Well, here are the updates that have been pending since February.

Thanks to the dozen or so people who emailed me with that story.

• Another Universe's Interview
• The Onion has an interview with Neil
• Laura Likes Books interviewed Neil
• Collecting Comics.com has an interview with Neil
• CNN has an interview with Neil at http://cnn.com/books/news/9902/25/gaiman.neil/ with plenty of video clips.
• Amazon.com has an interview with Neil about Stardust.  No video clips this time, but hey, no video ads either!
• Evaine found an interview at Horror Online
• Writerswrite has another interview
• University of Toronto's Campuslife has another interview
• Gnosis has an interview entitled "The God of Funny Books"
• Locus Magazine's interview

Silver Birch, Blood Moon is the latest grown-up fairy tale collection. from editors Ellen Datlow and Terri Windling. (It's their fifth!) It  contains Gaiman's "Locks" which is based on what can happen to a story (in this case, Goldilocks and the Three Bears) when you have to tell it over and over again to your child.

Lance Smith, who liked the G. Gordon Liddy version of the story
squidboy@visi.com

Hey, Harry. I'm a faithful reader of your site up here in Toronto. Went to see Neil Gaiman at a local book signing. This is the last stop on his book tour to promote STARDUST. After reading from his book, Neil fielded a few questions about some of his properties that Hollywood is developing. SANDMAN is in the hellish clutches of Jon Peters. We know that. And NEVERWHERE is being developed by Jim Henson Productions and Miramax. Looks like it's a go. Anyway, here's the real scoop, and Neil told the audience we were the first to hear this. When he was in L.A. on his book tour, he took a meeting with Bob Weinstein of Miramax about NEVERWHERE. Weinstein asked Neil why he seemed so tired. Neil mentioned the grueling multi-city book tour he was doing to promote STARDUST. So Weinstein asked him what this STARDUST was all about. Neil told him the story, and Bob said he was interested in making it into a movie then and there, without even reading the book. Anyway, Neil said that today Weinstein made him an offer that included Gaiman writing the script. Could be extremely cool. Oh, apparently Weinstein said that he wanted Gwyneth Paltrow to play the part of the fallen star in the tale.

lucy_anne@yahoo.com
"The books that help you the most are those which make you
think the most" - Theodore Parker

I get occasional requests for information on Sandman or Death T-Shirts, and I point everyone to www.graphittidesigns.com - Del posted some scans from their catalog, which you'd think they'd have online...

`STARDUST' SHINES AS LITERARY NEOCLASSIC
( Denver Rocky Mountain News )

STARDUST
By Neil Gaiman (Avon Spike, 256 pages, $22).

Here is a really strange anecdote: On the night of Dec. 13, I finished reading Stardust, Neil Gaiman's marvelous new fantasy about what happens when a backwoods adolescent captures a personified fallen star in the land of faerie. On Dec. 14, I went for a run (see also ``shuffle' ' and ``stumble'') at 5 a.m., which I do almost every day. In a period of 45 minutes, I saw 13 meteors. In all the years I've staggered about in the dark, I've never seen more than three in one day, and that only once. Most days I don't see any. Is this some kind of omen or what? I don't know, but I thought it was worth sharing. The story starts out in Wall in rural England. The village is so named because of a wall that borders it. There is only one opening in the wall, and that is guarded night and day by the menfolk of the town. For one day every nine years, the gate is open for the market that is set up by the faeries, elves, dwarves and other supernatural folk that live on the other side. What young Tristan Thorn, raised in Wall by his father and a woman he thinks is his mother, doesn't know is that he is the result of the dalliance between his human father and a faerie queen at one of those market gatherings. He is sent away to visit relatives and misses the market when he is nine. Eight years later, he falls in love with Victoria Forester, the most beautiful girl in the village. One night he and Victoria witness a falling star, and Victoria promises him his heart's desire if he will find the star and return it to her. Tristan is first shocked when the guards at the gate allow him to pass into the forbidden area where the star must have landed.

But his shock is even greater when he discovers that the ``star'' is not a hunk of rock or metal, but a beautiful young woman whose leg has been broken in the fall. After he captures her, treats her leg and begins the arduous journey back home, he learns that he is not the only one who wants the ``star.' ' It seems that her heart is the secret of youth for three evil witches, and a precious stone she wears is the symbol of rule for the seven murderous brothers of Stronghold. In the adventures that follow, Tristan comes of age and learns what love is really all about. I looked up ``classic'' in the dictionary and couldn't find how long it takes for a work of literature to become one. One definition is ``a standard of excellence.'' In the world of fantasy, Stardust certainly qualifies.

