Ah, Hong Kong. Home to, usually, seven million people. But, for a few days only, it is lucky enough to be home to seven million and ONE.
Me.
I’m sitting here in my lovely hotel room, air conditioning on, a chilled glass of Sprite beside me, and I can hear the commotion on the streets outside as the people celebrate the something. I’m not sure what. I’m fairly sure I was told, but I’ve completely forgotten. Still, I’ve learned a lot about Hong Kong over the last few days. Well, I say a “lot”, but I actually mean “very little”. I’ve been far too busy looking around to bother paying attention to insignificant little details. Even that fact about the population count came from Wikipedia.
I seem to remember, though, that today, Sunday, is when most of the maids are let off work for the day. Basically, because the people here work so hard and so much, they need maids to run the home. Almost EVERYONE has a maid, it seems. And Sunday is their day off, so they all go out onto the streets of Hong Kong and have picnics and eat lunch and chat and laugh and enjoy themselves. Maybe all that singing and chanting and banging of drums outside has something to do with that. Like I said, the details pass me by…
It’s been a nice couple of days. I’ve done a few events for the International schools here and had a blast. There are some funny, funny people living in Hong Kong- really enthusiastic readers. I think I’ve recruited more members into the Munchkin Army, which is good. Pretty soon I’ll have to start picking out the elite Munchkins to add to my Ninja Leprechaun force, and then we’ll have enough to take over the world. Then we’ll show them. Oh, then we’ll show them…
Only two weeks left until Dark Days is released in Ireland/UK. It’ll be nice to be able to talk about it openly, instead of making vague references to stuff that happens. Remember, if any of YOU have read it already, do NOT spoil anything in the comments section! I FORBID IT! And I also ORDER YOU TO SEND ME SOME CHEESE.
On Tuesday I’m heading to the Somerset Festival on Australia’s Gold Coast, then it’s a day or two in Brisbane, then Sydney, Melbourne, and over to Auckland and Wellington and then HOME. Ah, sweet, sweet Ireland, where the ladies are fair and the weather is middling. How I miss you. Do you miss me? Do you? You do? Oh Ireland, I knew you cared, I just knew it…
Bah. That’s enough. The next time I post I had better be in a grumpier mood, or this might turn into a happy blog. And we can’t have THAT, now can we?
HI!
ReplyDeleteGood to hear your well in Hong Kong and traveled safely. Unfortunately I have no cheese on me at the moment except for shredded cheese for spaghetti bol. I don't like it, but I eat it with my sausages. I don't know what I'm saying, so if you don't read this I won't blame you. I will be in Brisbane the same time as you attending a event! I'm just scared I'm going to be surrounded be 12 year olds that make me feel old. ....well I'm sounding pretty stange aren't I? Oh well, I think the world needs more strange people or else it will be boring. See ya soon!
Wow, just a note, I would have been first to comment... but then I fell asleep! Silly me.
ReplyDeleteSo Mr. Landy,
If you do not remember anything about Hong Kong how did you know that about the maids? Answer me THAT.
I would send you some cheese, but wouldn't it go off and end up horrible?
Any whoo, not much else to say... Good luck with the tour!
Lynith x
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI can't send you cheese. Your publisist is not allowed to disclose personal information about your whereabouts. I found this out when trying to send a letter to Daniel Handler...
ReplyDeleteI hate lemonade. Well, not hate, but I prefer other beverages before it.
I'm changing my background desktop... on my computer...
Sorry, I'm in a weird mood at the moment... I'll stop now...
Or will I?
No I will.
WOW! HONG KONG! that's so cool :D i wuld prefer to go to tokyo but hong kong is cool as well- i cant WAIT till dark days, ive already pre ordered it XD im gonna get it 3 days b4 i go on my ski trip to france, so i will force myself to wait till then and then take it with me and read like a mad woman ;D have fun on ur tour!
ReplyDeleteMai
Mr. Landy,
ReplyDeleteI live in hong kong and my twin, little sister and I have been waiting a year for Dark Days. We searched through Dymocks but they said it wouldn't be out for one or two months! How is that possible! I MEAN YOU'RE HERE ALREADY! We're dying to know what happens in the book!
The Chung sisters
PS. What kind of cheese? :)
oh and the way to be in a grumpy mood- find everything wrong with the country :D it works XD
ReplyDeleteWow I would like to visit Hong Kong some time in my life. (at this rate though maybe not) I so can't wait for Dark Days since I'm getting it for my birthday :3 the best gift I could get.
