The name and character of "Faintly Macabre" was created by Norman Juster. For those who have read, "The Phantom Tollbooth," the name will be familiar. For those who haven't read this unique and delightful book, it is well worth the read and Faintly Macabre is a Word Which in Dictionopolis. Specifically, her chief duty was to decide which words would be used and which would be deemed illegal or no longer in fashion. Most people confused her title with being a "Witch" and therefore avoided her whenever possible.
When my nephew was very small, we would spend evenings together while his mother/my sister was working. It was my habit to either read to myself or to him, or to work on my "hobby" of writing. Once we'd exhausted Dr. Seuss, I began reading this novel to him (as it is one of my favorites - right up there with Alice in Wonderland) and we were able to explore and discuss the names, meanings, and inside "jokes" that fill this book from cover to cover. Being a bright and curious boy, he listened and exclaimed, "She's just like you!"
What a great boy! What a compliment! Thus it was that I became "Auntie Faintly" and remain so. I'm just glad he didn't decide I was more like the "Thankless Taskmaster" or the "Horrible, Awful Din."
During an in-depth discussion with my sister in the aftermath of having survived a life altering F5 Florida hurricane, "Andrew" by name, we each contemplated what we were going to do with our lives. Being given such huge second chances and having a large Divine alteration to our previous life plans, we looked around at what was left and with what we had to begin anew. At the time (1992) I had just finished writing what I'd always jokingly referred to as "The Great American Vampire Novel." It had taken me 10 years of piddling around to write but strangely enough, the entire manuscript survived what my furniture had not. The only salvageable things I recovered from what had formerly been my bedroom was a Scrabble(c) game and a very soggy novel.
Unfortunately, the novel didn't survive the freak Kansas flood that came a year later, but by then, we'd already had this conversation and my sister, very astutely, pointed out that I'd been a "closeted" writer since I was 7 years old -- why didn't I quit treating it as a hobby, or a lark, and actually consider writing as a career? I discussed it with my best friend, a published writer, and excellent wordsmith, who concurred. Although I didn't quit my day job, I quit hiding my writing and began to write in an earnest effort of getting the multitude of stories out of my head and onto paper.
Now, to find that 'just right' publisher.....
When my nephew was very small, we would spend evenings together while his mother/my sister was working. It was my habit to either read to myself or to him, or to work on my "hobby" of writing. Once we'd exhausted Dr. Seuss, I began reading this novel to him (as it is one of my favorites - right up there with Alice in Wonderland) and we were able to explore and discuss the names, meanings, and inside "jokes" that fill this book from cover to cover. Being a bright and curious boy, he listened and exclaimed, "She's just like you!"
What a great boy! What a compliment! Thus it was that I became "Auntie Faintly" and remain so. I'm just glad he didn't decide I was more like the "Thankless Taskmaster" or the "Horrible, Awful Din."
During an in-depth discussion with my sister in the aftermath of having survived a life altering F5 Florida hurricane, "Andrew" by name, we each contemplated what we were going to do with our lives. Being given such huge second chances and having a large Divine alteration to our previous life plans, we looked around at what was left and with what we had to begin anew. At the time (1992) I had just finished writing what I'd always jokingly referred to as "The Great American Vampire Novel." It had taken me 10 years of piddling around to write but strangely enough, the entire manuscript survived what my furniture had not. The only salvageable things I recovered from what had formerly been my bedroom was a Scrabble(c) game and a very soggy novel.
Unfortunately, the novel didn't survive the freak Kansas flood that came a year later, but by then, we'd already had this conversation and my sister, very astutely, pointed out that I'd been a "closeted" writer since I was 7 years old -- why didn't I quit treating it as a hobby, or a lark, and actually consider writing as a career? I discussed it with my best friend, a published writer, and excellent wordsmith, who concurred. Although I didn't quit my day job, I quit hiding my writing and began to write in an earnest effort of getting the multitude of stories out of my head and onto paper.
Now, to find that 'just right' publisher.....