Next Sitting

Had an excellent weekend in Caen at a Book Fair in a castle which mixed sequential art with prose : regular books with bande dessinee like they were equal, which, of course, they are... It couldn't happen here. Spent all the working time signing and sketching at the tables of the most excellent bookstore - La Cour des Miracles - and spent much excellent time with my hosts, Jean- Marie and Sophie, and many other excellent folks of their acquaintance and, now, mine.
Took a walk around town in the time I had before catching a train out of there, got somewhat lost , and asked two random folk for directions. BOTH spoke English. Imagine some poor lost Frenchman in some town here trying to get some sense from us guys... hah. Caen also has an excellent old abbey dating back to 1066, where William the Conqueror obviously said his prayers before taking his sword to us lot. Fantastic eroded stone carvings on it, here, look... They're restoring some of the other religious edifices around town, but, for me, nothing matches the truth and beauty of the weathered images that adorn these ancient niches.
And just to add some contrast to the picture you'll be getting of the place, just at the bottom ( ahem ) you'll see the exotic seating arrangements in my hotel room. An example of the kind of surprising and amusing style and flair that France often, thankfully, blesses us with : )
Next sitting... I'm at the Bristol Con in England on the 22-23rd. Great con to come to, if you haven't been before, though if you haven't got a ticket - it's ticketted - already, you might be disappointed. But it's a mix of small press and big press, and very friendly, so if you want to come, try to. I'll be at a table close to the info desk for most of the show, both days, so you can find me if you want to, no problem. Details at www.fantasyevents.org.