Get your book signed, quaff some mead…

I’m doing a book sale and signing on Friday, March 20th, at the Oppegaard Mead Hall in Tukwila WA, just south of Seattle, from 7:00-10:00 pm. Yup, a real honest-to-Odin mead hall with bearded men and tattooed women and a few other hearty vendors hawking crafts made of leather and steel at their monthly Viking Evening Market.

The staff is righteous, the atmosphere is boisterous, and if you're in the area, I’d love to meet you and sign your book! They have a food truck outside, tabletop gaming, and of course, plenty of varieties of that classic fermented honey beverage.

More info and directions: https://www.opmead.com/

Behind the scenes extra

One of my favorite author/illustrators is Edward Gorey. His quirky stories and astonishing drawings have enthralled me for decades. A few years ago, a collection of his work entitled The Angel, the Automobilist, and Eighteen Others was published posthumously, and I wrote a series of observations unpacking several of the illustrations. Here is one of them.

The Doubleganger

This illustration reveals an enchanting series of reflections, the longer I stare into it. I was taken in by the identical nature of its subjects initially, each bearing even more similarity to the other than the rest of the Earbrass variations throughout the book. But on subsequent contemplation it became obvious that their polarity was the thing at play - their details in opposition.

One is in motion, the other quite still, feet planted in the alleyway. And yet, the unmoving figure has taken action, choosing to be seen, extending his umbrella firmly into the other’s view. And view it he does, his eyes are riveted to it. One is in light, the other in darkness. But not full darkness, rather the twilight between. 

One is aware of the other, is in fact looking straight at him, and his counterpart is ignorant for the moment. But awareness is a few short steps away. One is right-handed, one left - the dexter and the sinister. 

Which is the original? And which is the doubleganger? My first inclination was to identify the man in the light as protagonist, and the one in shadow as interloper. But the more I thought on it, the story seemed to unfold more as one who had discovered a frightening duality and was taking measured steps to confront it on their own terms.

Talk soon, and thanks for all your support!

-Eric