Lesson#5 (From July) An Evening with Neil Gaiman!

I have no doubt that this will be one of the most remembered nights of the year, maybe my life. Evie was so inspired after meeting him, it was wonderful. We were in a room with about 1,000 other people. He came out talked, joked, read passages from his new book, "Ocean at the End of the Lane" and passages from another children's book that will be coming out in September. The gathering place was right next door to a music venue, and of course when this was booked maybe their was some communication break down because half way through his speaking a live band started to play. Neil made jokes like, "If we ALL go over and kill them is it still murder?" It was annoying yes, and funny as well.

I bought my tickets early on. A ticket got you in, a copy of Ocean..., a seat to hear him speak, and a chance to meet&greet. have your copy of Ocean signed and one other item. One item could be personalized. I took my copy of "Neverwhere" in which I learned is a first freakin' printing, I didn't know! Evie took "Stardust", and Mark "American Gods", which he had made out to me..how sweet, I am the huge fan. So on the bottom of our tickets was the "line C". When his time of speaking was over, he took a little break and then the lines of signing began. I have never been so thankful to have bought my tickets early! He stopped speaking about 8pm, we personally were finished through the line at 11pm, again we were line C, and it went to line P! Rumor has it he was there till about 2am. You can see a pic of him icing his hands after a signing. Did I mention he used a REAL Pen and Ink!

He was great, super great, friendly, funny, smart, layed-back. It is always such a joy to meet someone you admire and they be as awesome as you had hoped. Evie was so nervous to meet him, so was I for that matter, but Evie is a budding writer, and wanted to ask him a question without holding up this massive line. He did tell me I had a beautiful smile :) She kept saying she knew she would regret it if she meet him and froze, unable to speak, so she spoke. Being the smart girl she is, she recorded the 52 second conversation with her phone. She was afraid she would forget....here it is folks...Evie's 52second conversation with the unbelievably talented Neil Gaiman...

Evie: "Hi, I'm 14 and I'm working on my first book, and I was wondering if you have any advice?" 
 (Neil paused from signing, looked at her sincerely in the face, she had all his attention)
Neil: "Finish it."
        " Everything you will learn, you will learn from finishing it."
        "If you abandon it and don't get to the end, you will never learn all the things you could learn ."
        "Finish it, no it doesn't have to be good."
(Evie smiling like a loon)
Evie: "Ok." 
Neil: "It's just like, have you ever made pancakes?"
Evie: "Yeah-"
Neil: "You know how that first pancake is always terrible?"
Evie: "Yes."
Neil: "Books can be like that too-if you keep going, just like pancakes they'll get good."
Evie: "Thank you."
Neil: "Your welcome, Thank you." 

My heart melted to the floor......