So it has been an incredibly weird, strange, up and down couple of weeks — months even. I meant to try to keep updating through the publicity for the movie and so forth but all I had time to do was reblog gifsets and Instagram a few things. Beware, for there is picspam below.
So in the past few months I worked on City of Heavenly Fire in Cornwall with Jen Lynn Barnes, Sarah Rees Brennan, Holly Black, Kelly Link, Maureen Johnson, and Malinda Lo. The usual suspects.
It was pretty. So, so pretty. I am delighted I put an Institute in Cornwall so I can go back. :-)
(Clearly I am thinking it was not a good idea)
I went to Comicon on a jet. Tiny jets are both awesome and terrifying. They just lift straight up into the air like slingshots. Everyone ran to the windows to look out except Godfrey who was like, “Haven’t any of you ever been on a Gulfstream Jet before?” Hmph. Not all of us are international supermodels.
Oh, and we got our makeup done on the plane - which is mostly hairbrushing for the boys, but no one else seemed to share my deadly fear of getting a mascara wand to the eye.
When we walked into the lobby of the Hard Rock Hotel I yelled “Jamie, look! Your head is huge!” which might …not have been what I meant to say. Lily was signing autographs so we couldn’t get her for this picture.
Later I got to ride in an elevator with Spiderman — or whatever his real name is. Totally, you can see him behind me and Sukee (Godfrey’s manager! He’s wearing blue!
He’s talking to Robbie, who warned us that over the day, his hair would get progressively bigger. But it never did do anything dramatic.
In August, I went to the premiere in LA. Does it look terrifying? Because it is terrifying. Everyone points cameras and shouts your name and you assume you are going to be assassinated.
But I did get to hang out with fans…
And I dragged my long-suffering husband along …
And also superagent Barry Goldblatt who sold my first book back in 2005. I asked him to walk on the black carpet with me but he took one look at all the photographers and bolted around the side, abandoning me. SAVE ME, BARRY!
And of course adorable cast of adorableness was present. Robbie’s suit had its own ticket, I believe.
I went to some amazing events where I met tons of awesome Shadowhunters holding some very perverse signs.
And then to Berlin.
In Berlin, the airline lost all my luggage, including my premiere dress and shoes — though I still had my good-luck handbag that Holly gave me.
After much despair I wound up in a massive department store in Berlin, and scrounged up a beaded dress (that was actually a shirt, but I’m short) and Miu Miu shoes so tall that eventually I took them off and did the presentation barefoot. You’ve probably seen the press photos so here’s us lurking backstage looking nervous.
After which I went barefoot to dinner which was collegial and also a little sad because I had to say goodbye to Lily
You know how she always looks perfect in photos? She always looks perfect in real life. IT’S SCARY.
Oh, and Robbie - who told several extremely funny stories during dinner, all of which are rated unsuitable for this tumblr. Alas.
And Jamie (who I expected to see again in Hong Kong, but then a family member got suddenly, violently sick, and I couldn’t go. They are okay now, and thank you for the well-wishes - it really has been an up and down bunch of weeks.
Also I think Jamie is asleep in this picture but my husband says he is just blinking.)
Meanwhile I had time to watch the Series 3 teaser trailer for Sherlock and OH MY GOD WHY MUST WE WAIT FOR THINGS WE WANT TO WATCH AND READ.
Hmph I say to you, Benedict Cumberbatch.
Anyway, I am heading out tomorrow to rural France with the Usual Suspects where I will be spending the next month hopefully *finishing* City of Heavenly Fire, and recovering from what has probably been the craziest year of my whole life.
I did want to add — I have of course been receiving a ton of messages about the movie: from people who loved it, people who hated it, people who are mad at me for changes made in the adaptation from book to movie, people who want me to give them Jamie Campbell Bower’s phone number immediately or they will be mad at me… It’s a little overwhelming, but I will just say:
I’ve always said I didn’t have ultimate control over this movie. (I said it on my website, and
here, seven months ago and
a year ago : “When you give over your movie rights you have to accept that decisions about how to adapt your books will be made without you. ) I clarified my position and influence re:
the movie here a month ago: : ’The producers and director and production designer were all nice enough to come to me to consult about various things. I gave my opinion. Sometimes they took it. Sometimes they didn’t take it. Sometimes they took part of it but not the rest. Some things I was never asked about and was as surprised as everyone else to see.”
Interestingly, even being on set doesn’t change that - about 60% of what I saw filmed, including a ton of location shooting in ‘Idris’ and flashbacks, didn’t make it in — I hope it’s on the DVD because I think you guys would like it. None of that is a criticism of the movie — but often if you have questions about why things were changed, or when or how, I won’t know the answer, because I don’t know either. I just hope you do know that whenever I was asked for input, I gave it with what I thought you guys would want in the forefront of my mind.
In the end, a film is an interpretation: it’s the director’s vision of a book. If you don’t like it, you’re not a bad fan. If you do like it you’re not a bad fan. If you have a ton of strong opinions well, you’re a fan. :) It’s the nature of the beast. The books will always be the books and nothing changes that.
Speaking of the books, I found out that this week City of Bones is #1 on the USA Today list. I remember years ago sitting in Holly’s basement on New Year’s Day with Libba Bray, making our Lists of Impossible Goals: things we wanted to accomplish we didn’t ever think would happen. I wrote “#1 on the USA Today list” — because USA Today ranks every book in the country and so basically it means City of Bones, this week, was the bestselling book in the US. And that’s pretty amazing.
I feel so grateful to have had the experience of this past year, and I know I am so lucky in my life, my career and to have you guys, most of all. And I can’t wait to start talking about City of Heavenly Fire. I just saw the cover — YES! Tell me if you want a sneak peek. ;)
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