poetry by following the links you find.

Have a blessed and healing Imbolc, Gentle Readers. The flame in our hearts burns steadily against the coldness of the world. Every poem, every new word set down lights another candle against the darkness.

What I Read This January

Ruled Britannia by Harry Turtledove
The Art of WALL*E by Tim Hauser
The Art of Ratatouille by Karen Paik
Coraline by Neil Gaiman (reread)
Tales of Beedle The Bard by J.K. Rowling
On Writing by Stephen King
All the Windwracked Stars by Elizabeth Bear
The Sister by Paola Kaufmann
How To Knit by Debbie Bliss
The Knitting Workbook by Debbie Bliss
Mr. Darcy’s Decision by Juliette Shapiro
Wishful Drinking by Carrie Fisher

I could have sworn I read more than this, but that may be because I’ve got two short story collections and a novel on the go that aren’t finished yet as well.

In Which She Flails Incoherently

The Exciting Thing from this past Wednesday has been embargoed till next Tuesday, which means I have to sit on it until then, damn it.

I did, however, just do a follow-up call to someone I don’t know (oh, how I hate cold calling) and not only did I get put right through to the guy, but he was at his desk so I didn’t have to leave a likely-to-be-ignored message, and I wasn’t put on hold at any point. (In this business, that’s miraculous. Especially last thing on a Friday afternoon.) I was therefore able to obtain confirmation of next Tuesday’s Cool Thing and finally firm up the details. And it turns out that it’s even better than before, because (a) it’s twice as long as we’d initially thought (!!!), and (b) as a result of the scheduling I get to do this with a very cool partner who wouldn’t have been otherwise available.

Now I have to sit here and engage in cooled-out flailing all by my lonesome. At least it’s cooled-out flailing, and not panicky flailing. I am past the panic, and am thoroughly cooled out.

ETA: You know, it’s ironic: half my readers will be equally cooled out, and the other half will be, “Huh? What? Why is that exciting?” and dreadfully disappointed when the embargo is lifted. I reserve the right to squee in my own journal about stuff I find exciting!