New York City: Report

From: Michael Barry <mgb@comet.columbia.edu>
Newsgroups: alt.fan.pratchett
Subject: [F] Pterry in NYC. Report
Date: Thu, 06 Apr 2000 19:46:54 -0400
Message-ID: <38ED21EE.8EB60BA6@comet.columbia.edu>

Hi Everyone,

This isn't an afpmeet report as that didn't quite come off. But, as
usual, for the Pterry fan community there were lots of friendly, happy
people in attendance, from as far away as Massachusets and as close as
Manhattan.

There were well over 100 people at the signing and Pterry was signing
books for ages (I got mine signed at 9:45 and there were still 25 people
behind me).

Pterry didn't read, instead we got a very interesting and amusing
monologue on the hardships of being a writer and having to accept PhDs,
OBEs and having extinct turtle species named after you. He rambled (no
insult intended) through various subjects including where ideas come
from (everywhere), how books and plots are developed, what is going to
happen in the next set of books and so on.  

Some highlights and other things that stick in my mind

Someone once asked Pterry to sign a scythe. They wanted to etch his sig
into the blade with acid.

On tour in OZ somebody Pterry once chucked a fosters can into a bin at a
signing. Later on he and the store manager watched a fan go through the
bin looking for the can.

The worst turnout for this tour was about as good as the best turnout at
the last US tour.

Books will be published simulataneously in the US and UK from now on
(probably).

Lots of talk about getting Kidby covers in the US, but my impressions
are that is not likely. This is a pity as most of the people there
seemed to prefer the UK covers. Lots of reasons why covers are
difference including politics and the positioning of the books in the US
- as mainstream or fantasy fiction.

Terry Gillian has been signed up to direct Good Omens. But financing
isn't quite there yet.

No more animations for a while. Someone (c4!) tends to show them at
off-peak hours, like 1 AM - I found this strange the only time I saw
Wyrd Sisters was on a Sun afternoon at 5:30pm, but it was a repeat.

All women want to be Granny Weatherwax, would settle for being Nanny Ogg
and end up as Magrat

More on The Truth 
Its the Disc's first newspaper (OK we knew this)
No info on "major characters", but of one who IS in the book. Well, her
grandfather had an interesting job.
It has the discs first Tarantino villans in it.
It describes what going medieval on someones ass really means. Well
there's the three field system, the decline of the church and if you are
really serious, the maypole.

Small bit on Thief of Time
It explains such anomalies as how the best theater built in A-M is
shakespearian, but the Opera House has coushined seats and chandeliers
Basically it all works beacuse people don't pay attention - a recurring
theme in Discworld novels!!

After this Pterry is going to write some more childrens books, with at
least one taking place on Discworld.

Lots more probably happened, but I can't remember.


Michael Barry

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