ReplyDeleteI actaully considered asking my mom for a Skulduggery cake but assumed it might be a bit difficult to accomplish. I'll ask it for my 19th birthday lol
Seven million and one? Hong Kong is very lucky. And so are you, Mr Landy! If everything goes my way for once I'll be seeing you on on Friday... Yay!
ReplyDeleteI hope my retarded hair doesn't creep you out. 0.0
Do you actually read these comments?
I've always wondered...
Mr. Landy, just a note: those aren't MAIDS, they're HELPERS. And they don't just take care of HOME, they take care of the CHILDREN too.
ReplyDeleteAnd, alas, YOU FAIL TO COME TO HERE! Your a BAD man. CHEESE!?! No, the cheese is MINE!! Ohhh, deer sweet crumpets, WHERE HAVE YOU GONE!?!? Damn my crumpet obsession. *Drools* Cathederal City ON crumpets... with Clover! Never have I had a more splended dish! Of food, obviously. I dont eat DISHES, unless they're edible, in which case, I probably WOULD.
ReplyDeleteAHHHH, Wikipedia! You hurt my... EYES even TYPING that, I read a Dark Days spoiler on there by accident... *mumbles*
To the person above me.Bex I believe.
ReplyDeleteTHANK YOU!!Not....I looked on Wikipedia cause you made me curious!I feel your pain now.Though it did prove me right no one thing......
But yes other then that I have nothing else to say.Enjoy your holiday Derek!
Dum dum day.
ReplyDeleteTwo weeks already? How time flies.
You're much more amusing when you're grumpy. Grumpy people are fun to laugh at.
Happy St Patrick's Day for tomorrow Mr Landy!
ReplyDeleteWell it's only 15 minutes until tomorrow anyway. So Happy St Patrick's Day in 15 minutes! oh wait, it's 14 now..
Anyway, I live in Victoria, Australia and myself plus a group of my friends are coming to see you on Saturday the 27th.
(we're very excited)
I've always wondered, what part of Ireland are you from? Parts of my family come from County Kerry.
Just wanted to thank you for brightening up my Year 12 studies with your books :)
Anyway, you probably don't read these comments anyway, but I'm very excited to see you in a week and a half.
Keep up the blogging, it's tiring I know, but it's good for the soul. Whatever that means.
Please come to New York! I discovered Skulduggery Pleasant when I lived in England. One of my favorite books ever. Please come!
ReplyDeleteHello!!!
ReplyDeleteI am afraid you CANNOT have the cheese as I am officialy keeper of all things cheesy. (besides feet) REALLY looking forward to the book release though. I am afraid I can't go to any book releases because I am in Wolverhampton and you do not come here >:( .
You also said that British people want to be Irish, I am half irish half british. (And a bit of midgety ninja but that is besides the point)
Anyway good luck and PLEASE REFRAIN from killing off any more people. Well actually, go mad on some wild killing spree as it will be highly amusing. If you do put this in
"MWA HA HA HA HAAA."
:D
Happy Saint Patrick's day!!
ReplyDeleteMaria x
Seven million and one, eh? Surely you're worth at least three human beings, being a god and all, so it's seven million and three.
ReplyDelete-sends cheese-
ReplyDeleteI can't wait to have you back home in Ireland :)
Happy St Patricks day,
Catey x
How come you've never come to a place on tour better than Hong Kong and Inc. Like, o, i dont know, Dubai!
ReplyDeletehey, does anyone know when dark days is being published in the U.S.?
ReplyDeleteMWHAHAHA!
ReplyDeleteAhem, i mean Hallo.
Hong Kong is cool but Australia is better (not as good as Ireland but it'll do!)
I can't wait until you come here I'm going to beg and plead my parents to let me go to Sydney in order to see you.
My school's library already as your book and my twin has already borrowed it. I'll steal it off her soon.
You should come to Canberra! It's the nation's capital! + i live here.
Ah, well. I"ll send some cheese, maybe....probably not.
I'll stop babbling.
Farewell
C.A
Hey Derek,
ReplyDeleteI live in Australia,
Adelaide to be exact- and absouloutly crave your books. Your writing is suberb (hope i spelt that rite....) and i have the whole set of books, including ur stunning 'Dark Days.' however, i was not quite sure about ur new book. I'm not sure why, but it just seemed a bit too....fast.
things were jumping around from place to place to quickly for me to comprehend. It didn't have the smoothness of your other books, or at least the first half didn't. As it progressed, however, i found out the story u were trying to tell, and i accepted how amazing u really are.
Good Work.
But I'm really disappointed as to why ur NOT coming to visit Adelaide. I have never in my life visited an author from somewhere other than Aus, and now would be a terrific time.
