Cabinets of curiosities (also known as Wunderkammer, Cabinets of Wonder, or Wonder-rooms) were encyclopedic collections of types of objects whose categorical boundaries were various. Modern terminology would categorize the objects included as belonging to natural history (sometimes faked), geology, ethnography, archaeology, religious or historical relics, works of art (including cabinet paintings) and antiquities. — From Wikipedia

I haven’t had a chance to do more than mention in passing one of the major projects Ann and I will be working on in 2010: The Thackery T. Lambshead Cabinet of Curiosities, acquired by the wonderful Diana Gill at HarperCollins.

A loose sequel to The Thackery T. Lambshead Pocket Guide to Eccentric & Discredited Diseases–among other honors, a Hugo Award and World Fantasy Award finalist–this new anthology ramps up both the art and the storytelling, with full-page art, the delights of eccentric front and end matter, “exhibit” descriptions, and a core formed of full-on short stories.

Contributors committed to the anthology include Mike Mignola, China Mieville, Holly Black, Naomi Novik, Minister Faust, Alan Moore, Cherie Priest, Mike Moorcock, Tad Williams, Jake Von Slatt, Caitlin R. Kiernan, Jeffrey Ford, Carrie Vaughn, and Kage Baker. John Coulthart will be doing a lot of artwork for it. We’re delivering the cabinet, art and fiction, to HarperCollins in November 2010, for publication in 2011. We’ll post the full contributor list after we turn it in. Each story will be accompanied by art. (We wish we could have an open reading period, but it’s impossible given the targeted nature of the text, very specific needs, and a few other factors.)

More on the premise below the cut…

(Not the cover, but an image created by John Coulthart for the proposal.)

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Somehow, it seems entirely appropriate to post about The Kosher Guide to Imaginary Animals on Christmas Day…and necessary since Foreward posted about the book earlier this week. A lot of reverb from that and great word-of-mouth, so I just want to make sure that readers have all the info about the book now, even though it’s not out until February 2010 (just in time for Purim).

The Kosher Guide to Imaginary Animals isn’t a rehash of the original post from back in 2007. The selection from the dialogue between me and my wife on the subject is only one element of the book–and each discussion has been carefully and in most cases completely revised. But in addition to those sections, the book contains the following:

- Master designer John Coulthart’s brilliant design and copious selection of illustrations.

- Hugo Award winner Ann VanderMeer’s introduction on Jews and food.

- A foreword by Joseph Nigg, author of the Oxford University Press’s definitive guide to fantastical beasts and, under the name “Topsell” the mastermind behind the wildly popular How to Keep and Train a Dragon.

- An often tongue-in-cheek original description of each beast by yours truly.

- Ann’s conversation with Food Network star (Ace of Cakes) Duff Goldman about how you’d cook, say, a Mongolian Deathworm, and what evil tastes like.

- As an added bonus, one illo is by one of our favorite artists, Ian Miller.

All this in a beautiful little hardcover book, and a website coming soon that will include extras like the recipe cards displayed below (Ann wrote the text for those).

I highly suggest preordering this book because my gut tells me the first edition print run, no matter how large, is going to sell out within weeks of publication.

Samples from the book below the cut, and my apologies for another “book ad”–you’ll have plenty of real content here from me in the next few months.

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(Matt, Ann, and Eric. Yes, Cheney and Schaller are nuts.)

Today I’d like to thank everyone who read with me at events and/or put me up (put up with me?) during my recent five-week book tour. Special thanks to my wife Ann, Matt Staggs, Luis Rodrigues, Jeremy Tolbert, S.J. Chambers, John Coulthart, my publishers, the bookstores & other venues, people like Rob Davies who put up posters, and my readers, without whom the tour wouldn’t have been possible.

Sincere thanks and affection to:

My fellow readers/presenters…

Natania Barron
Terry Bisson
S.G. Browne
David Anthony Durham
Jeffrey Ford
Will Hindmarch
Glen Hirshberg
Ron Hogan
Jeff Johnson
Jay Lake
Mur Lafferty
Brian Lindenmuth
Geoff Manaugh
J.M. McDermott
Cherie Priest
Ekaterina Sedia
Cat Rambo
Sandra Ruttan
Eric Schaller
Kevin Smokler
Paul Tremblay

