The Headless Horseman

You may have been wondering of late where I have got to. I have been wondering the same myself. After an initial exposion of creativity in the first part of the pandemic, I have slowed down to something of a slow crawl. Or maybe even like my friend's baby, who could only crawl backwards and constantly ended up getting stuck in corners.  Today, though, I saw this list of Nick Cave's favourite books on his Red Hand Files website, and that reminded me of the following...  Back in 2007, when Gods Behaving Badly was about to come out, I went with some friends to see a gig at the Southbank Centre which another friend of ours had organised, in which several famous musicians performed a song from the Disney back catalogue. The artists included The Pogues, Grace Jones, Jarvis Cocker, and Nick Cave, who sang (brilliantly) the Headless Horseman song from The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.  After the gig we went backstage, where my friend insisted on introducing me to Nick Cave. I did not want to meet Nick Cave. He is strange and sexy and glamorous and terrifying and a genius and a werewolf and I was far too shy. But I had no choice because my friend grabbed my by the arm and threw me into his path, saying, "This is my friend Marie, she is an author." An author?? My book wasn't even out yet - a few copies had been distributed to journalists to be reviewed, but it would be months before it was in the shops. The last thing I wanted was to falsely represent myself as an author to Nick Cave. But it was too late. Nick Cave asked me what I had written, and so I told him about Gods Behaving Badly. "Oh, I've got that book," he said. I politely pointed out that this was impossible, because the book wasn't available, but he explained that a journalist called Jessamy Calkin who had interviewed me had given it to him, and indeed said journalist had interviewed me, so I realised that it was true. And then Nick Cave apologised very profusely for not having read it yet, because he'd also got the new James Patterson at the same time, and he'd had to start the new James Patterson first, because he couldn't resist it, he was such a fan.  So that is how the first person I ever met who had one of my books was Nick Cave. I don't know if he ever did read it. It isn't on his list of favourites, but then again, nor is James Patterson. But it may have joined the rest of his 5000+ book collection which is currently part of the Stranger Than Kindness exhibition at the Royal Danish Library in Copenhagen, so if by some happenstance you ever see that show, do look out for it there...