Jeff VanderMeer

(Not exactly the imposing bird head I wanted, but it’ll have to do. In addition to giving out the first annual Last Drink Bird Head Awards at the party at WFC Thursday night, we’ll be giving away a limited edition of Finch *and* five copies of the Shared Worlds student chapbook designed by John Coulthart–something you can’t get anywhere else–plus probably a couple of other goodies. We’ll accomplish this by throwing this bird into the crowd; you catch it, you win…simple.)

We’re heading off to World Fantasy tomorrow, and hope to see lots of old and new friends there. I’ve posted my schedule before, but remember these in particular: the Last Drink Bird Head party at 8pm Thurs night, Ann and Stephen’s Weird Tales party late Saturday night, and, erm, if you come to my reading at 4pm on Saturday, you’ll get the low-down on why I’m renouncing squid, as well as a reading from Finch that confirms the passing of the torch from squid to fungi. After WFC, it’s the book tour, full details here.

Meanwhile, take a gander at this big-ass reproduction of the Booklife cover on GeekDad, and check out Booklifenow for posts on strengths and weaknesses and book tour ruminations, with more posted tomorrow.

Also, hey–did you know that Speed Weed came clean? Now you do (check Tor later this month for a post by Ann and me on “Can Dirigibles Saunter?”) and that Tom P has a new novel out? And that Will Hindmarch is crazy talented doing these poster thingees for the tour:

Meanwhile, multi-tasking fool that I am, I have been guest blogging on the blog of Portland Oregon’s awesome Powell’s Bookstore, where I’ll be reading on November 7th at 4pm (Cedar Hills location). My first piece went up yesterday, about cult detectives, and why they’re like mushrooms. Tomorrow, probably in the evening, an excerpt from Booklife with commentary, and November 2nd they’ll post some thoughts about the insanely hilarious craziness of this book tour.

I’ll check in before the guest bloggers start Nov. 4 (definitely check this space Nov. 3 for the Finch stuff!), but for now I leave you with evidence that progress is being made on the Finch Insurgency Campaign, in yet another undisclosed location far off in the wide world…