My gracious hosts…

Natania Barron & Michael Harrison
Jeanne B. Benzel
Victoria Blake
Darin Bradley & Rima Abunasser (and Lizzie)
Matt Cheney
J.T. Glover & Kyla Tew
Leslie Howle
Jason Kennedy & Duane Manka
Brian Lindenmuth & Sandra Ruttan
Cat & Wayne Rambo
Eric Schaller and Paulette Werger
Jacob & Rina Weisman
David & Pamela Wesley

And below the break, some shots from our awesome Thanksgiving holiday with our friends Matt Cheney, Eric Schaller and his wife Paulette Werger…

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The video above is a promo I shot for Fountain Bookstore in their basement, with blooper at end. I highly recommend Fountain, and they may still have signed copies of Finch and Booklife; if you live in Richmond, check them out–great owner and staff. Just look at the cool display they did for Finch, for my reading there:

…But there’s an additional purpose to this post, as the end of the year closes in on us. Some reminders and other housekeeping.

- Victoria Blake at Underland Press is offering a special on Finch limiteds. Mention this code with your order and you get 15% off your total: xmas09

- We are reading reprint submissions for the Steampunk Reloaded anthology. Check out the original guidelines post here. If you don’t submit and we don’t find your story in our research phase, well, it’s on you, bud. LOL. (Please help us spread the word.)

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Because I’d never done a five-week book tour (44 days including the World Fantasy Convention), I decided to bring a copy of my writing strategy guide Booklife with me that anyone I met could sign–at the events and outside of them. Even though I forgot to take it to a few of the 30-plus gigs and even though not everyone at the events signed the book, I wound up with an amazing memory of the tour–over 800 signatures, many with drawings, several of the personalizations hilarious. The vast majority were also huge morale boosters, with people wishing me well and pointing out some aspect of my talk or reading or presentation that they’d enjoyed.

Especially early on, a few readers were puzzled when confronted by the idea of going to a reading and signing a book for the author. A few declined to sign. A friend’s father basically said he didn’t sign anything he hadn’t read first and spent the next half-hour scrutinizing Booklife before finally signing it. In general, though, most people really liked the idea and got into the spirit of it. (The only folks who said mean things were good friends who were being cheeky.) In many places, it also added to a kind of party atmosphere, especially since at most events I would encourage everyone to join me at the bar afterwards. I honestly think more writers on long tours should do this–it’s a lovely way to get more of a sense of your readers.

Here are a few of my favorite scrawlings (with attribution where legible), followed by some photos of some others that have to be seen in context or involve drawings. I’m planning on getting someone to bind this copy into hardcover boards, as it’s beginning to fall apart a bit…

“While you Twitt, I will Knit” – Drea

“Jeff is a fungus among us.”

“Jeff—[Booklife] is great. It was also delicious.” – Keyan Bowes (referring to the Booklife cake at the World Fantasy Con)

“No matter what, don’t look for filarial worms on Youtube.” – Zak

“Survival Tip #1: There are no survival tips—MARRY RICH.” – Louis Phillips

“More Torture Squids, please.” – Mason

“This is a great idea—make the readers do all the work.” – Jennifer

“You’re friendly even before coffee.” – Joy

“This is a formal apology for Greensboro.” – Nadine

“Zombie boy doesn’t need brains.” – Chris

“I totally put my poetry on Myspace and, like, nobody has offered to buy it. I think I’ll write a poem about it. Then they will be sorry.” – Randy

“Now I know hamsters are a good thing.” – Eirk Allen

“Just imagine I wrote something pithy and insightful on page 47.” – Eben

“Maybe the next edition will allow for something about dealing with people who call you Vanderberg.” – Tim

“Some things are unGoogleable!” – Kathy Sedia

“It was nice meeting you at Thanksgiving.” – Raquel, aka “cholera girl”

“Did you get your fucking coffee? Thanks for coming to Joisey.” – Jeff F

“Don’t forget the undead fetal pigs.”

“I’ve heard a lot of good things about Booklife–mostly from Jeff!”

“One foot on orange ladder. One foot on nonfunctioning big TV hovering over mile-high stack of PBR to do your reading: Priceless.” – S. Parsons

“Are Appendices even legal?”

“Thank you for letting me spend an hour telling you what your books are about.” – Ron Hogan

“Jeff VanderMeer is a curmudgeon and does not get any ice cream.” – Tessa

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As I’ve already noted, I have absolutely LOVED the guest blogging over the past five weeks. (Some of which may continue into tomorrow and Friday.) I’ve enjoyed the diversity of opinions and posts, and going forward it’s given me ideas for expanding the scope of the blog.

