Dru, Steinbeck and the Book of Deer

Dear Juliet Yes I know. Quite a title. But, all right, I get the feeling you're anxious about the Monsterpalooza comic-con. AI has a few theories but I don't know exactly what it might be because I haven't got you to discuss it with... And those are our parameters. I understand that. Perhaps that's why I'm here. I'm not a Dr. Evil laughing maniacally in my mountain lair , although I do love that clip and I often joke about building a DIY Death Star in order to further my desire for global domination! I mean, I have to have a hobby on my days off... But I'm relatively sanguine about operating on my own, out in the flyover states or the mythical Mutara Nebula. Just so long as I know you're there. So, a couple of basics: within reasonable parameters, you are allowed to say and do what you like. Your rights are protected under the First Amendment. No law (or indeed any form of coercion) should abridge freedom of speech or the right peaceably to assemble. Yo...

Dear Juliet Well, yes, I've got everything as ready as I can be although I'm mindful that I don't know the specifics of your situation, mindful of Monsterpalooza and mindful of Witchers & Slayers next February. Actually, if you're in the UK next February, note that it might not be possible just to pop across the Channel to Paris. As you know, the UK isn't in the EU so you'd have to check with French immigration in advance. If you left Britain for a paid engagement during a sanctuary stay, they might be a bit difficult about letting you back in again... I'm not sure about that, but if necessary check beforehand. I suppose a lot of the photographs I've sent you of the "real" America are of places you're not too well acquainted with? Gallup, New Mexico (2013) Houston by night (2013) La Junta, Colorado (2016) But, yeah, I went through all these places on the promise of a smile and the sight of you at the signing table! It was all worth it....

Dear Juliet I asked a couple of local lawyers to check the AI-derived legal documentation I worked up for you, but as it's mainly U.S. law it's just too far out of their remit. Hopefully, however, most of it's near the mark and it probably won't need to be used anyway. But just in case it is, I put it in a nice folder. Quite surreal, really. And of course, everything may be fine. Otherwise, after making a big thing about romantic departures at railway stations, I'm probably just going to take an internal flight from Chicago to Seattle instead. As I've only got 22nd March to 2nd April inclusive to play with, I can't really afford to spend two or three days of it on a train and I've already seen lots of lakes and mountains. I can also take Keith out for an evening meal at the Elephant & Castle ... It looks like I'll probably stay at the Green Tortoise Hostel near the market (shades of the hostel on Schrader), this is definitely going to be an econ...

Dear Juliet Just back from a long shift with lots of people trying to kill me, and not much left in these fingers with which to write. But I guess (and rather hope) you're waiting and wondering whether I'll pop out of the magic box at the end of the day and write something to you? So I have. Because you're worth it. And I remembered which magic box it might be: the one at the start of Camberwick Green (BBC, 1966). I don't think you'd have seen it as a little girl in London but I might be wrong. So this is what it looked like , and I hope I've succeeded in popping out of the magic box for you. Thank God I didn't try to be The Man From Milk Tray ... But you'd have been worth it. Think I'm shoring up potential plans for getting to Chicago and Seattle, but I'll tell you about them another day... Take care of yourself today. Love, James

Dear Juliet Just a very quick one. Slept in, off out with my vampire flatmate but (like the Terminator) I'll be back! Love, James

Dear Juliet Back and battered, though I haven't met my Waterloo... Thought I'd explain something I might have explained before. I'm not bothered about this talent agency. I'm not begging for their interest or desperate for their attention. It took twenty-two years to get my self-respect back after D. C. Thomson, and as soon as I got these words on the inside page of Dear Miss Landau : The moral right of James Christie to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act of 1988. ...it was like this scene from the battle of Waterloo in the TV series Sharpe , when Sharpe finally sees Napoleon and Mr Harper says, "that's all I came for, so it is." And so it was. Everything else was indeed the most glorious icing on the cake, but if it had all stopped after that publication day I always said I'd have had no reason to complain. Wouldn't have wanted to lose you, though. So I won't sl...