Btw, in ur last book, it left me at a wonderful ending, leaving me to think about my REFLECTIONS for the ~NeXt BoOk~. i might even go and look at my MIRROR before reading about the ~enemy~ for ur next big hit with VALKYRIE and skulduggery.
if this is the plot i think it is, then man, u are possibly the best writer ive heard of. me, personally, am going to treasure these books for my lifetime.
thats rite.
sure am.
uh-huh.
yep.
mm.
well, maybe not that long....
From ur favourite reader,
inferno-joe
aah, Hong Kong: best place to catch up on random, weird festivals that celebrate obscure, unknown events. You might as well have a look while you're there, since they've got really interesting costumes...I think. I can't really remember now...
ReplyDeleteAh well. I can empathise with the lack of cheese, since all that's left in the family fridge is a weird, mouldy old piece of blue-veined cheese that went off about 2 years ago.
I'm one of those people lucky enough to have read Dark Days, but unlucky enough to live in Perth and not Brisbane. Also, there's a bunch of my friends thirsting for your blood because of certain...er, "uncalled-for, totally disgusting" events in the book. So you might just want to keep an eye out for any vicious-looking fans clutching butter knives.
...Just thought ya might want to know.
Diminuit
I hate Australia right now, cause Dark days is out there and not here, what is up with that?
ReplyDeleteI Demand an advance/free copy, or I will kidnap you and give you to Jimmy for his birthday.
I would keep you but I've had his copy of Skulduggery Pleasant for three-ish years and I need to give him something to make him shut it about it, cause he's not getting it back.
Ahh, its not faiirr. Dark Days should be out here :( I’m counting down though, so don’t worry. And yay, go maids, they should party like theres no tomorrow! I must go and catch my escaped rabbit now.
ReplyDeleteToodless
HI THERE !!
ReplyDeleteNow that i have your attention, LISTEN UP! I was debating with my friend today how you say Valkyrie's name. I think its Val-kih-ree and she thinks its Valk-eye-ree. Could you please clear this up for me and tell me how to pronounce her name?? That'd be awesome. I'd hate to think I've been pronouncing her name wrong for the past 3-4 years. Actually, I don't know if you can reply to these comments. Can you? If you can, please let me know by replying to me. Thanks.
I reeally wish i could've seen you in Somerset but unfortunately I wasn't special enough to be chosen by my school to go, and then i thought i could see you in brisbane but all the tickets are sold out. Sigh...
Anyway, hope you have a good time in Australia and i really hope you're coming back soon. Are you?? You'd better. Or i'll keep reading your blog. That's a threat.
See ya.
HELLO THERE! First of all, I'd like to say that you are the BEST Author of all time. Ok, now that's out of the way (THE BEST), I have to agree with SaneLunatic that those maids are the luckiest but their not the best author in the world. Anyways, Hong Kong, now that's a place I'd like to go (you lucky Author) but for the moment I'm staying here, in Australia waiting for you to launch that amazing book(Sigh) I would have gone all the way to the Gold Coast to your launch up there but sadly, I have too much homework(bigger sigh). Yes so I can't wait to see you and if you can reply then can you reply to me, that would make me very happy and I'd also be able to prove a point to one of my friends who got Dark Days before me(harumph). So thanks for that lovely little chat, but I have to go.
ReplyDeleteP.s. I'm psyched about you coming to Sydney(4 more days!)
From a random person you don't know- Darcy
Oh, and if you would really like some cheese, then tell me and I'll bring some for when I come to see you. Ok, bye bye!
ReplyDeleteYou people are insane...
ReplyDeleteAnd while loads of you asked questions, I have literally thirty seconds to pick one and answer, so I shall go with Clown Queen of Crime's question.. and you're right! It's Val-kih-ree, like Valerie, only different...
If you tarriance to the United States (espcially the southern part) I will be sure to bring you lots of cheese!Several incommensurable types if you tarriance here in fact!So swiftly,schlepp yourself over here and get cheese! ^.^
ReplyDeleteSkyril
Why dont you do a tour to the US????? I can name exactly.... five people who have read SP in my town.... Me, my mom, my dad, my friend, and a guy she knows.... and there's a whole section dedicated to cheese at my supermarket!
ReplyDeleteIn the words of my other friend, "Don't do drugs, do cheese"
could you please, as my new favourite author make the munchkin army online avaliable to those of us in the USA? i tried to lie, but it wouldn't let me :(
ReplyDeleteTOUR
ReplyDelete*doesn't even know what to say*
ReplyDelete*asterisk*
ReplyDeleteOh well.
ReplyDeleteAchievement completed.
ReplyDeleteThis blog post has been documented, recorded, and filed into the Blogland Archive on December 8, 2014.
ReplyDelete