I’m a little too tired to compile all of the names, but if each guest blogger would leave a comment on this post with some info on their current work or projects and any relevant URLs, I’m sure readers of Ecstatic Days would appreciate it. And if readers want to heap praise on the guest bloggers, I’m sure they wouldn’t mind…

Some of Eric Orchard’s stunning art for a collaboration he and I are working on called Bellysnatcher, based on a dream I had. We’re not worrying about grade level at the moment. Just creating the darn thing. The other stuff will sort itself out. I’ll be done with the story part in about a month.

(Me with Mur Lafferty, Natania Barron, and giant microbes last night in Chapel Hill)

After a wonderful event last night with Mur Lafferty and Natania Barron at Chapel Hill Comics, the Finch/Booklife tour comes to an end tonight in Atlanta at Manuel’s Tavern. We’ll start at 8pm in the North Room and I’m reading with Will Hindmarch and J.M. McDermott. We’ll also be there early, at 6pm, for a comics meeting/party that sounds interesting.

Also note that Nicola Morgan is answering your writing questions today over at Booklifenow.com–go give her a question!

Finally, here are some photos from the awesome event last night. The store is one of my favorites now–excellent selection and also nicely laid out. Owner Andrew Neal is a great guy.

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Hey, folks–I’ve been on the road since October 28th. My socks need darning. My brain is woozy, but I’m hanging in there. Help me go out with a bang and come out to one of the last three events. All three of them are awesome venues and I’m reading with some amazing people. Note–for Atlanta, there is a comics group meeting at Manuel’s at six, so come out early!

Hope to see you there. I appreciate the encouragement to cross the finish line. Love, Jeff

FOUNTAIN BOOKSTORE (Richmond, VA) – Dec. 8, 6:00pm
1312 E Cary St.
Holiday party special guest, with reading and signing (6:45pm)

CHAPEL HILL COMICS (Chapel Hill, NC) – Dec. 10, 7pm to 8:30pm
316 W Franklin St
Reading/Signing/Group Story, with Mur Lafferty and special guest Natania Barron

MANUEL’S BAR (Atlanta, GA) – Dec. 11, 8pm
(602 N. Highland Ave, North Avenue Room)
Reading/Signing with Will Hindmarch and special guest J.M. McDermott

The photo above is of two pages of my personal copy of Booklife, which I’ve been having everyone I meet sign. It’s got everyone from the cabby who drove me into NYC to Lev Grossman to Robert Fisher from Willard Grant Conpiracy to Colleen Lindsay to Matt Cheney to Ekaterina Sedia to most of the attendees at the various events. It’s especially gratifying to get readers’ signatures, and to see their surprise and often their delight at getting to sign my “yearbook” of my five-week tour. It’s already one of my prized possessions, and I hope that those of you attending the last events will also sign it.

I’ve had an incredible three-and-a-half weeks, and although at times I have felt the strain of all this time on the road, for the most part it’s been a glorious adventure (chronicled on Facebook). Here are the remaining events. I hope I see some of this blog’s readers at them. We’ve been averaging a healthy forty to fifty per event and it would be great to end strong–and, frankly, cheering me on is gonna help keep me energized. (And, anyone in Atlanta–that last gig is totally a huge party.)

Also note the full interview that was excerpted on national NPR. Also, there is an LA Times review but it is full of spoilers, starting in the first para. If you haven’t read the book you must avoid this review at all costs.

WOFFORD COLLEGE (Spartanburg, SC) – Dec. 3, 7:30 p.m.
429 North Church Street, Olin Theater
Reading/Signing

MALAPROPS BOOKSTORE (Asheville, NC) – Dec. 5, 3pm to 5pm
55 Haywood Street
Kaaffeklatch and Signing

BARNES & NOBLE (Burlington, NC) – Dec. 6, 2pm
3125 Waltham Blvd
Reading/Signing

FOUNTAIN BOOKSTORE (Richmond, VA) – Dec. 8, 6:00pm
1312 E Cary St.
Holiday party special guest, with reading and signing (6:45pm)

CHAPEL HILL COMICS (Chapel Hill, NC) – Dec. 10, 7pm to 8:30pm
316 W Franklin St
Reading/Signing/Group Story, with Mur Lafferty and special guest Natania Barron

MANUEL’S BAR (Atlanta, GA) – Dec. 11, 8pm
(602 N. Highland Ave, North Avenue Room)
Reading/Signing with Will Hindmarch and special guest J.M. McDermott