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Last night, I heard Neil Gaiman reading The Graveyard Book to my daughter as I tucked her into bed. This is a nightly occurrence for her, and she can scarcely fall asleep without her iPod playing some story. She listens to other books, but The Graveyard Book is unquestionably her favorite. Neil's voice is sonorous but calming, wise but humorous. It is a good voice for telling stories.
Today, Neil marks the completion of his 52nd orbit around our local star, and what a successful 52 solar revolutions it has been! Author, producer, screenwriter, public speaker, and yes, a geek dad. He talks about his own children's exploits and how they have inspired much of his writing. In addition to writing the best "adult" fantasy fiction of this generation, Neil has also written some of the best "kids'" fantasy fiction of all time. And I'm not just talking about The Graveyard Book and Coraline. His picture books Crazy Hair and The Wolves in the Walls with artist extraordinaire Dave McKean are among my family's favorites.
Neil was one of the original Twitter stars, sending out thousands of messages, 140 characters at a time. In 2011, Time magazine proclaimed him the most popular novelist on Twitter. But Neil doesn’t just stand on high making pronouncements. He regularly interacts with his 1.75 Million followers, giving feedback and carrying on conversations. Nor is he shy with his more private life. He announced his dating of, and engagement and marriage to chanteuse Amanda Palmer, all via Twitter.
The first time I encountered Neil, I didn't even realize it. In the late–1980s, I eagerly read Don't Panic: The Official Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy Companion. A few years later, when I became a huge fan of his Sandman series, I was glancing back through my library and realized "Wait, it's the same guy!" Yes, Neil won my admiration not just because he is an incredible writer, but also because he is a fanboy himself.
I introduced my wife, Tara, to Neil Gaiman when we went to hear him speak at a small theater in Charlotte, North Carolina. She had not read anything by him, but she knew I was a fan. He read some stories, but mostly he talked. He talked about telling stories and what storytelling means. I came away with a much greater sympathy for anyone taking the stories of the past as the cloth for the stories they tell today. After hearing him speak, my wife was so captivated she read American Gods, a book she now counts as one of her very favorites, having read it several times. We are eagerly awaiting the HBO Series.
So, from my family — and the GeekDad family at large — happy birthday, Neil. We hope you are here for at least another 52 turns around the sun to tell us some more of your ripping yarns.
Tell us your stories about Neil Gaiman in the comments here, or wish him a happy birthday on Twitter @neilhimself
