...what I meant by losers is me chastising myself for not reading this series since its conception back in 2000. I need to get a few t-shirts though and meet JB in person and I'll be happy.
Having met the fellow personally on his first booksigning in Chicago (
if I recall Shannon's info correctly), I have to say this: wherever the man is storing the ego he
ought to have (
The aircraft hangar where they store Howard Hughes' Spruce Goose comes readily to mind), he sure as heck didn't pack it on his trip to the booksigning I went to...he was open, friendly, humble, and clearly enjoying meeting his
addicts fans.
Indeed, he hasn't forgotten what it's like to be a fan, so he applies that sensibility in addressing
his fans; with Shannon's invaluable assistance, I was able to write a biography of Jim that knocked my teacher for a loop...instead of just relying on available printed material, she gave me the ultimate in first-hand information and I passed with flying colors, due largely to her help and that of others in Jim's inner circle. With her further assistance, I was able to put into his hands (via the US Postal System) not
only said biography, but the other Jim Butcher Project I presented (
same teacher) for my History Of Chicago class...the teacher was adamant on this Final Project:
NO AL CAPONE, NO MICHAEL JORDAN!; seems that was all previous classes had done, and one can only look at so many Capone-themed papers without going a little bug-snap! So I had a rather-unusual idea: Since I'd already
pimped introduced the books to her, I suggested using the Chicago Neighborhood Map made/sold by Big Stick Inc. as a means of documenting where Real-Life Chicago met Dresdenverse Chicago, as described in the books...marking the locations with those peel-and-stick colored dots, color-coding each book and using it to mark these intersection points (
Storm Front,
Fool Moon,
etc.).
When that, along with my presentational style, impressed the teacher (
There IS something rather attention-grabbing when your lecturer rips open his shirt, revealing a Bookstore Commando shirt in a Superman-ish manner...), who was rating not only on content, but ability to keep one's audience interested...the question then became, "What do I do with it now?". I decided, with Shannon's help, to send it to the subject of the biography, along with the color-dotted map; skip forward to the book lecture in Chicago suburbs, where I am waiting with the most recent update of the Chicago Neighborhood Map, rolled up in a tube. Jim might not have been able to pick me out of a lineup before that night...but when I unrolled the map, he knew EXACTLY who I was, and signed not only the books, but the map, which hangs on the wall to my left as I write this, protected from the ravages of Time by the expert lamination skills of the Merry Elves of
Kinko's/FedExFor those curious about this Chicago Neighborhood Map, Chicago is made up of numerous neighborhoods, each with a little something special and their own identity...when Harry refers to going into the Morgan Park neighborhood, Morgan Park is on the southern point of Chicago (
on the map, it's grid-referenced at "M-6")...if he were going to the Portage Park neighborhood, Portage Park is on the Northwest side of Chicago (
on the map, it's grid-referenced at "C-4"). The Morgue area where Butters works is, I believe, near the hospital, located at F-7, in the area labelled "The M.D. (
Medical District)/University Village"...get the idea?
If the Admins will allow it, I'll post a link to where you can buy the map and track Harry's movements yourself; if not, email me off the board for Big Stick's website.
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