 ....... "Life is the lust of a lamp for the light that is dark till the dawn of the day when we die." ACS

STARDUST
By Neil Gaiman
February 1999
Fantasy
Spike--Avon Books
ISBN 0-380-97728-1

In the village of Wall is a wall.  And on the other side of the wall is a mysterious meadow, which leads to another land very different from a quiet English village at the dawn of the Victorian era. Guards from the village bar entrance to the meadow except for once every nine years when the Faerie Market is held and traffic passes between the two worlds.  Young Tristran Thorn will follow his dreams into the land beyond Wall and find magic and more. Neil Gaiman is a fantasy author whose work includes the SANDMAN graphic novels and the bestseller NEVERWHERE.  In STARDUST he pays homage to writers like Cabell and C.S. Lewis who showed the world that there was an adult audience for fantasy.  STARDUST follows Tristran as he searches for a fallen star to present to Victoria Forester, the loveliest girl in Wall. He will do this because he has sworn to perform this quest for Victoria and because if he does, she has promised to give Tristran anything he desires from her. The supporting characters of STARDUST are drawn with a deft touch.

The people of Wall represent all that is good and not so good about a small English village in the mid-19th century. But it's in the land of Faerie that Tristran will learn much about kindness and helping and honor.And of course, of the true nature of love:  "I am the most miserable person who ever lived," he said to the Lord Primus...  "You are young, and in love," said Primus.  "Every young man in your position is the most miserable young man who ever lived." STARDUST is an absolutely delightful book, enhanced by stunning page designs.  It has true love, quests, unicorns, witches and kingdoms lost and won.  If you like Robin McKinley, Patricia McKillip and Goldman's THE PRINCESS BRIDE you'll love STARDUST.

--Eve Ackerman, CompuServe Romance Reviews

From Zentertainment
Neil Gaiman has officially told ZEN that MIRAMAX has acquired the rights to his fantasy novel STARDUST. No cast or director have been assigned to the live-action film, which may go to either MIRAMAX or DIMENSION, but Gaiman himself will write its screenplay.

He is also about to start writing the pilot episode of a new TV series for IMAGINE (Felicity, Sports Night), negotiations are still underway with an undisclosed director to adapt his and Terry Pratchett's apocalyptic comedy GOOD OMENS, and the PRINCESS MONONOKE anime blockbuster he adapted into English is expected to reach U.S. theaters on July 9th. [Puck's note: Nope, it'll be October 29th)

*****
From the Washington Post
Science Fiction and Fantasy
The Washington Post; Washington; Mar 7, 1999; David Streitfeld;

Neil Gaiman made his mark with the Sandman graphic novels, then branched out into pure prose with short stories and a children's book. Stardust (Avon Spike, $22) is his second solo novel, and it's a charming piece of work. That's its virtue, and also its downfall.

The tale starts perhaps a century ago in the English town of Wall, named after its distinguishing feature. The wall has one gap, which is guarded day and night to prevent anyone from slipping in or out. Beyond lie the fields of Faerie; the townspeople know better than to get mixed up with any of those folk.

Except for Tristan Thorn, that is. He has a little faerie blood in him, which makes him fearless; besides, he's on a mission. Victoria, the most beautiful young woman in Wall, will be his bride if he fetches a star that has fallen in the East.

"Few of us now have seen the stars as folk saw them then -- our cities and towns cast too much light into the night -- but, from the village of Wall, the stars were laid out like worlds or like ideas, uncountable as the trees in a forest or the leaves on a tree. Tristan would stare into the darkness of the sky until he thought of nothing at all, and then he would go back to his bed, and sleep like a dead man."

A hero, a quest, a style alternately sprightly and melancholy; so far so good. Gaiman has a gift for humor. Tristan describes Victoria to a stranger.

"Her face is -- " he begins.

"Usual complement of bits?" interrupts his listener. "Eyes? Nose? Teeth? All the usual?"

"Of course."

"Well then, you can skip that stuff. We'll take it all as said."

The trouble is, Gaiman keeps breaking his own spell. As Tristan enters Faerie, he passes "beyond the fields we know." The phrase is Dunsany's, but the association is jarring because it's unnecessary. Another description of Victoria is introduced by the words "A description." Tristan meets a helpful peddler, who introduces himself: " `Charmed,' he said. He tapped the side of his pack: on it was written: `Charmed, enchanted, ensorcelled and confusticated.' `I used to be confusticated,' he confided, but you know how these things go.' " Stardust is eminently readable but not memorable, a Disney re- creation of a castle rather than the real thing.

David Streitfeld writes the Book Report column for Book World.

