One of my favorite columnists at the San Francisco Chronicle, Jon Carroll, has nice words to say about me today, here.
It’s always a kick when someone gets it, when the things that amuse me (fiction linked to fiction linked to reality and getting lost therein) amuse others as well.
A great column! I also liked the response proposing a constitutional amendment to outlaw marriage between fictional characters. And indeed, The Art of Detection is one of the most deliciously witty books I’ve ever read.
I read this piece on-line yesterday and emailed Jon the following (in part):
“Hey, Jon. Just read your piece on Laurie R. King. Just to let you know, “The Art of Detection” is a much richer experience if you had read “Locked Rooms” (one of the Mary Russell series) first. It has some neat hinted at cross-over type things in it.”
I wonder how many other FOL he heard from!
–Marjorie
Marjorie – I was just sitting down to write to him myself! You have no idea how surprised I was this morning when I opened the paper and saw the first line of his article.
Laurie’s link now takes you to his newest post. So here is a link to the article about hers truly (is that a phrase? If there is a yours truly, then there should be a hers truly, shouldn’t there? If not, I have just started a new trend):
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2009/07/22/DDFO18S55B.DTL
Indigo, write him anyway. The more the merrier. He thanks me for my “tip” on the books.
–Marjorie
Hmm. I was thinking about writing him, too. He may be surprised at what he has unleashed. In January of 2008 I organized a combined belated-anniversary-and-Sherlock Holmes’-birthday-party, and got the nice print shop down the road to do up invitations. They did a fine job of it, too. But the best moment was when the owner of the shop (a reader of Holmes) said to me “He was ficitional, right?” That confusion is a lovely thing.//Meredith
I’m writing again!
I’ve been lucky to find all of your books since I’ve discovered you ( except Califia’s Daughters, Keeping Watch and A Darker Place, but I will!). What the hell took me so long. Anyway I am a happier man that I have.
Just finished “Justice Hall”. All I can say it was one of the best books I’ve ever read. And simple Thank you will have to do. I’m in awe of your talent. You are one of the finest writers I’ve read and I read every day. You are “The WO-man”! Mike