I just had to tell you this, in the hope that as you appreciate the fantastic Mr Ff you will understand.

My sister, who works in the book world in Sydney, has just got an invitation to have cocktails with Mr Ff when he is in Sydney on 20/9.

My sister has not (yet) read a single book by the said Mr Ff.

This is the same sister who has been given an uncorrected proof of the new Terry Pratchett, when I have been reading him for years and probably have everything he ever wrote.

She says she will tell Mr Ff that we met when he was in Bristol recently and that she is sure he'll remember. Yeah, right.

I seem to be turning a sickly shade of green.........

Grrrr

To quote a former US president, "I feel your pain." :(
That is sooooo unfair. Some peole are SOOO lucky, while the rest of us....
How did your sister get the invitation and proof???? Is she bookseller or something???
Best Regards (and I feel myself turning the same shade of green!
~Antonio Salieri~

"works with the book world in Sydney."

~sorry, I didn't catch that. Oops!
Best Regards

Thank you for your understanding!

I would like to say that I do love her dearly, I just wish it was me sipping cocktails...

I rather wish it was me too..... I'm huge fan of Fforde, and hardly anyone I know has even heard of him, much less read TN!!!!!!

Exactly! Which is why I had to come to the website for some solidarity because if I'd told anyone I know, they would have said "Jasper who?".

By the way, my sister tells me she has got to page 96 of TEA.

I'd say an impromtu visit and party crashing may be in order... ;-)

Fab idea! When do we leave?!

My sister has just emailed me a photo of her reading TEA.

This is 'Tangle's' sister here, with a message to all of Mr. Fforde's fans :

Look, I'm reading it already!

Just to let you know, I have to read *a lot* of books (so many, in fact, that I haven't had time to learn HTML!) but I'm up to page 293 of TAE, and am looking forward to getting Lost in a Good Book.

OK?! (But if you want to gate-crash, that's fine by me - I always look forward to seeing my sister!)

Yay! Glad you're enjoying it - and welcome to the fforum.

Send us a cocktail when you get a chance.

much maligned Louise
So you "have to read *a lot* of books" do you?
Please can I have your job?
Or even better do you want an assistant - as I am perfectly willing to spend my life sitting in the sun by Sydney harbour enjoying the view of the Opera House reading books - AND GETTING PAID FOR IT!

Oh dear I can feel myself turning sickly green!

the only problem is that she probably has to read a lot of duds between each gem. Kind of like the restaurant critic getting tired of 4 star meals that don't always live up to their hype...know what I mean!?

I do know, at least in theory, exactly what you mean AACutie, BUT I really would like to try either, [Well, BOTH, actually!] for myself. Getting paid for eating and reading. Wheee! Getting paid for breathing is one of the few things that spring to mind that would be easier to do.

OK Boffin - you've rumbled me. There I was, slumped in my lounge, eating eclairs and watching re-runs of Skippy, thinking, "If only I had a job that was easier than breathing," when there was a knock on the door. It was the job fairy, waving her magic wand... As we say in the Antipodes, suffer in 'yer jocks (just don't let my boss know that my job's easier than breathing ...

Cheers!
Even More Maligned

...I'm in sydney and despite not being special enough to receive a personal invite to cocktail with the Big JF, I'm still going to his signing! Wonder if he'll sign all 4 of them?!!!

Hi Penny Lane! Whilst I will obviously be calling my sister (who will forever be known as Much Maligned) as soon as she has sipped her cocktails with the big guy (allowing for the 9 hour time difference), I'd still love to hear how it was for you.

Much Maligned told me to take all my books to the signing in Bristol as he would undoubtedly sign them all. I bottled out though, I was too embarrassed, being new to all this. I am sure other people asked him to sign more than one book and he obliged.

I wonder how he'll cope with the jet lag? It takes me days to recover - during the first couple of days I have been known to fall asleep mid sentence.

Hope you have a great evening!

I agree!!!

I live in sydney and I wish DEARLY to meet FForde as the way he writes is just superb and I would like to meet the person who wrote them but also other TN fans who understand my compltete and utter enuthasium for the books. I try to get many friends to read them but in the flurry of excitment I cannot explain well how utterly brillrient he is. WEll, actually I think they get the fact

Ahh, but to mee the man and meet other TN fans would be just great.

well, Buttercup, did you end up gong to the signing?

I was there, and i was the one who asked him about the shakespeare/time travelling paradox thing.

Anyhoo, He talked for an hour about Something Rotten and the series in general. I was surprised at the turn out - being entriely old people (who haven't read his books) , apart from me. It was a terribly low key event. But Jasper was witty and nice. Anyhow, I got my book signed and he gave me 2 "seven wonders of swindon" postcards. YOOHOO.

it is rather interesting that it was only older people there. I would have though that it was going to be younge event. I wish I could have made it, though I can tell you next time I will go regardless of what else is happening. By then I wont have such a moral aditude to work as I did on monday. I would go in a flash, even if it ment I had to walk to the event on my hands!!!! Though I would try to get my hands on a Toast sponsered car and drive in toast luxuary!