A Brian Jacques Tour Encounter, 2006
Approximately one year ago, a concept allowing all Redwall fans to come together to share knowledge was born. Today, because of Redwall fans worldwide, that concept flourished, with more than 1,300 articles to date and constantly growing. Today's posting is special in that it is reflective of meeting Brian Jacques and his wife, and contains lots of news. If you just want to read news, scroll down to the bullet points.
On October 7th, 2006, I attended my first Brian Jacques book signing event in Cincinnati, Ohio. The event was at a Barnes & Noble, set to begin at 2PM. I dutifully arrived around 1:15.
Some fans had already shown up, sitting in arranged chairs. I quickly found out a ticket was needed to get books signed (limit 2 books), and I received one. There was a drawing for some Redwall Figurines so I entered.
My original plan was to be the very last person in line, so I would have a chance to speak with Brian. Upon asking a B&N staff member, I found out it was perfectly ok to forfeit the place in line my ticket granted me, and be last. I then grabbed the only open seat I could find, which was in the middle of the seating area.
Brian appeared exactly at 2, and spoke for the next 30-40 minutes on writing and his childhood. It was like a G-rated comedy act. Brian was quite the showman and performer, cracking jokes, smiling, making people laugh. His comedy is very physical, involving a variety of different voices, hand gestures, and facial expressions. He was hilarious, in a word.
Brian then took a 10-15 minute break to compose himself for the signing and to allow the B&N people to properly set up the area, which involved removing chairs, etc. I stuck around and chatted with some fans from England who were there, myself having a personal affinity for the country.
Brian and his wife sat down shortly thereafter at the signing table. As fans were still milling about, the line had not been established by the B&N reps. Brian scanned the crowd, and I took the opportunity to make an impression.
I positioned myself in his line of sight and held up my copy of Get Yer Wack, smiled, and pointed at it. Brian and his wife noticed and immediately waved me over. A B&N representative had began to form the line.
"My God," said Brian, looking at his first published work.
"Ever seen a copy of this in America before?" I asked.
"No I haven't," he responded, almost shocked.
"That was published the year we met," said his wife. (Note: She could have said got married, I'm not entirely sure. Although, I'm not sure of the accuracy either way)
"I actually have a few more," I said, pulling out Jakestown: My Liverpool, and Yennoworrameanlike.
"Are any of them signed?" asked Brian's wife.
"Actually these two are," I said, pointing to the Jakestown and Get Yer Wack.
"The other one isn't."
Brian opened Get Yer Wack to the title page and looked for his mark.
"Wow, that's my old signature," he said.
"Yeah, your 'bank signature'," said his wife. "Where did you get these, online?"
"Yes, I found them on the internet," I said.
By this time the queue was fully formed and I was kind of holding it up. Brian browsed through the pages of the book.
"I'll be at the end of the line today, hopefully we can talk afterwards."
"Sure," the couple agreed.
I took the time to grab a Starbucks, then joined the end of the line. Anyone who appeared later on I allowed to cut in front of me.
As the line progressed (which was rather quickly), I took Yennoworrameanlike and my 1986 Redwall (hat tip to LPC) hardcover out for Brian to sign.
Two people in line with me obviously noticed Yennoworrameanlike and asked about it, so I explained that it was a book of poetry and published about 3 decades ago. A man also realized that my Redwall was the 1986 one.
When I arrived at the front, Brian took the book of poems and began flipping through it, giggling as he recognized titles and lines from decades ago.
After getting the books signed, I posed for a photograph with Brian, and then spoke with him and his wife for a few moments. I also gave Brian a personal letter I wrote to him, and from what I saw surprisingly nobody else did. All in all, I departed the store around 3:30 p.m. It was one of the most memorable and remarkable experiences of my life. Brian and his wife were very pleasant people.
This is a summary of our conversation:
- Eulalia! is confirmed as the new 2007 Redwall novel title.
- It is a story regarding badgers. (That's all he would tell me!)
- It will take place chronologically after High Rhulain.
- They are in negotiations with Bluth Films (the company that made Fievel: An American Tail) regarding a big screen movie.
- There will be a 20th Anniversary Edition of Redwall released in 2007, with a new cover. (If there will be bonus art it is unknown)
- They have seen and really love Bret Blevins' art for Redwall: The Graphic Novel
- Eulalia!, Redwall: The Graphic Novel, and Redwall: 20th Anniversary Edition will all be released at the exact same time.
- The new UK paperback covers by Red Fox are not in celebration of the 20th Anniversary. Because of the contract with the publisher, the covers were not necessarily approved by Mr. Jacques, in fact they're not big fans of them. However it's not their choice in the matter.
- Brian's wife is familiar with the Redwall Wiki!
So, 2007 quick recap: Eulalia!, High Rhulain paperback, Voyage of Slaves paperback, Redwall: 20th Anniversary Edition, and the Redwall: The Graphic Novel. Not to mention the new cover releases. It's going to be a big year folks.
Below are some pictures of Brian from the event. Enjoy! - LordTBT
