I love this story, Joel. The funny thing is that when you mentioned how the Disney exec singled you out, I thought immediately of Clive Barker. I met him at an invitation only birthday party for him at Dark Carnival bookstore in Berkeley. Nearly everyone was dressed in black. One person had a boa constrictor wrapped around him. I was wearing a plaid pastel shirt and jeans.

Since it was his birthday, people brought gifts, some quite elaborate and expensive. In deciding what to bring, I was realistic. He didn’t know me and, if it were me, I’d feel a bit awkward getting fancy stuff from people you’ve never seen before and will never see again. So I made one of those peepshow things you used to be able to construct from a Land O’Lakes butter box. He loved it. He enthused about it being “genuine Americana” and spent a lot of time talking to me. When he signed my copy of his book, he drew a fantastical creature along with it. The goth patrol was green with envy.