Neil Gaiman was born, as far as most are concerned, under normal circumstances in Hampshire, England. He spent the majority of his childhood roaming the local library’s halls, where he discovered the works of C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien and Ursula K. LeGuin. Now, many years later, he has joined the ranks of these authors, writing books that are often described as “odd,” “creepy” or “twisted.” His stories take on dark subject matter, often subverting those themes and turning them on their ears. Some of his works include American Gods, The Sandman graphic novel series, Coraline and The Graveyard Book.
Having just released his first novel in eight years, The Ocean at the End of the Lane, Gaiman is currently in the midst of a lengthy U.S. tour. On June 29, he stopped at the Crystal Ballroom in Portland for a reading and signing event presented by Powell’s Books. An eager crowd of nearly 900 awaited him.
“We pushed Dan Brown to number two!” Gaiman jokingly announced to the crowd in his soothing British accent, referring to the novel’s rise to the top of the New York Times bestseller list. The audience threw up triumphant fists of celebration as the ballroom echoed with a cacophony of hoots and hollers.
“Take that, Dan Brown and your intricately crafted Renaissance fantasy,” Gaiman exclaimed with a charming smile that bore no ill will.
Speaking to the audience, he explained how he interwove fairy tales with factual events in the story based on happenings in his own life. When Gaiman was a child of only 7, a lodger in the family house drove his car to the end of the lane and killed himself. It wasn’t until speaking with his father many years later that he learned the truth of the incident. By combining that event with his childhood wonder at a house in his hometown that had been around since the time of William the Conqueror (and his imaginings of a family that has lived there forever), Gaiman’s book was born.
Gaiman calls this his “accidental novel.” It was written as a gift for his wife, Amanda Palmer, who was in Melbourne recording an album with her band. He recalled from the stage how it was planned as a short story for a wife who was half a world away, where the only form of communication was the occasional text message. But as the weeks went by and the number of pages grew, Gaiman realized that the short story had become a novel.
After addressing the crowd, Gaiman read from the beginning to the book’s third chapter, a part he had not read in previous cities. He easily adapted his voice to each character, slipping from a young girl’s high-pitched, assertive tones to an old crone’s cackle. If that chapter is representative of the rest of the novel, it is sure to be enchanting.
A question-and-answer session preceded the signing. With an audience of such a size, there was no way for Gaiman to answer everyone’s questions, and the crowd had plenty. One of the most memorable was, “What was the best gift you’ve received on tour?” Gaiman stopped a moment, considering his response, before answering that it was a handmade stuffed “My Little Pony of Death.”
Another fan asked him to describe his writing process in three words or less.
“Glare. Drink tea,” Gaiman said.
Wise words for any aspiring writer.
The Ocean at the End of the Lane is available now.