My dedication. Let me show you it.

[desperance]

One of the early pleasures of publishing books is that you get to dedicate them to people. It may perhaps mean more to me in the giving than it does to them in the receiving (to other people - even to my friends - books do not necessarily hold the same magisterial power that they do in my life: weird, but there you go); even so, it's a gift that's been enjoyed by both parties. (If I've set it in abeyance with the last few books, that's only because so many of the couples to whom I gave dedications promptly split up, which raises difficult issues for them and for me too, 'specially when reprints come along...)

However. Because I personally live this life where books do hold power, and because I am closely acquainted with so many writers, I have been waiting with an anticipation bordering on impatience for someone to dedicate a book to me. Indeed, I confess, more than once a nasty snarly thought has drifted across my mind: "Oh, c'mon - did you not tell me directly, you couldn't have written this book without me? Isn't that worth a dedication - or at least an acknowledgement...?" Etc. It's a hard world, and very seldom run to my desires.

However. The wait is over. Ta-daa! (Actually, the Amazon entry is b0rked: it's not called 'Angel Hardback' and it's not in paperback, it's actually a hardback called 'Angel', but no matter. That can be fixed.)

What it is, it's the new book by m'friend'n'colleague Cliff McNish, with whom I went to Korea a few years back. He writes contemporary books for kids, with a fantastic edge; like all his titles, this one's set to be a major success. And you open it up, and right there on the frontispiece it says "For Chaz Brenchley". How good is that?

Here's a better link, to Cliff's own page about the book.

Comments

[mizkit.livejournal.com]

That's good. *beam*

All of your angels are belong to Chaz

[shewhomust.livejournal.com]

I assure you that being the dedicatee (well, half the dedicatee) of one of your books is a continuing source of delight to me; only yesterday I was checking a copy in Barter Books, just to make sure that page was still there...

[cinderberry.livejournal.com]

Oooh, shiny! That's a cool thing to have. :)

[rysmiel.livejournal.com]

Dang, now I'm trying to figure out what setting Angel Hardback is a character in; I have a feeling that might well be more a saunteringdown kind of story than a rysmiel one, though.

[athenais.livejournal.com]

It's of a most excellent goodness! Congratulations.

I have had my own name in the dedication and am still able to recite the entire thing, boring my friends greatly but charming me all these years later.