Tuesday 26 June 2007

Also, on the strength of various people mentioning Jasper Fforde to me, I thought is time to follow up that one. And, on a suggestion, have looked at http://www.jasperffordecompetition.com that someone came upon a couple of weeks ago. So. I kind of bit the bullet(does anyone know where that phrase comes from? a peculiar phrase. I digress) and entered, well, I say entered, I got this reply from a June Haversham - I know, a verisimiliar nomenclature! and this is it:


Hello Amy,

It has been pointed out to me by my boss that the last question on the first part of the quiz has the wrong answer let you win instead of the right answer. She said lots of people have emailed to say that it isn't right that they have to give a wrong answer to win. I'm very confused that the answer is wrong in the quiz. Of course the book is called First among sequels! Did you email in? If you did, don't worry, you don't lose any points if you gave the right answer before the wrong one.

That last question and the scribbler tie-breaker were two of the things that Mr. Fforde had us put in at the last moment, so I am very surprised that the question was wrong, because he checked them himself.
Oh dear, this is all going a bit wrong, this is my first job and I'm starting to get the impression I'm not expected to last long here. I've never worked in a publishing house office before, it's all a bit overwhelming. Have you ever worked in an office? can you give me any advice on how to not get 'the boot'?

june


To be honest - I wouldn't really have a clue anyway. (And June sounds a bit stressed! ) Still, I have replied with details about the books and MH - she will probably think I'm a kook but eh.

In the meantime, we need to close in on those books.

(Thanks to everyone who's emailed me - it has been a great help and nice to know that I'm not doing this all alone!)

3 comments:

KGB said...

As the "spidernet" says, in the days before effective anesthetics soldiers were given bullets to bite on to help them endure pain

RachelC said...

Or, the other explanation was the when cartridges came in parts, you had to bite the cartridge, put the powder down the gun and then follow it up with the bullet (which you had held in your mouth during that time.

It could also relate to soldiers given a bullet to bite fir pain when being lashed.

Canzonett said...

Amy, this is even more mysterious than it seems. Apparently even June has been in contact with a Bookworld person - many people have pointed out that the "Jasper Fforde" or rather "Jasper FFForde" she has been in contact with impossibly can be the real Jasper Fforde. What is to be done?