BUT WHILE WE'RE BOTH WANDERING, WANDERING LOST, WHY DON'T YOU COME WITH ME?

What a rush of days it's been. I'm writing you before the drinking commences. A Trilogy customer bought me a bottle of champagne. This is the sort of luck I've been having. "You're doing what? A book? Have some champagne!"

See, I had stopped into the store to tell Terry Blas about this great new comics shop that's opened in the Northwest, Floating World Comics, where I had just dropped some cash on a long-desired run of the original THB series by Paul Pope. I used to have them, but an ex-girlfriend absconded with my set, and this is the first time I've seen them for a decent price ($80!). It was my gift to myself, for the same reason that Scott Birdsall bought me champagne.

James came by today and dropped me off the first copy of The Everlasting. I don't even begin to know how to describe the elation this elicited. It's a gorgeous package. Oni really did an incredible job on it, from the cover all the way through. The paper is a gorgeous white, and the font looks exactly like Cut My Hair. It's a thick, substantial book. If you had one on you and someone tried to mug you, you could beat them back with it. No lie.

Anyway, this is the culmination of six years of work--longer if you consider all the time I've had it in my head. I couldn't be more thrilled with the results, couldn't have asked for a better support system to get it out. If you buy it, please take the time to read the acknowledgements in the back. You'll see how many people have been there along the way.

As if that weren't enough, if you really want to know why my head is spinning, I also finished the next book--or, at least, the 1st draft. It's still going to need some major work, but having the whole thing shaped out, that's the hardest battle. But, as of 4:22 a.m., Tuesday morning, 7/11/2006, I typed the final # # # at the end of Have You Seen the Horizon Lately? This is a major accomplishment for me if you consider I started it on June 24 of last year. This means it took only slightly more than a year to do, something I've never done before. It's 91,000 words and despite some plot issues, has some of my finest writing. It's been a harrowing tale to concoct. I actually have a scar on my arm from one particularly bad night a couple of months ago that caused me to put it down for six weeks or more. Fate stepped in once The Everlasting went to bed, though, and all of my deadlines moved out of the way. I had a lull in the manga, and Joëlle and I agreed that it would be best for me to wait to work on our script for You Have Killed Me until she's done with 12 Reasons next month. Plus, as Birch and I were winding down on The Everlasting, Percy and Julia kept creeping into my head.

So, I read over what I had, declared it good, and picked it back up. When I saw the end was in sight, I couldn't stop. I'm particularly happy to have done it just before its predecessor came off the presses. I can say I finished Horizon before The Everlasting was done! And, I'll be able to go to San Diego and tell people, "Yes, the next book is done, and if Oni will still have me, it will be out the same time next year. The cover will be by Joëlle Jones."

(For the record, I only just ten minutes ago discovered that there is a Yoko Ono song called "Have You Seen A Horizon Lately." My book is named for the Geneva song, "Have You Seen The Horizon Lately?"--and I'm sure there is a big difference. And that would be this Geneva, not this one, for chrissakes.)

Once I am back from Comic Con, the focus is going to be on comics. The manga work will begin again, and I want to knock out the next two scripts for Love the Way You Love. Then it's Killed Me and maybe finally This is the Way the World Ends for Chris Mitten if he's ever available again. I don't know where I will go next with the prose. We'll just have to see. It'll probably be good not to worry about it until I've got Horizon all fixed up anyway.

But, yeah, yay me.

It's funny, because a rather young female customer who comes into Trilogy and busts my balls all the time asked, "What are you hiding from?" I inquired what she meant, and she said, "You work in a video store, you watch a ton of films, you're a writer, you're obviously hiding from life." I laughed my ass off at this. "Honey, I'm living life!" I know what hiding is, I wrote the book on it--twice. I'm in the thick of it, and I'm loving every minute of it.

If I Could Watch Anything I Wanted Right Now: A Guide for the Married Man - directed by Gene Kelly, starring Walter Mattheau! How have I missed this until now? I have to see if someone has it locally.

Currently Reading: Immortality by Milan Kundera

Current Soundtrack: My Latest Novel, Wolves

Current Mood: queen of the world

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[to leave comments, click on the time-stamp below, then scroll down on the new page] – All text (c) 2006 Jamie S. Rich