*****
From the Dallas Morning News:
In Martin's 'Clash of Kings,' the delight is in the details
The Dallas Morning News; Dallas; 02-21-1999; Dorman Shindler;

Stardust by Neil Gaiman (Avon, $22) is the fantasy story of young Tristran Thorn and his adventures in the land of Faerie. Tristran promises his sweetheart that he'll retrieve a fallen star for her from beyond a wall built between their rural English town and the Faerie realm. Venturing beyond the wall (except to attend an enchanted flea market held every nine years) is unheard of, but, full of ignorant bravery, Tristran sets out to fetch the star and win the hand of his love. His adventures - involving witches, goblin gangs, animated trees and the sons of the dead Lord of Stormhold - are thrilling and even a little goofy, in a fun sort of way. Stardust reads like a mix between L. Frank Baum, the Brothers Grimm and a Tim Burton movie script. Though it contains a few racy scenes that might have to be skipped, you could enjoy this one at bedtime with your children. ***** There's a two page interview/discussion about Neil's involvement with the Princess Mononoke film, in the Summer 1999 AnimeFantastique. A bit from it (by Paula Vitaris):

"Gaiman, who has enjoyed viewing anime but admits he is no expert on the subject, knew nothing about Miramax's plans for PRINCESS MONONOKE until he received a call from Miramax president Harvey Weinstein, who asked him if he would be interested in writing an English-language script for the film.  Gaiman's name had been suggested by Quentin Tarantino, whose mother was a fan of Gaiman's.  Gaiman wasn't particularly interested at first, but when he was told that Leonardo DiCaprio had been approached to voice Ashitaka, he felt it was his duty as the father of a 13-year-old daughter and TITANIC fan to check it out.  (The role eventually went to Billy Crudup.)"

-lucy anne
(which many thanks to Lance for e-mailing her about the Mononoke article!)

Gaiman: The Return

It's been three years since Neil Gaiman's last issue of The Sandman, and since that time, readers have anticipated the fan-favorite and critically-lauded writer to the character and concepts he put on the map. As now, as past of series' 10th anniversary celebration, Gaiman picks up his Sandman pen once again for in a new, original hardcover graphic novel painted by legendary Japenese artist Yoshitaka Amano due in the 4th quarter of 1999.

Set in ancient Japan, and inspired by Amano's instant sell-out Sandman 10th Anniversary Poster, The Sandman: The Dream Hunters is a story of "ill-fated love and dream-eating monsters", told in an illustrated text format filled with Amano's interpretations of Morpheus and other classic Sandman characters.

Ryan Theodores followed up with a link to an Amano art page: http://www.lucian.com/amanoe.htm

http://members.aol.com/frcom/award.htm
has the German awards, with Neverwhere nominated as best foreign novel and best translation, and

http://www.sfwa.org/News/stokpre.htm
has the Horror awards, with Smoke and Mirrors nominated as best collection.

These are both things I learned from

http://www.locusmag.com/News/1999/News03a.html
which is the Locus site news page.

E>v

PS - I'm keeping my figers crossed that he gets a Hugo nomination for Day of the Dead. Anyone know when they get announced?

Miramax Takes 'Stardust'
This week's edition of Entertainment Weekly reports that Miramax has acquired the big screen rights to Sandman writer Neil Gaiman?s latest book, Stardust. The magazine also reports that Gaiman's agent is negotiating with Miramax for the rights to Neverwhere as well. Way back on January 28th. Gaiman appeared at a book signing and revealed that Neverwhere was moving smoothly through pre-production, which doesn't sound like a deal was only pending with Miramax at the time.

Evaine reports that The Hollywood Reporter also says:

NEW YORK -- Dimension Films has sprinkled down money for the film and TV rights to "Stardust," the just-published novel by cult comic book writer Neil Gaiman. Miramax's genre unit has also signed Gaiman to adapt the book, a Los Angeles Times best-seller described as a fairy tale for grown-ups in the tradition of "The Princess Bride." "Stardust" follows young Tristran Thorn, who promises his beloved that he will retrieve a fallen star for her from beyond the wall of their home in Victorian England and plunges deep into the forbidden land of Faerie. The book is the latest work from the prolific Gaiman, whose award- winning DC Comics "Sandman" collections have sold more than 750,000 copies.

Stardust has been nominated for the Fantasy Award for Adult Literature in the 1999 Mythopoeic Awards.

The announcement is at the Locus site
http://www.netwiz.net/~locus/1999/News/News06c.html

Or go to the Mythopoeic Awards site at
http://www.mythsoc.org/awards.html
for more info about the awards.

Hey!  I've found two things you might think are nifty...hope someone out there thinks so, too!  :)

The Tiger Garden:  A Book of Writer's Dreams has a dream of Neil's...made me wince, not because it wasn't good (Oh, it was) but because it has scorpions....eeek.

And A Distant Soil number 5 has a picture of Colleen Doran, SIm, Jeff Smith and Neil Gaiman...the reason it was such a neat find is because he was wearing prescription glasses.  Now I belive he reads all of those books he says!  (Reading is the lovliest thing in the world, but it's hell on the eyes, ain't it?  Sigh...)  All right, I'm silly....but if you keep the things thatt make you happy in your life small, you'll actually get to be happy once in a while.

So here's a story...

DC and Neil Gaiman negotiate to correct the colors on Brief Lives. Each change is discussed. Five people are hired to do color corrections and dozens of hours are spent recoloring and shooting a new film. The new printing of the book is run off, the copies sent out and...

There is no change to the color.

Somehow the printers used the original uncorrected film.

Maybe next printing. At least a corrected version is possible